The Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Coble

I’m not going to marry some highbrow just to satisfy my father’s desire to be part of the nobs.”
    “What will become of Mrs. Stewart?”
    “I wouldn’t want Mrs. Stewart to be deprived of her fortune.”
    “Perhaps your father will give her a fair part of the mine anyway.”
    “I don’t see him ever being willing to do that.”
    “Did Mr. Stewart ever discuss this matter with you personally? The marriage, I mean.”
    “No.” That fact had always bothered Harrison. Arrangements had been made while his father and Mr. Stewart were in Africa. His father had come home from that trip with the agreement in his pocket. And Mr. Stewart was dead.
    “I’m going to tell Father to pay her anyway,” he said.
    Eugene nodded.
    Harrison pressed his lips together. In the past five years he’d seen the desire for more and more money consume his father. They were comfortable. There was no need for more. But his father wanted to be accepted as one of the premier families in America. He lusted after that power to an unhealthy degree.

T WELVE

    T HERE WAS A brook around here somewhere. Olivia could hear it gurgling and churning over the rocks. Redwoods towered overhead, their leaves so high she nearly couldn’t see them. Addie held little Edward’s hand, guiding her son as the women picked their way along the path through the forest. His German shepherd, Gideon, nosed after a ground squirrel, and Olivia kept an eye on the dog.
    “Are we almost there?” Olivia asked. Something about the mist curling around her boots and the lack of city noise had her glancing over her shoulder.
    “Nearly there,” Katie called. She was the vanguard of the little group.
    Olivia heard it then—the roar she’d mistaken for the wind in the trees became more prominent. The falls came into view. Clear water tumbled from the black rocks to the pool of water at the base. The dog barked and raced to leap into the clear lake.
    “The perfect spot to plan the ball,” Addie said. She set down the basket she carried and withdrew a red-and-white checkered tablecloth from it. Once she spread it on the ground, she began to lift sandwiches wrapped in waxed paper from the basket.
    Olivia settled beside her and watched the little boy and his dog frolic in the water. She glanced into the shadows of the trees. Their location was exposed and dangerous. She needed to tell her friends about last night’s intruder. At least Jerry had come with them. She felt safer with a man in attendance. He hovered a discreet distance from their little picnic.
    “Have you had any success in finding the letter?” Katie asked.
    Olivia shook her head. “I’ve poked through every corner of Eleanor’s room, and most of the other bedrooms. I can’t imagine where she hid it. I’m beginning to consider the possibility that it might not be in the house,” she admitted. “If I don’t find it, I’m not sure how I shall find out what so disturbed her. But there’s more.”
    She told Addie about finding the dance card. “I thought you might offer insight, Addie, since you attend more parties. Katie doesn’t really know Mr. Fosberg. Do you know the man?”
    “Oh yes. Every matchmaking mama in town has her claws out. I’m surprised he hasn’t gained twenty pounds from all the dinners he’s been invited to.”
    “He has accepted all the invitations?”
    Addie handed her a sandwich. “Indeed he has, though I haven’t heard he’s paid any particular attention to one young woman over another. He’s opening a branch of his law office in town, and he’s happy to make the acquaintance of anyone who might need his services.”
    “You’ve met him personally?”
    Addie nodded. “I spoke with Eleanor in the garden the night he came to that dance you mentioned. I asked her about him when we spoke. She said they were discussing business.”
    “That was Katie’s impression too,” Olivia said. Katie nodded. “What kind of business could she possibly have? Our attorney handles