Her hand fisted about the coins. “Milly done come up before. Me and this baby, we’re going to figure things out.”
She walked out with her head high, clutching the coins and her baby bump.
Wycliff had the feeling she would be fine.
He closed the door and went back to Ruth.
Her spectacles were on the table. Was she trying not to see him?
He put the ledger next to them and waited. “You sent for me?”
Cold, isolating quiet. Nothing.
He rubbed at his face. Counted to ten, then twenty, then listened to the clock’sticktocks.
“Mrs. Wilky, I take it you haven’t forgiven me.”
“Where were you?” Her voice was calm as she brushed at her eyes. “Four years is a long time.”
“I told you. At sea. Made to work on a frigate, the HMSLiverpool. Hard, hard work. Four years of constant labor.”
“I wanted to see if the story changed. That’s what people do when they don’t believe you. They ask you over and over what happened. They pick apart tiny details, looking for something you may have forgotten or blanked from your mind, to be discredited.”
“I deserve that. It was cowardly of me not to tell you. But how do you tell someoneI’m your live husbandwhen she wanted him dead?”
“I never said I wanted you dead. Never.”
“But you never wanted Adam back. I, however, clung to a memory of our perfect love.”
“It wasn’t perfect. I wasn’t perfect.”
“Well, Ruth, you’ve told me over and over again how I wasn’t, either.”
“Could you have sent a note, something while at port? Ships come into port.”
“I thought you dead. Graves accept no love letters. I made one missive to my father. That was all.”
“How did you live on this frigate?”
“I didn’t live. I survived, Ruth. I punished myself with thoughts of you, how I’d allowed you to suffer. Being a sailor, a good one, made the days pass. My nights, those were another matter.”
She folded her arms about her, like she was caught in a chilling wind. “You’ve stayed in love with me all these years? You never thought that we were too young, too stupid?”
“I’ve never fallen out of love with you. How could I? I was happy when we were together.”
“No doubts?”
“None.” His horrible voice was loud and strained, but it was his truth. “Ruth, I’ve only wanted revenge. I’ve thought of nothing else.”
“That’s a lot of years to be steeped in hate. Sounds like you were nearly successful with Mr. Johnson’s death.”
“I didn’t kill him, but he deserved death. I know he plotted with my uncle for my ambush. You remembered his voice at Blaren House.”
“I remember your cousin’s and your uncle’s voices. They were at the ambush. They deserve death.” She wiped at her eyes. “When do you achieve revenge? When does it all stop?”
“All Uncle’s notes have been called. If Soulden does not pay tomorrow, he will be collected by runners and then sent to debtors’ prison.”
“That leaves your cousin untouched. Will that be enough for you, Adam?”
