Fate's Intervention (53 page)

“
A
ctually, yes,
”
Matthew said, his brow creasing with worry
,
“
b
ut more worried that she
might turn me down.
”

“
If she
’
s half the woman you
’
ve described to me, she
’
ll accept your proposal, and then berate you for taking so long to ask.
”

“
T
hink so?
”

“
I wouldn
’
t be the intuitive woman that I am if I didn
’
t know so,
”
Lilith said.
“
Now, back to your brother. I can
’
t fathom
to
where he has run
off.
He couldn
’
t have simply fallen off the face of the earth, yet it appears that he
’
s done just that.
”

“
Wherever he is, the sheriff will find him. Chisolm
’
s a good man surrounded by good men.
Elizabeth
has promised to inform Chisolm the moment Mark darkens their doorstep. The little twit can
’
t wait to be rid of Mark so she can take over his money without having him as part of the bargain,
”
Matthew added.

“
Perhaps he
’
ll remain gone and then the poor girl can file for divorce on the grounds of desertion.
”

“
Make no mistake, Mother,
”
Matthew said,
“
That
‘
girl
’
is far from poor or helpless. She
’
s a conniving little witch, and it wouldn
’
t surprise me in the least if she didn
’
t do away with Mark herself so she wouldn
’
t have to suffer his aggressive attentions any longer. Maybe that
’
s why the sheriff can
’
t find him. Maybe Elizabeth
’
s already killed him and buried him in their back yard,
”
Matthew said dramatically.

“
You don
’
t really believe that, Matthew.
”

“
Good evening, Matthew. Mrs. Daragh. May I join you?
”
Stanharbor asked, interrupting
their conversation,
and
then settled himself across from Matthew without further ado.
Lilith slid closer to the window in order to escape his hulking frame, but she still felt suffocated beside his enormous bulk.

“
Clifford. How are you this morning?
”
Matthew asked solicitously, but couldn
’
t hide the perturbed tone that slid into his voice. Clifford, however, paid it no heed.

“
Could be better,
”
Stanharbor admitted, running a hand over his unshaven face.
“
A
dmittedly, I was a little worried at the prospect of leaving my little girl behind without her husband in attendance,
”
he said.
“
Had the attorney not assured me that she would be well cared for, I would have dragged her back to
Wisconsin
with me. Nasty business, all this. If I had known your brother was a criminal, I may have thought twice about wedding my
Elizabeth
to him.
”

Matthew doubted that seriously, but held his tongue.

“
Well,
”
Stanharbor continued,
“
no harm, no foul.
As
I said, no matter the outcome of all this, at least I know my dear
Elizabeth
will be well cared for. You don
’
t happen to know where your brother has gone off to, do you Matthew?
”

“
Of course Matthew doesn
’
t know where Mark is,
”
Lilith said indignantly.
“
If he did, then the sheriff would have him in custody. In fact, Matthew and I were discussing that very issue when you came.
”

“
Do you think he took off because the sheriff
’
s on his trail, or
is it his habit to
disappear
for large periods without telling anyone?
”
Stanharbor asked Lilith,
“
A
fter
all, it would do
Elizabeth
good to know if her husband has a penchant for disappearing acts, wouldn
’
t it?
”

“
Mark
’
s running from the police, no doubt,
”
Lilith said
.
“
I
f
he thought he could escape
their grasp and still make the social rounds, he probably would. I mean, just the thought of missing his round of parties would probably send him into a fit of apoplexy.
”

“
You forget, Mother,
”
Matthew interjected,
“
t
hat
not only has news of his pending arrest surely circulated, but also the sale of Daragh Steel has put a crimp in his lifestyle, so he knows that he will, in all likelihood, be ousted by the very society that once embraced him because of his position within the company. The thought of
society shunning him may have been too much, and he fled
into self-imposed exile
”
.

“
But if he hid himself away, he wouldn
’
t be able to seek retribution against you as he seems so determined to do,
”
Lilith added, worry creeping into her voice.
“
Remember
, he did
threaten
you the day he released me, so I hardly think he
’
s just going to run away somewhere and hide.
”

“
Well, he had three whole days the strike at us while we were at Daragh Manor and he didn
’
t, so maybe he
’
s decided to give it up.
”

“
You really think so, Matthew?
”
Stanharbor asked.

“
It
’
s more of a hope, I guess, but no, I don
’
t
think
so. I just wish I knew where he was and what his intentions were so that I could get on with my life.
”

The sound of screeching brakes brought conversations of Mark to a temporary halt.

“
I do wish that we could make this trip without so many delays,
”
Matthew griped, looking out the window as a small depot came into view.

“
Eager to be back in
Wisconsin
, Matthew?
”
Stanharbor smiled knowingly.

“
More or less.
”

“
It wouldn
’
t happen to have anything to do with a certain chestnut-haired female, would it?
”
Stanharbor teased.

“
A
ctually, Clifford, that
’
s exactly what it has to do with,
”
  Matthew answered, glancing at his pocket watch.

“
A
re
you sure you want to attach yourself to someone that mentally unstable?
”
Clifford asked, and Matthew
’
s gaze snapped back to his. His gaze bore into Clifford
’
s, looking for signs that
the old man was baiting him
, but he only saw genuine interest.

“
I think I can handle it,
”
Matthew finally replied.
“
What about you, Clifford,
”
Matthew said, steering the conversation away from Marcelle,
“
were you able to locate a woman in
New York
?
”

Stanharbor
’
s face tinted pink,
“
N
ot
one that was willing to return to Wisconsin,
”
he hedged vaguely.

“
Perhaps you should uproot and move to the city,
”
Matthew said.
“
It would be easier for you to find wives for your sons when they all come of age, and you would be closer to
Elizabeth
, should she ever need you. Plus, it might make it easier for those ladies who are interested in you to accept your proposal.
”

“
T
rying to get rid of the competition, Matthew?
”
Stanharbor said.

“
Why ever would you think that, Clifford?
”
Matthew grinned.

“
I heard about them
highbred
horses you purchased,
”
Clifford said.
“
Do you really think
you can make it by selling high-priced animals to people who are only interested in cheap, hardworking nags?
”

“
Perhaps,
”
Matthew hedged.

“
Well, good luck to you then,
”
Clifford said with a wry grin.
“
You won
’
t have to worry about me none, since I
’
ll be moving my family to
New York
before the winter snows set in.
”

“
Really
?
”
Lilith asked, astonished.

“
Yes, Ma
’
am,
”
Clifford smiled
,
“
a
nd
no, you didn
’
t influence my decision in the least, Matthew,
”
he added.
“
I
’
d already made up my mind before I boarded this train.
”

“
You think you
’
ll be able to find enough land available in
New York City
?
”
Matthew hedged conversationally.

“
Why would I need a lot of land? I
’
m not that obese,
”
Stanharbor said, laughing at his own wit.

“
Well, aren
’
t you going to require a large enough tract of land for a burial plot?
”
Matthew asked over the rim of his wine glass, his face purposefully neutral.
As
his employee, Matthew would never have had the audacity to question the deaths of Stanharbor
’
s wives, but he wasn
’
t his employee any longer, he was his peer, and after everything they
’
d been though together . . . well, he wanted to know what had really happened. Stanharbor, however, didn
’
t seem to agree
–
if his countenance was any indication. His eyes narrowed and his skin turned a mottled red. Obviously, he wasn
’
t used to
someone questioning him abo
ut those unfortunate events.

“
I don
’
t owe you an explanation,
”
Stanharbor whispered angrily
.
“
Y
ou know that, don
’
t
you?
”

“
I didn
’
t ask for one,
”
Matthew said, leaning back in his chair.

“
Yeah, you did,
”
Stanharbor muttered, wiping a beefy hand across a suddenly beefy brow.
“
In your own way, you did, and even though I don
’
t own you a damn thing, I
’
m going to tell you.
”
Stanharbor said.
“
I
’
m going to tell you because I have a great deal of respect for you.
”