City of Liars and Thieves (9 page)

“Elma may not be wealthy, but kindness and sincerity are worth far more than all the money in the world. Surely even Ezra sees that. Levi would be lucky to have her.”

Elias pulled off his socks, wadded them into a tight ball, and tossed them to the middle of the room. “Money is one thing, but Elma is disgraced by her birth.”

A cart passed outside. I listened as its dull rumble faded into the distance. I could not recall Elias ever referring to Elma's past, and I had grown comfortable with his silence.

“Well, thankfully it's not his decision.”

The bed creaked as Elias rocked forward. “Caty, listen to me.” He sounded somber and all too sober. “We cannot afford to offend Ezra. He controls the purse strings of Burr's water company, and if he grants us even a little bit of stock, we'll be able to pay him back and then some.”

“Pay him back?” A shiver shot through me. “We owe Ezra money?”

“It was a loan of sorts. Remember?”

“I thought he invested in the boardinghouse. That's not the same.”

Elias clenched his fists. “Stop twisting my words. Everything is fine. All we need is a few shares. With Burr at the helm, that company is bound to succeed.” He lay back in bed. “Now go to sleep. I haven't slept in ages.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Caty, it's late.”

I was sure I would not sleep a wink. Elias's sentimental letter, peculiar yet touching, was now another brick on the barrier rising between us. My husband had turned into a stranger. “Did something happen while I was gone?” He did not answer, so I asked again, more directly. “Elias, what happened?”

“I wasn't going to say, but…” Elias kept his back toward me while he spoke. “I don't know. Maybe I don't want to know. A few weeks back, I woke in the middle of the night and heard talking in Isaac Hatfield's room, but Hatfield was out of town.”

“It must have been Levi and Will.”

“Why would Levi and Will be in Hatfield's room?”

“Why would anyone be there?”

The candle flickered and hissed as the wick sank into an oily pool. “Elma kept house.”

“Elma wasn't likely dusting in the middle of the night.”

“I didn't say she was.”

“Elias!” He shot up. My harsh tone startled both of us. “I'm in no mood for riddles.”

Elias shook his head. “I wish this were a joke. Caty, what I'm trying to say is that Elma was
with
Levi. When I went up in the morning, I found the sheets tumbled, and her clothes—the ones she'd been wearing the day before—were scattered about on the floor.”

“What?” My head reeled as if I had been physically struck. “That's impossible.”

Elias remained still. His silence was more unsettling than any accusation.

“What's more,” I said, “why would they be in Isaac Hatfield's room when Elma's room is steps away?” I shook my head. “It makes no sense.”

“Lust is reckless.” Elias's voice dropped. “A man—men—they forget themselves.”

“What? Did he force himself on her?”

“No! Not that. No.”

I swung my legs over the side of the bed. I was filled with dread and anxiety. Elma's mother had planted seeds of doubt that were rapidly taking hold. I could not specifically say that Elma had taken advantage of my absence, but I felt betrayed. I needed to talk with her.

Not wanting to disturb the other tenants, I tiptoed upstairs. My concern turned to confusion when I cracked open her bedroom door and peered inside. The curtains were drawn and the lamp was on the bureau, casting a warm glow. Elma lay on the bed. Her back was propped against a pillow, her legs outstretched, and her feet bare. Levi sat by her side. His hair, which I had never seen untied, hung loose around his shoulders. He leaned protectively toward her, his head lowered as if to hear her better. I watched, enthralled. No one had ever listened to me with such intensity. I was just outside the door, yet neither noticed me.

“It's wrong,” Elma said. “Dishonest, maybe illegal.”

“It's politics.”

“Men died fighting for our freedom. Women lost husbands and sons. Children lost their fathers. This is no way to honor them.”

I thought of Elma's father, wondering if she knew what he really was. He had given his life for our young country. And she had sacrificed in countless other ways.

“I shouldn't have said anything.”

Elma rested her hand on his and looked into his eyes. “I'm glad you did. It's too much to keep bottled inside.”

I should have left or made my presence known. Instead, I held my breath and leaned closer. The pair sat in a silence so comfortable it was impossible not to admire it. Theirs was the kind of intimacy I had always craved. A tender awareness I had never experienced with Elias. I don't know how much time went by, a minute, maybe two. The air was heavy and time moved slowly.

“I'm not sure what to do,” Levi said. “He's my brother. He raised me.”

“Which is exactly the reason to speak up. You'll spare him a terrible mistake. How will he be able to live with himself? How will you?”

If it were possible to move closer without quite touching, Levi did. “I wish we could go somewhere far away, where there was only you and me, alone.” He reached forward, brushing the hair above her ear, and it was then that I noticed the ivory hair comb. I had not seen Elma wear it since the morning after she arrived, but I remembered it perfectly: bone-white, arched, and as delicate as she was, with a silky ribbon woven through the teeth to dangle against Elma's curls.

Slowly, Elma twirled the ribbon around her finger before unclasping the comb and holding it in her palm. “It's the most beautiful gift I've ever received.”

Levi touched the soft skin above her eyes, then her mouth. “It's a promise,” he said. “See your name? I carved it myself.”

Lips trembling, Elma ran her finger over the inscription.

The bedsprings sighed as Levi tipped forward to stroke her cheek. His caress was gentle and slow. He said her name once, then twice. Elma responded with a soft moan, one so intimate that it made me blush. A small smile crept across the corners of Levi's mouth as his lips parted to meet hers.

“Elma!” I pushed the door open.

Levi bolted upright, looking entirely changed; his eyes blazed angry and menacing. I stepped back and he slammed the door in my face. But not before I caught a glimmer of glass on the nightstand. It was the briefest of glimpses, one fraught with the anxiety of the moment. Still, even in a court of law, facing the most distinguished legal minds of our time, it would be impossible to deny what I saw: a gemlike vial stained reddish-brown, the color of blood.

I was unsure what the morning would bring, but when Levi entered the parlor he was docile and obliging.

“Mrs. Ring,” he said. “I lit a fire in my chamber last night. Would you be kind enough to check on it later and make sure it died out?”

“Certainly,” I said, too troubled to say more. Thankfully, Charles was playing peekaboo with Patience, and their giggles filled the silence. I sifted flour and kept my eyes on the bowl, hoping Levi would leave. The other men had come and gone, yet he lingered.

“I rekindled it just before daybreak and am worried it's not properly extinguished,” he said a bit too loudly, and I understood what he was explaining: He had spent the night in his own bed.

“Very well, Levi.”

Charles stuck Patience's small hands in the flour and began to stamp ghostly prints along the table. Patience reached out and tugged his hair, hard.

“Ouch!” he said, swatting her away and knocking an egg to the floor.

Patience began to bawl.

“Charles!” I shouted, looking down at the mess. The sticky blob mirrored my mood.

He turned to me, wide-eyed and confused. “Where's Elma?”

“Fetch a rag,” I snapped, unable to answer his question. Elma had managed to dodge me all morning, going to the water pump, the market, and Elizabeth Watkins's house. Aware that my anger was misplaced, I took a breath, turned back to Levi, and smiled tightly. I wanted to confront him, but it would be easier to face Elma. Or so I thought.

Half the day passed before Elma appeared. I cornered her toward evening, while she was in her room, washing her hair.

“Elma.” I rested my hand on her shoulder and felt the warmth of her skin through her dressing gown. “Aunt Mary has entrusted thy care to me.” My eyes scanned the nightstand. I had not expected to find the vial of laudanum, and I was right. It was gone.

Soapy hair hung over Elma's face, but I distinctly heard her sigh.

“It's wrong to entertain Levi in thy room,” I said.

“Help me rinse?”

I reached for the pitcher and pulled it away, causing water to spill on the floor. “This is serious.”

“Caty.” She sounded mature, a bit thorny. “I can't talk like this.”

I poured the tepid water slowly over her head while she massaged the soap out. When the pitcher was empty, she sat up, flipping her hair so that it fell across her shoulders and down her back. The room filled with the scent of lavender as she dried the ends with a towel.

“My friendship with Levi is not what you think.”

“Elma, I don't know what to think.” I took a deep breath, determined to speak my mind. “Elias told me that while I was out of town he found thy clothing on the floor in Isaac Hatfield's room.”

The towel dropped to her lap. “And you believe him?”

I exhaled. I had wanted her to deny the accusation. It relieved some of my guilt at having left her alone, as well as the resentment I felt toward her for having betrayed my trust. “Then tell me what he saw.”

Fan-shaped water stains spread across the shoulders of her dressing gown as she shook her head. “Don't believe everything Elias says.”

I was both offended and alarmed. “Elias is my husband. He's the father of my children.” No matter how much Elias changed as we adjusted to city life, it was essential that I remained loyal to him. I had thought Elma understood that.

“Of course,” she said, as if reminding herself. She swallowed, then spoke in a rush. “I was collecting laundry and was not as tidy as I should have been. I must have dropped some clothing on the floor. I'm sorry.”

My heart sank. I recognized her brisk tone. It was the same one she had used throughout childhood when she did not want to admit she had ripped a dress or lost a coin. “And last night?” I said before she could continue. I was certain we would both regret whatever half-truths escaped her mouth. “I saw it with my own eyes. When I went up to thy room—Elma, if it was innocent, why did Levi slam the door?”

“Caty, I am sorry. We were just surprised.” She seemed as reluctant to betray Levi as I had been to Elias. Her loyalty only increased my ire. “Levi can be impulsive,” she said. “I'm sorry he behaved that way. There was nothing to be done at the time. I knew you and I would speak today.”

“That doesn't explain why he was sitting so close.” I blushed remembering how Levi had caressed her face hungrily.

Her eyes grew darker and more distant. “Levi's become a dear friend. He knocked on my door to wish me good night. We began talking. He's lonely and, well, I know what it's like to be alone.”

I nodded; certainly that much was true. But as I thought back on how she had written without her mother's knowledge, asking to come to New York, I could not escape the feeling that she had taken advantage of me. “Elma, did thou know Levi before he arrived here?”

She took time answering. “Levi did pass through Cornwall on his way from New England down to Manhattan. We met one morning at the mercantile. I bumped into a sack of nails.” She giggled, then covered her mouth, her eyes widening at the memory. “I was clumsy because I was looking at him. I'd never seen such a handsome face! He helped me collect the nails that had fallen. Afterward, he walked me home. We spoke for nearly two hours.” Elma prattled on, more enthusiastic than I had ever heard her. “He stayed for a week longer than he had planned. One afternoon when it was breezy, he wrapped his coat around my shoulders and I knew what it would be like to feel his embrace. Caty,” she whispered, “we fell in love.”

There was that word:
love
. It was not that I didn't consider love when I married, more that I did not grasp its true meaning. Elias was a good match, a solid and pious man of whom my parents approved. As a mother, I now understood what it was to love Charles and Patience more than life itself. My feelings toward Elias had always been different. I respected his work ethic and valued his opinion. We had created a life together. What I felt was affection, not love. Taught to do what was proper, it hadn't occurred to me to want more.

“Why should it matter if we already knew each other?” Elma said, her voice rising in defensiveness. “It means our feelings are real. They
last
.”

I felt numb. Was I simply disappointed in Elma, or did I resent her secret and envy her passion?

“No.” I shook my head. “It means…”
Lie
seemed too strong a word, but I would have used it if I had known what other confessions lay ahead. “Elma, why keep this from me?” I asked instead.

Color rose in her cheeks. “From the instant Levi walked into this house, you thought he was no good for me. The only reason he's still here is because Elias thinks he can get something out of him.”

The charge was true enough. I did not bother denying it.

Elma nodded as if confirming what she already knew. “It is well and fine for me to help you cook and clean, but you've made it quite clear that I don't deserve happiness.” Tears rose to her eyes.

“Elma.” I reached for her hand. My fingers touched as they circled round her wrist. Once, as a child, I had rescued a sparrow chick that had fallen from its nest and placed it back in the tree. I had the same feeling now, as if Elma might easily snap. “Elma, why say such a thing?” I asked, recalling how, hours after I had replaced the chick, I found it shriveled and dead in the grass.

Elma looked down at our hands. “If it were up to you, you would have sent him away, just like your mother did. I wanted to tell you, of course I did, and I kept waiting for the right moment. But you never gave him a chance.”

Elias had said that Ezra Weeks would never accept Elma as Levi's wife. I was the least of her obstacles. “Elma,” I said gently. “Perhaps our concerns are founded in reality. Maybe Levi's not the right—”

She pulled her hand away from mine. “Because he's wealthy? Or handsome?”

“He is undoubtedly handsome. But, Elma, Levi is desperate for his brother's approval. Elias says he's completely dependent on Ezra.”

“Not everything is about money.”

“I didn't say anything about money. It's just—thy behavior affects us too.”

“Us? You mean if Ezra Weeks doesn't approve of me, Elias might suffer. He may not be able to trade on
that
particular connection.”

“Thou of everyone should know I'm not that cold or calculating,” I said. “From the start, I've had a bad feeling about Levi. Did thou ever ask why he is living here in a boardinghouse rather than with his brother?”

“To be near me.”

“Then he should make his intentions clear. He should have spoken to Elias or me. Sought our approval instead of hiding behind closed doors.”

“But you do
not
approve! That is most evident. And Elias—” Elma held the towel to her face. Moments passed before she took a deep breath and lowered it. “Caty.” She leaned toward me, and her anger, which had been so quick to flare, seemed to have subsided. “You are my best friend in the world. My true sister. Please try to understand: Things—peo
ple—are not always who they seem to be.”

“Elias?” I whispered, so dizzy that I had to sit down on the bed.

She grew busy again, folding the towel and hanging it over the back of her chair. “Ezra may be influential,” she said, “but that does not make him good, and Levi is beginning to see that.”

“Ezra Weeks, of course,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief. Still, Elma's anger had troubled me; her sincerity was even more disarming. “See what?”

“The men who claim they are going to transform this city are nothing but”—her gaze met mine—“liars and thieves.”

I had nearly forgotten the torn newspaper. “The note?”

She nodded. “The Manhattan Water Company.” Her eyes, which had been dull and dark with indifference, shone with secrecy as she lowered her voice. “The water company is an enormous fraud.”

“That can't be. I saw their meeting with my own eyes, heard their plans. Elias was there, and Burr and Hamilton. Why would they do all that work for nothing?”

She bit her lip, choosing words carefully. “I didn't say it was for nothing.”

“Oh, Elma, really! Those powerful men aren't just playing in the mud.” Seeing her cringe, I lowered my voice to match hers. “Tell me. No more secrets.”

She picked up a small looking glass and pinched her cheeks. I had never seen her do anything like it before. She looked different, womanly.

“Elma, what else did Levi say?”

“He said the Manhattan Water Company is about politics, not water. By pretending to provide water, Burr has become immensely popular, and he's throwing his support behind Jefferson. All of those lovely wells will never be connected to a water source.”

I remembered the elaborate plans. The Greek god pouring chiseled water. The gateway leading nowhere. “All that hubbub? For nothing?” The idea was so far-fetched I might have laughed. Except instinct told me it was no joke. Somehow the water crisis and the election had become one and the same. I still did not fully understand how they were connected, but I was just now being introduced to Colonel Burr and his web of lies. It would take months for me to understand the connection between Burr's ambition, the Weeks brothers' greed, and Elma's undoing.

Worse yet, I still could not understand her silence. “But why leave a cryptic note? Why not simply talk to me?”

“I know it was silly, but I promised Levi I would not tell a soul. Still.” She shook her head and her voice grew indignant. “What Burr and Ezra are doing is wrong. I told Levi to speak to his brother, but Ezra is his only living relative. Levi thinks he owes him respect and gratitude.”

“Doesn't he?”

“Not if what Ezra is doing is dangerous. People will continue to die because of him! I thought if you understood what was happening, you would talk to Elias. He attends the meetings. I was sure he'd speak up.”

“And what would I have said? Elias wouldn't have paid any attention to a torn newspaper scrap and an anonymous note.”

“Elias has a lot at stake. I thought he would be up in arms. I thought you would see—these men are corrupt.”

“Half the city was sick with fever. Lily Forrest had just died. All I could think about was the children. I didn't have time to decipher clues.”

Elma nodded. “It's just as well. I should not have betrayed Levi's trust. You can't breathe a word.”

“Elma, Levi lives in our home, which Ezra has
invested
in.” Necessity—or a lack of choice—may have caused my principles to warp, but I still had trouble accepting Ezra's loan. It was a struggle to speak with conviction. “We owe them money. If Elias is mixed up in their crooked deals, I must warn him.”

“No!” She caught my sleeve, pulling me closer. “Caty, I'm begging you. Give it a week, maybe less. Levi says the legislature will vote on Burr's company any day now. The fraud will be common knowledge soon enough.”