Chapter Fifteen
THE COFFEE SPLASHEDacross Hale’s desk, soaking the corner of his ledger book.
“Something’s on your mind,” Tansy said as she quickly wiped up the mess with the towel she’d used to cover the supper she’d brought him. “You’ve been distracted all evening.”
Hale sank back in his chair and dug the heel of his hand into his forehead. His older sister had a knack for knowing when things weren’t right with him. He dropped his hand and nodded at the chair across the desk. “It’s going to take a minute.”
Tansy pursed her lips as if she were trying to figure out what he’d say before he said it. She glanced back at the shut door, then set down the towel and sat. “All right.”
“Have you seen Isabella?”
“Only briefly. She wasn’t feeling well and went upstairs to lie down.” Tansy paused. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything.” The defensive note in his voice made him wince.
Tansy tilted her head, clearly disbelieving him.
“I told her the truth, and she won’t accept it.” The words came out sharper than he meant them to. He understood why she didn’t want to believe him, but he was frustrated all the same. He couldn’t give her money to pursue something that would never happen. And if by some miracle it worked, how would he be able to live with himself?
Tansy peered down her nose at him, like a schoolteacher he’d had when he was nine. “What truth? Hale Darby, if you broke that’s girl’s heart, I—”
“I didn’t,” he insisted. “Not in the way you’re thinking, anyhow. It’s her family.”
Bit by bit, he told Tansy the entire story. The more he said, the higher her eyebrows went.
“That poor girl. I can’t believe she’s kept that to herself the entire time she’s been here,” she said when he finished.
“I’m glad you feel that way,” Hale said as he fanned the pages of his ledger to dry them. “I wondered if I should have been more offended that she’d kept that secret from me, but I couldn’t find it in myself. I honestly think she had the best of intentions.”
Tansy nodded. “Isabella couldn’t be cruel if she tried. Yes, she should have said something about it before you married her, but I’m sure she was afraid and desperate. And she did come forward with it on her own. Besides, I’ve seen the way she looks at you. You mean more to her than just a means to an end.”
Tansy didn’t know how much her words meant to him. “Do you think I’m being cruel to her, not giving her the money she wants?”
Tansy grimaced. “I’m sure she thinks you are, but I agree with you. We don’t have a lot to spare, and to use it to try to exonerate someone who’s most likely guilty of his crimes is . . .” She shrugged. “It feels wrong.”
“What about her brothers, though? If their father deceived them the same way he did Isabella, it’s almost worse. They’re in prison for something they believed in that was a lie.”
“If that’s true, then it’s a shame. Although they did commit the crimes.” Tansy frowned as she idly folded the damp towel. “What do you make of that third brother? The one on the poster?”
Hale sat back. “I honestly don’t know. Isabella seemed confused when I mentioned it.”
Tansy furrowed her eyebrows, the towel forgotten. “I had the wildest thought. I’m almost afraid to say it out loud.”
“What is it?” Hale asked hesitantly.
“Did you ask Isabella where she was when her father and brothers committed these robberies?”
