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felt the rings she had given him. As he paced up the hill to the Selkirk cottage, he held the wedding band between forefinger and thumb. It was a heavy band for fingers as slender as Catherine’s. The diamonds weren’t set into channels, but rose over the edges of the band in a way that must have abraded her other fingers. Not a comfortable ring to wear for five years, and yet she hadn’t removed it, though she could have exchanged it for a plain gold band without receiving any censure. She had taken these valuable rings from the estate by her own admission—she was the only person at Bisterne with access to the safe at the time of her husband’s death, and he had found pieces of the missing jewelry in her wake across Europe. In short, he held three powerful pieces of evidence.
    But figuring out a motive was even more precious.
    Yet if she were guilty, would she not hand over the rest of the jewels before the truth emerged and created a scandal? The strength of her protestations of innocence pointed to her telling the truth. According to old Lady Selkirk, Catherine’s elopement five years earlier had created such a scandal, a handful of families, including the Selkirks, avoided the VanDorns whenever possible. Now, with Estelle to launch into society, another scandal could damage her chances of making a good match. Worse, the revelation that Catherine was not the kind and trustworthy lady her family thought she was would damage—even ruin—the affection he had witnessed between the sisters.
    His conscience pricked him, and he paused to gaze back down the hill toward the VanDorns’ beautiful Lake House. Just the chimneys showed above the trees. He smelled the smoke from the fires, sharp and tangy, in the brisk air. Hearth and home, a family that seemed to care about one another, unlike his...and he could tear it apart.
    “Yet what choice do I have?”
    If only the fortunes of the Baston-Wards mattered in this pursuit, Tristram wouldn’t care so much—they were already nearly penniless due to their own mismanagement and poor behavior. But many others not at fault would suffer if the family could not restore their fortune. They employed dozens of people on the estate and most of them would lose their jobs. If they weren’t working, tradesmen in the village would make less money supplying them with their needs. They in turn would be able to buy less.... And so began the destruction of a parish. Similar events had taken place all over England and the continent, as those with land lived beyond their means, made bad investments and gambled away once great fortunes. Money from American heiresses had saved many an estate as well as the jobs of the local people. Catherine’s money had made improvements at Bisterne, but it had departed with her, and now the jewels were all the family possessed.
    “She needs to return the money she received for the jewels she sold, and return the rest.” His frustration burst forth in words spoken aloud to the last snowflakes still drifting to the ground, then he looked up and addressed the Lord. “What else can I do but make her admit the truth?”
    Silence met him, broken only by a birdcall he didn’t recognize. There’d been silence when he cried out to the Lord for guidance ever since he listened to his heart and found himself on the brink of facing a court-martial for disobeying orders—orders that would have seen dozens of innocent people killed. He would face that court-martial again if he had to, and make the same decision. This situation, however, presented him with choices that would improve his life while helping others, and that self-interest blurred the lines between right and wrong.
    Growing cold standing still, Tristram recommenced his climb to the Selkirk house. Georgette and Pierce expected him to be at luncheon. They wanted to discuss some activity or other they were planning, a day trip into New York. Perhaps he could spend an extra day and visit the finer jewelers to