The Lightkeeper's Ball (4 page)

“Maybe she went to the dock to try to rendezvous with her family. Let’s look there.”

Harrison went in the direction of the stevedores’ shouts as they carried crates from the ship that had just docked. “Why would she run off?”

“She didn’t know you. Not likely to obey the orders of a stranger.” Will held the lantern aloft, but the yellow glow revealed nothing but a few crabs scuttling out of the way.

What might have made her leave? He didn’t like the direction his thoughts led. What if she really had been attacked? “You suppose whoever attacked her came back?” Harrison asked.

“The thought crossed my mind too. It’s worrisome,” Will said.

They reached the quay. Harrison stopped several men alighting from the ferry and explained what had happened. Two men pushed a dinghy into the waves and shoved off. Harrison prayed they didn’t find the pretty lady’s body.

It took Olivia much longer than she anticipated to make it to the brick residence attached to the light tower. She was shaking and winded by the time she reached the top, probably because she had been unable to find a path and climbed awkwardly over rocks instead. She heard a shout in the distance and realized the man had gone back another way to find her. He and someone else were shouting for her, but she didn’t have the strength to answer them.

Her arm shook as she raised her fist and pounded on the door. Inside, a child squealed, and the happy sound put her at ease.

The door opened, and a pretty brunette stood wiping floury hands on an apron. A little girl of about three stood by her feet. The woman’s smile faded as she registered Olivia’s condition. “You’re soaking wet! Come in.” She stepped aside.

Olivia stepped into the welcoming warmth of the hall. Some kind of beef dish was on the stove for dinner, and her stomach gave a rumble at the aroma of onions and tomatoes. She shivered as the young woman led her to the fire in the parlor. The little girl scampered after them.

The woman draped a throw around Olivia’s shoulders. “Was there a shipwreck? Will was called out to help a victim.”

“No, no, there was a man.” Olivia clutched the warmth of the wool to her. “H-He threw me overboard.” It had really happened, hadn’t it? Some man had tried to kill her and nearly succeeded.

The other woman gasped. “Oh my dear! We need to get you out of those wet clothes. We’re of a similar build. Let me get you a towel. You stay by the fire.” She rushed from the room and her feet pounded up the stairs.

Olivia’s eyes burned, and she fought the sting of tears, aware it was a reaction to her near drowning. She managed to smile down at the little girl who regarded her with big, dark eyes. “Might I ask your name, little one? You’re very cute.”

“I’m Jennie,” the little one said, reaching a chubby hand to Olivia’s wet skirt.

The other woman’s footsteps came back down the stairs, and she entered the parlor with a cotton dress and a towel slung across her arm. “I took the liberty of bringing you a change of clothing. Here you are. I’ll take Jennie into the kitchen with me. No one will disturb you while you change.”

The strength ran out of Olivia’s legs and she nearly fell. “I-I think I shall need your assistance,” she said.

“Of course.” The young woman stepped behind Olivia and released the laces on the back. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Olivia Stewart.” Too late she realized she’d revealed her true identity.

“I’m Katie Jesperson. My husband is the lightkeeper here.” She helped Olivia step out of her ruined clothes, then dropped a clean dress over her head.

The warmth of the fabric enveloped her, and Olivia let out a sigh. “I’m so cold,” she said.

“Sit by the fire.” Katie pushed her gently into the folds of an overstuffed chair. “Let me dry your hair.” She took out what pins hadn’t been removed by the sea until the heavy dark locks hung on Olivia’s shoulders. Katie toweled it briskly. “Your hair is so lovely.”

“Thank you.” Shuddering, Olivia sank back into the warmth of the chair. Katie put down the towel, then tucked a quilt around Olivia. “I shall call the constable as soon as we get you settled. What was the name of your ship? Do you have companions who will be worried about you?”

“It’s the
Atlantis
. My maid will be quite upset when she can’t find me.”

“I’ll make sure she is informed of your whereabouts when Will gets back.”

Who would have thrown her overboard? She hadn’t spoken to anyone but Goldia. When the cat at her feet meowed, she remembered the cat on the ship and the shadowy figure of a man she thought she’d seen. What if someone had overheard her talking to Goldia and realized she was really Olivia Stewart? Could the man have had something to do with Eleanor’s death? Maybe it was even Harrison. And the man who had rescued her. He’d come from the ship. Had he seen something in spite of his statement to the contrary?

Olivia reached toward Katie as she started for the door. “I’m registered as Lady Devonworth. May I ask you not to mention the name Olivia Stewart to anyone?”

Katie stopped and stared. “I don’t understand.”

Olivia hardly knew where to begin. “I’d rather people know me by my formal title,” she said. “My father was a duke who came to New York in his twenties.”

Katie frowned. “Stewart. Are you related to Eleanor Stewart?”

Olivia couldn’t lie. Not when the woman had been so kind. “She was my sister. But no one must know that. Not yet.”

Katie bit her lip. “I don’t like deception.”

“Please, only for a little while,” Olivia begged. “I need to find out who wants me dead. I want to find out what happened to Eleanor. What did you hear of her death?”

“I know only that she drowned while swimming.”

Olivia shook her head. “Eleanor was terrified of the water. She would never have put one toe in the ocean.”

Katie’s eyes widened. “You fear she was murdered?”

Murder
. Such an ugly word. Olivia nodded. “I know of no other explanation.”

“She was not herself the week before she died. Somber and unhappy. Could she have done away with herself?”

“Not Eleanor! And even if I could be persuaded of such a fate for her, she would not have drowned herself. Not with her overwhelming fear of water.”

“Someone tried to harm you. I must admit that bolsters your suspicions. You must tell the constable.”

“Not yet,” Olivia said. “I don’t want to run the risk of anyone finding out I’m investigating. We can tell him of the attack, but he only needs to know my formal title. I intend to keep it that way for now.”

“Very well. But may I tell my husband?”

Olivia wanted to ask her to keep it to herself, but she could hardly come between a man and his wife. “He will keep it to himself?”

“Of course. Will is a man of honor.”

“Very well.” At least she’d found a friend and ally her first day in Mercy Falls.

T
HREE

H
ARRISON STRODE ALONG
the quay under the glow from the street lamps. The
Atlantis
bobbed offshore. Several dinghies plied the waters with lanterns, but he heard no shouts of discovery. The wind freshened and brought the scent of rain to his nose. The first drops fell moments later.

Will glanced at him. “It’s been more than an hour.”

Rain began to patter harder, and Harrison adjusted his hat to keep the moisture off his face. “Now that she’s missing, I’m beginning to rethink her account. Maybe someone really did toss her into the sea.”

“You told the constable her story?”

“Yes. He seemed to give it as little credence as I first did.”

Will shrugged. “She’ll turn up sooner or later. Nothing we can do with the storm coming in. Come to the house for coffee. Katie made cookies this afternoon. And fresh bread.”

Going back to the empty manor house didn’t appeal. Since Eleanor’s death, Harrison found himself seeking out friends. Being with Will and Katie held more allure than he could resist. “My thanks. If you’re sure I wouldn’t be intruding.”

“You’re one of Katie’s favorite people. And Jennie’s. My daughter will be in your lap before you can take your first bite of cookie.”

Harrison’s spirits lifted at the thought of the little girl. She’d taken a liking to him last summer. Will and Katie had thrown a party on their anniversary and the whole town had come out for it. Jennie had attached herself to his leg all evening.

He’d thought he might have a little one of his own in the next year. Until he saw Eleanor’s true nature.

He noticed a captain approaching along the shore with another sailor and hailed them. “Are you in charge of this ship?” he asked, gesturing to the floating hulk in the waves.

“Yes,” the man said.

“I pulled the woman out of the sea. What have you heard?”

The captain tipped his hat back on his forehead. “I didn’t see her go overboard, but First Officer Nettles here did. Nettles, tell this man what you saw.”

The other man was about forty. Slim, with a weathered face and a hooked nose. “Wasn’t much. I heard a shout and rushed to the railing. I saw Lady Devonworth in the water. A few minutes later a man dived overboard.”

“That was me. She screamed?”

Nettles shrugged. “A scream or a shout. Not sure what it was.”

The same shout he’d heard. “Was the sea rough enough to cause her fall?” He hadn’t thought it that rough, but perhaps a woman leaning on the railing could have been pitched overboard.

The captain shook his head. “This was before the storm moved in. Mild seas and just a little wind. Not even any rain.”

“Then how did she get into the water?” When the men glanced at one another uneasily, Harrison stared at Nettles. “Did you see anyone else at the railing?”

“No, sir.”

“No footsteps, nothing?”

The man hesitated. “There’s often folks on deck, sir. There’s always footsteps.”

Lady Devonworth. She was titled, so maybe she had money. A kidnapping might have netted a blackguard some money, but she was worthless dead. Unless it was a kidnapping gone wrong?

“Thank you for your time,” he told the men. When they walked away, he turned back to Will. “That coffee is sounding better and better.”

Flames danced in the fireplace. Dry now, Olivia’s hair lay on her shoulders and she’d finally stopped shivering. Katie’s simple blue dress fit Olivia’s slim figure perfectly. What was she going to do? It was clear someone wanted her dead. If the man discovered he’d failed, he would try again. She was tempted to get on a boat and head back up the coast, then take the first train home. But no. She was here to find out what had happened to Eleanor.