34. Thirty-Four
The welcoming scent of coffee warmed Daniel’s insides, and the hot brew pushed the fog from his sleepless brain. Dew clung to the grass, and even from his place on the porch, he could hear Solomon’s steady snore emanating through the cracked parlor window. They’d offered him the bed in the room the other two men shared, but he’d insisted the couch suited fine. Likely, the daunting task of climbing stairs prompted the decision.
The door creaked, and Daniel pivoted, hoping to find Camilla also seeking the beauty of the first touch of dawn. Instead, his sister clutched a shawl around her shoulders, and her red-rimmed eyes sought his. He motioned for her to join him at the rail.
They stood in silence, admiring the light glittering off the expanse of the Mississippi.
“Do you think it’s over now?” Mabel’s leaden words plunked between them, rippling through the peace.
“I hope so. The law is in pursuit of Mr. Durkin, and with the information from our Good Samaritan, they should be able to make arrests.”
Her nod came slowly. “Men like that aren’t easily ensnared.” She gripped the porch rail. “I’m sorry. I thought hinting to Durkin we might find our family treasure would help. Give him confidence I could clear the debt on my own. I didn’t know it would put you and Captain Lockhart in danger.”
Tears leaked from her eyes, and she brushed them away.
“I promise I don’t know anything about some bank robbery in St. Louis. I don’t think my Lucas had anything to do with that.” Her headshake sent a frayed curl over her shoulder.
That explained why Durkin had been following their every move. Maybe he suspected Lucas Sr. had taken the money from the robbery along with whatever else he’d skimmed.
“It’s all right.” Daniel tucked her into a brief side hug. “I’m sure the law will bring swift justice, especially with all the information we’ve given them.”
Mabel dipped her chin, eyes brimming. “I’ve decided Lucas and I should stay with Great-Aunt Flora for a time.”
He hadn’t thought about their elderly relative in Maryland for a long time, but she’d always taken a shine to Mabel. Perhaps the two had stayed in touch.
“That shouldn’t be necessary. I doubt Mr. Durkin will try to come here.”
Mabel pulled at her shawl. “I need time, brother. Time to grieve and heal and separate myself from vices that have crept into my bones.”
He wouldn’t argue. Not with the way her chin trembled and lines squinched around her eyes. “I’m sure you’re right. Probably for the best as keeping Lucas under constraint here might be difficult. At least until all these men are safely serving their due time.”
But he’d sure miss Lucas. The boy brought joy and adventure into their lives.
“For the best,” Mabel repeated, her words ringing with an echo of finality.
He cupped her elbow, guiding her to meet his gaze. “When it’s well and over, I want you and Lucas to come back. I’d like all of us to stay here on the river together. If that’s what you want.”
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Time out in the country under Aunt Flo’s careful eye and away from…certain temptations will do me good. And hopefully by next summer, I’ll be ready to be the mother I should be for Lucas.” She drew a long breath. “I’ll wire Aunt Flo today, but I don’t think she will refuse me. And with her seven daughters around, Lucas will have cousins to play with and responsible mothers to help look after him.”
He offered an encouraging smile. “That’s brave of you, Mabel. You’ll make him proud.”
Tears glimmered in her eyes. “I hope so. He’s such a good boy.”
“That he is. I will miss him.”
She smirked. “He’ll complain heartily about leaving. But our visit will give you time to establish your practice here and pursue other personal matters.”
Personal matters. Like Camilla. The thought of her tweaked his chest, and he glanced toward the house.
“Don’t be timid, brother, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Mabel’s fresh smile lit the shadows under her eyes. “A lady like the captain will appreciate a man who is decisive with his feelings for her and who doesn’t care if the entire world knows it.” She bobbed her chin, her eyes clearer than he’d seen them in weeks. “Don’t lose your opportunity by waffling or waiting for some time in the future when things are better. One thing I know about life is that you can never anticipate what a day will hold. If you wait for everything to be perfect, you’ll wait forever.”
He bumped her shoulder with his. “Thank you for the wise advice.”
They stared at the water. Then he mustered his courage to broach a topic they’d always avoided. But if there was to be healing, then they must first expose the wounds.
“I’m sorry I turned a blind eye to how our father treated you, and I’m disgusted with myself for not realizing the type of man you married. You are too sweet to be misused as you have. You deserve a man who will honor you and treat you like the treasure you are. As your brother, I should have done a better job protecting you.”
She wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him against her side, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m learning that part of life is the circumstances we’ve been given, but the other part is the decisions we made and how we chose to handle our trials. I’m not without blame for how my life has gone. Perhaps if I hadn’t been so rebellious, Father wouldn’t have thought he needed to keep me confined. Lucas wasn’t a bad man. Misguided, maybe. He looked for the easy way out of any trouble, and I fear I share his inclinations. Pray I will get better about being patient and wise with my decisions as I try to put in the hard work of reordering my life.”
Daniel gave her a gentle squeeze. “I shall pray for you daily.”
Gleaming rays of light peeked over the treetops and dusted the sky in sparkling gold and rose. A breeze toyed with the steam rising from his mug, and he took a long sip, enjoying the simple pleasure. Mabel was right. Building a life and a law practice here would be arduous work. Overcoming the damage caused by his bruised reputation and starting from scratch would be a challenge.
But it’d be worth it.
“Too bad there wasn’t a real treasure.” Mabel sighed. “That would have been something.”
He leaned against the rail. “Too much to hope that whoever had their hands on that gold didn’t spend it a long time ago.”
“True.” A half-hearted laugh bubbled free. “I’m sure I would have.”
“But what I don’t understand is the hidden room. It had to be there for something, right?”
Mabel focused on him, her eyes warm. “That’s one of the things I love most about you. Sometimes you don’t see the corruption right in front of you.”
He opened his mouth to protest—after all, such ignorance was not at all a good thing—but her next words stopped him.
“Hidden rooms are where men keep their records and their stashes when they need to hold something during transit. I’m rather certain Lucas did not stumble upon the men he came to work with. Grandfather must have been an important man in the operation.” She caught his eye. “Little hints Mr. Durkin let slip during our time together. I think our father found out about it. Maybe he did think he was after a lost family treasure, but he ended up unearthing family secrets instead.”
Same as he and Camilla had.
Mabel pushed away from the rail. “Father and Grandfather are both gone, and those troubles died with them. You have a new start here. Let whatever is hidden remain that way.”
She pressed a light kiss to his cheek. “I’m going to town to wire Aunt Flo.” She held up a hand. “And before you protest, both of Captain Lockhart’s able crewmen have offered to escort me while Stella keeps Lucas occupied with his studies.”
He watched her glide away, proud of her determination. He lifted a prayer, asking God to grant her wisdom and protection along the way.
He drained the last of his coffee, and a short time later when the door opened again, Camilla stepped through. His heartbeat spluttered. She’d had a bath, and someone had tended to her scratches. She’d tamed her long hair into her customary braid but wore one of Mabel’s dresses rather than her usual slacks and blouse.
“You look lovely.” The words were out before he could stop them.
Camilla’s lips quirked in a suppressed smile. She smoothed a palm over the yellow fabric. “Prefer your ladies in dresses and pumps, do you?”
He smirked. “I prefer you, no matter if you want to wear trousers or ball gowns.”
Her face sobered and she studied him. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.” A nervous chuckle rattled around behind his ribs. “Your inner loveliness radiates into everything you do. The clothes you wear don’t change that.”
Mabel’s words still fresh on his mind, he set his mug on the rail and then closed the distance between them, coming to stand only a stride away. “Captain Camilla Lockhart, I find you to be the most intriguing woman God ever created. You challenge me and inspire me to be a better man. You are smart, kind, and perfect in a way I never thought a person could be. You’ve stolen my heart, and for as long as I live and breathe, it will be yours and yours alone.”
Her lips parted, and she blinked at him.
His disorderly pulse heaved in his ears. He’d laid out everything at her feet. He knew his shortcomings and his family’s failings. The messy history and painful past. But none of that changed how he longed for her to be at his side. He’d spend a lifetime attempting to right wrongs and soothe aches for as long as she’d let him.
“Daniel, I…”
She hesitated, thoughts churning in the velvety depths of her eyes he couldn’t decipher. She had every right to reject him. To leave and never have anything more to do with him or his family and their—
Camilla pressed her warmth into him and slid her hands over his shoulders and her fingers into his hair. With a gentle nudge, she offered for him to lower his mouth to hers.
She smelled of sunshine and tasted of light and wholeness, and he wrapped his arms around her, not ever wanting to let her go. He deepened the kiss, every promise of his heart that words couldn’t say finding a different form of expression.
Whatever the future might hold and whatever trials may come, he could face any of them with such a precious blessing by his side.