Page 54 of The Sisters of Sea View
Shock flared. “You are not Effie’s father?”
“Not her natural father, no. Though I feel as protective and fond of her as I believe any father would, and perhaps more than her actual father did, as he was a drunken brute who abused his wife and gambled away most of her valuables. Katrin was a widow of less than two years when I began courting her, so taken by her beauty and what I saw as her sweet vulnerability. I suppose I fancied myself something of a white knight, riding in to save her and Effie. Proud fool that I was.
“In the days leading up to our wedding, Katrin cried now and again, which I put down to nerves. I was sure that, once we were married, I could make her happy.”
He slowly shook his head. “Not long after our honeymoon period, I realized something was very wrong. I consulted her physician, and he confided her history and his past attempts to treat her. He said there was little more he could do. Katrin and I struggled on for a few years with occasional peaceful periods among the bad. She longed to have another child, but after losing two unborn babes, her spirits sank lower and she distanced herself from me, moving to a separate room.”
Sarah searched her mind for something to say and murmured, “At least she had Effie.”
He hesitated. “In all honesty, she did not spend much time with Effie. When Katrin looked at her, she saw her cruel husband and sadly could not fully love her. Though I hope Effie did not realize.”
She probably did, Sarah thought. Poor Effie.
“And then a few years ago, I saw an advertisement about the health benefits of England’s south coast, and I thought, if it’s good for the body, perhaps it will be good for the mind and spirit as well. So I convinced Katrin to come here.
“We rented the house for the summer. I wanted to bring Effiewith us, but Katrin refused, insisting she stay home with her governess. Sea View was too large for just the two of us and a few servants, yet Katrin seemed so taken with the place that I hoped we’d be happy here.”
Sarah studied his profile. “Were you?”
Mr. Henshall slowly shook his head. “We were not.”
He stared at the sea for several moments, then roused himself, glancing around. “At first she seemed to improve. Liked to rise early and take long walks. Sometimes she carried an easel up here and painted, and for a time she seemed more peaceful. But it did not last.
“She began behaving more erratically and some days barely left her bed. One night I said to her, ‘Why not put on your favorite blue gown and Gran’s necklace, and we’ll go to the ball? We havena danced in far too long.’
“Katrin was an excellent dancer, very graceful. I am a bit of an ox, truth be told, and woe to anyone who stands too close during a Scottish reel! Yet for her, I would try. I thought it would help her remember happier times, those romantic days of our courtship.
“But she said, ‘I canna go. The gown no longer suits me and I have no jewels at hand.’
“I reminded her we had brought her grandmother’s jewelry. She had inherited a set of blue sapphires: necklace and earrings, which she had managed to hide from her first husband so he could not gamble them away.
“Katrin said she’d hidden them and it would be too much trouble to bring them back down.
“I was confused and asked her why she had hidden them. Her gamester husband was long gone. Had she some reason to suddenly distrust the servants?
“She replied that she distrusted everyone. Including me.”
Pain flashed through his eyes even now. “I was stunned. Did she really think I would do that—steal her jewels and what, sell them? We argued and, needless to say, we did not go to the ball.”
Sarah stared at him. “And you think her sapphires might still be in the house?”
“It’s possible, aye.”
“It’s like something out of a fairy story. A hidden treasure!”
“Not a treasure exactly. As I said, I don’t think they are extremely valuable. But I would like Effie to have them, if they are still here. I believe Katrin would have wanted that, had she been thinking clearly.”
He paused, then went on, “After I was over the worst of my grief, I wrote back to the agent and asked him to search one more time. He informed me the house had been sold to a family as a private home. I thought I’d lost my chance. Imagine my surprise when the same agent wrote with the news that Sea View had become a guest house. I immediately wrote to reserve a room.”
“You were the first to do so. We wondered how you had learned about the house, being so far away.”
Sarah considered the situation, then asked, “Your wife’s jewels. Were they loose, or...?”
“She kept them in a small leather box with brass hinges and a clasp. I realize some servant probably found them long ago, but I felt I must search myself, just in case.”
“So that’s why you came here.”
“Not the only reason. I wanted Effie to see her mother’s grave, and personally, to try to gain some peace about her death.”
