Days of Gold (Edilean 2)

“I don’t know what name he’s using.”

The man’s eyes widened. “Is he the one that attacked you?”

“Attacked me? Who told you such a thing?”

“Miss Harriet said that—”

“Forget that,” Edilean said. “No one attacked me. A man—” She took a breath. “I threw a very childish temper tantrum because I didn’t get my way, and that’s an end to it. I think this man is in trouble and I want you to find out what you can about him.”

“He’s here in Boston?”

“I think so. At least he has been for the last six weeks. He may have left for Virginia, but I don’t think so. I want you to find out where he’s been for these past weeks and what he’s been doing. Do you think you can do this?”

“Is he wanted for a crime?”

“No!” Edilean said. “At least not in this country. Here.” She handed him a little leather bag full of coins. “I’ll want an accounting of how you spend that. If you find him in three days, I’ll give you the same amount for yourself.”

“Yes, Miss,” Cuddy said, then left the room, the picture in his coat pocket.

At lunch, Harriet asked Edilean why she was so nervous.

“No reason,” Edilean said. “I just thought I heard a noise, that’s all.”

“Probably another man come to see you. I wish you wouldn’t be so nice to them. It makes them think they have a chance with you.”

“I did like one of them, that young man Thomas Jefferson. He was quite good-looking.”

“Then you should marry him!” Harriet said. “Take what you can get when it’s offered. Don’t wait.”

“The man didn’t ask me to marry him, he just visited with those other young men. But he’s as tall as Angus and nearly as handsome, but he lacks—” She stopped when Harriet sat down across from her to stare at her.

“Please don’t do what I did and compare all men to one of them. After the man I loved jilted me, no one else would suit me. There was one man I didn’t like because of the sound he made when he sneezed.”

“I won’t do that,” Edilean said. “I promise that if this man Thomas Jefferson asks me to marry him, I’ll do so. Now do you feel better?”

“No,” Harriet said, getting up. “I don’t know you well enough yet, but I think maybe you’re up to something. Did I see that dreadful young man Cuddy coming out of the parlor this morning?”

“I think I’ll take a walk and buy the newspapers,” Edilean said, then left the room quickly.

It took Cuddy only two days to find Angus, and he rightly guessed that the information was being kept a secret from Harriet, so he stepped out of an alley when Edilean was in town alone.

“Good heavens!” she said. “You nearly scared me to death.”

“I thought maybe you wanted to keep this quiet.”

“I do,” she said. They were between two tall buildings, and Edilean was using her open parasol to hide from passersby. “What have you found out? Did he leave for Virginia?”

“No. He’s still here. He runs a tavern and a carriage stop about ten miles south of here. He don’t own the place, but he does all the work. He’s well liked by the people who go through there, and he stands for no nonsense. It’s clean too.”

Edilean looked at Cuddy but she didn’t see him. “Angus is running a tavern?”

“His name is Harcourt, same as yours. Is he your brother?”

“No, he most emphatically is not my brother!” she said. “What did you see? Who did you talk to?”

“Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but he was easy to find. I asked a coach driver and he knew him so I rode out there and there he was. Your drawin’ is a good likeness. I had a drink and a meal and watched what was goin’ on, then I went into the yard and talked to the stablemen. They all like him.”

“That’s well and good, but why was he there?”