"I was quite naïve" Amos continued "maybe still I am. John told me more than once that I had too many illusions about human nature…In any case I thought of Joseph Porter as my friend. We had good times together, we believed the same things he was as idealistic as I was… That I had money and he did not did not matter to me. But it did to him. He never contradicted me on anything that mattered. He was always willing to second me and praised me for my ideas…"
"Yep. And you got him into the family by marrying him to your cousin" Danny commented sighing.
"And we were into business together…but I did not know that Jacob came to an understanding with him."
-0-
"Well Lieutenant Porter have you found that Debbie does not come with as big a dowry as you expected?"
"I am willing to support her. I love her…"
"Nonsense my boy. I know your type. My nephew is quite gullible but I can smell a social climber when I see one. So, let's drop the pretense. I can add to Debbie's portion to an amount that you will find pleasing."
"And what would I have to do?"
"Make sure that the business that my scatterbrained nephew started goes nowhere. Broken or lost equipment. missing invoices, waylaid shipments..."
"I see. And why do you want your nephew to fail?".
"I do not want the maple sugar to replace that we get from the Caribbean. If their sugar does not sell as much, they will buy less slaves. And I will sell less of them. I do not want that competition.
Joseph Porter nodded as if considering.
"How much it will be worth it to me?"
"So, you will do it."
"For the right price."
-0-
"Yes, when I think of all that I missed, and what others caught on I want to kick myself" Amos continued.
"Tell us about Genevieve" Wendy encouraged him. "I know enough of the story, myself"
"Genevieve… I was prejudiced against her when she came. But she was so distraught after that nasty trick Reverend Moore and aunt Hepzibah played on her, so vulnerable that I began to feel sympathy for her. We got to talk, about her life in France as the daughter of an impoverished noble…because nobles could be poor… genteel poverty I think the term is. Then her parents died and she then met her uncle - her father's brother, who had gone to the Antilles and became rich. He said that she had to come with him, as he was her only family… so she went…it was quite a shock for her."
"I imagine."
"The fact was that she did not fit. She had learned parsimony and the art of making do and suddenly she was supposed to be this lady of leisure. and have all those slaves….which she found shocking…she said that she felt for them and he did try to help but she had no power… Then her uncle seeing that she did not fit arranged her marriage to my uncle. A way to put my uncle in is debt, and to get rid of an inconvenient niece…She was lonely and lost. She was afraid of Aunt Hepzibah and uncle Jacob did not have patience with her. She was supposed to be the mistress of Benchley Hall so she should act like it.
"So, you became her friend."
"And everyone but me knew that it was more than friendship"
"Well, it was the classic set-up" Heather commented dryly. A man brings in a much younger bride and, in the household, there is a man closer to her age and… and you can get a lot of poems, paintings, and operas out of it."
"Yes, everyone knew it but me. First it was my mother hinting that she would not mind if I married Irina. Then it was Margaret or Henry who would not leave us alone when Genevieve and I talked. I tried to tell Margaret that she did not need to stay."
-0-
"But I do. In case anyone asks, I was always there and you were always correct. Nothing improper took place."
"Margaret, why should you worry about it?"
"Evil tongues. I know the damage they can do. And there are too many evil tongues here."
-0-
"And no tongue was worse than that of Aunt Hepzibah…." Amos continued "I gave in to Irina's entreaties and made plans to marry her. For some reason I felt myself reluctant… as if my concern for my mother's heart had been an excuse all along… perhaps I was more conventional than I thought I was. But it was as if something was off… not real… and I could not stop thinking about Genevieve…. And maybe Irina sense my reluctance… or… in any case she met Hepzibah"
-0-
"So, you are the strumpet that my nephew is going to marry?'
"I am his promised bride." Irina tried to sound calm.
"Yes, you will do. Go in, pretend that you are a lady and keep the scandal at bay. But I am not deceived. How much does he pay you for this farce?"
"We are going to be wed… I must show you the respect due to his family, but please show me the respect due to his wife to be."
"His pretend wife. The one he flaunts so as to hide the vile adultery he carries out with that Papist slut!"
"What you mean?"
"That he is lying in sin with his uncle's wife, and brings you along to keep the rumors away."
"You lie!"
Hepzibah laughed "Do I? Open your eyes woman. You are nothing but a distraction. The one he wants is that Papist whore!"
-0-
"Whatever Hepzibah told her it fed Irina's doubts. And she had ways to find out… And I… I tried to be correct with Genevieve but the attraction between us was something that could be felt… Irina knew that it was Genevieve I loved and not her, even if I wed her…. And it had never been marriage what she wanted but my love… And that's why she made her bargain… and why she lost it… And why I had to pay the price."