Then he reached for the map.
He unfolded it across the table.
Alder Spring appeared near the western edge of Blackcap Pass.
It fed a small stream that eventually joined the Redstone River.
The proposed railroad route crossed directly below it.
Elias pointed.
"That's where the railroad company wants to build its water station."
Clara frowned.
"A water station?"
"Steam engines need reliable water. That spring flows all year."
He traced the route with one finger.
"Whoever controls the spring controls a piece of land the railroad may have to bargain for."
Clara looked at the ledger again.
Her mother's name.
The property.
The forged transactions.
She slowly lowered herself into the chair.
"Oh, Elias."
He looked at her.
Clara's voice trembled.
"Nathaniel didn't marry me because he loved me."
Elias remained still.
She shook her head.
"I always knew he loved money more."
Her eyes filled.
"But I thought there had been some affection in the beginning."
Elias said nothing.
Clara looked toward the documents.
"What if there never was?"
That night, she told Elias about her courtship.
Nathaniel Whitcomb had been thirty-two when they met.
He was handsome in a polished, fashionable way, with dark hair, gray eyes, and the confident manner of a man accustomed to entering rooms where everyone already knew his name.
Clara was twenty-two.
Her mother had been dead for three years.
Her father had suffered financial difficulties.
And she was working as a companion to an elderly widow in Chicago.
Nathaniel arrived one afternoon carrying flowers for the widow.
He noticed Clara.
Spoke to her kindly.
Returned the following week.
Then the week after.
He took her to concerts.
Sent books.
Complimented her intelligence.
He seemed unusually interested in her family history.
At the time, she thought it meant he wanted to know her better.
He asked about her mother's relatives.
About old property.
About whether Clara had inherited anything after her mother's death.
She told him there was very little.
A silver locket.
Some clothing.
A few letters.
Her father handled the remainder of the estate.
Nathaniel seemed disappointed.
Then quickly recovered.
Within six months, he proposed marriage.
His mother objected publicly.
Clara remembered Helena Whitcomb calling her unsuitable.
Not wealthy enough.
Not socially connected.
Not properly educated.
Nathaniel defended her.
Or so Clara believed.
He announced that he would marry for love rather than money.
Clara had been overwhelmed.
She thought he was choosing her despite his family's objections.