Celeste looked at him thoughtfully and then smiled. The more she thought about the situation the broader her smile until she actually laughed out loud. Sylvester found himself laughing, too, as a great deal of the tension in the room evaporated. But her laughter faded as she caught the look of wonder on Chip’s face. And then he smiled, too, and began laughing.
Pastor and Mrs. Richardson had also realized the irony of the situation and smiled, but matters were not yet settled.
“Reverend Richardson, you and I needn’t counsel, as I am not here as a bride. I will be seeking employment for myself, for I am quite destitute at the moment, but as I explained to Mrs. Richardson, I am well educated and have a number of useful skills. Any assistance you might render in directing me to that end I would most gratefully accept.
“But, in any event, and no discourtesy intended, Reverend, I am Catholic. If I do marry again, I’d prefer to be married by a priest. I cannot speak for Miranda in this matter, but the subject never came up in the correspondence. I’m afraid I rather took it for granted that Mr. Hardwick was a Catholic as well, since the initial introduction came via our good friend Bridget Anne, whose brother Frederick went to school with Mr. Hardwick. After all, they are Catholic as well.” Mrs. Clark spoke firmly, as if everything had been settled.
Sylvester paled slightly. It had never occurred to him, but of course Frank’s sister’s friends would most likely also be of the same faith. It hadn’t intruded into his friendship so the subject had simply never crossed his mind.
That meant his Miranda was also Catholic. No! She was not his Miranda! But the notion did feel rather . . . comfortable. If he were honest with himself, he’d frequently forgotten as he corresponded with the charming woman that it was not for himself he was writing!
Mrs. Clark had admitted penning the letters, claiming her sister’s hand was somewhat less than legible. But had she indeed merely copied them over or inserted herself, even if inadvertently? That thought gave him a pang. Because although Mrs. Clark was perfectly attractive and behaved appropriately for the most part, she didn’t seem to have that . . . that . . . that refinement her sister Miranda had displayed.
Funny, now that Chip had planted the seed, the thought of wooing Miranda for himself began to take hold.
CHAPTER 5 – WilliamWar
William Samuel Belden had done his patriotic duty during the recent War Between the States, joining the Union Army to support his president, flag, and country. Leaving his wife and teenage daughters behind in the care of the house servants, he had formed a company which rode to war.
He had served well and he and his units had received several citations over the years. But he was approached after the battle at Gettysburg by a gentleman working directly with the president. A shipment of gold had disappeared and it seemed Colonel Belden had special knowledge which would be a benefit in the recovery thereof. While he had been unsuccessful in that mission, he soon found himself working with an elite squad which reported directly to the President.
When the Secret Service was formed at end of the war, he became an advisor, gradually weaning himself away from the work and returning to his own business. However he maintained ties with many in that proud new department.
Convinced that his late son-in-law's death had been no accident, he'd gotten back in touch with some of his old friends and learned that Ralph Clark's string of bad luck prior to his orchestrated demise have been aimed at getting Ralph in a position to compromise his father-in-law.
“We’re hearing rumors of the lost Gettysburg gold having been located. They are saying you had a hand in hiding it,” commented John Grey.
“I?” William raised his eyebrows, looking into his friend’s amused eyes.
“I was with you working that case and know the dead ends we met. But we were known to be in the area, especially you, because so many of your men saw you. They resented us for taking you from them, you know!”
“How do you think I felt, deserting them at such a time? I felt guilty about every casualty, even knowing my presence would have made no difference to the aim of the rifles. But several of my senior officers had worked with me in business, so understood why I’d been summoned away from them.”
“We wanted to recruit most of them as well, but yours were the exact talents we needed at the time, and so they proved, even if we didn’t recover that bit of gold. We saved a number of other shipments and traced out more than one serious plot thanks to you, William.”
William turned his head away, embarrassed to be praised by a man who had been so much more instrumental in thwarting those self-same plots.
“But that doesn’t explain how they entangled Ralph in their net—and to what end? He’d be the last person I’d have gone to for that sort of work. Ralph had a very good reputation for honesty and diligence. And he was reasonably astute. Not the best in the field, but certainly trustworthy and competent. I even had him handling some funds for me and he did an excellent job.
“I do not understand how things went so wrong so quickly—nor why he and my daughter went from being a popular couple to being practically shunned. But I was unaware any of this was even going on. I was out in California. Ralph was dead before I learned any of this. I returned as quickly as I could, only to discover your hand involved.”
John had the grace to look chagrined. In fact, the situation had escalated so rapidly there had been no chance to
