"More than a little, perhaps."
He laughed.
"Then you've come to the right house. My figures are a disgrace."
She opened the ledger.
Within an hour, she had identified two duplicated purchases and an outstanding payment that had been entered incorrectly.
Gabriel stared.
"How did you find that?"
She looked up.
"The dates don't match."
He studied her.
Then smiled.
"Remind me never to play cards with you."
She laughed.
For a moment, she forgot her fear.
Then she remembered the child.
And the truth remained unspoken.
On the second day, she baked bread.
On the third, she repaired a torn shirt and helped Gabriel sort winter supplies.
On the fourth, he returned from the barn earlier than expected.
And found her beside the fireplace with one hand covering her belly.
The secret was no longer hers to hide.
For several seconds after Clara mentioned Edmund's threat, Gabriel stood motionless beside the overturned chair.
The anger hadn't vanished from his face, but it had changed.
He was no longer looking at her as though she had simply deceived him.
He was looking at her as though there might be a danger he hadn't understood.
He took a slow breath.
"Start at the beginning."
Clara's hands trembled.
"Gabriel, I don't know how to tell you."
"Tell me plainly."
She looked down.
For a moment, she seemed unable to speak.
Then he added, more gently, "Please."
That single word nearly undid her.
She sat on the edge of the wooden bench beside the fireplace.
Gabriel righted the chair he'd knocked over, then placed it across the table from her.
He remained standing for a moment.
Finally, he sat.
Clara began with St. Louis.
She told him about her employment.
About Edmund Vale.
The careful courtship.
The promises.
The letters.
The engagement he had concealed.
And the moment she learned she was carrying his child.
Gabriel listened without interrupting.
He kept both hands resting against the table.
Sometimes his jaw tightened.
Sometimes he looked toward the fire.
But he didn't raise his voice.
When she described Edmund's attorney, his expression changed.
"What did the papers say?"
Clara swallowed.
"That I would accept a settlement."
"What kind?"
"Money."
Gabriel waited.
She looked down.
"And that I would cooperate with arrangements for the baby."
He stared.
"What arrangements?"
Her voice broke.
"They wanted to choose where the child would live."
Gabriel's hands slowly closed into fists.
"Without asking you?"
"They called it an agreement."
"Did you sign?"
She shook her head quickly.
"No."
He exhaled.
For a moment, he looked almost relieved.
Then he asked, "Did you keep the papers?"
Clara nodded.
"They're in my traveling case."
Gabriel looked toward the stairs.
"Good."