Chase went missing for days and weeks at a time. Anna didn't have to think very hard to know where he was or with whom. She had what she wanted out of life and tried to be content with it. She had to be or there would be nothing for her at all.
Her loneliness mounted and she needed to get away from the house. Colin called a time or two since they discovered Chase in the company of the other woman but he kept his distance. Anna prayed she hadn't frightened him away with her foolish Intent. Each time she asked his forgiveness, he said there was nothing to forgive. She felt she had foolishly risked their friendship.
"Mrs. Trent—Anna, is Chase home?" Antonio stood in the doorway of the parlor. Anna sat on the sofa.
"He’s at the office." She looked for Mrs. Weathers. "Where you should be as well, Mr. Paulo."
"I thought I would keep you company while he’s gone. Do you mind so very much?" He sat beside her on the sofa, and put his arm behind her shoulders.
"Mr. Paulo, I would think you have better things to do."
He slid closer, his hip now touching hers. Anna tried to get up but he caught her arm. "Where do you think you're going?"
Anna shook her head clear of the vision as she went to her desk and wrote a note to ask Colin to meet her. She folded it as she called for Mrs. Weathers.
"Yes, madam." She met Anna at the parlor door.
"Send Mr. Shaw to me. I have an errand for him. Send him to the parlor. I will meet him there," Anna instructed, as she crossed the entry hall to the stairs.
"Right away, madam."
Anna went to her room to collect her bag and a light shawl before she returned to the parlor. Several minutes passed before Shaw entered the house. He came to the parlor, hat in hand. His eyes lit up as she pulled out the roll of money.
"More detective work, ma'am?" He grinned.
"Not exactly, only a visit that I would like to keep to myself." She peeled off several notes, and held out the money to him. He stepped quickly forward to collect them, and stuff them into his pocket.
"I'll have the carriage around front in no time, ma'am. Right away," he replied.
"You’ll have to take this first," Anna interrupted. She held out the note she had written to Colin. "Take this to Mr. Marsec first and wait for his answer. Then come back to collect me."
"Yes, ma'am." He nodded, and headed out the door. Anna sat down with a book to wait.
* * * *
"Colin, I needed to see you. We need to talk about what happened." The two friends sat in the café. It was a quiet little place with a large window that faced toward the harbor, just as he had described. Anna could see several large ships in port but not much foot activity.
"I don't see what we need to discuss." He smiled. "It was a wonderful opportunity. Regretfully, I could not in all good conscience take advantage of it." He paused. "It was for the wrong reasons. Can we just let it go?"
"I suppose. I have to apologize for my behavior." Anna felt her face warm. "Pretty cheap class of woman, don't you think?"
"Not at all," Colin replied. "I thought it a prime example of my favored class of woman—wanton and willing." He laughed at her blushing cheeks before he turned to a more serious line of questioning. "Where is Chase? Does he know you are here?"
"I've not seen him in three weeks. He has no idea what I do with my life," Anna complained. "He stops in to keep up appearances and to give me money. I get paid two hundred pounds a week to stay home and look happy in front of the servants. Now and then, he brings home a client and we have a dinner to make him look like the perfect husband and gentleman."
"Charades. Sounds like fun," Colin teased.
"Oh, yes, living a lie is so much fun." She smirked.
"I know how that can be," he confessed. "I've been living a lie for years."
"What do you mean?"
"Never mind," he said, returning her smirk. "You were telling me about Chase."
"I’ve been sitting in that house alone for days, weeks at a time. I get money but I don't know where he is getting so much."
"Shipping must be good business this time of year," he offered.
"Not this good."
"Maybe he's made some special deals, exclusive contracts or something."
"Maybe, but do you remember the day we went by the office?"
"How could I ever forget?" His eyes sparkled.
Heat rose in her face. "Not that part. Earlier. I saw a strongbox being unloaded from a coach behind the building. The man unloading it looked very suspicious."
"That means nothing. Most of the men that work around the docks look suspicious. I think it's a requirement," Colin joked.
"I want to find out what was in it."
"Uh-oh, I see another incident in the making. What are you thinking about doing?" He leaned closer.
"I want to look around the office and see what is being shipped. I don't know much about business, but the reports Mr. Hastings brings by the house don't look good enough to account for the money Chase shows up with. I want to know who he is doing business with and what he is shipping."
Colin sat back, digesting the information before he commented. "Do you really think he would keep records if it were something illegal?"
"I don't know. Do you think it could be something illegal?"
"One way to find out," he suggested with brows raised. "We can make another excursion to the office only this time, in the off hours. When would you be able to get away?"
"Just about anytime," she said, obviously not happy about the fact. "Tonight?"
"All right, here's what we will do."
* * * *
Anna called for Shaw as the sun began to set. Trent and Son Shipping would be closed and Anna needed to get to Colin's.
"Mrs. Weathers, I will be out for an hour or two. I will be at Miss Yarborough’s." She hurried out the door to where Shaw waited. Now her prayer was that no one knew that Leslie had gone to London for several days.
Shaw pulled up at the servants’ entrance to avoid being seen. Colin’s valet, Ryan, received her. He was a young man, probably only eighteen or so, but well trained and proper. He helped her from the carriage, and waved Shaw on after Anna stood safely clear.
Ryan stood a little taller than she, with sandy blond hair and light blue eyes. He carried himself as a gentleman. He was lean but with obvious strength showing through his tailored suit. His build was much like Colin’s, though a bit shorter. He escorted Anna through the kitchen entrance to the parlor where Colin waited. He stood as she entered, and excused Ryan with a look. Ryan bowed compliance, backed from the room, and closed the doors.
"Well, Mrs. Trent, are you ready for another adventure?" Colin obviously looked forward to the planned outing. He looked quite sinister and seductive dressed all in black.
"Yes. I can't thank you enough for helping me." Anna spoke in earnest.
"Just remember you asked me to. If we get caught, be sure to tell the constables it is your husband's office. I would rather be accused of escorting a married woman than being a thief. Less time in prison." He laughed.
"If you are a good boy," Anna teased.
He looked indignant. "I’m always a good boy. I’m a better man, though. Perhaps some day I will have the opportunity to prove it to you. Come with me."
Colin opened the door and led the way up the stairs to a bedroom where they found Ryan had laid out a set of men's clothing. As they entered, Colin held out his hand for the trousers Ryan inspected.
"Anna, these should do better for you. Ryan picked them up today. They should fit you better than my clothes." Handing her the trousers, he pointed out the jacket, shirt, vest and shoes on the bed. The entire outfit was black. "The dark color will make you less noticeable."
Anna rummaged in her bag and retrieved hairpins she deposited on the dressing table beside a black derby. She looked around at the room, and noticed the feminine decor. Catching her wandering eyes, Colin shrugged.
"Elaine's room." He looked around. "I saw no reason to change it. Get ready. Let's complete this business."
"Will madam need assistance in dressing?" Ryan asked with a sly grin.
Colin rushed at the poor boy, and shoved him against the wall. He pressed his forearm across the boy's throat, his face inches from Ryan's.
"Don't you ever speak with disrespect to this woman, do you understand?" Colin's words hissed through his teeth. "Never!"
His anger frightened Anna. She had never seen Colin lose his temper. Ryan's face paled as Colin held him pinned.
"Yes, sir," the young man rasped, staring wide-eyed at his employer. Colin held him pinned for a moment longer. He stepped back, and brushed his hair from his eyes.
"Colin," Anna finally found her voice. "It's all right. He was only making light of the men's clothing. No harm done."
Fear now held Ryan against the wall. Colin gave him a dismissing look, and nodded toward the door. Ryan skirted his employer and nodded apologetically to Anna on his way out.
"I'm sorry," Colin finally said. "I can't stand for anyone to speak ill of or disrespectfully to you. You don't know how hard it is holding my tongue listening to Chase belittle you."
"Ryan is a young boy. He did not mean disrespect. He was making a joke. It amused me." She placed a hand on Colin's shoulder. "Does he have the honor of helping you dress? What a lucky boy."
"Don't tease me, Anna," he concluded as he regained his composure. "Get ready." He left the room, and pulled the door closed.
* * * *
"What a frightening place after dark." Anna shivered.
"Shh." Colin worked the key in the lock. A soft click announced success and they slipped into the dark office. Colin carefully closed the door and locked it.
Anna went straight to the file cabinets, and flipped through the records kept there.
Colin produced a candle from his pocket, lit it, and set it atop the cabinet. After some time of searching, they came up with nothing that indicated large amounts of income or anything questionable.
"He'd be a fool to keep records of such things," Colin pointed out.
"Let's see if there is anything in his office." Anna headed for the closed door.
Gratefully, she found it unlocked. She went directly to Chase's desk as Colin followed with the candle. Anna searched through the top drawer. She found nothing besides the usual business items. She checked the other drawers as well, and found nothing out of the ordinary. The bottom drawer was locked. Colin and Anna exchanged glances.
"Move over there. Let me see what I can do." Colin set the candle on the desk and pulled a penknife from his inside jacket pocket.
"You come prepared, don't you," Anna noted. "You never know." He shrugged. It took him no time to work the lock and pull the drawer open. Inside, they found a leather pouch. The pouch contained a length of cotton twine, a silver spoon, a syringe, and a vial of powder. "Cocaine…" Colin noted in a flat tone.
"What?"
"Does Chase keep his arms covered all of the time?" Colin held up the vial, and looked through it at the candlelight.
"Yes, he does. I never see him without his shirt and usually a jacket as well."
"Even at night?"
"He rarely sleeps with me and when he does, he wears a night shirt."
"What a fool," Colin commented. "Well, if you get the opportunity, see if he has marks on his arms. It would explain a lot of things."
"Like what?" She pulled the long piece of cotton twine from the pouch. "What’s this for?"
"Allow me." Colin removed her cuff link, and shoved the shirt and jacket sleeves up above the elbow. He tied the twine tight around her upper arm with a slipknot. Anna watched as the veins in her arm swelled.
"Oh, my. My hand is going numb." It was the oddest sensation.
"After you get the vein up, you liquefy this, warm it up, and inject it." He held up the vial, and shook it a little. It sparkled in the candlelight.
"Colin, get this thing off of me."
With a gentle tug, the tourniquet slipped free to allow the blood to surge back to her hand. She rubbed her fingers.
"This would explain his mood changes and his money, if he’s selling or smuggling it," Colin commented.
"The more I find out about him, the less I care for him," she confessed as she stared at the vial and the syringe.
Anna watched as Colin returned the items to the pouch. He placed it just as they found it and closed the drawer. "I hope he will think he forgot to lock it. I can get them open but not always relocked." Without looking up from his task, he asked softly, "Do you love him?"
The question struck Anna, and left her unsure how to answer. Her silence prompted Colin to repeat the question a little louder.
"Do you love him, Anna?"
"I don't know. I..." A sudden lump choked off her words.
"Did you ever love him?" Colin turned to face her.
After a long silence, a tear signaled the emotional turbulence going on inside her head and her heart. Colin cupped her face in his palm and wiped at the tear with his thumb. She forced a smile as she turned her eyes up to meet his.
"I don't think I ever did," came her confession.
Colin slowly raised his brows and shook his head. "Then why on earth did you marry him?" he reprimanded her lovingly.
"He was the perfect man."
Colin rolled his eyes and a laugh escaped his lips. "You stubborn little girl," he laughed. "Well, you're stuck with him now. You'll just have to make the best of it. Come on." He blew out the candle. He took her by the hand, and led her through the office to the door.
To Be Continued...
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination, or are fictitiously used. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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© 2008 Jena Galifany/Marge Conrad
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