“Why, Miss Charlotte, Miss Elizabeth told me to come and—”
“Get out of here at once!” she said. “I won’t have you snooping around!”
Rebekah’s face turned pale, and she instantly stepped down from the small ladder and started for the door.
“You’re nothing but a snoop. I’ll report you to Mrs. Martin!” she said.
Alarmed, Rebekah turned and said, “All I saw was you working on the book.”
Charlotte Van Dorn’s eyes narrowed. She had made a change in the ledger that would make it appear that Patrick had deliberately falsified the books, transferring money into his own account. Now she was pale with anger, and she stared at the maid. She wasn’t even sure if the girl could read, but she took no chances. “Get out of here. I’m going to let you off this time, but if you ever say one word to anyone, I’ll see that you’re fired, and your grandmother also. Do you hear me?”
“Yes . . . yes, ma’am.” Rebekah turned and fled from the library, tears bursting from her eyes. As soon as she left the room, however, she ran into Will, who nearly dropped the lemonade.
“Why, Rebekah,” he said. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing, sir. Nothing at all.” She whirled and fled down the hall.
Will, after staring at her, turned and walked into the room. “What’s the matter with Rebekah?”
“Oh, she’s clumsy. I told her to come back and clean when there was nobody here to bother.”
“That’s not like Rebekah. She’s one of the most efficient maids we’ve ever had.”
“She clomps around like an old cow,” Charlotte said. “Now, sit down and let’s drink our lemonade.” Charlotte’s nerves were on edge. She was not accustomed to intrigue, but one look at Will’s face assured her that he had no suspicions about what had just taken place. As they sipped their lemonade, they talked for a while about their upcoming wedding. Charlotte’s parents would be there, of course, and the wedding would be in Boston, where her maternal grandparents lived.
“I suppose it’ll be a big affair,” Will said.
“Why, of course it will, dear. It’ll be the biggest wedding and best party Boston’s ever seen. Oh, the ball will be tremendous! You won’t believe the new dress that I’m having made for the occasion.” She hesitated for a moment, then said, “I hope Patrick will be back so that things can be settled with the business.”
“Aw, I’m sure he will be,” Will said. He did not see the gleam that appeared in Charlotte’s eye.
After a time the two finished the lemonade, then Charlotte said, “Let’s not waste any more time on business.”
“Well, that’s all right with me. I think I’ll go for a ride before I go back to the shop.”
As soon as he was gone, Charlotte went at once to her guest room. After carefully locking the door, she went over to the small desk and pulled out stationery and a pen and began to write. She addressed the letter to her father, and quickly wrote:
Things are going even better than I had hoped. I know we have agreed that it would be best to keep Patrick and Elizabeth away from the business. Martin Shipping is doing very well, but it will do even better without their interference. I have taken certain precautions to make sure that Patrick will be totally out of the way, and it will not be difficult to ease Elizabeth out once that happens. We’ll make them a generous offer, of course, but as we have said, Elizabeth forfeited her rights when she married a rustic as she did. As soon as Will and I are married, it all will be set up. You and I will actually run the business as soon as the old man dies, and I don’t think that will be very long. He’s in very poor health. I do want to be safely married to Will before that happens, but surely he will last at least long enough for that to take place.
She added a few more lines, signed it, “Your loving daughter, Charlotte,” then sealed it carefully. She rose, unlocked the door, and, not trusting any of the servants, had one of them drive her to town where she posted the letter herself. Afterward she had tea with some of her friends. One of them said, “You’re looking especially well, Charlotte. I suppose it’s the coming marriage.”
Charlotte replied, “Oh yes, of course!” But actually her mind was on the day when her family would own the Martin Shipping Company completely. Will won’t be a hard man to manage, she thought. He’s not much of a man, but then too much of a man would give Father and me problems. Her face was impassive as she sipped her tea delicately and began speaking of the new dress that she would wear at the ball celebrating her upcoming wedding.
Chapter Twelve
Dreams of a New Life
The secretary of the Martin Shipping Company sat at his desk fidgeting nervously. Hosea Simms was a tall thin man with a pair of eyes set too close together. Nevertheless, he was an astute businessman, especially about matters concerning the Martin Shipping Company. Mr. Simms liked things to go smooth and easy, and the sound of voices raised in anger coming from inside Mr. William Martin’s office made him apprehensive.
“I’ve never heard Mr. Martin lose his temper like this,” he muttered. He picked up a pen and tried to write, but blotted it, and with an exasperated sigh, wadded the paper up and threw it in the basket beside his walnut desk. “I knew something like this was brewing. It’s been coming on ever since Mr. Patrick left for Virginia,” he muttered. He cast a look at the door and tried to make out the voices in the next room, but the solid wood was too thick, and the carpets muffled the sounds that came from inside. Looking around the office, he was tempted to go listen, putting his ear to the door, but that would be undignified. Rising from his desk, he went to stand closer, ready to move if anyone entered the outer office. He could hear the voices, but they were still muffled. The clearest voice was that of Will Martin. “Mister Will is going to have to learn to control his temper,” he said with surprise. “I didn’t even know he had one!”
The tension on the inside of the large office was thick, almost palpable. William sat at his desk, his face pale, and his lips drawn into a tight line. Will and Patrick faced each other, standing in front of the desk, both of them as angry as they had ever been in their lives. “Then how do you explain these figures, Patrick?” Will shouted. “Look!” He held the ledger up. “You can’t explain this away, can you?”
Patrick’s face flushed with anger. He did have a fiery temper, but never before had he showed it. But when he had been called into the office and accused of stealing from the company, something seemed to explode within him. He had stared at his benefactor, Mr. William Martin, to whom he owed so much, and asked quietly at first, “Do you believe this, sir?”
“Will believes it, and there’s the ledger, which he claims is proof,” Mr. Martin said quietly.
Even now, the older man sat there listening to his heart as it seemed to skip beats, then pound rapidly as if it were trying to catch up. He had the feeling that his heart was a very fragile instrument, and that a sudden movement could break it, shattering it like a fine crystal glass. He had been unbelieving when Will had confronted him with the accusations about Patrick, and had at first refused to listen. But Will had kept after him for several days until finally he had agreed to meet with Patrick as soon as he came back from Virginia. Now as he sat there watching the two men, he held himself stiffly upright, sadness in his heart, for he had grown to love and respect Patrick MacNeal. But he loved his son, too, making the confrontation all the more poignant and heartbreaking than if it had been two total strangers.
Patrick waited until Will stopped shouting, and then said as calmly as he could, “I realize this looks bad, and I can’t account for it. But I recorded accurately what I got for the goods, and if the figures don’t match, there must be an error somewhere else.”
“But you’re responsible for the figures,” Will snapped.
“I realize that, Will,” Patrick said. “Give me some time to go over it, and I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”
“Do you remember the delivery at all, Patrick?” Mr. Martin asked. His lips were
puffy, and his face was pasty and gray.
Patrick stared at him with compassion. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was to offend this man whom he had come to respect so much. Nevertheless, he had to defend himself. “I remember it very well,” he said. “In fact, it was one of the most profitable trips I ever made for the company. When I returned I went over the figures several times, and they checked perfectly against the invoices.”
“Did anyone else go over them?” Will demanded.
“No. I didn’t think it was necessary since they seemed all right.”
“Well, they don’t seem all right now!” Will said. “Look here. What about this item, and this one?”
Patrick’s head was swimming—he could not think clearly.
Finally, William said quietly, “Patrick, I think it might be better if you would . . . take some time off for a while.”
“Take time off? Am I being fired?” Patrick demanded.
“Just take some time off until we get this thing straightened out. I’m sure there’s an answer for it. We’ll find it.” William stood to his feet heavily and had the impulse to go put his arm around his son-in-law’s shoulder, but he knew this would infuriate Will. He sought for something to say that would make his request less hurtful, but nothing came to him. Overwhelmed by it all, he said, “If you’ll please excuse me, I don’t believe I’d care to continue this discussion any longer.”
“Of course, Father.” Will took Patrick by the arm and said, “Come along. Father’s not feeling well.”
Patrick shook his arm loose and walked out stiffly. He saw Simms sitting at his desk and was certain that the secretary had heard most of what had been said inside the main office. Turning to Will, he said, “Will, we’ve known each other for a long time. If someone came to me with a story like this about you, I wouldn’t believe it.”
Will flushed and lowered his eyes, unable to meet those of his brother-in-law. In all truth, he had great difficulty in accepting the story, but Charlotte, and even his mother, had kept at him until he felt there was no other course but to pursue it. “I don’t want to discuss it any further, Patrick.” He turned and walked away, going to his own office.
Patrick watched him go, then turned and met Simms’ eyes. The secretary dropped his head and stared at the desk in front of him. He made small circles with a tip of one forefinger and said nothing. Patrick turned and started for the outer door.
“Will you be coming back today, Mr. MacNeal?” Simms called out.
Patrick stopped, whirled, and faced the secretary. His eyes seemed to have grown a darker blue and they were drawn together into mere slits as he stared in anger at Simms. “No, I won’t be coming back today—or maybe ever! Perhaps that will make you happy, Mr. Simms!” He turned and slammed the door.
Simms sat there watching him. “Too bad! Too bad!” he murmured. “I hate to see things like this coming. But with in-laws, who can tell?”
****
“I’ll tell you, Elizabeth. I feel like an absolute hypocrite!”
“You don’t have to feel like that, Patrick.” Elizabeth came over to where Patrick was standing. He was wearing a dark-brown suit with brown knee breeches and white stockings. His waistcoat was multicolored, and his topcoat was a dark blue velvet. He looked very handsome, but his face was clouded with worry, and he stood staring at the door as if a den of fierce animals might be on the other side. “I don’t want to go to this ball,” he said.
“We have to go, Patrick!”
“Why? Why do we have to go?”
“Because if you don’t, it will make you look . . .”
“Look more guilty than I am? Is that what you started to say?”
“Oh, darling,” Elizabeth said, coming to put her arms around him. “You know I didn’t mean that. I mean, that’s the way it would look to them.”
Patrick had not been back to the office. Now that the ball celebrating the engagement of Will and Charlotte had come, he only wanted to leave and get as far away from the Martin household as he could. He had mentioned this to Elizabeth, but she had said, “We’ve got to stay here and fight this thing out. We can’t run away!”
Now as they stood there listening to the music that filtered faintly to the second floor from the large ballroom downstairs, Patrick suddenly felt as alone and helpless as he had ever felt in his life. He went over and sat down on one of the fragile chairs that Anne had given them for a present and stared at Elizabeth, misery in his eyes. “You remember I told you about getting off the boat when I was just a boy without a farthing in my pocket and without knowing a soul.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“I wasn’t afraid then. I was just a boy. But I knew everything would be all right.” He glanced at the door and shook his head slowly. “But I’m pretty close to being afraid now. I feel that something’s terribly wrong, and there’s nothing I can do about it. If it weren’t your family, I’d leave right now.”
Elizabeth put her arm around his shoulder. Leaning over, she kissed his forehead and whispered, “We have to trust God. I know it looks bad, but somehow . . . somehow there’ll be a way out of it.”
“I don’t see how.”
“I know you’re innocent, and once Will has calmed down, he’ll believe it, too. He’s always liked you.”
“I thought he did, but how can a man throw a friend away on the evidence of a few scratches on paper?”
Elizabeth said slowly, “It’s Charlotte, I think. She never liked you.”
“No, she hasn’t, but I wouldn’t think she’d do a thing like this.”
“I don’t know. It’s got to be solved, though. And we’ll never solve anything by running away.”
“What about your mother? Do you think she could ever change her mind? She’s been looking for something like this for a long time. She always expected a poor Scotch-Irish laborer to try to steal from the company, and now I guess she’s got her proof.”
Elizabeth was silent. She had had a violent disagreement with her mother over the matter. For the first time in her life, she had stood up, with her eyes blazing, and told her mother that she was terribly wrong for even considering Patrick capable of such wrongdoing. It had apparently come as quite a shock to Anne Martin to be told this by her daughter, for she had wilted under the strong and courageous stand that Elizabeth made.
“She’ll come around,” Elizabeth whispered. “Father is too sick and confused to know what’s going on.”
“I know. That’s the worst of it. This whole thing has made him worse,” Patrick said. “And that’s the last thing I want in the world.”
Elizabeth saw that his hands were clasped tightly together and were trembling. She had never seen Patrick like this before, and she suddenly decided that the ball was not as important as her husband’s peace of mind. Moving over, she sat down beside him, took one of his hands, and held it tightly in hers. She held it to her cheek, kissed it, and then said, “Think about it this way, dear. I know you’re innocent. Sarah and Andrew know you’re innocent. Even the people you work with—none of them believes it.”
Patrick held her hand tightly. “You always did know how to calm me down, didn’t you? Well, I guess I need a lot of calming right now.” He looked out the window, for the lights from the lanterns were gleaming in a mixture of amber and yellow. They sat there silently for a long time, then finally he said, “I’m only going for you.”
“I know, and I love you for it. You’re an honest man, Patrick, and God will not let you down even in all this.” A thought came to her, and she said, “Were you serious when you said if it wasn’t for my family you’d leave Boston and leave the company?”
Patrick suddenly turned and looked at her. Her face was so sweet and gentle and yielding in the soft light. She had not mentioned this for a long time, nor had he, but it stirred a longing deep in his heart, and he whispered, “Yes, if I had my way I’d take you and the children, and we’d leave this place.”
“We can do that if that’s wha
t you really want, Patrick.”
Patrick was stunned. It had been difficult for him to come from what he had been into a rich and influential family. Elizabeth had always had everything she wanted, and he had learned to survive on practically nothing since he arrived from Scotland. In all these years, it had never once entered his mind to ask her to leave the luxurious home and the fine things that she was so accustomed to. Now, however, he saw that her face had an expression he had never seen before, and he asked in a whisper, “Do you mean that, Elizabeth? Do you mean that you would actually leave all of this?” He waved his arm at the ornate furniture and the spacious room. “And all the luxuries that you’ve enjoyed all your life?”
Elizabeth said quietly, “When we got married, do you remember what I said? That I would forsake all others and follow you. Did you think I didn’t mean it, Patrick?”
Patrick shook his head. “I never thought about it. I’ve always been so grateful to have you for a wife that I never expected to have money and clothes and a fine home. It’s been like a dream.”
Silence hung in the room for a while, and they heard again the sound of violins from downstairs. Elizabeth thought of her life as she looked tenderly at her husband. She was a quick-witted woman who could think clearly and evenly, and she knew exactly what she was saying when she whispered, “I would do whatever you decide. You’re my husband, and I’ll go wherever you choose.”
Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears at the surprised expression that came to Patrick’s face. She would never forget it. She had known how hard it had been for him to make the adjustment to her kind of life, and now a grief came to her that she had never said this to him before. She did love this man with all of her heart. For a fleeting moment, a tiny voice said within her, But could you do without all that you’re used to? The fancy dresses, the rich food, having everything you want? But she quickly quelled that thought and said, “What do you want to do, Patrick? Tell me.”
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