Diamond set her glass down and got to her feet. Still caught in a web of lassitude, she ambled out to the street with her sister-in-law. “Why did you ask about Jack?”
“Timing seems too coincidental to me and Jack’s heart is with the South.”
“Even if he deserted, surely he wouldn’t join the raiders.”
Janet picked up the pace. “Who knows? Father will be livid.”
“Are you going to tell him? You have no proof. You need to talk to Jack before making any wild accusations.” Diamond hurried to catch up. This had been the purpose of the visit and probably the reason they had left Sarah behind.
“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything rash.”
Not reassured, Diamond excused herself when they got home and retreated to her room to write to Jesse. What could she tell him, though? If she told him about Janet’s suspicions, it would only worry him, perhaps unnecessarily. She decided to just tell him Jack had come for a visit.
She was deep into The Scarlet Letter when someone knocked on her door. Before she could answer, it swung open to reveal her father-in-law. “You’d better come, too, since you’re part of the family.”
Diamond slid off the bed, her stomach churning. She followed Ian into the parlor where Janet and Jack waited for them.
“Jack, did you think I wouldn’t find out you were riding with Quantrill?” Ian asked.
Jack crossed his legs at the ankle. “I planned to tell you when the time was right.”
“And when would that be? When they brought you home slung over the back of a horse?”
Jack jumped to his feet. “Think I won’t die in the regular army? Battle is not the only danger. We lose as many men to illness as bullets. I’m done risking my life for a cause I don’t even support.”
“You had your orders.”
“I left my post. I can’t go back now.”
“You can’t come back here either. It pains me to do this to my oldest son, but you’ve left me with no choice but to disinherit you. I will not shelter you under this roof and if we hold on to Hickory Grove, you will no longer receive a portion of its profits.”
Jack’s face turned white. “You can’t do this to me. You’ve raised me as your heir. I’ve always been your right-hand man.”
“Until now. I was very clear about the role you were to play in this conflict. You’ve put your family in jeopardy.”
Jack paced around the room, color returning to his face in angry red splotches. “I won’t stand for this. Jesse goes behind your back and marries a nobody and Janet abandons Hickory Grove and pines for that damn traitor, Finn, but you give them a free pass.”
“I considered disinheriting Jesse until I realized the marriage wasn’t as ill-advised as I first thought. Diamond brings a modest dowry and wealthy connections to the family.”
“And Janet, what’s her excuse?”
“I had to flee New Madrid. Union officers took the house, Jack. Where was I to go?”
“You think Jesse and I have been living in a house? No, we’re stuck in a tent, regardless of the weather. We march mile upon endless mile, our only reward the chance to be shot, stabbed or mutilated.”
“I haven’t forgiven Janet, but she’s only a woman. I hold my sons to a higher standard.”
“If we’re to be held to a higher standard, then we deserve a greater share of the estate.” Jack got up in Ian’s face. “I will fight this in the courts.”
“Which court?” A gun suddenly appeared in Ian’s hand, though he must have pulled it from his coat. “Both the Union and the Confederacy are a little too preoccupied to concern themselves with petty family matters.”
“Stop! Both of you.” Diamond rushed forward, stepping between the two men. “Ian, put that gun away. We can work this out.”
“I know what to do,” Janet said.
“I’ve already laid out the rules. Jack will leave and not return until the war is over. If we keep Hickory Grove, I might reconsider. If not, the issue is moot.”
“You’re missing the obvious solution. I am now the only one with a Union connection. If I marry Finn, we can keep Hickory Grove in the family.”
Ian slid the gun back into his pocket. “Finn won’t take you without a dowry.”
“We use Diamond’s dowry.”
“Absolutely not,” Diamond protested.
“It’s not your money. It became Jesse’s the moment you married,” Janet said, a touch of bitterness in her voice.
“Not true. I’m protected under our marriage contract.”
Ian whipped around. “Jesse said nothing about a marriage contract.”
Jack barked out a laugh. “Going to disinherit Jesse too?”
“I want all of you out of my house. Don’t come back until dinner. By then I will have decided what to do.”
“Father—”
“Go. Now.”
Twenty Two
Chapter 22
Wanting nothing to do with her difficult in-laws, Diamond turned down Janet’s offer to visit one of her friends and Jack’s suggestion that they drown their sorrows at the local bar. Sarah accompanied Janet. Cook offered to send a scullery maid with Diamond, but Diamond set off by herself. As she walked down the dusty street, she reveled in the quiet. For someone who habitually spent a lot of time writing and frequently engaged in stake-outs, she had missed time to herself.
She’d wanted a sibling when she was a child, but being an only child might have been a blessing. Ian seemed to pit his children against each other like a nineteenth-century King Lear. She didn’t know how she would explain the situation to Jesse and supposed she needed to find out what Ian decided before she even made the attempt. So much for writing light, amusing letters to distract Jesse from the danger and monotony of army life. And perhaps worm a way into his heart. At this rate, he would dread getting letters from her.
She gazed through the store windows as she walked. Little Rock didn’t have as many stores
