Chapter Eight

The morning sun peeped through the drapes in Peter Doolin's bedroom. Melanie began to stir first with a powerful headache.

"Oh my," as she went to sit up.

Doolin awoke as he gazed at her naked body in the sheets. He instantly went into the next part of the plan. He believed a woman's body was to be viewed as the great masters did, nude and provocative.

"Oh my love. Please forgive me. To have taken your virginity so lightly and yet so all-consuming. I will keep my promise to marry you. You have my heart, my body, my soul, my love— forgive me Melanie for not waiting. You were an innocent and I took that—. You were too much for me. I shall devote my life to you for the precious gift you gave me last night."

She looked at him strangely and tried to remember. All she had was a memory of vague passion and of drinking.

She allowed him to kiss her.

"Oh Melanie, if a child was conceived last night, it will be of our love. We shall elope and make sure no one questions the date of their birth."

She looked mortified, "A child?"

"Of course—-the natural consequence of coupling. Oh my love, did you not know that?"

"Of course I did," she whispered and allowed him to caress her—-thinking of all the precautions she took in DC with her lover.

He took her again with great care and made sure she was satisfied. He again ensured he left no child as he did the night before.

She realized and said, "Thank you. Just in case."

"I was not so wise last night as I was teaching you the ways of a man and a woman. We must wed soon to protect you and our child if it be." He crooned.

"I understand if there is a child, it's god's will for my sin."

"Not if we marry this week?"

She sat up and gathered the sheets and nodded in the affirmative.

She stood up, "I need the privy."

His next part of the plan came to fruition.

"Oh, my beautiful Melanie. Did you know in the Royal kingdoms the bedsheet was displayed to prove a virgin gave herself to the king?"

She looked at where Doolin was staring. There indeed was blood on the sheet. She didn't know what to say.

"Oh my love, I embarrassed you. Forgive me. I shall launder the sheet. I was just speaking out of turn. So amazed you have given me your greatest gift of womanhood. I shall treasure it always."

She nodded and scurried to the water closet.

He chuckled to himself and looked down at the finger he pricked while she slept.

She washed up checking herself for injury and found none.

"Well, at least he wants to marry me, and he is an honorable man."

"And educated—-compared the cowhands who have come calling after an old maid."

—&—-

Jock and his aide headed out of Stockton to meet the Barkleys for questions. He assumed it would be Jarrod but when he was ushered into the study, all of the brothers with Victoria were waiting. He found no friendly face in the room.

"Nick, old boy you know this is business?"

He only nodded in response.

"Colonel," Jarrod said properly in his courtroom voice, "Here are all the documents. We have arranged them in chronological order."

He sat down with his aide at the desk. The brothers stared silently at him across the room.

It took an hour of silence with a few questions being asked. Jarrod would answer.

Jock hid his pleasure at seeing several clues before his eyes. The brothers stared away from him as he made notes.

They closed up the last ledger dated 1872, two years after the death of Tom Barkley. The records improved after his death under Jarrod's meticulous eye.

"DeLand storefront?" he questioned.

Victoria answered, "That was me. After Tom died, I took care of the chandlery. His health was starting to fail. I canceled that debt."

"You sold him his building at a reduced price?"

"Yes, he was a loyal employee and my husband's friend."

"Might look like a payoff," Jock mentioned.

Heath railed across the room and Jarrod held him back. Nick was seething and Eugene was beside him in anger. All four brothers looked ready to fight.

The clerk whispered to Jock for a few minutes. The family stared straight ahead at them.

"Well, we agree. As your barrister brother has probably already surmised, these records do not show guilt—-or innocence. Lots of holes. They do mesh up with the bank in Stockton my clerk viewed the other day. But I assume you have banks and exchanges all over the state."

"Well, what else do you want?" Nick bellowed.

Jock stood straight up, "Hold on boy. I am just saying my investigation is not finished."

"Mrs. Barkley," he bowed, readying to leave.

"Colonel McClain, I have some things to say." with steel in her voice.

"You didn't know my husband. I did. I watched him mourn each of those 23 men. We took them food, paid wages, covered mortgages. Yes, I paid for the Chandlery when he needed help. That's what decent people do."

"I meant no offense, Mrs. Barkley,"

"I take offense. My husband did not sink his own ship and kill 23 men."

"That remains to be seen."

This comment caused Eugene to lunge and be pulled by Nick and Heath. Victoria held her hand up at her sons.

"We will not disparage the home your father and I built with brawling."

"I cannot allow myself the privilege of an opinion. And for the sake of my service with your son, I take my leave."

"It is not a matter of opinion. Tom Barkley may have been a lot of things. I know them best but he wasn't a thief and a murderer."

"You have to understand Mrs, Barkley, you are the only ones to have the assets in order to hide that kind of money. If this is found true by Washington, the government will begin proceedings against your assets for one million dollars."

Jarrod had prepared them for this possibility.

"I knew my husband."

"Let me tell you a story. Colonel Philly Tolbert. Died in battle. Kindest, respectful, well-liked man you could find. Died saving other men. Valor and courage to the nth. Not a blot on his record. Until—-went to send the death notice to his widow. Turns out three wives. Three of them thought they were the only ones. No one truly knows any man."

Victoria took a step forward and slapped him across the face. He rubbed it and mock bowed.

"Good day, Mrs. Barkley."

—-&—

Tessa entered with a telegram to the room a few minutes later.

"Jarrod, Matthias Finn's wife has died."

"Oh honey, I am sorry." and the family put aside their issue with the ship and gathered around her.

Victoria took the telegram and read it, "We all go. I need to get away and he is family to us. Send word to hook up both the Barkley rail cars." and she brokered no opposition.

Her sons nodded, "We can catch the evening train to Modesto."

—&—

Jock rode quietly with his aide back to town.

"At least I know what Star means now—-gonna take a ride there tomorrow."