her.
"Have you never hid something in your shoe?" he asked curiously.
She took the blue slipper from his hands and looked at it with interest.
"No," she said slowly, "I've never thought of that. To hid something in your shoe? That must be something only small boys do, don't you think?"
Gage relaxed enough to laugh, realizing she was likely correct. If boys hid items in their shoes, where then, did girls hide their secret collections? "Do girls have special hiding places?"
"Well, not in their shoes."
"Where would you hide items you wished to keep hidden from the prying eyes of younger siblings?"
Bailey arched one brow. "As you well know, I'm an only child. I have no such need."
Gage acceded with a short nod. "From your father, then?"
She looked indignant. "Why should I wish to hide anything from Papa?"
"Don't be obtuse, Bailey," he said impatiently. "Obviously Nell kept secrets from her parents and her sisters."
Meghan frowned and pursed her lips, tapping one finger against a mouth he'd never before noticed was naturally rosy and lushly full.
"Yes," she answered slowly, "Nell kept secrets. Even from me." Her face lifted. "A diary?"
"I didn't find one."
"Letters?"
Gage shook his head.
Meghan collapsed into a wing chair upholstered in a soft green silk pattern and stared at the wall over Nell's bed. Gage could see the wheels turning in her brain and sat on the edge of the bed to await her conclusions.
"Did you look in her jewelry box?" she finally asked.
"Of course, I did."
"And?"
"And it was filled with jewelry."
"Humph," she snorted, moving to the dresser and opening the elaborately carved jewelry case. It had inlaid pearl and gleamed as though someone still polished it every day.
"And did you look in here?" she asked, pressing one finger on the underside.
Much to Gage's astonishment, a small drawer popped out.
Bailey laughed, no doubt at the dumbfounded look on his face. "You didn't! Aha, admit it. You did not think to search for such a place."
"Is there anything inside?" he asked, ignoring her.
Bailey pulled out a few small items – a tiny gold ring that must have belonged to an infant, a lock of hair pressed between two sheets of fine linen paper, and finally, a gold ring with a miniscule ruby set in it.
"That's all." A look of comic disappointment transformed her face.
"Let me see that." Gage reached for the ring. "Have you ever seen Nell wear this?"
Bailey shook her head.
"Why would she keep it hidden?" He examined the inside. "Look here, Bailey."
She bent her unruly, dark curls over his hand. "Initials!" she exclaimed, bumping him with her elbow.
"EEC – those are Nell's initials! Ellen Elizabeth Carver. Someone gave her this ring as a gift."
"Someone she didn't want her family to know about."
"A clue," she said smugly.
#
Suddenly the unmistakable clatter of breaking glass sounded from downstairs. For a brief moment, Meghan stared at Gage without moving.
"What in hell?" He leapt up from his position on Nell's bed to dash out the door and bound down the staircase.
Meghan reacted more slowly. Torn between curiosity over the noise and a profound desire to find another clue, she remained rooted to the green wing chair until the angry hiss of raised voices floated up from the front lawn below.
She raced to the window in time to see Gage wrestling a younger man to the grassy lawn of the Carver's front yard. Opening the sash, she leaned out for a better view.
Because the man faced away from her, she couldn't see his face. "Get the hell off me," he shouted as he grappled with the Marshal.
Quickly Gage subdued him, straddling the man's body and pushing his face into the wet grass. Meghan could tell the man was drunk, his words slurred and thick on his tongue.
Gathered around the two men, a small crowd gawked at the scene. Gage forced the man's wrists behind his back, removed a pair of metal disks from his coat pocket, and snapped them on.
"Just take it easy now," Gage warned, his
"Have you never hid something in your shoe?" he asked curiously.
She took the blue slipper from his hands and looked at it with interest.
"No," she said slowly, "I've never thought of that. To hid something in your shoe? That must be something only small boys do, don't you think?"
Gage relaxed enough to laugh, realizing she was likely correct. If boys hid items in their shoes, where then, did girls hide their secret collections? "Do girls have special hiding places?"
"Well, not in their shoes."
"Where would you hide items you wished to keep hidden from the prying eyes of younger siblings?"
Bailey arched one brow. "As you well know, I'm an only child. I have no such need."
Gage acceded with a short nod. "From your father, then?"
She looked indignant. "Why should I wish to hide anything from Papa?"
"Don't be obtuse, Bailey," he said impatiently. "Obviously Nell kept secrets from her parents and her sisters."
Meghan frowned and pursed her lips, tapping one finger against a mouth he'd never before noticed was naturally rosy and lushly full.
"Yes," she answered slowly, "Nell kept secrets. Even from me." Her face lifted. "A diary?"
"I didn't find one."
"Letters?"
Gage shook his head.
Meghan collapsed into a wing chair upholstered in a soft green silk pattern and stared at the wall over Nell's bed. Gage could see the wheels turning in her brain and sat on the edge of the bed to await her conclusions.
"Did you look in her jewelry box?" she finally asked.
"Of course, I did."
"And?"
"And it was filled with jewelry."
"Humph," she snorted, moving to the dresser and opening the elaborately carved jewelry case. It had inlaid pearl and gleamed as though someone still polished it every day.
"And did you look in here?" she asked, pressing one finger on the underside.
Much to Gage's astonishment, a small drawer popped out.
Bailey laughed, no doubt at the dumbfounded look on his face. "You didn't! Aha, admit it. You did not think to search for such a place."
"Is there anything inside?" he asked, ignoring her.
Bailey pulled out a few small items – a tiny gold ring that must have belonged to an infant, a lock of hair pressed between two sheets of fine linen paper, and finally, a gold ring with a miniscule ruby set in it.
"That's all." A look of comic disappointment transformed her face.
"Let me see that." Gage reached for the ring. "Have you ever seen Nell wear this?"
Bailey shook her head.
"Why would she keep it hidden?" He examined the inside. "Look here, Bailey."
She bent her unruly, dark curls over his hand. "Initials!" she exclaimed, bumping him with her elbow.
"EEC – those are Nell's initials! Ellen Elizabeth Carver. Someone gave her this ring as a gift."
"Someone she didn't want her family to know about."
"A clue," she said smugly.
#
Suddenly the unmistakable clatter of breaking glass sounded from downstairs. For a brief moment, Meghan stared at Gage without moving.
"What in hell?" He leapt up from his position on Nell's bed to dash out the door and bound down the staircase.
Meghan reacted more slowly. Torn between curiosity over the noise and a profound desire to find another clue, she remained rooted to the green wing chair until the angry hiss of raised voices floated up from the front lawn below.
She raced to the window in time to see Gage wrestling a younger man to the grassy lawn of the Carver's front yard. Opening the sash, she leaned out for a better view.
Because the man faced away from her, she couldn't see his face. "Get the hell off me," he shouted as he grappled with the Marshal.
Quickly Gage subdued him, straddling the man's body and pushing his face into the wet grass. Meghan could tell the man was drunk, his words slurred and thick on his tongue.
Gathered around the two men, a small crowd gawked at the scene. Gage forced the man's wrists behind his back, removed a pair of metal disks from his coat pocket, and snapped them on.
"Just take it easy now," Gage warned, his
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