Then nodded.
He opened the envelope and handed her the letter.
Clara,
I understand that Mr. Bell has failed to bring you to me. This is unfortunate, but not unexpected. I have been delayed by business matters and cannot come to Bellwether myself.
You must understand that our marriage agreement remains binding. The land claim I acquired was purchased with the expectation that we would build a home together. I require your signature on the attached documents so the title can be completed.
Do not let Mercer interfere. He has no understanding of our private arrangements.
You owe me an explanation for your disappearance, and I expect you to provide it.
Amos Reed
Clara lowered the letter.
There was no apology.
No explanation for the false death telegram.
No acknowledgment of the fear she had endured.
Only demands.
The sheriff held out his hand.
“May I see the attachment?”
Clara checked the envelope.
A folded legal document was enclosed, with a blank signature line near the bottom.
The heading referred to a property claim and a transfer of interest.
Silas leaned forward.
“Don’t sign it.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
The sheriff examined the paper.
“This needs an attorney.”
Clara looked up.
“Can I refuse?”
“Yes.”
“Even if we were engaged?”
“An engagement does not give a man ownership of your property or your signature.”
She felt her shoulders loosen.
The sheriff continued.
“We’ll also need to establish whether this document is connected to the false telegram. If Reed used deception to bring you here, that may matter.”
Clara looked down at the letter.
For months, she had believed Amos’s death had ended their future.
Now she understood that he had never intended to release her from the plans he had made.
He had simply found a way to make her believe she had no choice.
The realization brought anger.
Not a sudden, blazing anger, but a steady one that settled beneath her fear.
She folded the letter.
“I want to speak to him.”
Silas looked at her.
“Clara—”
“Not alone. Not without the sheriff. But I want him to explain himself.”
The sheriff nodded.
“That can be arranged, if he agrees to come in.”
Silas’s expression remained guarded.
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then we continue the investigation.”
Clara straightened in her chair.
“I’m not going back to him.”
Silas looked at her for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
“Good.”
Amos Reed arrived in Bellwether two days later.
He came in a hired carriage, wearing a dark wool coat and a fine black hat. His boots were polished, his gloves were clean, and his mustache was neatly trimmed.
He looked exactly as Clara remembered.
That was the worst part.