A Lady in Attendance

by Rachel Fordham

  “Hello, Edward.”

  “What are you doing here?” His once-relaxed features were tight and angry. “I heard you were spending time behind bars.”

  “Eddie,” Gilbert said, “she’s my guest.”

  “You didn’t tell him that I worked for you?” Hazel put a hand on her forehead. Could this be real?

  “No. I’d hoped we could all move forward peaceably.” Gilbert looked from his brother to Hazel and back again. “We’re not children. We can handle this.”

  “Is this the Hazel you were talking about?” Eddie’s smug expression was anything but peaceful. “That’s one dream that will never come true. Give it up, brother, before you’re torn to shreds. Your Hazel is heartless, and she’s a thief.”

  “We have a friend who’s a lawyer. He’s coming over, and we’re going to try to prove her innocence. And as for heartless, her heart seems to be pumping blood through her body same as yours and mine.” Gilbert stood firm. “You can stay and help us or you can go.”

  “I’ll stay. I could use some good entertainment. I’ll enjoy watching you try to prove the guilty innocent. This woman destroys whatever she touches. She destroyed my friend’s engagement and why, you may ask. Was it love? No. I doubt she knows what that is.” Eddie walked past her, his shoulder bumping against her as he went. Then he sank into a burgundy wingback and folded his arms across his chest. “This should be amusing.”

  “I’m sorry about him,” Gilbert said to her while glaring at his brother.

  “It’s all right.” Hazel stopped Gilbert from saying more. “He didn’t expect to see me. I’m sure it’s a shock.” To Eddie, she said, “I have never been able to apologize. I’m sorry for the past and for your friend and for so much more.”

  Eddie ignored her.

  “Ina and Duncan are coming. Don’t worry about Eddie.” Gilbert moved to open the door upon hearing them knock. Moments later, the four sat at the dining room table. Only Eddie remained separate—a quiet, glaring bystander.

  “Ina told me what she could of your story. But there is still so much I don’t understand. I brought a list of questions I hope will get us started.” Duncan had paper ready and a pencil in hand.

  “I’ll tell you whatever I can.”

  “Let’s start by discussing any enemies you might have had.”

  Eddie snorted from the other room, earning him scowls from the four people at the table. Hazel did her best to honestly answer Duncan’s question, embarrassed by the transparency it required.

  When the inquiry ended, they all leaned back and mulled the details. “I’ll send messages to a few trusted friends in Buffalo, and then we’ll go there together and gather more clues. If I can see the case records, I’ll know where the accusations came from, and I can see if the accuser’s name is in any other cases. We need to figure out why someone would want Hazel to disappear.” Duncan tapped the table. “We’ll also see what we can find out about the boat you say Nathaniel mentioned.”

  “It’s been so long,” Hazel said. “I don’t know if we’ll find anything.”

  “That is an obstacle,” Duncan agreed. “But listening to you now gives me reason to hope. Your case was not handled properly. If nothing else, I may be able to prove that.”

  “Thank you, Duncan, for all of your help.”

  They stood to leave.

  “What are you doing here?” Eddie cornered Hazel as she fetched her coat and hat. “What kind of games are you playing with my brother? There are plenty of other men for you to torment.”

  In a low whisper, she replied, “I’m not playing any games. I didn’t know he was your brother until you came back to town.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  When he said nothing and only stood scowling at her, she reached out her hand and put it on his arm. “For Gilbert’s sake, can we be civil?”

  He shook her hand off. “You should go.”

  “It’s a free world.” She stood a little taller, trying to convince him and herself that the sight of him was not alarming. “Your brother has agreed to help me. He’s my friend.”

  “Break someone else’s heart and leave him be. He might be thirty, but he’s as innocent as a child and doesn’t know to be wary of your snares. Haven’t you caused enough damage?”

  She took a step closer to him. “I stopped playing games long ago, and I’ve paid my dues. I’m truly sorry for everyone I wronged. If you’d been here these last couple of months, you’d have seen the friendship your brother and I have formed. It’s real.”

  Gilbert walked over to them. “Are you ready to go, Hazel?”

  “Yes.” She looked once more at Eddie and in a slow, piercing voice said, “I never stole anything.”

  Eddie turned his back on her and walked away.

  “What was my brother talking to you about?” Gilbert asked once they were alone and heading toward the boardinghouse.

  She kicked at a stone in front of her, sending it rolling down the street. “He doesn’t think I should be here with you. He’s just being a big brother and worrying.” She shivered in the cold, or was it from the memories? “Do you think our plan will work?”

  “I agree with Duncan. If someone was hiding something, then we need evidence before we can make an accusation. I guess we will know a lot more this weekend when we all go to Buffalo.”

  “What if it’s not safe? Everyone said Nathaniel’s death was an accident, but I never believed it. Something more was going on, and it still may be. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” She stopped and looked at him. “Promise me you’ll be cautious. I have no desire to move forward with our plans if they’ll put you or anyone else in jeopardy. I’d rather go west and leave all this behind than have harm come to anyone.”

  “I’ve made it past thirty with no major harm befalling me.”

  “But that was before you met me. I have a trail of damage behind me.” She looked over her shoulder. “I’m surprised anything I touch still stands.”

  “We’ve worked together for months, and I have never once felt threatened.”

  Hazel laughed despite the tension of the night. “You work in a dental office. Of course you’ve been safe.”

  “I stuck myself with a carver once. It was a nasty cut. Accidents can happen anywhere.” He held up his thumb. “See that little scar?”

  “You are brave. You’ve survived a duel with a dental instrument.”

  He puffed up his chest. “And I’ll survive this too.”

  “You better. And the jewels. Do you think Duncan will find out something about the owner so we can try to figure out who put them in my home?” She’d lost countless hours of sleep mulling over possible scenarios but could never think of an adequate motive—unless Nathaniel’s death was no accident and somehow linked to the jewels. Many people did not care for her back then, but she couldn’t think of anyone who would have stooped so low.

  “I believe it’ll all come together.”

  “I find myself wondering again how it is you are not married. Look at you, helping me like this.”

  “None of that flattery.”

  “Mrs. Northly and the girls at the boardinghouse are always rattling on and on about how unmarried men over thirty have some secret to hide. She must be right or else you’d be married.”

  “I’ve heard that myself. Alberta loves telling me I’m a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

  “Why didn’t you ever marry?”

  A dimple in his cheek was the only evidence of humor. “Let society think me a menace if they want to, but it’s really the fault of a very peculiar lady friend of mine who has drawn lines and made rules that I’ve promised to abide by. I blame her for my unrelenting bachelorhood. If she would only rescind her rules, I’d beg for her hand.”

  She elbowed him. “What have I done to you? You were a man of so few words before and now you have me always wondering what you’ll say next. I’m certain this lady friend of yours had good reasons for her
request.”

  He scrunched his face up and shook his head. “I doubt that. But I keep my word when I give it.”

  “That’s honorable of you.”

  “Or foolish, but aren’t we all fools when our hearts are at stake?” Gilbert slowed again. They were near Mrs. Northly’s. “Hazel, I can only imagine how difficult all of this is for you.” His voice was serious now. “We’ll look out for one another, and I trust Duncan that we can get to the bottom of it. You’ve spoken to me of your faith, and I believe too. We’ll be in good hands.”

  “I only worry for you and the others.”

  He touched her cheek. “You, my dear friend, are worth worrying over too. Don’t ever think otherwise.”

  Wind rustled the bare branches, sending eerie shadows dancing in the moonlight. Hazel’s hair blew across her face. She closed her eyes and leaned against a tree. Being worried over was not easy to accept, but it felt good to be cared about.

  “What time is the door locked?” Gilbert asked.

  “Ten o’clock. I should go, but I don’t want to. I have so many worries, and for some reason out here in the moonlight, I feel less afraid.”

  “I wish we could linger.” He looked between the house and her. “Best hurry inside. I’m not sure how many more chances Mrs. Northly will give you. Don’t worry though. The week will go quickly, and soon we’ll put together the pieces of this puzzle.”

  “I do hope so.” She picked at the tree bark. “Thank you.”

  “Good night, my redheaded friend.”

  Swallowing the emotion that wanted to rise without her permission, she stared back, wondering what her eyes gave away about her. “Good night, Gil.”

  “What is he doing here?” Hazel whispered to Ina two days later when she spotted Eddie waiting on the front porch of the boardinghouse with Gilbert and Duncan. The rest of them were to set off for Buffalo as planned, but Eddie, what was he doing?

  “I don’t know. He doesn’t look happy.”

  “He’s certainly not happy if I’m present,” Hazel grumbled. She could feel the excitement that had been building all week drain from her. “This is bad. I can’t spend a weekend with him.”

  “It doesn’t look like we’ll have much say in that. But you won’t be alone.” Ina waved at Duncan. “I better go say hello.”

  She stepped away just as Gilbert walked over and took Hazel’s bag. “You pack light.”

  “It’s only for a couple days. What is Eddie doing?”

  “He insisted on coming. He says he wants to help.” Gilbert shrugged. The man was innocent to a fault and likely believed Eddie’s altruistic lies. “I didn’t see how it could hurt. The more people on our team, the better.”

  “I’m sure he will be most helpful.” She couldn’t keep the sarcasm from her tone.

  “Isn’t this weekend about setting things right? You could start by reconciling with Eddie.”

  “I think he wants to be the one to watch me walk the plank.”

  He put a hand on the small of her back and led her away from the boardinghouse. “Only guilty people walk the plank.”

  “Not in the real world.”

  On heavy legs, she made her way toward Eddie but couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye. Instead, she stared at the collar of his shirt. The dread she felt about the impending adventure multiplied exponentially at the thought of him being there.

  “Next to me or across from me?” Eddie asked when she climbed inside the carriage.

  Nowhere near you, she thought. But aloud she said, “Next to you.” At least she wouldn’t have to look at him. It was crowded inside with Eddie, Hazel, and Gilbert on one side and Ina and Duncan on the other.

  “Your brother tells us you tried your hand at prospecting. What is the frontier like?” Duncan asked, filling the uneasy silence.

  “Dirty.” Eddie put his hands on his knees and leaned forward. “It was dirty and picturesque all at the same time. There was so much open space and everyone was hopeful, at least at first. Some men lost their wits when they didn’t find piles of gold, but the rest of us still saw it as beautiful until the end.”

  “Were there Indians?” Ina asked.

  “A few, but not how you imagine them. They weren’t fierce. They either got along or they stayed away. It was the miners who could be a fierce and rough sort. It takes a hardy man to make it out there.”

  Hazel dared a glance at Eddie and was surprised to see a smile on his face. His eyes were not boring holes into Duncan or Ina, but rather the opposite. He seemed content sharing his adventures.

  “When I first worked my claim with the men I’d hired, we were certain we’d strike it rich. Every day felt like a treasure hunt from the books we’d read as boys, except it wasn’t someone else’s story—it was ours.” He rubbed his shoulder absently. “The novelty wore off, but we kept going.”

  “What changed?” Gilbert asked.

  “One by one, they gave up, and Carl married. As the men left me, I realized that friends and even working men were temporary. I started thinking that this was the right chance to come home. At least for a while. Someday I might go back.”

  There was passion in Eddie’s words, so much so that it baffled Hazel. Not the flippant passions from younger years, but the steady and focused passions of a man willing to work to bring his goals to fruition.

  “I don’t know you.” She uttered her thought without meaning to voice it aloud. “I’m sorry. It’s only that you are very changed from when I knew you before.”

  When he turned to face her, his expression changed from a man deeply engrossed in thought and reverie to a man filled with contempt. “And you are exactly the same as you were before.”

  “You have no idea who I am now.”

  “You don’t fool me.”

  “Then why are you here?” She couldn’t understand. He didn’t care a thing about clearing her record or reuniting her with her family.

  “Gilbert’s my brother. And what you’ve talked him into doing isn’t exactly safe.”

  “I never—”

  “Don’t.” Gilbert stopped her from offering a defense. Then he leaned forward and looked around Hazel at his brother. “You said you’d keep your thoughts to yourself.”

  “I’d planned to. But you don’t know a thing about this woman.”

  “Do we need to stop and let you out?” Gilbert reached a hand toward the window, ready to get the driver’s attention.

  “Whoa, there, little brother. You’ve gone and gotten yourself a backbone. Maybe I don’t know you anymore either.”

  Eddie’s comment silenced all the passengers. They froze in their seats, listening to the thudding of their own hearts and the clip-clop of the horses’ hooves colliding with the street.

  Hazel bit her tongue to keep from speaking out of anger. When her temper cooled, she said, “You never have to think a gracious thought about me. I can live with that. But if you are coming with us, can we agree to work together? Not for me but for your brother?”

  “For Gilbert, I will.”

  CHAPTER

  SIXTEEN

  “You ladies get settled into your room, and we’ll meet you in the morning,” Gilbert said after they arrived at the hotel.

  “Where are you going?” Hazel asked.

  “We’ve decided to look into a few things tonight.” His gaze, which normally held hers, darted away. “Rest. We’ll meet you in the morning and catch you up on whatever we learn.”

  She grabbed his arm, pulling him back. “Tell me where you’re going.”

  “It’s better if you stay here and trust us.”

  “You can’t do that.” Fear assaulted her. Nathaniel had left one night, only to be injured and then die. What if they went to the docks or somewhere dangerous? She couldn’t allow that. “I’ll stay up the entire night worrying. Tell me where you’re going so I’ll know if you are safe.”

  Duncan looked at his watch. “Don’t argue all night. Either tell her or don’t.”

  �
��We’re going to your old house. The one you lived in with Nathaniel. It’s been vacant this whole time. Duncan saw the deed, and Nathaniel’s parents still own it. We want to see if we can find any clues. Maybe something was left behind.” Gilbert immediately looked as though he wished he could take back the words. “But you can’t come.”

  “I’m going with you. You can’t stop me.”

  “It’s dangerous. We have to get in and out with no one noticing us.”

  She pressed her hand to her chest. “I lived there. I know that house. I know which boards squeak and which ones don’t.” She raised her voice loud enough for Eddie to hear. “Tell him I should go. That I’m the one who should do anything dangerous. Tell him it’s smart for me to come. Besides, if they catch us, at least I have a connection to the house. You would be strangers with no reason to be there, but I could claim innocent motives.”

  Eddie let out a cynical laugh. “I don’t want her to come, but I agree with her. She can be our cover if we are caught.”

  Gilbert looked from Duncan to Eddie and then to Hazel. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Very well. And Ina, will you be joining us? It seems we are all going to put ourselves in harm’s way together.”

  “No.” Ina shook her head. “I’m afraid this is more of an adventure than an old schoolteacher can handle. I’ll stay here, and if you don’t return, I’ll send the police.”

  Hazel groaned. “Don’t talk like that. We’ll be safe.”

  “Go.” Ina picked up Hazel’s bag. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

  The group moved away, but they stopped in their tracks when Duncan broke ranks and returned to Ina. Moving on and giving them privacy would have been the appropriate choice, but they all stood together and watched.

  Duncan took Ina’s hand, then slowly moved it to his chest and held it against his heart. “I’ll be back.”

  “Be safe,” she said, looking up into his eyes.

  Hazel’s breath caught in her chest as she watched her friend living out the tender moments she’d always dreamed of. Duncan, with his balding head and outdated clothes, was Ina’s perfect suitor. He pressed a kiss to her cheek before promising again to return.