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Sarah shook her head. “We must stop smiling at each other, Mr. De
“And she knows I’m too much of a gentleman to renounce it, so you must help me avoid this very cleverly set trap. Quickly, tell me why you needed to meet me. That should certainly stop us both from smiling.”
At the thought of her mission, Sarah did indeed grow solemn. “It’s about Nelson Ellsworth.”
His smile vanished as well. “Ellsworth? What do you know of him?”
“He’s my neighbor, Mr. De
De
“Actually, it appears that she seduced him, Mr. De
“What?”
“A
At least he was still listening. “What do you mean by blackmailing?”
“She would convince a man that she was alone in the world and pe
“And she did this to Ellsworth, too?”
“Yes. And she wasn’t even with child. She lied about everything, to both men.”
De
“But Mr. Ellsworth didn’t kill her. You know him. He couldn’t possibly do violence to anyone, certainly not a female.”
De
Sarah forced herself not to take offense. “Actually, I do know for a fact that Nelson didn’t kill her, and the police are going to arrest the real killer very soon.”
“How could you know such a thing?” he asked skeptically.
“Because I have been working closely with one of the detectives on the case.”
Now she’d shocked him. “You associate with the police?” he asked incredulously.
Once again, she forced herself not to take offense. “Not all of them are corrupt, Mr. De
De
Sarah wanted to be outraged. She wanted to defend Malloy and convince De
“Mr. De
Richard De
“Oh, Mr. De
“But,” he said, stopping her effusive gratitude with an upraised palm, “I can’t permit him to return to work until this is settled, one way or the other. Those hounds from the press have been an unbearable nuisance all week, and if he were there… Well, I’m sure I don’t have to explain. People expect their bank to be quiet and dignified and trustworthy. If it isn’t, they move their money elsewhere.”
“I’ll make sure Nelson understands. He is as concerned about the bank’s reputation as you are, and he certainly doesn’t want to encounter the press, either.”
“But if the killer isn’t identified quickly,” he warned, “I can’t promise how long I’ll be able to keep him on.”
“Of course, but it won’t be much longer,” she assured him, without the slightest compunction about lying. She had no idea how long it would take to catch the killer, or if he’d ever be caught at all. But at least she’d accomplished her purpose, and Nelson’s career wouldn’t be ruined just yet.
“Now tell me, Mrs. Brandt, how on earth did you ever decide to become a midwife?” De
Since he seemed to be genuinely interested, she gave him the slightly edited version of the story, simply mentioning that it was a relative’s death in childbirth that had inspired her choice of careers. They chatted about inconsequential things for a few more minutes, until her parents judged it was safe to join them again. Then her father engaged De
Sarah gave him her hand, and he bowed over it. “It’s been a delight meeting you, Mrs. Brandt. I hope it won’t be long until we encounter each other again.”
“I hope so, too,” she replied sincerely, “and I promise not to ask you any favors next time.”
“Even if you did, I could only be flattered by your attention,” he replied.
Sarah smiled at the compliment, and he returned her smile. She didn’t dare look at her parents. They must surely believe their matchmaking had been a success, and oddly enough, Sarah was no longer a
“Did Richard agree to help your friend?” her mother asked when her husband had walked De
“Yes, he did,” Sarah said. “And thank you for arranging for me to meet him.”
Her mother’s eyebrows rose. “I thought you were angry with me for that.”
“I was merely a
“But you did want to see him because of a business matter, didn’t you, dear?” her mother asked without a trace of regret. “And if he suspected we were bringing him here to meet our daughter, he might not have come at all, especially with the weather being so bad.”
“So I’m in your debt,” Sarah said with a trace of amusement.
“Of course not,” her mother insisted. “We would do anything in our power for you, Sarah, without ever expecting something in return. Surely, you know that.”