Secrets of My Heart

by Tracie Peterson

  He took her damp hands in his. “I promise you, no more lies. No deception. Whatever I know, I’ll tell you. Please just trust me to help you now.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t suppose it matters anymore.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Gerome demanded I tell him everything I know about your investigation, including who you work for.”

  Seth tried to remain unaffected by her words. “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him you work for John Lincoln and that you investigated Mr. Hanson’s claim that Albert owed him firearms and alcohol. Mr. Hanson demanded his goods, so we were both doing our best to find the shipments, but the only thing I had to help was stolen from my room.”

  “And you said nothing more?”

  Nancy straightened. “I told him I knew Albert owed him money, and he said yes, that Albert owed him a great deal. I suggested he could collect it from John. Apparently, it’s not that simple, however. Apparently, there are other investors and a great deal of money has exchanged hands. He believes Albert never ordered the ‘goods’ they’ve been expecting.”

  “So what they found at the caches was less than they anticipated,” Seth said thoughtfully.

  “Then he demanded I marry him so he could have full access to everything.”

  “Marry?” Seth gave a huff. “That’ll be the day.”

  “Well, apparently it’s to be tomorrow,” Nancy said sarcastically. “If not, then he’s promised to kill members of my family and see them blamed for supplying the Indians with guns. And he’ll see me dead, as well.”

  “He’ll have a hard time doing that—or getting married—from prison.” He squeezed her hands, determination flooding through him. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Nancy. Enough is enough. I’ll speak to my superior tonight. He’s just arrived in town. We’re supposed to meet in the morning, but I don’t think this can wait.”

  He glanced toward the door, where Clementine and Bedelia both stood with shocked expressions.

  “I have to ask that neither of you ladies says anything about this to anyone.”

  Bedelia gazed soberly at him. “Of course not. I wouldn’t do anything to risk Nancy’s life.”

  Clementine nodded. “Nor would I. Do you think you can protect her from Mr. Berkshire? I mean, what if he drags her off again like he did tonight and forces her to marry him?”

  “I’m going to see what can be done. The best for all persons concerned would be if Berkshire was arrested, but I’m not sure they’ll see it the same way I do. Nevertheless, stay inside and keep the house locked tight. Don’t answer the door for anyone but me. Understand?” He looked at each woman and finally settled on Nancy.

  She nodded. “We’ll do as you say, but you’ll have to get answers very soon. He intends to be here at ten. Otherwise he’s made very clear threats of what he’ll do.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t let it go that far.”

  Chapter 24

  Look, just arrest him, and we’ll deal with the rest later,” Seth told the army major. He’d gone to the hotel where his superior Elijah Brady was staying, but Brady was out for the evening and still hadn’t returned. Since the army was already involved, Seth had decided to call on Major Wells. “We know Berkshire’s involved in just about every detail, but now he’s making death threats, and I want him put away. At least for a while so that I can better protect the people involved.”

  Major Wells lit his cigar. “But if we arrest him, it may scare off the others, and we won’t be able to catch the people at the top.”

  Seth had already considered this. “If we make it appear that we think Berkshire is the top man, then the others will believe themselves safe. We have enough evidence to tie him to the arrangement with the guns and liquor. We can plant stories in the newspaper that say we believe him to be solely to blame. Meanwhile, we can talk to Berkshire and offer him a deal if he’ll give up the names of the people at the top.”

  The major shook his head. “I can see the possibilities in using Berkshire that way, but I really can’t do anything until your man from Washington reports in. My superiors have made it clear that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is in charge.”

  “What if Berkshire just gets himself into a brawl?”

  “That would be a local matter. You know that very well. I can’t advise you to go start a fight with him.”

  Seth nodded. “I suppose it’s grasping at straws, but I feel desperate to see him detained. I want to protect Nancy.”

  Wells smiled. “It sounds like she’s become very important to you.”

  “She has. I suppose in many ways she always was. We’ve been friends since childhood.”

  “I’m guessing it’s more than that now.” The major took a draw on his cigar. “When will your man from Washington be available?”

  “He’s already in town, but I haven’t been able to see him yet. I’m going back to the hotel after I leave here. I mean to get him out of bed if necessary.” Seth got to his feet and extended his hand. “Thank you for your help.”

  “I wish I could offer more.”

  Seth wished he could too. He didn’t like the idea of Berkshire walking the streets, threatening whomever he chose. “I appreciate your time, Major.”

  Back at the hotel, Seth checked in with the front desk clerk. It was nearly twelve thirty. “I was here earlier to see Mr. Brady. Has he returned?”

  “Yes, sir. Came in just about ten minutes ago. I gave him your message, and he said to send you up if you returned. He’s in room two hundred twenty-four.”

  “Thank you.”

  Seth took the plush carpeted main stairway. He thought over what he would say and prayed he could convince Brady to act.

  Room 224 was at the end of the long hallway. Seth knocked softly on the door and was relieved when Brady opened it.

  “Seth Carpenter, I was surprised to receive your message. I didn’t expect to see you this evening.” He had already doffed his coat and loosened his tie.

  “I know, and I realize the lateness of the hour. I tried to see you earlier, but you were out.”

  “Yes. I had a dinner to attend, and we got caught up talking.”

  “Again, I apologize for the hour, but I didn’t feel like it could wait. Could you spare me a few minutes?”

  “Of course.” Brady stepped back. “Come in.”

  Seth did as instructed and lost no time in explaining the situation. After filling Brady in on every detail he could, including the threats Berkshire had made against Nancy, he concluded, “I just want him behind bars before he can hurt someone else.”

  “Do you honestly think that will stop him? He has hirelings. You said so yourself.”

  Seth nodded. “He does, but perhaps he won’t be so inclined to use them if he’s behind bars.”

  Brady shook his head. “I think it’s too risky to our case. Berkshire isn’t sure yet that we think him involved with the reservation uprising. We were careful to confiscate the wagon before it reached his house. If we arrest him now, his superiors—the men we really want—will run. They’ll have nothing more to do with Berkshire, and the entire operation will fall apart, only to re-form elsewhere, and we’ll have to start all over again. No, we can’t risk it.”

  Seth’s anger erupted. “But he’ll kill her or force her to marry him. She needs us to help her. Berkshire even threatened her family members, so it’s not like she can just go home.”

  “I understand your concern, Seth. I do. I just can’t approve of doing something that will put us back at the beginning of our investigation. We’ve come too far. You’ve done good work. You got us Berkshire’s connection and confirmation of Mrs. Pritchard’s innocence. I don’t have an answer for you regarding her safety and situation, but sometimes we are forced to put innocent lives at risk. You know that. All of this was discussed when you took on the job.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t know the woman I plan to marry would be in the middle of all of this.” An idea came to him. “L
ook, I know Berkshire is greedy. What if we don’t arrest him but rather quietly bring him in and offer him a deal? We could show him the evidence against him and tell him he can either help us or we’ll imprison him. I realize it’s a risk, but honestly, Mr. Brady, I really think he’ll take the bait. He has no loyalty to anyone but himself.”

  “And you feel confident that if we approach him with the promise of his freedom and . . . what, money?”

  “Yes, or even land. Maybe even a government position, although given his deviousness, I wouldn’t trust him. Putting him in such a position would only result in that office and its other employees being corrupted. Land or money ought to do the trick. Berkshire is a coward. He won’t risk jail if he knows there’s something else to be had.”

  Elijah Brady nodded. “It might save us a great deal of time in the long run. If Berkshire cooperates with us and agrees to expose those at the very top, it could be to our benefit. But are you certain that will be enough to get him to stop threatening your young lady?”

  Seth hadn’t considered that. He just hoped that by keeping Berkshire busy, he’d be too caught up in saving his own neck to care about Nancy. “I don’t know, but while he’s busy figuring out if he wants to deal with you, I intend to marry her.”

  Nancy had a restless night. She kept hearing the windows rattle or the house creak. Noises that never used to bother her now felt like alarms being sounded. She didn’t know what to do about any of it. She had considered just going home to the farm and telling her mother everything that had happened. Perhaps her father would be back by now, and he could offer counsel as well. But Seth had said to stay put, and she had promised she’d do exactly that. Besides, going home might only bring Gerome or his men to the farm to find her. If they harmed her family, she’d never forgive herself.

  By five she was up and dressed, having had no more than a few hours of sleep at the most. She knew that even if she remained in bed, however, that she would only toss and turn. Gerome had promised to be there at ten o’clock, but hopefully Seth would be there even earlier.

  She went about her routine, building up the fire in the kitchen stove and laying out food for breakfast. Once the stove was adequately hot, she selected a cast-iron skillet and began to fry up sausage links. While those cooked, Nancy got out her mixing bowl and began to measure out the ingredients for biscuits.

  She couldn’t help but worry about what was going to happen. She had prayed and knew that God was able to manage it all, but would He? What if this was one of those times when His will went in another direction? Nancy couldn’t bear the thought of her family members being harmed, nor could she accept that her aunt and uncle were working to stir up violence with the Indians. No one who knew them could ever imagine such a thing to be true.

  Rolling out the dough, Nancy shuddered at the image of Gerome Berkshire showing up early and forcing his way into the house. She didn’t want any of her ladies to be harmed. There had to be a way to ensure that Gerome couldn’t hurt any of them.

  If only I had a gun.

  And then what? Would I really shoot Gerome? Could I kill a man?

  Yes, he had threatened her and her loved ones, but Nancy wasn’t convinced she could look a man—even Gerome Berkshire—in the eye and kill him.

  A tapping sounded on the back door, and Nancy froze in place. Had Gerome come early? She didn’t know what to do. She inched toward the back door. Maybe it was Seth. There was only one way to tell.

  She didn’t bother to bring a lamp. There was enough light to identify her visitor, and if it turned out to be Gerome, she’d just refuse to let him in. She’d tell him the ladies were in various stages of dress and it would be inappropriate for him to enter. Hopefully that would at least stall him for a few moments until she could come up with a better plan.

  “Who is it?” she called, slipping to the side of the door.

  “It’s me. Seth.”

  She let out a sigh of relief and opened the door. “I was just getting breakfast.” She hurried back to the sausages just in time to turn them before they started burning.

  “It smells good.”

  Nancy felt suddenly awkward. She and Seth hadn’t talked about the issues between them. He had betrayed her with his secrecy and investigation. She sighed. Gerome had threatened her life if she didn’t marry him. She had no choice but to forgive Seth and trust him. She was desperate for an ally.

  She started cutting out the biscuits, trying to figure out how to bring up the subject, but found she didn’t have to.

  “Look, I know we haven’t talked everything out, but I really am sorry about keeping the truth from you.” Seth paused, and even without turning to look at him, Nancy could hear the regret in his voice. “It was never my intention to deceive you.”

  She finished cutting the dough into discs and nodded. “I was just thinking of our situation.”

  Seth came to her and turned her into his arms. She lifted her face to find him smiling. “Please forgive me. I love you, and I can’t imagine my life without you. I think you feel the same for me.”

  Nancy saw no more purpose in denying it. “I do, but—”

  He put his finger to her lips. “No buts. They won’t do any good here. I love you and you love me. I want you to be my wife. After all, Berkshire can hardly marry you if you’re already married to me.”

  “No, I suppose not,” she said, shaking her head, “but I don’t want that to be the reason I say yes.”

  He bent and kissed her. It was a gentle, loving kiss that seemed to promise much more. Nancy wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Berkshire isn’t the reason I want to marry you,” Seth whispered against her ear. “I want to marry you because I can’t imagine my life without you at my side. I want to marry you because no one in the world is dearer to me.”

  Nancy smiled and laid her cheek on his shoulder. “I love you, and I want to marry you too. I suppose I understand why you weren’t honest with me.”

  He hugged her close for several moments. Neither of them spoke, and Nancy relished the morning silence while in Seth’s arms. Here she felt that nothing and no one could hurt her. She never wanted to leave his embrace, but she heard movement from the rooms upstairs and knew her ladies would soon arrive downstairs looking for breakfast.

  Nancy pulled away and once again looked into Seth’s eyes. “I hope you know what you’re doing. I’m still rebellious and stubborn.”

  He grinned. “I know. It’s part of your charm.”

  She laughed. “I never looked at it that way, and I’m pretty sure no one else has either.”

  “There’s always a first time for everything.” He kissed her nose. “I’m sure there are things about me that you won’t applaud. But rest assured that deception does not come naturally to me, and I am truly sorry I ever hurt you with my lack of honesty.”

  “I understand you were doing a job and didn’t yet know whom you could trust. But marriage requires trust and honesty.” She lowered her head. “Albert was full of deceit and never really loved me. I can’t go through that again. I need you to pledge that you will be honest and trustworthy.”

  Seth lifted her chin with his index finger, and she raised her gaze to his. “I promise I will be both, Nancy Armistead Pritchard. For so long as I draw breath. Even when it’s difficult, I’ll tell you the truth. I will trust you with my heart and with my life. I give you this as a pledge of my undying love.”

  She stretched up on her tiptoes, not waiting for him to kiss her. “That’s good enough for me.” She pressed her lips to his.

  The grandfather clock struck ten, and Nancy’s breath quickened. Seth had remained at her side while Clementine and Mimi went to the school to attend meetings for the fall term. Bedelia and Cornelia had gone to the Methodist church to help with the clothing collection, although Nancy could see the worry in Bedelia’s expression. The spinster hadn’t even said anything when Seth told her that he would remain with Nancy to ensure her safety. It was clear that everyone
was fearful of what would happen, but apparently Seth was no longer a concern.

  “You’re going to pull the arms right off that rocker if you keep gripping them that way,” Seth said.

  Nancy looked down and saw that the blood had drained from her hands, leaving her knuckles white. She relaxed her grip but still found it hard to draw a deep breath.

  They waited in silence until the clock struck the quarter hour.

  “I don’t think he’s coming,” Seth declared with a smile. “For whatever reason. Hopefully because my superior decided my plan would work.”

  “It’s too soon to tell. He might just be running late.”

  Nancy stood and went to the window. She pulled back the drapes and looked outside. There was no sign of Gerome’s carriage, but Bedelia and Cornelia Clifton were all but running toward the house.

  “Goodness!”

  “What? Is it Berkshire?” Seth was at her side in two steps.

  “No, it’s the Clifton sisters.”

  The spinsters reached the porch and hurried up the stairs.

  Nancy opened the front door just as Bedelia was inserting her key in the lock. “What’s happened?”

  “We were downtown.” Bedelia gasped for breath. “We saw Mr. Berkshire on one of the side streets, just a block from the church.” She panted, trying to regain control of her breathing.

  Cornelia couldn’t remain silent. “Some soldiers were taking him away.”

  “Soldiers?” Seth asked.

  “Yes.” Bedelia nodded. “I have no idea what it was about. It was all done very quickly and without any fanfare. I don’t know if they were arresting him or simply escorting him. Two men joined him in a carriage, and they left for parts unknown.” She paused again, then seemed less breathless. “Since you feared he’d be here at ten, I told Cornelia we had to return and let you know what happened.”

  “Thank you,” Nancy said. Her knees felt weak, and she thought she might well collapse.

  “Come sit,” Seth said, taking her arm for support. “You’re as pale as a sheet.”