A Beauty Refined

by Tracie Peterson

  There was the pesky issue of the information his wife had said she had, but Frederick had decided not to worry about it. After much consideration, he figured it would be a simple matter to deny whatever information showed up in the hands of the Sapphire Duchess. Frederick had already decided he would explain to the old woman that his wife had been alive all of these years, plotting and planning against him. He would tell the duchess, perhaps even with tears in his eyes, how Elizabeth had threatened to lie about him and ruin his good name unless he gave her a large sum of money. He thought he might even further the lie and tell the duchess how he had pleaded with Elizabeth to come back to him and their children, but that she had scorned him and refused.

  Of course, he’d have to explain the boy, but Frederick saw that only as added proof of his wife’s cruelty. He would take the boy with him when he presented the duchess with her gems. She had always seemed to enjoy children. Then before she had any chance to confront or accuse him, Von Bergen would share his sad story of his wife’s stealing away in the night and of the son she had given birth to. Frederick smiled to himself. He would even bring up his wife’s threats of lying to the duchess. He’d learned over the years that it was generally to his benefit to meet problems head on. It would be easy to win the duchess’s sympathy by telling her of his wife’s threats to lie about him and ruin his reputation. Perhaps he’d even go so far as to say that Elizabeth had threatened to send letters filled with lies to all of his colleagues, and even the kaiser himself. He would bemoan the tragedy as the price he paid for having loved a wayward woman.

  “Are you Mr. Von Bergen?”

  Frederick startled and looked up to find a boy standing only a few feet away. “What do you want?”

  “Pete sent me to meet with you.” The boy paused and frowned. “That is, if you’re Mr. Von Bergen.”

  “I am, but I don’t know who you are.”

  “I’m Pete’s little brother John. Pete sent me to tell you that everything is settled. He took care of your wife and daughter. I’m here to get the rest of our money.”

  Frederick settled back in the chair and eyed the boy with contempt. “I don’t work with underlings. You tell your brother that I won’t pay another cent unless he comes to me personally.”

  The boy nodded. “He figured you’d try to back out on what you owed, so he got himself some insurance.”

  “Insurance?” Von Bergen laughed. “And what sort of insurance could your brother possibly have in this situation?”

  “Your boy. Pete has your son.”

  The audacity of these criminals to take the boy and hold him as assurance for payment sent Frederick into a rage. “How dare you! You listen to me, and listen well. I will not be threatened by the likes of you and your brother. You were hired to kill my wife and daughter—not to steal my son and hold him for ransom.”

  The boy shrugged. “All I know is that you owe my brother money and I’m supposed to get it.”

  Von Bergen slammed his hands down on the table. “And I told you I don’t deal with underlings. You go tell your brother to bring my son to me, and then and only then will he get what’s coming to him. If I don’t see the boy safely produced and in my care within the next hour, I will call the police.”

  “I’m afraid you’re hardly in a position to want the authorities brought here,” a man declared from somewhere behind the graf.

  Frederick turned to find Ernst Eckhardt and Ian Harper approaching. Von Bergen stiffened but said nothing. He had no idea what this man was talking about, nor why Ian Harper was back.

  “I am having a private conversation if you don’t mind,” Von Bergen said, getting to his feet.

  Eckhardt nodded. “A most interesting conversation, I must admit.”

  Tension tightened the cords in Von Bergen’s neck. “Leave now. I’ve no interest in what you have to say.”

  “I believe you’ll be more than a little interested in what I have to say,” Eckhardt replied with a smile. “You see, I am the nephew of the Sapphire Duchess. My tante sent me to shadow you on this trip. I found it all quite interesting how you came to Montana rather than go straight to Ceylon to purchase the sapphires my aunt desired. And then I learned from those around that you were purchasing sapphires here in America.”

  Von Bergen eyed the man. “We can discuss this in private.” He turned to the boy. “Go to the hotel lobby and wait for me there.”

  “No, John is perfectly fine waiting here. You see, he’s helping us.”

  Frederick frowned. “Helping you in what way?” He noticed several men approaching and shook his head. “Never mind. I refuse to conduct business with so many people around.”

  Ian glanced over his shoulder. “They’re helping us too. We know all about your schemes, Von Bergen. We know that you wanted to purchase less expensive sapphires and pass them off to the duchess as being from Ceylon—that you’ve been doing it for years. And after comparing notes with Mr. Eckhardt, we also came to understand why the jewels worn by your daughter were paste and nothing more.”

  “Indeed,” Eckhardt replied. “It would seem my tante has purchased stones from you that would perfectly match the settings worn by your daughter.”

  “So what?” Von Bergen said, trying hard to get control of his anger. “Those jewels were mine to sell. As for the other accusations, you are quite wrong. I have served the duchess faithfully for years. Your accusations were no doubt based on lies given you by my wife.”

  “I’ve only recently met your wife,” Eckhardt replied. “And while she did offer me some interesting information, your underhanded deeds were suspected long before I came to America. In fact, my tante assures me she had been suspicious for years.”

  “This is all madness.” Frederick patted his chest to reassure himself of the revolver he carried. “I’m afraid you have been quite misled.”

  “I think not,” Eckhardt continued. “We also know that you intended to have John and his brothers kill your wife and daughter. First because John explained it to us, but now we just overheard you reiterate your request. I myself came to Mrs. Von Bergen’s rescue and unfortunately had to kill John’s eldest brother.”

  Frederick looked at the boy. “It’s true,” John murmured.

  Frederick realized he’d been betrayed. He felt a tightness around his throat as if someone had placed a hangman’s noose. He fought to rein in his thoughts.

  “You’re quite mad. All of you.” The situation was most grave. Frederick felt like a caged animal and took a step back. “I’ve done nothing wrong. The sapphires I purchased here are for me—not the duchess.” He smiled at Eckhardt. “Your tante is a very dear friend, and I would never dream of going against her wishes. And I have no knowledge of this boy and his brothers. I’ve never seen this boy before now.”

  “Don’t embarrass yourself, Graf. As I’ve already said, my tante has been suspicious of you for years. That is the reason she sent me to follow you on this trip. Not only was she certain you were cheating her, but she knew about your wife being alive.”

  Ian Harper crossed his arms and nodded. “And while it’s true that you are just now meeting John, you should know that the man you hired, along with John and their brother Dave, did attempt to kill Elizabeth and Phoebe, but they were not successful. The women are safe.”

  Everything was spinning out of control. All of his plans were crumbling before him. Frederick struggled for a way to extricate himself from this trouble, but nothing came easily to mind. He shook his head. “I assure you that I know nothing of such a plot, no matter what you say you overheard. This boy doesn’t know me, and I don’t know him or his siblings.” He drew a deep breath and eyed the collection of men. “If you insist on accusing me, I will have to retain a lawyer, but I assure you I will see each of you pay for these accusations.”

  “You will definitely need a lawyer, Mr. Von Bergen,” one of the newly arrived men declared. “You are under arrest for hiring the murder of your wife, Elizabeth Von Bergen, and daughter, Phoebe
Von Bergen.” The man revealed a badge to prove his authority. “You will have to come with us.”

  “This is madness. I will not be treated in such a manner. I am Graf Von Bergen, a man of great importance in my own homeland. The kaiser himself will come to my aid.”

  “That’s extremely doubtful,” Eckhardt said, crossing his arms. “No, you will be sent to an American prison and most likely will spend the rest of your life there.”

  Frederick wanted to punch Eckhardt in the mouth. The man stood there with his smug expression—believing he’d bested Frederick. No one could best Frederick Von Bergen. He’d been playing this game for far longer than any of these men had been alive.

  Ian Harper stepped forward. “Elizabeth has given Mr. Eckhardt papers proving you cheated his aunt. Phoebe will testify to the fact that you were here to purchase sapphires for the duchess, and not only will she give testimony, but your good friend Lord Putnam has also agreed to share what he knows rather than be arrested as an accessory. You are done for, Von Bergen, and if it weren’t for these officers and my broken hand, I would be inclined to tear you apart for what you did to Phoebe. Fortunately for you, as a man of God I have learned that acting on my anger isn’t the right way to handle any matter. Therefore I will gladly watch you be apprehended by the police and jailed.” He narrowed his eyes. “And even if you should somehow manage to get out of responsibility here for trying to have Phoebe and her mother killed, it pleases me to know that Eckhardt would have the complete cooperation of our government to see you returned to Germany to face your comeuppance there.”

  Frederick knew there was no hope of escape. Everyone had turned against him, and they would see him jailed—even hanged or shot. No, he wasn’t going to let that happen. Before anyone could say another word, Von Bergen reached inside his coat and pulled out his revolver. Never in his life had he ever felt this overwhelming sensation of failure. His hand trembled under the additional weight of the gun.

  “Get back.” He waved the gun. “Get away from me now.”

  Ian shook his head. “You can only shoot one of us before the others take you down in a rush.”

  “He’s right, Von Bergen,” the officer declared. “We are all armed and prepared to do our duty.” He raised his own gun.

  Frederick felt his mouth turn to cotton. His stomach threatened to expel what little he’d eaten. He could see the truth of the matter. These men would see him pay for all that he had done. Even though his deeds weren’t that bad. What was he guilty of? Taking money from an old lady who could well afford to lose it? Ridding himself of two women who sought only to cause him harm?

  “This is madness, Von Bergen,” Eckhardt declared. “Give it up.”

  Madness? Madness to save himself from the government that would kill him or jail him for the rest of his life? No, theirs was the madness. Frederick felt the gun begin to weigh his arm down. There was only one solution.

  “No. No, I won’t be taken. I won’t be jailed. I’m Graf Von Bergen. No man forces me to do anything.” He smiled as a sense of peace washed over him, and he raised the gun to position the barrel under his chin. “No one.”

  The explosion of Von Bergen’s gun sent him backward. Ian watched in stunned disbelief, as did the others. Rather than be taken alive, Von Bergen had killed himself. The officers rushed forward and took charge of the situation while Ian and Eckhardt stepped back. Only John stayed where he was, his face drained of color.

  “I never expected that,” Eckhardt said, shaking his head. “I figured Von Bergen would fight to the end.”

  “I suppose he realized there was nothing he could do to escape—nothing but take his life.” Ian too shook his head. “I’ve never in all my days seen anything like this. In fact, until a few days ago I’d never seen anyone killed. It’s not something I ever hope to see again.”

  “I agree with you on that point.” Eckhardt turned to the boy. “We will still work to see you are treated fairly. A boy in your position should be given a second chance—if you are of a mind to turn from the ways your brothers taught you.”

  John nodded. “I don’t wanna do what they did—die like they did.” He looked at Eckhardt, then Ian. “I ain’t ever gonna touch another gun.” He shuddered and looked to the ground, shaking his head.

  A crowd of hotel staff and guests were beginning to gather. Ian could hear several of them asking what had happened. The hotel manager joined them, staring in disbelief at the lifeless body of Frederick Von Bergen.

  One of the officers rejoined Eckhardt and Ian. “He’s dead. I sent one of my men for a sheet in order to cover the body.”

  Ian looked at the others. “If you don’t need anything else from me, I should go and let Mrs. Von Bergen know what’s happened.”

  “You’re free to go, Mr. Harper. We’ll be in touch if we need anything more from you.” He turned to Eckhardt. “I believe these are yours.” He handed him the two gem bags.

  Eckhardt took the bags and stared at them for a moment. “Troublesome little blue stones.”

  Ian took his leave and went to see his mother. She may have already heard about the commotion. She had known about the general plan. Elizabeth, Phoebe, and Kenny were even now safely hidden away in her house with a police guard. Ian wasn’t at all sure how she’d take the news—how any of them would take it.

  He entered the bakery section of the kitchen and found his mother slathering icing atop a cake. She smiled when she saw him, but grew serious when Ian didn’t return the smile.

  “What is it? What has happened?”

  “Von Bergen—he’s dead.” Ian hadn’t meant to be so blunt. “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t think of an easier way to say it.”

  His mother’s expression betrayed her shock, but she tried to remain stoic. “What happened?”

  “We confronted him, and it was all too much. He drew a gun on us, and when he saw it was completely hopeless to escape justice, he . . . killed himself.”

  His mother no longer tried to appear strong. She gasped and put her hand to her mouth. Ian put his arm around her. “I wanted you to know from me. I’m sure there will soon be plenty of talk about it. There was quite a crowd gathered by the time I left to come see you.”

  “Oh, goodness. I never thought of him doing himself in. I had all sorts of horrible worries about him doing something to hurt you or the others, but he didn’t seem the type to cause himself harm.”

  “I have to say it was a surprise to me as well, but now it’s done and I need to get into town and let Elizabeth and Phoebe know what’s happened.”

  “Yes. I will come with you.” She began to take off her apron. “Give me just a moment.”

  She went to her bakery assistants. Ian overheard her explaining there had been a problem in the family and she needed to leave. Within a matter of minutes, she and Ian were heading for the trolley.

  Ian wondered how Phoebe would take the news. She had been close to her father up until the last month or so. He knew she loved him, but he’d hurt her a great deal.

  “Poor little Kenny,” his mother said. “He’s only just learned he had a father, and now he must lose him all over again.”

  “There’s a difference between giving a child life and being a father. Kenny has never had an earthly father.”

  “No, I suppose you are right on that account. You’re the closest thing to a father he’s had. Or perhaps you’re more of a big brother, but either way I am sure he’ll need you to help him through this.”

  “And I will do what I can.” Ian thought of how scared Kenny had been when his attacker had chased after him. All Ian had wanted to do then, as well as now, was reassure the boy that he was safe and no one would hurt him.

  It seemed to take forever for the trolley to come, but once it did the trip to Helena was quick. Ian used the time to figure out what he would say once they arrived home. He hated having to tell Elizabeth and Phoebe what had happened. If he could have his way about it, they would never have had to experience such horrible
things as they had known.

  They got off the trolley and walked the remaining distance to the house. The clouds were growing dark overhead, matching Ian’s mood, and he paused for a moment to draw a deep breath. No matter what he said or did, Ian couldn’t escape the image of Von Bergen killing himself. He couldn’t begin to understand being in a situation so bad that death was preferable.

  “Are you all right?” his mother asked as they approached the house.

  Ian shrugged. “I just keep reliving that horrible moment of Von Bergen pulling the trigger. I saw the hopelessness in his eyes—the emptiness.”

  “Try not to dwell on it, son. You know that it won’t change anything. There are living people who need you more.”

  “This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.”

  His mother took hold of his hand and gave it a pat. “Just remember, you aren’t alone. God has already made a way for this conversation to take place. He will console the hearts of those involved and give you the right words to say.”

  Ian nodded. “Of course you’re right. Come on.”

  He led the way around to the back door, dismissed the police guards from his mother’s house and the shop, and entered. Inside, the house smelled of apples and cinnamon. Apparently Elizabeth was busy baking.

  “Elizabeth?” Mother called.

  “Georgia,” she said, returning to the kitchen from the hall. “I thought you were . . .” She fell silent at the sight of Ian. “What happened? Is it over with?”

  Ian nodded. “Yes. Where are Kenny and Phoebe?”

  “They’re over in the shop. Tell me what happened.” Elizabeth fixed him with a determined look. “Tell me now before they hear it.”

  Ian stepped away from his mother. “You might want to sit down.” He motioned her to one of the chairs at the kitchen table.