The Convict and the Cattleman (24 page)

“You’ll send them if you find them, won’t you?” Charity asked.

“Of course. I’ll make it a priority. Everyone here will keep an eye out,” Jonah promised.

“This is nonsense. Someone’s taken them and when I find out who, there won’t be an inch of skin left on the thief’s body that isn’t covered with welts,” Taggart declared. “The integrity of your staff is in question, Mr. Andrus.”

“Are you suggesting people I trust are responsible for this?” Jonah’s voice was a low growl.

“Father, no,” Charity protested.

“I am suggesting that very thing. This country is filled with self-serving thieves and murderers. It’s impossible to believe your staff doesn’t contain one or more miscreants.”

“I assure you the staff is not a bloodthirsty lot of ruffians.” Stone wasn’t as hard as Jonah’s words.

Taggart turned to Charity. “I’ve warned you to keep a better eye on your things. You’ve seen the last of Hugh’s rubies. And fortunately, the last of this station. Ping is preparing the buggy now. We’ll wait outside.” Taggart fumbled for his tobacco pouch. “Bloody country doesn’t need any more convicts. It needs decent folk to settle it. Churches and schools and legitimate businesses. That’s the whole problem here. I’ve half a mind to return to England.”

Jonah looked as if he’d help Taggart pack without complaint.

The door opened and closed as he went out. It was only a matter of time before Jonah asked if Bridgit was certain she didn’t know where the jewels were. From there, everything would go downhill. Australia and Laurie Lark were her second chance to prove her value in society. A third chance would not be granted.

Charity left with more grace than her father. She issued apologies and quiet good-byes. Except for the loss of the earrings, Bridgit was sorry to see her go.

Jonah pushed his hand through his hair. “This is ridiculous. No one here stole from her. I’m supposed to ask everyone to turn out their pockets? The party was a bad idea this year. I should have canceled it.”

“There’s no sense fretting. It isn’t going to change a thing. High and mighty Taggart didn’t want his daughter here in the first place. It was obvious from the moment they arrived. He probably crept upstairs and grabbed her earrings himself.” Bess folded her arms over her chest.

“Where’s Bridgit?”

“Still upstairs, I suppose. We’d best start washing those dishes.”

“I’m going to say farewell to the Servers and a few others.”

Bridgit approached, her footsteps drawing their attention.

Bess smiled, but it was sympathetic. “There you are. Have you turned the room upside down?”

“All but,” Bridgit said glumly.

“I’m afraid I have more bad news,” Bess said.

“Bess.” Jonah groaned. “I should think you’d be glad for any help you can get.”

Bridgit’s stomach sank. What else?

“Martha’s returned. Niles took Millicent to Sydney. She’ll cause no more trouble here.” The look on Jonah’s face said it was his final word. There wouldn’t be any arguing that he shouldn’t let Martha stay.

The world seemed to drop out from beneath her feet. “Did you tell her our plans? That you announced our intentions at dinner? I shouldn’t have to tolerate rudeness from her.”

Jonah looked regretful. “I haven’t yet. This business with the missing earrings and Taggart prowling around like an angry lion, there wasn’t time. I’ll tell her later. Right now I have some other things to take care of.”

He opened the door and slammed it behind him. The accusations weighed on him, no doubt, but he didn’t seem to understand what it meant for her.

Bess clucked her tongue. “Come on. We’ll face Martha together.”

* * * *

Don’t even think it.

Doubt hovered at the front of Jonah’s mind, embedding itself like a brand. The rubies were somewhere and the last place they’d been seen was in Bridgit’s room. She’d slept with him, but she’d dressed there last evening. Yesterday afternoon she’d disappeared after the race started. And was found alone behind the barn looking frightened.

He swirled a tumbler of scotch, watching the amber liquid and crystal catch the light. Why would she steal after he’d promised her the wealth of Laurie Lark? What would she gain by taking Charity’s jewelry when he’d offered her Charlotte’s and could buy her any piece she wanted?

She’d probably been in and out of the house more than anyone. But had she been alone long enough to take the rubies? She knew the risks of breaking the law a second time. People pushed the limits every day. Deep down, did he really believe she wouldn’t?

Pushing his hair back, he went through the list of possible suspects.

Bess would never do such a thing. She worked hard for everything she had. Farjana had more or less been brought up right alongside him and Charlotte. Her loyalty was unquestionable. The same for Martha. It simply wasn’t possible to think she’d stolen. Not after the service she’d shown his family throughout the years.

He didn’t believe Charity had made the story up. Her sorrow over the loss was too real. She was disappointed when he turned her away, but she was earnest and likable. Too sweet to make unfounded accusations. It left Bridgit. A woman already tried and sentenced for theft.

Every item in the house was subject to her scrutiny. He’d found her examining the contents of Charlotte’s jewelry box. She was clever and aware of the value of certain objects. A woman with an uncertain destiny like hers might take advantage of her employer’s wealth to line her own pockets.

But, he reminded himself, she’d refused the pearls when he offered. She fought him over wearing Charlotte’s clothes, and hours ago she’d accepted his ring. It didn’t fit any better than assuming one of the other women committed the crime.

Angry at himself for considering anything but her innocence, Jonah set the tumbler down and gazed out the window. He trusted her and he could well imagine the look on her face if she knew what he was thinking.

Betrayal and hurt. He couldn’t let her know. The Bridgit he knew intimately, who loved his niece, would never take a pair of earrings for her own gain.

What about the gain of her family?
Wicked as a serpent, the thought slipped into his mind, wrapping coils of doubt around him like a python squeezing its prey. They had nothing, those two boys and a girl he imagined looked like her older sister.

21

Like a manifestation of the dark suspicions swirling around Laurie Lark, clouds rolled in. They swathed the skies with the low rumble of thunder and occasional tongues of lightning over the next couple of days, though the rain held off.

Phil, true to his word, brought Bridgit the goat’s milk in the days following the party. There wasn’t a soul on the station unaware of the missing rubies. He expressed regret about Charity leaving the station before he could say good-bye.

Bridgit suffered her own relationship troubles. Jonah was distant, riding out early each morning, returning late and retreating to the study until he went to bed. Phil made excuses for him, explaining about the sudden rise of the calf population. He looked tired as well, giving credit to his words.

Jonah made no mention of the trip to Parramatta, either for marriage or to leave her at the Factory. A week loomed before she was supposed to return for reassignment. She feared he wouldn’t keep his word, that a set of earrings had ruined everything.

The pearls, once a symbol of friendship and more, represented the cold, colorless world to which she might return. And if that happened, she prayed he wouldn’t mention the earrings to Mrs. Bell. Van Diemen’s Land haunted her thoughts night and day.

Jonah’s ring glistened on her finger. Promises were meant to be broken. She no longer had a place here, but the next time she was assigned, she could spare herself the heartache. The ring slipped off her finger. She dug through the sewing basket and snipped off a length of pink ribbon. She threaded it through the ring and tied the ends.

Olivia slept in her bassinet, unaware of Bridgit’s turmoil. Bridgit lifted the baby’s curly head and draped the ribbon around the little girl’s neck.

“It belonged to your grandmother and should have gone to your mother. It’s yours by right. I love you, Olivia. Whatever happens, I won’t forget you.”

“Bridgit!” Martha called up the stairs.

“Coming.”

Jonah hadn’t said anything about their engagement to Martha. Instead of announcing it herself, Bridgit let Martha boss her around like nothing had changed. Why had she ever believed her dreams could come true?

Standing over the stove, stirring tomatoes, Martha barely spared her a glance. “I need more jars from the cellar. Bring a dozen. The empty ones are stored on a shelf along the back wall.”

“Where’s Farjana?” Bridgit asked, trying to hold back the fear. She’d rather face Rob Langnecker than a dark space.

“She’s busy with other tasks. I need those jars right away. My old knees don’t like the stairs.”

The order wasn’t as sharp as most she gave. Panicked at the thought of descending into the underground room, Bridgit balled her hands until her fingernails pierced her palms.

Light would come through the open door. Dim from the heavy clouds overhead, but not total darkness. It wasn’t a hold filled with other miserable people sentenced to die at sea or worse. Heavy as lead, her feet carried her out of the kitchen. The yard was deserted, the guests gone, the jackaroos working around the station. Rupert was probably repairing tack in the barn. The dog, Old Nell, often settled at his feet. Bridgit wished she had a dog for companionship, to offer comfort in a moment of fear.

Thirty yards beyond the house, the hump of the cellar stood alone. The weathered door looked like a strange plaque emerging from the green grass. The latch and hinges were rusty. It took all her strength to pull the door open. Metal wailed and the door bounced against the hinges as it fell open.

If she failed to retrieve the jars, Martha would complain that she’d disobeyed an order. She gritted her teeth.

False bravado did nothing for her. Light revealed the rickety old staircase and an overabundance of cobwebs. A damp, musty smell swirled out of the hole. Sweat ran down the curve of her spine and her teeth clinched her lip, drawing blood. The stairs didn’t look solid enough to hold a child, much less a grown woman. Who would care if she stumbled down the stairs and broke her neck?

From the paddock, Coalface whinnied and trotted to the fence as though disturbed. She didn’t look at him. The nanny was probably up to no good.

It would only take one step at a time until her feet were planted on the packed earth. She took a deep breath, delaying her descent.

“Why, ’ello, pretty.”

Daunted by the stairs, she’d missed the arrival of the two strangers standing on either side of the cellar. Where had they come from? Her fear doubled.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

The tall, lanky one snickered. “She wants to know ’oo we are, Kenny.”

“Think of us as your new friends,” Kenny said, lunging for her.

Bridgit opened her mouth to scream, but the sound died as he tackled her. He stank of body odor and rum. A blow on her cheek left her reeling. She struggled and he slammed her head against the doorframe. Black spots danced wildly against her vision as her head throbbed with pain. Kenny bound her hands while the other tied her legs, then lifted her over his shoulder. The movement was too much and the spots solidified into darkness.

* * * *

Dripping from the afternoon’s downpour, Jonah threw open the kitchen door and stepped into air scented with supper.

Martha smiled. “You’d best go put on something dry, then have a cuppa. Looks as if it’s turning fierce out there.”

“I thought you’d have gone home as soon as the rain started,” he said.

“It’s lonely there with Millicent gone.” She sounded sad as she turned to the stove.

“She humiliated me, Martha, in front of fifty people. It wasn’t any good to any of us, what she did.” He struggled to control his temper.

“My Millie often speaks before she thinks. She’ll grow out of it.”

He doubted it, but said nothing. “It’s quiet. Where’s Bridgit?”