She slipped down the stairs, reaching the ground floor just as Nelson Worthington came from the sitting room. He was angry but paused to give her a quick once-over, as if to assure himself she wasn’t Caroline. Then he threw open the door and left without so much as a backward glance.
Elise looked toward the sitting room and saw her uncle and Nick in the doorway. “Well, he was certainly loud.”
“He’s threatened us with the law again,” her uncle said, shaking his head. “I fear we’re going to need to get Caroline out of town in some way other than theMary Elise. Mr. Worthington has promised to have the authorities search the ship.”
“She could go by train. Perhaps Louis could accompany her,” Elise suggested. “She can go to our house when she arrives in Duluth. Our neighbors will see to her safety, and Louis can come back.”
“That does sound like a reasonable way to move her, but surely Worthington will be checking the train station as well,” her uncle said.
“Maybe Louis could travel alone ... with a large trunk,” she said, smiling. “As soon as the train got on its way, he could arrange with the baggage keepers to set Caroline free.”
“It’s a good thing your sister is so petite,” Nick said.
“Mrs. Cavendish, go upstairs and let my wife and Caroline know that he’s gone for now,” her uncle instructed. The housekeeper nodded.
Elise turned to her uncle. “Nick and I were going downtown to shop. If you’re returning to work, perhaps you would give us a lift?”
Aunt Martha descended the stairs. “I would rather you remain home, Jim. Let them take your carriage. I cannot manage alone if Mr. Worthington should return.”
Uncle James looked at Elise. “By all means, take the carriage. My driver will take you wherever you need to go.”
“Thank you, Uncle James. Meanwhile, it might suit our situation if you were to have one of the servants go to the trainstation and buy Louis and Caroline’s tickets to Duluth. Perhaps even a private compartment—that way no one needs to see much of Caroline. The train should leave tomorrow because that’s when it’s planned for us to go. I fully expect Nelson will be at the docks.”
“Or they could leave tonight. That might be better still,” her uncle suggested.
Elise saw the wisdom in that. “She’ll arrive in Duluth before we do either way, unless there are problems in making her connections, so it doesn’t really matter. I just figured Nelson would be at the docks watching for her if he knows we’re leaving, and thus the train station would be clear.”
“Oh, he knows. He mentioned that his man had already talked to some of the crew on theMary Elisewho were fairly confident of leaving at first light tomorrow.”
“So we must act quickly. Maybe even leave tonight. Nick and I will go buy the things she needs for the trip and be home in time for lunch. You can let us know what you’ve managed to arrange then.”
Elise and Nick left in Uncle James’s carriage. Elise was uneasy and knew her sister was in more trouble than the others realized. She felt that she should tell someone—see if they could offer better insight. Nick was the only person she had available. Dare she tell him?
“I’m glad we have some time alone,” he said. “I know you want to shop, but I need to tell your father about something I saw in Boston and again in Buffalo.”
“What are you talking about?”
“A wanted poster. You might not be familiar with it, but the train depots often display various wanted posters. The police alwayscheck on the station and the comings and goings of people, and having the posters at hand makes it easier to identify criminals. When I was on my way back to Oswego, I noticed a poster in Boston and another in Buffalo. I didn’t see the same one here, but they might have failed to post it. The drawing of the man looked very similar to Booker Duran.”
If he hadn’t had Elise’s full attention before, he did now. “What was he wanted for?”
“Murder. The bill stated the killer’s name was Robert Wayfair, but the drawing looked too similar to Duran to be ignored. Especially when we have concerns about what he might have done in Duluth.”
Elise wanted to tell Nick about Duran’s threat, but to do that, she would also have to tell him about Caroline’s condition. But hadn’t she already been considering that?
She took a deep breath. “I need to tell you something, but you will have to pledge to me that you’ll say nothing—not even to my father.”
Nick looked at her in surprise. “You’re keeping secrets from your father?”
“Only for now. I don’t want him to have to lie about ... well, about something important.” She knew her tone was pleading and hoped Nick would understand from that just how desperate the situation had become.
“I won’t lie, so maybe you shouldn’t say anything.”
Elise considered this. “I don’t want anyone to lie, but this is a matter of life and death, as far as I’m concerned. I’ll just tell you part of it.” She thought through her words before speaking. “Duran overheard my sister and I talking on theMary Elise. Information was shared that could cause Caroline much grief.Booker threatened me regarding his bloodied shirt. He told me not to mention it to anyone or he would expose Caroline. When I told him I’d already mentioned it, he demanded I recant or at least make it clear that my timing was wrong. He went on to say that if I was asked by anyone, I should say I was with him that evening in Duluth—the night the man was killed.”
“So he did kill him?”
“I don’t know for sure. He didn’t confess to it, but he was determined I should give him an alibi. He also said I needed to let him ... take liberties with me.”
