Free A Lady of High Regard by Tracie Peterson Page A

private.”
    Her father nodded and Mia got to her feet. “I am sorry if I have disappointed you.” She frowned, feeling the sting of tears come to her eyes. “I have always tried to be respectful—honoring you both no matter the situation or circumstance. You will always have my love, and perhaps soon I will restore your belief in my good judgment.”
    She hurried from the room, knowing that if she remained she might well begin to cry in earnest. Why did the world have to turn upside down just now? Now, when she particularly needed all of her wits about her.
    Garrett opened the door to Rodney Eckridge’s office, pulling the hat from his head as he entered.
    “Mr. Wilson, this is a pleasant surprise. When I received your note this morning, I cleared my schedule and awaited your arrival.”
    Garrett smiled. “I appreciate that you would take this time to meet with me. I have some rather troublesome concerns to discuss.”
    “Your business is my business. Have a seat.” Eckridge, a small man in his fifties, had been a good friend of Garrett’s father for over thirty years and each had great respect for the other. Rodney Eckridge had been a struggling lawyer when George Wilson first met him. The two had become fast friends and Rodney turned out to be a much more capable manager than lawyer.
    “Something has come to my attention, and I wanted to discuss it with you,” Garrett said, taking a seat in one of the large leather chairs in front of Rodney’s desk.
    “Pray tell.”
    “I’ve heard about a disturbing situation that relates to the wives of seafarers. It seems that many of the women are being pressed for debts left by their departed husbands. These are debts that might be owed by a living man or dead.”
    “The law seems to care little for the truth of the matter in either case,” Rodney said. “It seems clear that legally, a woman can be held responsible for her husband’s debts. Women are thrown out of their homes all the time when their husbands die and leave them without funds. I’ve seen entire estates sold off to pay the debt of men who were thought to be wealthy, but came up short. Debt is a disgraceful thing, and it causes no end of pain and suffering for those who bear its consequences.”
    Garrett considered this for a moment. “The story I’m hearing is that some of these women are being raped for payment—that their children are being taken and indentured in order to pay back such debts. Please tell me this is not happening among the women who rent from us.”
    “To my knowledge such a thing would never be allowed. I do have several men who work under me and collect the rents and other monies due. I could speak with them if you’d like me to.”
    Garrett regarded Rodney, sensing his sincerity. There appeared no hint of deception in his manner. “I think we should be about this cautiously, Rodney. After all, there is a great deal of suffering already being perpetuated, and I wouldn’t want to cause further grief for these families. I suggest we be very covert in our investigation.”
    “What do you suggest?”
    Garrett had thought a great deal about this ever since Mia brought it to his attention. “I will look into this for myself. I want you to keep your eyes and ears open. If you have someone you know well and can trust with the truth, then perhaps we could secure their assistance.”
    “My nephew is a good God-fearing man. He helps to collect rents, but not on the docks; he’s usually in the textile district. I could send him down there, however. I would trust him with my life.”
    “Good. That’s exactly what I was hoping for—someone who wouldn’t be out of place and could get information. I won’t tolerate any of our men putting this kind of burden on our renters. We have never been given over to such cruelty.”
    Rodney looked thoughtful for a moment. “Do you realize that even if such things are going on, we won’t be able to stop it—not all of it? The law favors the