There it was again, that new intensity to Nick. He was showing her a side she hadn’t seen before. It both scared and thrilled her a little.
“Well,” Frances said lamely. “Thank you anyway.” She leaned closer, meaning to kiss his cheek, but Nick shifted his face so their lips met instead. Drat him. She was starting to like kissing him way too much. She pulled back.
Nick leaned closer and kissed her cheek near her ear. “We’re newly married. They expect it.”
He straightened. They faced the others, only to find them staring with knowing smiles.
When Frances had made the decision to marry, she’d known she’d have to show some affection to her husband. Which she’d completely underestimated. She needed to take control of the conversation.
“Nick and I haven’t had a wedding trip yet, obviously, and I think it’d be fun to show him our old stomping grounds.” Frances leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I’ll bet Uncle William thinks he has us running with all the stunts he’s pulled on us.”
“Or he’s getting desperate,” Charles said.
“And desperate men take even bigger risks,” Nick said.
“Exactly so,” Abe said, worry creasing his brow. “I’m not sure you girls even need to go back to Indianapolis to see him. Let the courts handle this and give you control of your fortunes then.”
“With both Maude and Doris increasing,” Frances argued, “we have to make the trip while we can. Marshall said he has connections to someone in the railroad and could get a car to ease their journey, but we can’t wait too much longer. Charles and Maude have their own wedding trip to take to San Francisco.”
“I agree with the sheriff,” Luke said. “Don’t forget I have a wedding in a few weeks with some very important guests coming. Judith and I can’t take two weeks off to go to Indianapolis right now.”
“You don’t have to go,” Frances said. “I know your memories of the place aren’t good, and I wouldn’t ask you to come with us so close to your wedding.”
“But I’m your guardian—”
“Not anymore,” Nick broke in. “I’mresponsible for Frances now.”
Her habit would have been to tell him what she thought of such a presumptuous declaration, but she paused before speaking. Nick would be twenty-five soon, but his lighthearted and teasing sense of humor had always made him seem younger. There was nothing tyrannical in his eyes or the tone of his voice when he’d made the simple comment. Instead, there was something adult in it. And humble, like he’d been given a great honor to be responsible for her. Her heart gave an odd little twitch.
Not taking her gaze off Nick, Frances said, “We’re going to Indianapolis on our wedding trip.” When he nodded, she looked at the others. “We’ll go with or without the rest of you, and we’re going next week. I think our cases will be stronger if we show up as a group to claim what’s rightfully ours but, if it’s just Nick and me, that’s fine.”
She sat as calmly as she remembered her father doing when facing off with contrary people, whether a business partner or a wayward daughter. Frances was grateful for Nick’s warm hand in hers. His friendship and support, which had been like a solid base beneath her since she’d first come to live with her brother, now felt like it’d turned into bedrock. It took all her willpower to force her eyes not to blink at the sudden stinging. She wouldnotcry.
Luke heaved out a breath, glancing at Abe.
“She has a point,” the sheriff said with a shrug.
“You have the court ruling which acknowledges your right to sign for your sisters’ marriages,” Edgar said, “and now three marriage certificates. According to the dictates of the will as described by the sisters following the funeral and verified by Charles’ father when he viewed it in the court, your uncle’s duties as trustee are completed. It’s merely a matter now of receiving an account of any expenses and then transferring the funds.”
“Whatever happened with the photographs your father was going to have taken?” Nick asked. “Shouldn’t Frances have gotten copies in the mail by now?”
“There werecomplicationsgetting permission to take the photographs,” Charles said, looking thoroughly disgusted. “William Lancaster has some powerful friends who don’t have any compunction about putting up roadblocks. If we’re ever able to prove the man has done anything illegal so far as the will goes, I’d like to implicate anyone who knowingly helped him.”
“But did he have any photos taken?” Frances asked, feeling just as frustrated as her brother-in-law looked. “All I want is to compare the signatures.”
“My fatherwasable to get a photograph of the will’s signature page, but the county staff wasn’t able to find the deed to your family home.”
“What does that mean?” Maude asked.
“Only that my father was told the document had been misfiled. The transaction is still on record there, so the home is part of your inheritance.” Charles gave a disgusted snort. “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone was paid to misfile it. My father’s making a stink about it and threatening to talk to the newspaper about how poorly handled the county records office is. It’s an elected position, so the county recorder isn’t going to want the story going public.”
“I want to remind you all of something I’ve mentioned before,” Edgar said, raising his hand. “You ladies still need to be prepared to find your fortune gone. Your uncle’s had access to the funds for almost a year now, and his actions over that time have been those of a desperate man.”
“I didn’t marry Frances for her money.” Nick said the words with such sincerity that Frances had to resist shooting him a quick sidelong glance. Dang but he was a good actor, much better than she’d ever dreamed. Maybe he should audition for the community theater some folks were wanting to start.
Charles and Marshall had also jumped in to disclaim any interest in their wives’ inheritances.
“Well, I’m so glad to hear you didn’t marry my sisters for their fortunes,” Frances said dryly, “but maybe we Lancaster sistersdowant what our father meant for us to have and worked his whole life to earn. William Lancaster is a snake, and I don’t want to let him get away with what he’s done to our family.”
