“Well, you needn’t have worried. My fiancé was overseeing my protection.”
Bedelia looked surprised. “You’re engaged?”
“We are.”
The spinster huffed and turned toward the kitchen. “I believe you drink your coffee black, Captain Gratton.”
“I do, thank you.”
Faith looked at Andrew and winked. When Bedelia was out of earshot, she leaned close. “I think she likes you.”
“That’s a relief.” His tone was sarcastic, but Faith knew it meant a lot to him to be accepted.
Without further delay, Faith made her way to Nancy’s bedroom. The door stood open, and to her amazement, the room had been transformed. At one time there had been a sitting area, but now that was taken over by a makeshift hospital room. There was a single iron-framed bed and several tables with various bottles and instruments, bandages, and other medical supplies.
Seth was asleep, but he did look better. His head still sported lacerations, bruises, and bandaging, but much of the swelling was gone. Faith moved closer and found Seth’s arm splinted and wrapped tight. Otherwise, he seemed to be resting well. She glanced at the other end of the room where Nancy, great with child, slept on the bed she’d once shared with her husband.
A tap on her shoulder made Faith jump. She turned to find Grace motioning her away from the room. She followed Nancy’s mother down the hall to the dining room.
“I just finally got Nancy to rest.” Grace embraced Faith. “It’s good to have you back, but I didn’t expect you for a few days yet.”
“Andrew knew I was miserable and cut the trip short. He broke all sorts of records speeding us home.” She pulled back. “Now, tell me how Seth is doing. He looks better.”
“He is much improved. It was a frightful ordeal, and we thought we’d lost him more than once, but he’s a fighter, and Nancy wouldn’t let him quit. Bringing him here was actually the major’s idea. He knew it would be easier to protect all of us at the house rather than going back and forth to the hospital.”
“That makes sense. What about Nancy?”
“She’s doing well, but I think the baby is going to come early.”
Faith nodded. “I thought so too. I’m sure the stress of all this has taken its toll. Hopefully the baby will be all right. If not, we’ll see to it that he or she is well cared for.”
“Indeed.” Grace smiled. “I feel better just knowing you’re here.” She sobered. “There is something you need to know.”
Faith shook her head. “Bad news?”
“Lakewood and Berkshire are dead.”
It felt as if someone had forced all the air from her lungs. Faith reached for a dining room chair and gasped. “When?”
“The night you left. The police want to speak with you.”
“Me?” Faith sat on the chair, shaking her head. “You’d better tell me everything.”
Grace pulled out the chair beside her and sat. “They had supper together at a house in town. At first it looked like a murder and a suicide. They considered that Mr. Berkshire had shot Mr. Lakewood and then shot himself. However, there was a third place setting where someone had obviously eaten their meal, then departed. But the police have no idea if that person left before the shooting started or if they were perhaps responsible for it.”
Faith couldn’t comprehend that Samuel Lakewood was dead. The man who had sworn to hurt her and her family couldn’t cause her any more pain.
“While searching for information, the officers found a letter in Lakewood’s pocket addressed to you. In the letter he demanded you join him at the address where he and Berkshire were killed. The police came here, asking after you, and we explained that you had left that evening with Andrew. They wanted to know what your relationship was to Lakewood, and we told them we weren’t entirely sure. Nancy remembered you’d spoken at Mrs. Lakewood’s lady’s tea.
“They told us about the contents of the letter and asked if you two were having some sort of affair. We assured them no, that couldn’t be the case, but we didn’t want to say how much we all despised Lakewood. Apparently, however, they later learned about Mr. Lakewood having a part in getting you expelled, so they came back, spouting how you had motive to want him dead.”
“I did want him dead,” Faith said, trying to understand what Grace was saying. “He planned to kill members of my family if I failed to agree to be his mistress and help him start an Indian