“I’m not so sure about that. Abraham might end up as steadfast to you as your father is to your mother.”
Now there was true love. Lydia’s parents had met and married within a year. Devotion had laced every letter exchanged while Papa served during the War Between the States. Despite miscarriages, financial hardships, and an often-chaotic life, they’d remained faithful in their love. Sweeter still, they were affectionate to the point of embarrassment. Of course, most of the embarrassment came from Lydia watching them when they thought they were alone. That was what she wanted in a husband. A man she could respect, trust, be affectionate with, and lean into during the hard times.
One day of friendship did not make Abraham that man.
But he could be.
That idea needed squelched. Detective Lawson was right. She should not make any hasty decisions while her emotions ran high. Abraham must remain simply a friend, andifa future existed for them, she would explore it after this Billy Poe madness was over—something that needed to happen sooner rather than later.
It was time to call together the Guardians.
“I think it’s time we bring Flossie and Nora in to create a plan to capture Billy Poe. It’s obvious Detective Lawson has no confidence in the police’s ability to apprehend him before there is another death.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Theresa rubbed her hands together. “I’ll have Mrs. Hawking send them each a note to meet here first thing in the morning.”
“What should I do with the manuscript?”
“Is it here?”
“Of course. I was supposed to be working on it.”
“Keep it until the girls arrive. You shouldn’t be alone when you say goodbye to writing. Flossie, Nora, and I will be by your side as we burn your manuscript in a symbolic ceremony of your tossing out the old and becoming something new.”
Lydia cringed. “I’m not sure I want to be compared to changing from paper to ashes.”
“But what about the verse about God making beauty from ashes? The first step is to become those ashes.”
“That sounds painful.”
“It seems to me that you’ve already endured the pain. You might as well go the full distance and see what reward God holds for you on the other side.”
Why did that reward sound so ominous? “As long as that other side isn’t an early entrance into heaven. I don’t think Billy is going to be happy with me when he discovers in tomorrow’s newspaper that not only am I not writing any more books but Detective Abraham Hall is my supposed beau.”
“You didn’t tell me that bit of news.”
“Yes, well—”
A rap at the door saved Lydia from further explanation.
Mrs. Hawking marched in, stiff as a soldier on parade. “Miss Lydia, Mr. Monroe is here to see you. I tried to send him on his way, but Detective Lawson insisted you be notified. He wants you to lure Mr. Monroe into stealing your manuscript by hinting at where it is located.”
So much for not using her manuscript for bait.
But that didn’t mean it had to be located where she told Marcus it would be. Theresa could be trusted to hide the manuscript without reading it, so long as Lydia didn’ttellTheresa not to look. That woman’s desire to rebel increased whenever presented with a rule. How she’d managed to survive as the ward of a militant grandfather was beyond Lydia. Then again, Theresa was a master at evading Mrs. Hawking and Colonel Plane.
“Theresa, would you grab the manuscript from the desk in my room and hide it in your armoire while I speak with Marcus?”
“Are we not waiting for Flossie and Nora to set the trap?”
“Tonight, we’ll execute Detective Lawson’s plan. If it doesn’t work, then tomorrow, the Guardians will form one that does.”
Perhaps it was arrogant to believe four women could do what an entire police department could not, but Lydia was tired of passively waiting for Billy Poe to be arrested. She was an author, after all. She was used to plotting the end of a story, and she was ready for the climax. Too much time had been spent wading through the muddy middle.
Lydia met Marcus in the foyer, where he stood with his coat still on and hat in hand. No hospitality had been offered him, and she wouldn’t make him feel welcomed either. It was best to plant the seeds and then leave them to take root as quickly as possible.
Neither Abraham nor Detective Lawson were within clear view, but it was probably Abraham’s feet that caused the dark lines in the light beneath the parlor’s doors. It was a comfort to know he would be within reach if she were to need him. However, it wouldn’t be long before Theresa finished her task and grabbed a vase to heave from the landing should Marcus cause trouble. The plan had been laid out since she and Lydia were children imagining villains in every shadowed corner. If MarcuswereBilly Poe, he had no hope of abducting or hurting her without immediate consequences.
Still, Lydia stood well outside of Marcus’s reach while addressing him. “If you’re here to beg for my manuscript again, you can leave.”
