Into the Bright Unknown (The Gold Seer Trilogy #3)(88)

Jasper says it’ll help him start his own practice and provide services to the people of California who can’t afford a doctor. Mary, Melancthon, the Major, and Henry all accept their shares.

When it’s Becky’s turn, she opens the bag, removes a few coins, and then hands it back. Holding up the coins, she says, “This is reimbursement from Mr. Hardwick, to repay the cost of recovering my house at auction. But otherwise, I don’t feel comfortable stealing from anyone, not even a man as terrible as he was. He’s been ruined, and that’s enough for me.”

Jefferson hesitates, glancing at me uncertainly.

The Major reaches out and grabs the bag. “I’ll take it and invest it for the children. We’ll plant it like a seed and let it grow, so that they have something to inherit when they’re older.”

“Wally!”

“Don’t try to talk me out of it. My old man left me nothing but a bunch of debt and some bad memories. I figure these little ones already have good memories of their father, all except for the babe here. But there’s no reason they can’t have a little money. It’s what your husband would do if he was still here.”

“I’m pretty sure he would gamble it all away,” Becky says.

I’m pretty sure she’s right.

“So, I think I understand the whole story now,” Jasper says. “Except for one thing. How did you steal all those jewels? The pocket watches and gold coins?”

“It was us,” says a sulky voice.

“Sonia!” She has arrived with Billy, which I expected, and with Helena, who I wasn’t sure would show up.

Jefferson, Hampton, and Jasper clamber out of the hole, and they work fast to shovel all the dirt back in. Everyone gives Helena a wide berth, even though she’s here at my invitation.

“These are our new friends, Sonia and Billy,” I say. “They helped us all along, mostly by working with Jefferson and Mary. They also joined us at Hardwick’s party, disguised as Becky’s children.”

“That’s why the children stayed with me all night on the Charlotte,” Melancthon says.

“They were supposed to be us?” Olive asks, running up to Sonia. “You’re so big!”

“You’ll be big soon enough,” Sonia says, chucking her under the chin. “Don’t rush it.”

“Nobody but Frank Dilley knew what Becky’s children looked like,” I explain. “So we were able to sneak them in.”

“Which I might have foreseen,” Helena says. “But I don’t think you ever really looked at them.”

“I tried to think of them as Olive and Andy,” I say. “It was hard.”

“But it worked.”

“So you’re the mind reader,” Melancthon says to Helena.

Helena just smiles at him.

“You’ve counted out all the portions,” Sonia says, her voice suddenly cracking with anger. “And you weren’t going to leave any for us.”

“A promise is a promise,” I say, bending over to pick up one of the remaining bags. “I trust you’ll use it to look after Billy.”

The fight melts out of her. “And maybe a few other kids,” she says, cradling the gold to her chest, a shy smile forming.

“It’d help if you had a decent roof over your heads and some honest work,” I say.

Her smile disappears. “It’d help if someone would give us honest work.”

“We’ll see,” I say, and I glance over at Helena. “I think the Charlotte would make a fine hotel. It already has a good carpenter, who is also an excellent cook, but he needs someone who can manage the business side of things. Someone who is good at working with people, and who can see trouble coming before it arrives.”

“You gave him the deed for the Charlotte,” Helena says fiercely.

“No. I gave it to my good friend Wally Craven.”

The Major steps forward, pulling a bit of paper from his pocket. “And I’d like to give it to our new friends, Helena Russell and Melancthon Jones,” he says. “Miss Russell, you need a man to hold the deed in trust for you, and I can’t think of a more trustworthy fellow than Mr. Jones.”

“Either one of you can buy the other out at any time, of course,” Tom adds.

Helena snatches the deed from the Major’s hand. Melancthon and Helena regard each other like a pair of alley cats who discover themselves in a corner.

After a moment, Helena says, “I can see myself working with him,” and I wonder if she means it literally or figuratively. “Mr. Jones, it looks like we’re going into business together.”

Melancthon’s eyes are wide with amazement. “I can hardly believe it.”

“You’ve been such a help, sir,” I tell him. “We couldn’t have done this without you. You worked hard getting the Charlotte into livable shape. You watched the children during the party. Most importantly, you convinced the crew of the Argos to have plenty of lifeboats ready.”

“I . . . yes . . . I mean, sailors are a superstitious lot. All I had to say was I’d heard omens about it being a bad day for sailing and . . . really? You’re giving us the ship?”

With a glance at Jefferson, I say, “I can’t own property, being a woman. And my future husband can’t own property either, being half Cherokee.”