Eddie rubbed the side of his face where Hazel had slapped him. “She’s got an arm. Some might see that as a positive trait.”
“Never mess with a redhead.” Gilbert stepped away from his brother. “I’ve had enough for one day. Think about what I said.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY
“Would you like me to come with you?” Gilbert asked.
“No, I want to go alone.” Hazel rubbed her swollen red eyes. Having him nearby normally gave her a sense of strength, but this was something she had to face alone. “There’s so much to explain without having to explain who you are. Where is everyone else?”
“Eddie was out all night. I don’t know where he is now.”
“Did something happen?” Hazel asked in a sheepish voice. “After I . . . after I left.”
“After you slapped him?”
She nodded, unsure if she’d hurt Gilbert as well as his brother with her actions.
“I told him where I stood.”
“He’s your brother.” She swallowed, thinking of her own family and her deep desire to plead with them to allow her back into their lives. “If I am coming between you and Eddie . . . if I am . . .”
“No. He needed to hear what I had to say.”
“And Duncan?” she asked.
“He’s spending the morning in church with Ina.”
“I saw her dressing for church. I should have assumed they’d go together. I would have liked to go too.”
“I’d have liked sitting beside you. May I walk with you to the Williamses’ home? I respect your desire to speak with them alone, but there’s no reason you should walk the streets by yourself.” He offered his hand. “And while we walk, I promise not to talk about anything that has to do with the case.”
She’d never imagined a man could know her so well. The case was weighing heavily on her. One moment she was elated, believing they were so close to clearing her name, and the next she was shaking with fright, afraid the past would never be set right. “I’d like that.”
The streets were quieter today than they’d been yesterday, when they could barely hear one another over the noisy din. She sighed. It was not as peaceful as their hill in Amherst, but it was still fresh air and good company. There was something oddly comforting about walking the streets of her childhood.
“Is that a snowflake?” she asked with her hand out, trying to catch it.
“Looks like winter’s coming.”
She rubbed her arms absently. “It makes me cold thinking about winter. It was summer when I last saw my family. A long-ago summer.”
“You’ll be home again soon. With Mathilda and all your family.” He put an arm on her back and rubbed it. “You need a thicker coat.”
“I think I’ll have to put in a few more hours at the dental office so I can get one.”
“I was thinking about your work, and I’ve decided we need to make a few changes.” He looked at her with a serious expression. “It’s the way it has to be.”
“What changes?” Her heart beat faster. She looked for signs of his subtle humor. “I can work harder. Whatever you need me to do.”
“I need you to accept a raise in pay.” He fought a smile, but she saw it creeping onto his face and smacked his arm.
“You’re horrible. You had me worried.”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh? Most people would say thank you.”
She put her hand on his arm where she’d hit him. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t hurt me.” He pulled her tight against his side. “I couldn’t get rid of you. You’re the best lady in attendance I’ve ever had.”
“I’m the only one you’ve ever had.”
“That still makes you the finest.” He pulled her tighter still, and though it was only with one arm and from the side, she felt like she was being embraced. “I’m sorry about Eddie and how he handled things last night.”
“I’m sorry too. I know I shouldn’t have slapped him.”
“I wouldn’t waste too much time feeling sorry about that.”
“I didn’t lose much sleep over Eddie. Mostly I worried for Mathilda. I think after I speak with the Williamses, I’ll write my parents a letter and have someone deliver it.” The flakes were coming harder now. With the temperature hovering near freezing, they were large flakes that floated through the air like finely crafted lace. “Mathilda loves snow. When she was little, she’d stay outside until her fingers were red with cold.”
“It’s beautiful,” he said. “I believe God’s an artist, the most amazing artist there is. Perhaps he created this snow with Mathilda in mind.”
“I want to see her again. I want to see all of them. Not just so I can plead my innocence but so I can love them. I didn’t do enough of that before.”
“You’ll get to. It’s out of my power to promise it, but I believe it.” He pressed a kiss to her hair. “For years you wanted to put the pieces together, and now they’re coming together quickly. Remember that when you feel discouraged. We’ve been here for a short amount of time and we’re close. Providence is behind it.”
She looked up at him and could feel the tears welling in her eyes. His optimism gave her reason to hope. “I’ve tried to make sense of the timing, all the years of heartache and pain. I want to wish them away, but without them I’d never have found such dear friends.” She held on to his arm a little tighter. “I wouldn’t have found you. And now, with each of you helping, I believe the impossible may become possible.”
“You’re being watched over.” He looked up toward the snow-filled sky. “I’m certain you are.”
“Do you think so?” she asked. “So many things have gone askew in my life, I wonder. And then I believe, and then I wonder all over again.”
“I believe.” They turned a corner and headed into a wealthy neighborhood where the houses were wide and tall, with ornate gates and manicured lawns.
“And maybe he knew I needed a not-so-quiet dentist for a friend.” She brushed a stray tear aside and smiled. “You act as though all of this is nothing. But I begged so many people for help, and none of them would lift a finger. You’re different.”
“A redhead is hard to resist.”
She stopped in her tracks and put her hands on her hips. “It’s brown.”
“Red! After last night, how can you even deny it?” He looked down the street. “Which house?”
“We still have a ways to go.” She pointed ahead of them. “Once we go around the corner, it’ll be on the right.”
“Are you ready?”
“I think so. Eddie was right about Nathaniel’s parents. They are in a position to help us, and I do need to see them. What will you do while I’m there?”
“I’ll stay close so I’ll be able to walk you back.” He pulled his arm away from her as they neared the house, leaving her colder and more afraid. “Remember that no matter what kind of welcome they offer, you’ve got people who care.”
“You don’t know what your words mean to me.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “They are more than words.”
“You’re right. You’re a man of action.” She rubbed her forearms. “It’s so cold. You should go to the hotel and get warm. I can walk back on my own.”
He shook his head. “No. I’ll be here for you. I’ll wait. Don’t hurry either. I’ll be here no matter how long it takes.”
She took a few steps past him toward the enormous house but turned back. “Gil.”
He walked to her side. “Yes?”
“Thank you. I’m so afraid, and somehow having you nearby makes it all seem better.”
He put a gentle hand on her face, cradling it. Their eyes locked, and for one enchanted moment it was just the two of them, standing in the snow with no cares or worries. Their gaze and touch conveyed the tender regard they had for each other.
“You thank me, but little do you know the many ways you’ve rescued me.” Beneath his hand, she shook her head. “You
don’t believe me, but you have. I was destined to live my life as a reclusive dentist until you came along. Because of you, I find myself with plans and hopes. You’ve changed me for the better.”
With so much goodness wrapped up in one moment, Hazel was tempted to grab his hand and beg him to run away with her. They could run west together, leave all this behind and lose themselves in their love. Instead, she pulled away from his touch, pivoted toward the house of her former in-laws, and, with his words written on her heart, went to face her past.
A woman opened the massive front door. “Can I help you?”
Hazel used to know all the staff, but it had been so long since she’d been here, she wasn’t surprised to see a stranger’s face.
“I’m here to see Hugo and Elizabeth Williams. I’m their daughter-in-law, Hazel, or at least I was. I was married to Nathaniel.”
The woman’s eyes grew large as she looked her up and down. “I’ll let them know,” she finally said. “You may follow me to the parlor.”
The furniture and paintings brought back long-suppressed memories of the hours she’d spent on Nathaniel’s arm as a new bride, unsure of her place in the family.
“Wait here.”
Hazel sat on a floral chaise, nervously fidgeting with the fabric covering. Above the mantel was a portrait of Nathaniel in an elaborate gold frame. His sandy hair was parted to the side in his signature style, his suit she recognized as the one he wore when they would go out about town. His eyes gave her pause. They held hers, sucked her in, and made her wonder anew if he’d been miserable with her. When they were first wed, his eyes held only anger and sadness, but with time they’d changed to acquiescence. Before he died, she’d caught glimpses of another emotion, but she was not able to identify it with any certainty, though she hoped it had been affection.
“Were you happy with me?” she whispered to the painting. “Even a little?”
“Hazel?”
She jumped, then turned to see Hugo and Elizabeth enter the parlor. Signs of age were evident in their graying hair and wrinkled faces. Her throat went dry, and she could not think of any words to say. Emotion she hadn’t expected to feel made her weak in the knees.
“What are you doing here?” Elizabeth asked quietly. “It’s been so long.”
She swallowed, hoping to loosen the words inside her. “I . . . I need to speak to you.”
Hugo sat and pulled his wife down beside him. They’d been a strong couple before, always relying on each other, and it was apparent that time had changed them physically, but emotionally they were still each other’s anchors. It was a strength she had hoped to one day achieve with Nathaniel.
“We’re listening,” Hugo said.
In a timid voice, she said, “I was just looking at Nathaniel’s portrait.”
“He was a handsome man.” Elizabeth’s voice was uneven. “There are days we still expect to hear him come bursting through the door. I wish so often that he’d not been out that night. We’d still have him with us, and perhaps you wouldn’t have—”
“I don’t think he was killed on accident.” Her heart rate finally slowed as she began to say what she had come to tell them. She took a seat across from them. If they’d listen, perhaps the worry and grief would ease from their faces.
“Tell us,” Hugo said. “I wondered at first, but then when you . . . well . . .” he stammered. “We’ll listen.”
“I want to tell you everything so you can decide for yourselves. But first, I must say I’m sorry. I’m sorry I could not stop him from dying, and I’m sorry for any shame I ever brought to your family.” As though a physical burden had been lifted, she sat a little straighter. They had not accepted her apology, but she’d said it. “I’d rectify it all if I could, but my sorrow is all I can offer, as well as the little information I have about Nathaniel’s death.”
Hugo put a tender arm around his wife, who wept softly, and nodded his head toward Hazel. “Tell us what you’ve come to say.”
And so Hazel started at the beginning. She told about their son’s visits to the docks, about his death and his last words, the jewels, and the years of her wondering.
Before she could say any more, they stopped her. “We could have saved you from your time in prison if only we’d searched for the truth.” Hugo’s face went pale. “We should have. We were so lost in our grief that we failed you. We blamed you when we should have rallied around you.”
“No. You never failed me. I’ve never thought that. You welcomed me into your family despite the way I entered, and you did so much more. Please, let me tell the rest.”
And so she told about trying to find help and receiving none from the authorities. She described her despair and her thoughts of running away. She spoke of her separation from her family and her search for work. “It’s all been hard, I can’t deny that, but I’ve experienced much good too. I learned to truly pray at the reformatory, and I learned that the Lord listens. And in Amherst I’ve found friends—one is even a lawyer. We’ve been here in Buffalo all weekend, and already we’ve found so much information I can hardly believe it. It’s unfolding before our eyes as though a miracle is being bestowed.”
“Do you know who did all this and why?” Hugo leaned forward in his chair, his elbows on his knees.
“I believe we do. Though we need more proof. Which is why we need you.” She told him all she could. Every detail, every clue, every idea she and her friends had come up with.
“You’ve had a busy couple of days.” He folded his arms across his chest and spoke slower but with resolve. “We must be smart and cautious, but I believe you’re on to something. Jacob Grost is the captain of the Sally Belle, and though he never misses a delivery, he’s never been the most forthright man. The idea of him having secrets is believable. If I show up unannounced, he always seems uneasy, nervous.”
“We have to catch the captain transferring goods to Patrick.”
“Yes, but if we find they are transporting opium and don’t discover where to, then we will only have half our answer,” Hugo said.
“Didn’t you say some police officers may be involved?” Elizabeth asked.
“We believe some are. We have the lists that Nathaniel left, and we have Charlotte.” Hazel smiled for the first time since entering the home. “I know it won’t bring him back, but I think he’d be glad to know we finished what he started. He was putting the pieces together and would have wanted this stopped. We can do that.”
“I agree.” Hugo stood and walked to the mantel. “I’ll spend this week getting to the bottom of it. I’ll hire some men to keep watch. No matter the cost, I’ll settle this. Can you come back again at the end of the week? Bring your friends. You can stay here when you come.”
“Just a week?” Elizabeth asked.
Hugo nodded. “It might take longer, but the Sally Belle leaves and returns this week. If it’s carrying a load of opium, we’ll find out. We don’t have too many more runs before the boats are docked for the winter.”
“I’ll come back.” She wanted to jump up and down and shout out of pure relief and happiness. Their welcome was more than she’d dared to hope for. “Whatever we can do this week, you can count on us.”
Elizabeth put her hand on Hazel’s arm. “I don’t think it’d be wise for you to come too often until this is settled. I don’t like what you said about the captain possibly recognizing you. Stay in Amherst this week, but when it’s over”—she looked to Hugo—“we would like to have you back in our home as often as you can come.”
“You believe I’m innocent?”
“We were wrong not to ask all the questions and search for answers before. Nathaniel cared for you, and we should have looked after you in his absence. Can you ever forgive us?”
Hazel burst into tears and, somehow, she and Elizabeth fell into each other’s arms. “I’ve never blamed you.”
“Oh, you dear girl,” Elizabeth said, patting her back. “You dear, sweet girl. I must confess another wrong. I co
uld not bring myself to enter the house you shared with Nathaniel. I stayed away for a year. But then I went in. I hardly touched anything, but I found his journal and I read it. Since then I’ve wanted to see you, but I was a coward.”
“I have the journal now. I found it when we went looking for clues,” Hazel said in a whisper. “I’ve been afraid to read it.”
“You must read it.” Elizabeth wiped away the tears streaming down her face.
Countless nights Hazel had prayed to know the heart of her deceased husband. Would his journal be a nightmare or a gift? She dared not ask and simply nodded. “I’ll read it.”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Gilbert walked past the Williamses’ home every few minutes to ensure he did not miss Hazel. He’d thought about sitting and waiting, but the wind had picked up and the flakes were now falling in earnest. When he stopped moving, the cold seeped in.
The grandeur of the homes kept him preoccupied for some time, but they were not enough of a distraction to stop him from wondering how Hazel fared. Circling around again, he breathed easier, seeing Hazel cross the threshold and step into the blustery air. She ducked her head as a gust of wind whipped through the neighborhood, but her tread did not slow.
“Hazel!” he called, quickening his pace until they met in the street.
Her pace was fast, as though she were lighter now than when she’d gone into the house. The sight of her warmed his heart. “You’re all right. It went well?”
“Yes. I’m fine. Oh, Gil, it was so good to sit across from them and tell them how I felt and what I’ve learned and”—he brushed a snowflake from her cheek—“to hear them tell me they don’t think it’s my fault, not anymore. I’d expected to plead with them, but all I had to do was tell them the truth and they listened. I suppose it could be because we’ve all had time to think on our losses. Or perhaps we put too many requirements on forgiveness. Today all it took was understanding and words of truth.”
“I believe you’re right. Forgiveness can be instant if we let it be.” He took her hand and led her through the snowy streets. “We have to get back. This weather is changing quickly.”
A Lady in Attendance Page 19