He went back to Naomi and described what he had seen.

She made him repeat the words about the mother.

“Sarah Bell may be closer than we thought,” she said.

“Or the man may be lying to frighten Richard.” Both possibilities mattered.

If Sarah was near, her knowledge could confirm the nursery book.

If the claim was a trap, anyone who went to meet her might be captured.

Naomi decided to carry the note to Esther herself at first light.

Elijah protested because he feared for her safety.

She looked at him steadily.

“You are not the only parent in this family,” she said.

He stopped arguing and helped her pack a small loaf of bread.

Chapter 12: The Colonel’s Dinner Guests

Catherine learned that Richard had invited four men to supper, including Doctor Vail and county clerk Edwin Sutter.

She recognized the clerk’s name from land transfers Richard had signed during their marriage.

The other guests were Joseph Fane, a river merchant, and a man introduced only as Captain Briggs.

At the table Richard spoke loudly about rising freight costs and the dangers of abolitionist agitation.

Catherine sat with her injured foot elevated and listened to the familiar performance.

She had once admired his confidence.

Now she heard fear beneath it, carefully disguised as contempt.

When the servants brought the roast, Fane placed a small packet beside Richard’s plate.

Catherine saw that it was tied with blue string identical to the string around the nursery register.

Richard pushed it beneath his napkin.

“We can discuss the inventory after dinner,” he said.

Catherine asked whether he had purchased additional horses.

Briggs laughed.

“A different sort of inventory, madam.” The silence that followed gave Catherine her answer.

She laid down her fork and said, “My sister used to say that a man who counts people as merchandise has forgotten how to count his own sins.” Richard looked up sharply.

“Your sister is not a suitable topic.” Catherine answered, “Then perhaps you should stop reminding me of her.”

Doctor Vail tried to change the subject to her ankle.

He said the swelling might indicate an injury requiring weeks of rest.

Catherine asked whether he recommended the same sort of rest prescribed to women who asked inconvenient questions.

The doctor stared at his glass.

Sutter interrupted, suggesting a new county ordinance about vagrancy.

Catherine had heard enough.

She excused herself, allowing Mrs.

Fenwick to assist her into the hall, then stopped behind the door where voices carried through the open transom.