He didn’t answer. Instead, he picked up a piece of paper from his desk and returned to her, handing it over immediately. “Read this.”
Emmaline furrowed her brow. Taking the letter from him, she started to read. And upon reading the first few lines, she paused and looked at him. “I don’t understand. This is dated just last week.”
Her father nodded. Pointing over the edge of the paper, he said, “And you see the signature?”
“Yes, it is the signature of the captain of the India Rose but that cannot be,” she said, handing the letter back to him. “This suggests that the ship is bound to arrive in London today but that cannot be.”
“Look at the letter head,” her father said, holding the letter so she could see.
Emmaline looked. To her it looked like any other letter head she had seen from the shipping notices and letters they had received from the docks. Though, somehow, there was something not quite right about it.
Her confusion clearly read upon her face for her father jumped up once more and hurried back to his desk. When he returned, he held the first letter and another, one she had seen before, one that filled her with dread.
“Look, Emmaline, the letter heads are different,” her father insisted. Taking the letters from him, she looked closely and sure enough there were several inconsistencies. They were small, but the more she looked, the more she saw.
With a gasp, her insides quivering with something akin to hope, she asked, “What does this mean, papa?”
“This,” her father said, plucking the letter of the ship’s destruction from Emmaline’s trembling hand, “Is a forgery.”
Emmaline’s mouth dropped open. “How can you be so sure?”
The look of triumph in her father’s face was intoxicating. Already she could feel a certain excitement bubbling up inside her.
“When I received that letter yesterday,” he said, gesturing to the one still in her hand. “I personally visited the docks and spoke to the dock’s clerk. He told me himself it had to be a forgery.”
“But who…who would do such a thing?”
Emmaline’s entire body trembled now. She had the distinct feeling she was going to like the next words that came from her father’s lips.
“Isn’t it obvious, my dear?” he demanded. “Who stood to gain the most from a lost shipment that wasn’t truly lost? Who might have hoped to gain all of the profit for himself?”
No, papa, do not say it!Emmaline pleaded with him silently for her heart was already breaking.
“The devil himself!”
“No!” Emmaline cried, jumping to her feet. The letter fluttering from her hand and landed on the seat beside her father. He picked it up and clutched both, shaking them before her.
“Don’t you see? He had this planned all along. He falsified that letter to send me into ruin to take all of the profit himself and he even manipulated me into giving you as collateral to boot!”
The words spilled from his lips like poison and though Emmaline turned away, it did nothing to stop her from hearing them.
“Alex wouldn’t do that.”
“Are you on such familiar terms with him?” her father’s tone seethed.
“He is my husband!” Emmaline protested, whipping around to face her father. “Of course I am on familiar terms with him!”
A look of sympathy flashed across her father’s face. He slowly rose to his feet, dropping the letters where he had been sitting before he moved to take hold of both her hands.
“You are a good woman, Emmaline, one just like your mother,” he said, sighing deeply. He shook his head, a look of failure in his expression. “You always wish to see the good in others but sometimes there just is no good to be found.”
“I have found it. Alex is not the man you believe him to be!”
Emmaline fought with everything she had not to snatch her hands from her father’s and run. She had to make him believe. She had to make him see that he had all of this wrong.
Slipping both her hands into one of his, he raised his other to cup her cheek softly. His smile was sad, his eyes filled with tears as he said, “Your mother would be so proud of you, Em.”
Emmaline’s throat constricted.
