Murder on Fifth Avenue

“How tactful of you. I look haggard and ill. Mother Devries has told me so more than once.”

“But surely she understands that in your condition—”

“She knows nothing about my condition.”

Sarah raised her eyebrows with a silent question, but Garnet did not answer it. “You won’t be able to hide it forever,” Sarah said finally.

“No, I won’t.”

Sarah had no idea what to say next. She stared at Garnet, trying to read the emotions behind her calm facade, but Garnet had learned to hide them too well. Where should she start? How much should she confess to already knowing about her? What question would Malloy ask to get the conversation started? Something shocking, she was sure. She settled for, “Have you told Paul about the baby?”

She stiffened. “No. He wouldn’t have been able to keep it secret from his mother, and I don’t want her to know.”

“Why not?”

Garnet seemed almost amused by the question. “Really, Mrs. Brandt, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered anyone quite like you.”

Sarah winced in dismay. She was making a botch of this. “Oh, dear, I suppose I’ve forgotten everything my mother ever taught me about good manners, haven’t I?”

“I’m not sure if it’s good manners or not, but certainly no one in society would have ever asked such an honest question.”

“I don’t suppose they would, and I shouldn’t have either. Your decisions are none of my business.”

“But I can’t fault you for being curious, I suppose. Most women in my position would be thrilled to find themselves with child, wouldn’t they?”

“Most of them, yes, but not if they were so unhappy they were contemplating divorce.”

Her eyes widened. “Who told you that?”

“Then it’s true?”

“I’m sure every married woman has contemplated divorce at one time or another.”

“I doubt many of their husbands are aware of it, though.”

“Ah, Paul told you. No, wait, he wouldn’t have told you. He would have told that policeman your father brought here. Did he tell you? Is that how you found out?”

Sarah could also choose not to answer questions. “I also know about Paul.”

This time, Sarah saw real emotion flicker across her face. For just an instant, Garnet was afraid, but she hid it quickly. “What do you know about Paul?”

“I know about his friend Mr. Zeller. I know they’re more than friends.”

The color rose in her face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That’s the wrong answer, Mrs. Devries. You should have said, Of course they’re more than friends. They’ve known each other for years. They’re more like brothers. Or something like that, if you want to pretend ignorance.”

“I’ll try to remember that next time someone pries into my husband’s private life.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve angered you.”

“I don’t think you’re sorry at all. I think you intentionally angered me.”

“I wasn’t sure talking about Paul would make you angry. I had to find out.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to find out the truth.”

“The truth is that Mr. Devries is dead and no one really cares, so why should you?”

Sarah was starting to wonder herself. “My father cares. He wants to know what happened.”

“And what good will that do?”

“You’ll have to ask him, I’m afraid. He feels he has a duty to an old friend, I believe.”

“Chilton Devries was no one’s friend.”

“I’m not surprised you think so, after what he did to your father.”

This did shock her. “What do you know about my father?”

“I know Mr. Devries convinced him to invest in a business venture that failed.”

“I thought you said you were interested in the truth. That isn’t the truth.”

“What is the truth?”

“He cheated my father and ruined him. He did it on purpose, too.”

“What makes you think so?”

“I don’t think it; I know it. Oh, he pretended to be sorry when my father killed himself. I don’t think he expected that. He just wanted my father to be humbled and compliant so when he suggested I marry Paul, he wouldn’t be able to refuse.”

“You could have refused.”

Garnet actually laughed at that, an ugly, bitter sound that held no hint of happiness at all. “Oh, yes, I could have refused, and my mother and I could have moved into a tenement and eked out a living making paper flowers or rolling cigars for sweatshops, the way immigrant women do, until we starved to death.”

“Didn’t you have anyone you could turn to?”

“My grandmother, but she’s what we call the genteel poor. She owns a large house and a lot of land, but she can’t farm it herself. She rents out the fields to tenant farmers and lives on the pittance they pay her if the crops don’t fail. She can hardly keep herself, so no, there’s no one. When Devries offered my mother a settlement, we couldn’t turn it down.”

“That was kind of him.”

“So we thought at first, or that maybe he felt guilty, but I didn’t know him very well then. He was simply buying Paul a wife, and he got off cheap. When he suggested I marry Paul, I was actually relieved. I liked Paul, you see. He can be charming, and I thought…Well, I didn’t know anything then. My mother would be taken care of, and I would have a husband and a home. I thought we would both be safe.”

The despair in her voice cut Sarah like a knife. “I’m so sorry.”

“Are you? Then perhaps you’ll really bring me a remedy.”

Sarah frowned. “What?”

“A remedy. For this thing.” She touched her abdomen. “Don’t midwives know secret medicines that can solve a problem like this?”

Sarah shook her head. “I don’t…I can’t help you.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Garnet, what you’re asking is…I know you’re angry and upset right now, but this baby is part of you, too. You can learn to love it …”

Fury flashed in her eyes. “Love it? How can I love something spawned by a monster?”

Sarah instinctively reached out and touched Garnet’s arm. “I know how shocked you must have been when you found out about Paul and his friend, but he’s not a monster. If you find it too difficult to live with him, I’m sure he’ll provide a house for you someplace else now that his father is dead and he has control of everything. I know several couples who live apart except for certain social engagements where they must be seen together. An arrangement like that could suit you very well. You might even bring your mother to live with you.”

“And Paul’s mother would want the child,” she said, her voice oddly hollow.

“Don’t be too hasty. You may want it yourself when you see it.”

She smiled then, but it was little more than a grimace. “You are a good person, Mrs. Brandt.”

“I don’t think I’m particularly good. I’m just trying to be a friend to you.”

“Thank you for that. No one has been kind to me in a very long time.”

Sarah’s heart ached at the pain behind her words. “Did your mother come to see you yesterday?”

“Oh, yes, and now I know how she found out about the child. You told her, didn’t you?”

“No, I haven’t met your mother. I told Mr. Malloy.”

“Ah, and he’s also the one who told her Devries was dead, I suppose. She doesn’t think I should leave Paul either.”

“You should certainly consider it very carefully before making a decision. Has anyone explained to you what will happen if you do leave him?”