“All Doc Webster would have done was hand me some little white pills and said to take two with a slug of whiskey. It’s the whiskey that does the work, but Doc got snookered by a patent medicine man about a decade back, and he’s been trying to get rid of those white pills ever since.”
“Oh.” She smoothed back a few of the loose tendrils of hair framing her face. “Would you like some whiskey, then?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Tea?”
He shook his head. “You don’t have to play nurse, you know. I’m sure a lady of your station doesn’t do things like that.”
She blushed. “Well…I did take care of my father in his last days.”
“Your father is dead?”
She nodded. “He was the only family I had.”
Roy frowned. “Besides your husband.”
“Oh yes!” She bit her lip and clasped her hands till her knuckles were white. “Dear Percy! I’ll never forget his departure.”
Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, and Roy felt low as a worm for reminding her of her late husband. Percy. He felt an unwarranted dislike for the man. How could a fellow up and die when he had such a beautiful woman in love with him, depending on him?
“What happened to him?” he couldn’t help asking.
“To whom?”
“Your husband. He must have been very young.”
She looked stricken, and he immediately wished he could take back his words. “He…he…drowned.”
Poor thing. She could barely get the sentence out.
“In New York City?”
Her fingers twiddled nervously. “No—it was during a vacation. In South Carolina. It was so sudden, and shocking, of course. Poor Percy—he prided himself on his swimming prowess, but I suppose no man is a match for the Atlantic’s tide. Now the ocean is his grave.”
“They never found him? He just disappeared?”
She shook her head. “No. I waited weeks and weeks. Months. It was hopeless.”
Ellie lifted a hand to her eye. Even if she was wasting an outpouring of emotion on a man who, in Roy’s admittedly biased opinion, probably didn’t deserve it, he could only admire the depth and honesty of her grief. It showed a steadfast nature he didn’t usually associate with members of the weaker sex.
Instinctively, he reached out to touch her other hand, to give comfort.
At his touch, Ellie jumped back as if she’d been burned by a cattle prod. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to become so mired in self-pity.”
“That’s all right. Your feelings are perfectly understandable.” Then, gritting his teeth, he added, “I’d like to hear more about Percy Fitzsimmons, if you want to talk about him.”
Her eyes rounded. “Oh no. I won’t bore you with that—not that he wasn’t a fascinating man…”
“What was his line?”
She blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
“Line of work.”
“Well…he was in business. He had a factory.”
Roy laughed. “You don’t sound too sure of what your husband was doing with his days.”
She licked her lips nervously. “Well, you see, I’m a little confused as to…well, some financial things. It seems Percy made some unwise investments….”
“What in?”
Her face had that frantic confused aspect of a person not used to discussing money. “Um, silver, I believe.”
“Silver!” Roy laughed. “And he lost money?”
She swallowed. “Well, there was something about a mine….”
That explained it. The idiot had probably thrown his life savings into a mine scam. He frowned. This revelation coupled with Percy Fitzsimmons’s death sounded rather suspicious. “Have you ever wondered about the veracity of this drowning story?”
She practically jumped, and he reached out a hand to hold her. “What do you mean?” she asked indignantly. “That I would lie?”
He shook his head frantically. “No, I only meant…” He softened his voice. “Well, have you ever considered that your husband might have been a…suicide?”
Her eyes widened. “You’ll have to excuse me. This is a more painful subject than I
“Oh.” She smoothed back a few of the loose tendrils of hair framing her face. “Would you like some whiskey, then?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Tea?”
He shook his head. “You don’t have to play nurse, you know. I’m sure a lady of your station doesn’t do things like that.”
She blushed. “Well…I did take care of my father in his last days.”
“Your father is dead?”
She nodded. “He was the only family I had.”
Roy frowned. “Besides your husband.”
“Oh yes!” She bit her lip and clasped her hands till her knuckles were white. “Dear Percy! I’ll never forget his departure.”
Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, and Roy felt low as a worm for reminding her of her late husband. Percy. He felt an unwarranted dislike for the man. How could a fellow up and die when he had such a beautiful woman in love with him, depending on him?
“What happened to him?” he couldn’t help asking.
“To whom?”
“Your husband. He must have been very young.”
She looked stricken, and he immediately wished he could take back his words. “He…he…drowned.”
Poor thing. She could barely get the sentence out.
“In New York City?”
Her fingers twiddled nervously. “No—it was during a vacation. In South Carolina. It was so sudden, and shocking, of course. Poor Percy—he prided himself on his swimming prowess, but I suppose no man is a match for the Atlantic’s tide. Now the ocean is his grave.”
“They never found him? He just disappeared?”
She shook her head. “No. I waited weeks and weeks. Months. It was hopeless.”
Ellie lifted a hand to her eye. Even if she was wasting an outpouring of emotion on a man who, in Roy’s admittedly biased opinion, probably didn’t deserve it, he could only admire the depth and honesty of her grief. It showed a steadfast nature he didn’t usually associate with members of the weaker sex.
Instinctively, he reached out to touch her other hand, to give comfort.
At his touch, Ellie jumped back as if she’d been burned by a cattle prod. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to become so mired in self-pity.”
“That’s all right. Your feelings are perfectly understandable.” Then, gritting his teeth, he added, “I’d like to hear more about Percy Fitzsimmons, if you want to talk about him.”
Her eyes rounded. “Oh no. I won’t bore you with that—not that he wasn’t a fascinating man…”
“What was his line?”
She blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
“Line of work.”
“Well…he was in business. He had a factory.”
Roy laughed. “You don’t sound too sure of what your husband was doing with his days.”
She licked her lips nervously. “Well, you see, I’m a little confused as to…well, some financial things. It seems Percy made some unwise investments….”
“What in?”
Her face had that frantic confused aspect of a person not used to discussing money. “Um, silver, I believe.”
“Silver!” Roy laughed. “And he lost money?”
She swallowed. “Well, there was something about a mine….”
That explained it. The idiot had probably thrown his life savings into a mine scam. He frowned. This revelation coupled with Percy Fitzsimmons’s death sounded rather suspicious. “Have you ever wondered about the veracity of this drowning story?”
She practically jumped, and he reached out a hand to hold her. “What do you mean?” she asked indignantly. “That I would lie?”
He shook his head frantically. “No, I only meant…” He softened his voice. “Well, have you ever considered that your husband might have been a…suicide?”
Her eyes widened. “You’ll have to excuse me. This is a more painful subject than I
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