by Lynn Wolfe
Chapter Seventy-One
Mary left to meet with Mr. Hudson on the third day. She needed to find out if Mr. Hudson had completed the task she gave him earlier. Today she hoped to know who Mr. Edward Pierce really was. As Mary entered her lawyer’s office an hour prior to meeting with Mr. Pierce, she found Mr. Hudson eagerly awaiting her.
“Mary, I’m glad you could come in early for we’ve much to go over.”
“I hope I haven’t been wasting your time, Mr. Hudson. But I must find out the truth. I’m so tired of people betraying me!”
‘Mary, Mr. Edward Pierce, is a well respected man in Baltimore and he’s the President of the Baltimore Bank, as he claimed. What he told you, as far as I can tell, is all true. He worked his way to bank president from starting his life out as a ship hand. He did this by sheer determination and dedication to his jobs. He’s a very intelligent man.
“He’d married a Clara Pope, from Baltimore, shortly after he started at the bank. They had no children. She died a few years ago. He has a considerable amount of wealth and has ties with some of the top families in Baltimore. I’ve not met him personally, but I’ve verified with a colleague of mine, that the man you described, fits the man known as, Edward Pierce.
Mary sat there stunned. In the back of her mind, she felt there was a remote possibility that Mr. Pierce had been honest, but that wasn’t until after he’d left her home. Now, hearing Mr. Hudson confirm Edward Pierce’s claim was probably true, she didn’t know how to feel or what to say. Thomas did resemble him, but she kept telling herself it was just a coincidence.
“So, when Mr. Pierce and I met, he had no knowledge that Nettie had left most of her estate to me. I knew Thomas couldn’t have shared that information, for I’ve yet to tell him about my good fortune. I feared, Mr. Pierce, was after my money, Mr. Hudson.”
Mr. Hudson chuckled. “Mary, to be quite frank, I’m not sure which of you would come out ahead when you compared your wealth to his. No, Mary, Mr. Pierce has no need for your money. He, like you, is well-to-do and very generous. I checked on that, too. He gives to many charities. He’s known to help people at the most unexpected times.”
Mary heard the minute hand of the clock move one more notch toward their meeting time. She felt like a victim waiting to be executed. How was she going to face this man, her real father, who she clearly claimed she thought might be a fraud? A man she now knows has great wealth and is well known in his community.
The door opened and Edward walked into the office and shook hands with Mr. Hudson as he introduced himself. He turned to see Mary, and wondered if she was happy to see him. He noticed she was biting her lip. Now, was that a good sign or bad? He wondered.
“Mary would you like me to speak for you or would you like to talk to Mr. Pierce yourself? If you want, I’ll gladly allow you some time alone.”
“Please stay, Mr. Hudson. I think you need to know everything that will be said since you’re my attorney.”
“Alright, Mary, as you wish.”
Edward sat waiting and praying that Mary had found he was who he claimed. He didn’t know how he would handle her rejection if she found she couldn’t trust him. Mary could easily walk out of his life forever. Then what would he do?
Mary tried to smile and realized she couldn’t look directly at the man she now knew was her father. “Mr. Pierce, as you well know, I had a difficult time believing your story when you visited me a few days ago. The thought had never occurred to me that Henry Ball might not be my father. I’ve trouble accepting my mother had kept secrets from Thomas and me.
“However, I find I owe you an apology, because I thought the preposterous story you told me couldn’t be true. As you know, I didn’t trust you. I thought you had an ulterior motive, but Mr. Hudson has convinced me, you are who you claim. That being said, it doesn’t make it any easier for me to accept. I’m angry my mother never thought it was important enough to tell Thomas and me the truth. It hurts to know that Minnie was aware of this also. She, too, failed to tell us.
“And I’m appalled to realize you never went to verify what Henry told you that day, if it had been true or not. We’re talking about things that happened many years ago. Where we go from here, I’m not sure.”
“Mary, I understand how much I’ve hurt you and Thomas. As I said the other day, if I could go back and change the past, I would gladly do so. I loved your mother. I know I’ve no right to ask you to include me in your life now, but if you could find it in your heart to give me some time to prove myself to you and your brother, I promise I’ll try to never disappoint you again.”
“Mr. Pierce, Edward, if you don’t mind me calling you that, I feel I need to explain why I treated you so poorly. I thought you’d heard about my good fortune. I now realize you couldn’t possibly have known what has happened to me, since my arrival in America.
“When I first opened my shop, I sewed and befriended a woman named, Nettie Powell. She was a very wealthy widow. As time passed, we became good friends. I also became a good friend with her housekeeper, Agnes, whom you met the other day. Mary watched as Edward nodded as she told him the entire story of how she inherited the Powell Plantation and what that entails.
“Mary, I assure you, I had no knowledge of your good fortune. I swear I’ve no need of your money. In fact, I’d been planning today to offer you a position at the bank, if you’d be willing to move to Baltimore.
“I had assumed you were a housekeeper or maybe a cook. I now know how silly this must sound. I had no idea you were actually the owner of the plantation. I certainly can see why you questioned my visit.”
Mr. Hudson couldn’t help but smile. “I’d have loved to have been in the room when you two were talking the other day.” Mr. Hudson wiped his brow with his hanky. He was relieved this was going well. “Mary is one sharp woman. I think you may have surmised that by now, Mr. Pierce. She’d make any father proud.”
Edward nodded. “Mary, I’m going to be in Washington for a few more days. I’d like to see you again. If you are uncomfortable with me coming to the plantation, maybe you would be willing to meet me at the hotel, or somewhere else of your choosing.”
“Actually, I’ve no problem with you coming to the plantation now that I have confirmation you’re my father. Having Mr. Hudson vouching for your character is enough for me. I’ve many questions for you. But the one I need to have answered at the present, is how is Minnie faring? I miss her terribly.”
Edward grinned and felt relieved. He let out a huge sigh. “She was quite well, I believe. She’s a very lovely woman. I tried to talk her into coming to America to visit in the future. But she declined. I believe she thinks she’s too old to start her life over.”
“Minnie is young at heart, she’d love America, but she told me the same thing before I left England. She’s been like a mother to me and Thomas. I’m glad she’s well.”
“Since we now have some things cleared up, there’s other news I bring that needs to be discussed. It won’t be pleasant, but you need to know what’s happened, Mary.”
“Tell me then, I wish to have everything in the open.”
“First, Susannah Parker passed away a few weeks ago, from consumption.”
Mary gasped. “I hadn’t heard. Poor James! How are he and the children faring?” She was taken aback by this news since she hadn’t been aware Susannah Parker had been ill.
“They were doing rather well, until the fire.”
“Fire, what fire?” Mary questioned and was wondering why Thomas hadn’t contacted her.
Edward spent the next hour telling Mary and Mr. Hudson everything that had happened from the fire to the auction that James must have to cover his debts.
“Mr. Pierce, I know James is a very proud man. This must be very difficult for him. But I don’t understand the need for taking the colt and pony away from his children. Certainly they’ve suffered enough, with losing their mother. Now to lose the colt and the pony, well, it isn’t right! The children need somethin
g to hold on to.
“I should know, I remember how I felt when I lost my mother.”
Edward’s eyes filled with tears. It pained him knowing he was the cause for so much of her grief for failing in his duty as a father. Mary is soft-hearted and kind, like her mother. Edward had gotten lost in his thoughts and then realized Mary was still talking.
“James is wrong to do this! Can’t anyone talk some sense into him?”
“No, Mary, believe me, James has adamantly refused everyone’s help and trust me, many have offered. But I have an idea that might work, but it would take your co-operation. If you’re willing to listen, I think you’ll see the merit in my thinking.”
“Edward, why don’t you come tomorrow for lunch? I’ve so many questions I’d like to ask about my mother. Once those are answered, we could make time to discuss your plan about James. Would eleven work for you?” Mary asked.
Mary realized she was exhausted. She hadn’t slept well the night before worrying about today. Now, finding out how wrong she’d been, and the situation James was in, she thought her mind couldn’t handle one more bit of information.
“I’d love to come for lunch. Thank you for giving me a chance, Mary. Having an opportunity to prove myself is all I can hope for.”
Mary smiled and watched as Edward Pierce, her biological father, left the room. She turned to see Mr. Hudson watching her with twinkling eyes. “Oh drat, I hate it when I have to admit how wrong I’d been about–about– Edward Pierce. And to think we were never told the truth, even after Thomas and I were old enough to hear it.
“What a fool Edward must think I am for the way I acted. Yet, I wasn’t ready to acknowledge him as my father. In fact, as you already know, I thought he might have been a con-artist. I need time to adjust to this news. I can’t believe my life has been so muddled.”
“Mr. Pierce is a good man, Mary. My advice is to seek his knowledge in handling your money, once you’re comfortable trusting him. Since he’s established in the banking business, he can recommend some very sound investments. I think you can trust him completely. I know I would.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hudson, your opinion means everything. You have been a tremendous help!”
“You’re more than welcome, Mary. It’s always a pleasure doing business with you. How are Agnes, Taylor and Lizzie doing? Do you think all the arrangements are working out the way Nettie had hoped?”
“I think I’d have to say, probably better. We all get along quite well, you know. You’re most welcome to visit, anytime. We would love the company. In fact, you should come and see how different the plantation house looks. We’ve put up new curtains and planted more flowers. There’s a lovely garden at the side of the house that Lizzie and the children are tending to. Nettie has given me a chance to find happiness. Yet, I still miss her.”
“Nettie and I talked about every aspect of her will. She loved you and wanted you to have a home and a family. It was her hope you’d open the house like it had been intended to be. She trusted you enough to leave you in charge. She knew your heart was kind and good.” Mr. Hudson paused; he noticed speaking of Nettie was too much for Mary. “I’m sorry, Mary, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“I think I’m just overwhelmed with all the news today and then you speaking of Nettie and how she felt, well, I think I just must have needed a good cry.” Mary got up to leave. “Thank you again, I need to go home and make a list of the questions I have for Edward.”
Chapter Seventy-Two
The Plan
Henry and Chester had scouted around Thomas’s home for the past couple of nights. Henry was certain he’d ruined Parker, and now, he’d ruin Thomas.
“Henry, I found out where they moved the small herd of cattle. They’re about two miles north of Thomas’s house, in a ravine. They’ve two to three fellows watching over them. There’s a small shack close by where the men take turns eating and sleeping. I figure they thought if you tried something at the main house, they’d at least have some stock kept hidden away. I don’t think Thomas figured on us finding out what he was up to.
“They’ve been keeping a pretty close watch on things. They check their property boundaries fairly often but mix up the times they make their checks. I don’t think it will be as easy to fool them as it was to fool Parker. They’re now not only expecting us, they’re aware how clever we are.”
“Then, Chester, we’ll have to wait a few weeks longer. I want them to think that the danger has passed and we’ve left the area once and for all. Once they feel safe again, we’ll strike quickly and destroy Thomas and his family. But not before Thomas reveals to me where Mary’s living. He’ll be pleading for his life before I’m through with him.
“As for Mary, she may suffer the most.”
“Henry, you said at one time that I might have some time with Mary before you kill her. If she’s as pretty as you say, I’d like very much to have my way with her.”
“Yes, you shall. In fact, I plan on watching as she pleads and begs for you to stop. Once you are through with her, Mary won’t care what or how I end her life. I’ll take great pleasure in telling her how I hurt Parker and finished off that worthless brother of hers and his family. Mary will be so distraught; she’ll pray and beg that I put her out of her misery.”
Henry and Chester rode back to the run-down cottage they now called home. No one had bothered them since they started living there months ago. Henry knew he’d have to bide his time before attempting to finish what he’d started. Soon his revenge will be complete.
Then, maybe he and Chester will head out West. No one would know anything about them and they could start a new life as respectable gentleman. That is, as long as Henry could keep Chester in line. Henry knew the time may come when Chester would no longer be needed. But for now, if he was to succeed with his plans, Chester had to help him.
Chapter Seventy-Three
Washington
Edward was pleased to find a casual lunch waiting on the veranda when he arrived at the Powell Plantation. He wondered if Mary would ever change the name of her home or if it was in the will that the name remained under the Powell name.
He noticed three place settings on the table. A large pitcher of water was full and ready to be poured into the glasses. He heard footsteps and saw Agnes bringing out the sandwiches and potato salad with Mary following right behind her carrying a cherry pie. Edward held open the door.
“Sure looks wonderful. Mary, are you expecting someone else, besides me?”
Mary smiled broadly. “Agnes will be joining us for lunch. She’s like family to me. She listens to me talk out the important decisions regarding the plantation that I have to make. I trust her advice. You need to understand, that even though I was raised in England where servants were treated with little respect, I treat my employees like friends, because they are my friends. That was the way Nettie had done things when I met her and I see no reason to change what she’d started. Taylor and Lizzie often spend time with their children, here on the veranda, visiting with me once the work is done for the day.
“Agnes always manages to find cookies and milk to serve for the children and tea and cookies for the rest of us. That’s the best part of my day.”
After lunch Mary and Edward stayed on the veranda to converse and enjoy the sunny afternoon as Agnes finished in the kitchen.
“Thank you for answering the many questions I asked about mother. Having the blanks filled in helps me picture what she was like as a young woman. She must have been devastated to have been treated so unkindly by her parents.
“After much thought, I find I’m not angry because she didn’t tell me or Thomas she’d been married before, just disappointed. I realize, now, she must have felt there was no point in disrupting our lives since we were so little when she died. I know she felt in her heart Henry would do right by us.
“But father, I mean Henry, is an evil man. I only wish mother had known the truth about him. How different everything would have be
en. Yet, if things had been different, I would have never met James. I feel I’m a better person for knowing James, even if things did turn out badly. Does any of what I said make sense to you?”
“Mary, you have been dealt a bad hand in life. Many of us have betrayed you, without meaning to. But when I look upon you, I see your mother. You’re strong, lovely, and a very intelligent woman. You’re much like her. She would be very proud of you and your accomplishments. I know I am. She’d also have the same feelings about Thomas.”
“Thank you, Edward. I only wish mother could have lived to see how I turned out. She, too, had disappointments in her life, but she did the best she could under the circumstances.
“Because Mr. Hudson has complete faith in you, I’m going to trust you with something that I haven’t shared with anyone, except Agnes. This has been a difficult secret, but until now, I had no one that I could trust to share it with. I really need your advice on what to do as soon as possible.
“If you’d be so kind as to follow me, there’s something I would like to show you and then you’ll understand what I’m talking about.” Mary rose and headed inside the house. She quickly went up the stairs to her bedroom as Edward followed close behind.
Edward noticed the white eyelet bedspread and matching curtains complimenting the lovely walnut furniture. She opened the closet door and he immediately spotted two plain chests resting on the floor.
“These chests are quite heavy, Edward, do you think you could pull them out of the closet for me?”
Edward raised his brows and wanted to ask what the chests held, but instead, did as requested, but it took some effort. Once he had them where they could be easily opened, he finally asked the question he’d held, “Golly, Mary, what do you have in these chests?”
“Have a look. For obvious reasons, I’ve kept them hidden. Seeing what’s inside will explain everything. Of course, to my knowledge, no one has ever opened them before I did, since Nettie put them here. As I said earlier, the only living person who has knowledge of what these chests contain is Agnes. She was with me when I first opened them. We acted like fools when we saw the contents.”
