“That doesn't answer the question.”
Mara exhaled.
“His attorney claims my mother was manipulated and that I am unsuitable to manage the property.”
“Because you're a woman?”
“Mostly.”
She hesitated.
“And because I was unmarried.”
Elias looked at the envelope.
“So marrying me helps your case.”
“Yes.”
The answer hurt precisely because it came without decoration.
“You came here for legal standing.”
“At first.”
“At first?”
Mara looked directly at him.
“I needed a household of my own. A husband strengthened my position against the claim that I was unstable, dependent, and incapable of managing property.”
Elias laughed once.
There was no humor in it.
“You could have mentioned that in the letters.”
“I should have.”
“When?”
She almost smiled despite herself.
“Soon.”
Elias looked at her.
“Soon is where neglected chores go to die.”
Mara closed her eyes.
“I deserved that.”
He turned away.
For several seconds, only the wind moved.
“Were the letters fake?”
“No.”
“Did you lie about wanting a life here?”
“No.”
“Was marrying me a bargain?”
Mara swallowed.
“At the beginning, yes.”
That answer hurt more than denial.
Then she said, “But what began as a bargain stopped being only a bargain after I arrived.”
Elias wanted to believe her.
That made him angrier.
Before either could continue, a horse appeared on the road.
The rider was a woman.
She wore a black cloak over a gray riding dress and rode faster than respectable women in Silver Creek were expected to ride.
Elias recognized her immediately.
Helen Voss.
The banker's wife.
She dismounted without waiting for help.
Her hair had come loose beneath her hat.
“I need to speak with Mrs. Mercer.”
Mara stepped forward.
Helen held out a folded document.
“My husband has been lying to you.”
Nobody moved.
Helen looked toward Elias.
“Your father's debt was paid.”
Elias stared at her.
“Then why is Gideon trying to collect it?”
“Because he believes the proof is gone.”
She handed the paper to Mara.
It was a copy of a release.
Thomas Mercer's name.
The loan amount.
Payment completed.
Two witnesses.
And Gideon Voss's predecessor's signature.
Elias felt the world narrow around the page.
“Where did you get this?”
“My husband's private records.”