Mrs. Schmitt rose and came to him. “Oh, I so hope she will marry you soon. You need a good wife to care for you.”
“I hope so too.” He leaned down and kissed her weathered cheek. “Write and tell me all of the news, and should you need anything at all, you will let me know.”
“I won’t have any needs. You already set me up with a bank account and more money than I’ll ever know what to do with.”
He smiled, thinking of the modest account. “I hope you’ll treat yourself to something lovely from time to time.”
He made his way outside and to the carriage. He glancedback and found the woman who had been like a mother to him waving good-bye. Tears streamed down her weathered cheeks, but she was smiling.
He gave a wave, then climbed into the carriage with a great sense of satisfaction. Now he could go back to Elise with a clear conscience and a much lighter spirit.
“Take me to the train station.”
Nick settled back to think of how his fortunes had changed. He was a fairly rich man. Of course, he might have been extremely rich had he held on to the textile mills, but they were of no interest to him. It wasn’t as if they were long in the family. His father had bought them when a friend decided them no longer as profitable as he’d hoped. Father had been very young, and the deal had been quite good. He had done everything possible to bring them to their current success.
Nick wondered how Elise would take the news of his newfound wealth. He doubted she would care. Her world was theMary Eliseand sailing the lakes. Just as his was. They were in complete agreement on that, and he couldn’t help but wonder at their future. He had been so driven to prove to his father that he was worthy of respect, and now that Nick had it, what was yet to be accomplished?
He hadn’t thought much past settling his father’s estate and making certain that Mrs. Schmitt was cared for. He had given the other servants good letters of reference based on Mrs. Schmitt’s suggestion, as well as two weeks’ pay. They would stay at the estate and ready it for sale. They didn’t need to leave before the house was sold, giving them even more time to secure their living arrangements. He felt good about handling things in a generous manner. It made him feel that he was pleasing God.
They arrived at the busy station amidst chaos and what seemed to be hundreds of people either coming or going. They waited their turn so the driver could drop Nick closer to the entrance. Nick was grateful to have only one bag that he could easily manage for himself. Other travelers were in disarray as they scrambled for the limited number of available baggagemen.
Finally, the carriage stopped outside the main entrance, and the driver opened his door. Nick stepped into the bustling, noisy atmosphere and wished even more that he could be at sea. He tipped the driver generously, then headed inside.
He’d not gone far when he spied a line of wanted posters on the wall near the ticket counter. The drawing of the first man closely resembled Booker Duran.
Wanted—Robert Wayfair, he read,for murder in Buffalo, New York.
Wayfair. The name was wrong, but the image was very similar. There were things that didn’t quite fit, but it was close enough that it made Nick wonder. Then again, maybe Duran had a brother who used another name.
Nick frowned as he continued to stare at the poster. Or maybe Duran used another name.
Elise congratulated herself in having kept well away from Booker Duran during the short trip to Toronto. She made sure they were never alone together. Even so, in Nick’s absence, Duran felt he had the right to do as he pleased and more than once had managed to touch her as he passed by her in the galley. He had even gone so far as to feign a hand injury. Wounds and injuries were generally treated by Elise, but when Duran suggested he might have broken one of his fingers, it was the captain who took charge and declaredit nothing more than a sprain. It was easy to see Duran wasn’t happy with the arrangement, but there was nothing he could say without bringing more attention to himself.
Elise had prayed continuously for safety and for some way to see Duran taken into custody if he truly was the murderer. One thing was certain: he wasn’t a good seaman. Her father had taken him to task for being lax in his duties, but Duran always had some excuse. Papa wasn’t taken in by his explanations. He knew the man was untrustworthy. At their last confrontation, Papa had even told Duran that he would be put off in Oswego upon their return if things didn’t improve. Since then, Duran had been a model crewman.
She couldn’t help but wonder why. Why not just escape them rather than go on threatening Elise and Caroline? If he was going to betray Caroline’s secret, he’d have more opportunity by leaving the crew in Oswego. She just couldn’t figure out his game.
Their return trip from Toronto was without problems until they were nearly to Oswego. That was when they started having trouble with the rudder. Ollie Johnson was a good mechanic and rigged the rudder to endure a little longer, but he made it clear they’d need to lay over for more extensive repairs once in port.
Now that they’d arrived, Elise was more concerned with her sister’s welfare and what Duran might do. If her husband realized Caroline was on theMary Elise, he would no doubt find a way to legally force her to come home.
“Your uncle is waiting for us on the dock. I hope there isn’t more trouble,” Elise’s father said as he joined her at the rail. He waved, and Elise did too when she spotted Uncle James.
“I fear for Caroline,” Elise said, turning to him. “She can’t leavethe ship without revealing herself. And since we’ll be here for a week for repair work, it would be horrendous for her to have to wait hidden in the cabin. We’d have to stay here with her.”
“I’ve already thought of that, which is why we now have a large trunk that must be taken with us to your uncle’s house.”
Elise’s eyes widened. “Caroline?”
He grinned. “None other. It was her suggestion when I mentioned the situation.”
A giggle escaped her lips. “Won’t the staff be surprised when they open the trunk expecting clothing and find my sister instead? I’d like to be there to see that.”
“I have already planned that you will be.”
She swept her gaze back and forth along the docks as she’d done since drawing close enough to see them. Nick was nowhere to be found. “I wonder where he is.”
Her father didn’t pretend not to know who she was talking about. “We have no way of knowing when he might return to us. If his father is as bad as he feared, it could be a quick death or a lingering one. There’s no way of telling.”
