Chapter 14

The afternoon was somewhat chilly, but it wasn’t nearly as cold as how Cody’s skin felt. Goosebumps were forming on his arms, as he walked up the steps to his mother’s home. He shrugged it off, assuming that the cool breeze was at fault. With a gentle knock, he waited patiently until the door opened, revealing Bradford’s welcoming smile. “Good morning, sir. May I take you to see your mother?”

“Yes, please,” he said to the butler, nodding all the while. “I heard that she was looking for me. Is something the matter?”

“I’m afraid I know nothing of such things, sir. I believe you will need to speak to your mother about that,” Bradford said, leading Cody toward the drawing room.

As they walked in, he saw his mother sitting by the fireplace, sipping from a cup of tea. In one hand she held the teacup, but in the other was a small piece of paper. At first, she continued reading from it, not paying any mind to the butler and her son. He knew that Bradford was just being courteous by waiting instead of interrupting her, but if she had sent for him, then something had to be wrong. In order to inform her that she had visitors, Cody cleared his throat, garnering a sincere look of shock from his mother.

“Oh, I hadn’t noticed you,” she said, gently placing the items that she held on the table as she stood to greet Cody. “Bradford, send a maid with more tea.”

“Of course, my lady,” he said, bowing slightly before walking off.

“So, may I ask what is going on?” Cody said, intent on figuring out what nobody else was telling him.

For a moment, it looked like she was about to speak, but then his mother stepped backward, feeling for her chair with her hands. As she sat, she pointed over at the sofa, signaling for Cody to sit across from her.

After doing as she had asked, he leaned forward in his seat, interlocking his fingers together. “Mother, please, just let me know whatever it is that’s on your mind.”

She paused briefly, but for the first time since Cody had sat down, she stopped looking away and glared over at him. “Just after lunchtime, a courier came by with an urgent letter from Miss Rosamund Swire. It seems that Miss Fields has been arrested for theft.”

The news was like a punch to the stomach, forcing his eyes to fall to the floor. Cody couldn’t breathe, but he also couldn’t even think. He felt broken and battered, but there had to be a reason behind what he was hearing. “Theft? How absurd! What happened?”

“Well, the letters contains no details, but it appears that Miss Swire invited Miss Fields to tea. After your friend had gone, Miss Swire noticed that a very valuable and irreplaceable necklace had been taken. Since she had only one guest that day, it wasn’t difficult to pinpoint the culprit. When she notified the Sheriff, he went to visit her at the Chase ranch, and she hadn’t even tried to conceal it. The brazen woman left the necklace right in her purse,” his mother said, her voice sounding pleased.

“You cannot be serious!” Cody snapped. “Misty would never do such a thing!”

“My son, you barely know the woman. Do you honestly believe that you know her that well?” she said, lifting her teacup back to her lips.

Cody swallowed hard, shaking his head as his body filled with an overpowering warmth. “Actually, I do. And it’s not just her: Morgan and Indiana have both vouched for her time after time. I trust their word much more than I do than that of someone like Miss Swire,” he said, standing up at once in anger.

“I understand that this is difficult news to hear, but perhaps you should calm yourself down and listen to reason. The Sheriff found what he found, and there’s no way to dispute it. I’m sorry, but maybe she just isn’t good enough for you after all,” his mother said, smiling as she spoke.

Cody wasn’t usually one to let his temper get the best of him, but that moment was definitely testing his willpower. It took every bit of strength that he could muster not to raise his voice toward his mother right then. In a reasoned but stern tone, he replied, “I know who is good enough for me and who isn’t, Mother. What I don’t know is why you and Miss Swire would set her up like this. Miss Fields has done nothing to either of you to deserve the way she’s been treated.”

The look on his mother’s face was one that he hadn’t seen before. She looked extremely agitated, but bewildered at the same time. “What? You think that we planned this?”

“What else am I to think? Just because I show civility to the woman doesn’t mean that I don’t see right through her façade. It’s been both her objective and yours for quite some time to get me to marry her and you know it! You can’t stand here and lie to me about that; can you, Mother?” Cody said, his anger getting the better of him for a moment.

“I had absolutely nothing to do with the woman’s arrest,” she said, her voice rather insistent. “All that I am guilty of is trying to make sure that my son marries a woman worthy of his name.”

“Then why are you pushing that woman on me? If you truly have no knowledge of this, then clearly Miss Swire did it all on her own. The thing is, however, that your encouragement might have been just as effective as her lies. What if she resorted to lying about the theft just to expedite what you two have been after all along?”

His mother sighed once more as she walked over toward the fireplace. She said nothing yet, but stood there, pointing at a specific portrait on the mantle. “Do you see this photograph? It was taken when you were just seven years old. Back then, you told me that you would always trust me. Is that still true?”

Cody paused, his chest tightening. “Of course it is, Mother. I trust you with my life, but this is all so absurd. An innocent girl is going to pay for a crime she didn’t commit all to secure a marriage that I wanted no part of in the first place. How could anyone live with themselves after doing something like that to her?”

His mother stood by the fireplace still, her eyes fixated on the image of him as a boy. “I do not know the answer to that, but I had nothing to do with it, nor would I ever. I just need you to trust me once more, like you did when you were a child. I’m not sure what happened here, but I shall find out. Perhaps it is all a misunderstanding,” she said, finally turning to look back at him.

“A misunderstanding? Whatever do you mean?” he asked, his voice as shaky.

“I meant just what I said,” his mother replied, walking back toward her chair. “It probably wouldn’t be the first time that a misunderstanding was reported as a crime.” As she sat down, her penetrating stare met Cody’s.

“Wait. Are you saying that you don’t think Miss Swire had done this deliberately?” The mere thought of his mother defending her even now was enough to make his skin crawl.

His mother frowned deeply. “Do I think Miss Swire planted her own jewelry on Miss Fields with the intention of having her arrested? Of course not. The idea is absurd. It’s possible that she mistakenly reported it as a theft as she simply misplaced it.”

“You cannot be serious!” Cody said, his voice unintentionally growing louder. “The theft is a blatant lie, and anyone who refuses to see that is just as guilty as Miss Swire herself. Why would she even invite her to tea in the first place? And don’t give me that nonsense about wishing to make her acquaintance.”

“But what if that is what it was? Your accusations of Miss Swire could be less founded in truth than those made of Miss Fields,” his mother said, folding her arms over her chest. “As I’ve said, they did find the stolen property. So, maybe neither was at fault, and it is all a simple mistake.”

“Maybe,” he said, “or maybe jewelry doesn’t just mistakenly find its way into someone else’s possession. I do understand that Miss Swire is your friend, but the woman is a deceitful liar, Mother. Why don’t you ask her yourself? You might be correct that she wouldn’t lie to you, but she obviously did lie to the Sheriff.”

Without saying anything more, Cody leaped to his feet and turned toward the doorway. Just as he was about to leave the room, Bradford walked in. “Hello, sir. Were you leaving already?”

Cody paused and looked back at his mother. “Yes, Bradford. I have overstayed my welcome.”

“Please, wait,” his mother called out, hurrying after him. “I had no involvement in what happened to Miss Fields. I cannot believe that Miss Swire has acted deliberately, but I shall find out.”

“I suppose that will suffice, then. Thank you, Mother. I do understand why a woman of Miss Swire’s standing would look more appealing to you for me to marry than a former maid. What I will never understand, however, is how you could treat someone how you did without even getting to know them first. Miss Misty never had a chance to win your approval, Mother. You made her want to leave the moment she came here.”

His mother sighed, shaking her head. “I have said all that I had to say on the matter, my son. I acted how I did in your best interests, but I am willing to accept my faults if I did indeed make the wrong choices. But will you do the same if it turns out that I was right and this is all just a mistake?”

“You wouldn’t even have to ask, Mother, but I know Miss Fields well enough to stand by what I believe. One of us is going to find out that someone we trusted and cared for betrayed us. I wouldn’t wish that on you, but I’m sure I won’t be that person.”