I sat in silence for a few minutes, letting Harriet’s news sink in. “No, not quite,” I said. “Time is on our side. Sir Richard can’t even mail the letter until we make it to Bermuda, and then it would be months until the dignitaries arrived. By then, I could be well and truly married to someone else. That would make everyone happy and help get you back in Charles’s good graces.”
“I suppose so. But Persephone will want you to wait for George, so she won’t help with the matchmaking.”
“And I have no dowry to entice anyone.”
Harriet came to sit opposite me. “That’s not exactly true,” she said quietly.
“What do you mean? Papa didn’t leave us a legacy.”
“I know I should have told you this a long time ago, but the whole thing left me feeling so ashamed.” She looked away. “It was early in my marriage. I was still nervous about getting my role as chatelaine just right. I came to the kitchen late one evening to leave Cook instructions about a special dinner we were having that week, and I overheard a conversation through the capsule pipeline. Charles was in his office, having a talk with his banker.”
I thought of my own similar experience. It seemed a lifetime ago. “What did you hear?”
“Papa didn’t forget about our dowry needs. He borrowed against the estate. He took a loan from Cousin Edward’s father, and in return, he promised to leave the estate to Edward. Charles was furious when he found out; he had agreed to marry me without a dowry thinking he would inherit the estate. I had even expected him to inherit. But Papa did leave a sum of money for both of us. I heard the banker say so. Charles insisted the funds be mingled with his own. When the banker protested, Charles assured him he would take care of your dowry when the time came, but he hasn’t. You were his way of getting even with Papa.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. All this time, I had felt obliged to Charles, ashamed of my father. “Papa left us a legacy, but we never knew? The solicitors didn’t bother to advise us?” I clenched my hands into fists, my fingernails digging into my palms. “I can hear them now, ‘Not a subject for a lady. Leave it to the menfolk to take care of.’ ”
“I’m so sorry, Char. If I told you it wouldn’t have changed your circumstances; you still didn’t have a dowry, but you had a right to know.”
“It would have changed the way I remembered our father. I’ve harboured resentment that he didn’t deserve.” I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes and blinked hard. “Was it so hard to just tell me?”
Hari hugged her elbows. “I felt caught up in my loyalty to Charles, as his wife. If I admitted that Charles was a thief and a liar, our marriage would be like a house of cards, everything would come tumbling down.”
“But your marriage came apart months ago. You could have told me then.”
Harriet met my gaze. “You might not agree, but in spite of everything I would take Charles back if he would have me. I still have hope that I can reclaim my life and my place in society. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
I couldn’t sit next to her a moment longer. I rose from the bed and began to pace the room, trying to tamp down my feelings of betrayal. “We have always trusted each other, but you’ve let me down.”
“I haven’t. I’ve always protected and looked out for you. That will never change. I found a way to make it up to you. Charles stole your future, so I stole it back.”
I stopped and turned to face her. “How?”
“I oversaw the household accounts and submitted the invoices to Charles’s bookkeeper to pay. When Charles told me he was sending us away, I sent the bookkeeper two very large demands for payment. I claimed amounts for several Persian carpets and new silver tableware. I plan to write him when we land in Victoria and tell him that if he agrees to bring us both home, I will give the money back, but he has to promise to give you a proper dowry.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“We will use it as a dowry for you and to make our way in the New World.” My sister looked at me, her expression open. “So you see, it’s been sorted. Now, please say you forgive me. It’s been eating me up inside keeping this from you for so long, but I did what I thought best for both of us.”
“I forgive you,” I said. I didn’t want to upset her further. She seemed exhausted, spent by the events of the morning. I handed her the new vial from Dr. Carson. “For now, let’s just focus on your health.”
She took the medicine and lay down on her bed to rest, but I couldn’t relax. I was like a boiling pot with the lid left on, full of unexpressed emotion. Knowing that Papa had thought of my welfare in his final months made me wish I could reach back in time for one last embrace. At the same time, I was full of anger at Charles and what he had done, and despite what I said to Harriet, I was still upset with her for keeping this a secret. Yes, she had my best interests at heart, but I didn’t agree with what she’d done, not to me or to Charles. He was not the sort of man to take this lying down, but it was too late. Harriet had already taken the money. If Sir Richard succeeded in bringing him to Victoria, what would that mean for me and Harriet?
Chapter Eighteen
Hari spent so much time briefing me on what
