The Dutch Girl

Free The Dutch Girl by Donna Thorland Page B

Book: The Dutch Girl by Donna Thorland Read Free Book Online
Authors: Donna Thorland
the walls. “With a fortune in stolen gold?”
    â€œThe coach is mine,” said Gerrit, settling back comfortably onto his bench. Anna envied him. He was a head taller than her and his shoulders were too broad to be buffeted by the jostling of the coach, while she could barely keep her seat. “The courts only found in favor of Andries and his pack of lies because they are controlled by the Rebels, and the Rebels want Harenwyck whole.”
    â€œI thought that your father disinherited you.”
    Gerrit sighed. “He did. Perhaps. Once upon a time, he said as much, in his study, with my brother at his elbow. Or perhaps it was more of his bluff and bullying. Of one thing I am sure: he never made a will to formalize it. If he had, be certain Andries would have presented it in probate. He did not.
    â€œWithout a will, under Dutch rules of inheritance, Harenwyck passes to me. So my brother of necessity concocted a story, plausible enough, that Cornelis Van Haren
had
made a last will and testament naming him assole heir. Then I came home, shortly after my father’s death, refused to accept its terms—and burned it. In truth, I came home to find that Andries had already declared himself patroon and hired a militia to keep me out. I never even got near the house.
    â€œTo settle matters, Andries produced men who claimed to have witnessed this will, and recalled its basic terms. As far as the courts are concerned—the New York Court of Chancery in particular, where my brother applied all his considerable influence—Harenwyck is now the lawful inheritance of Andries, just as my father wished it. You see, at equity, a rogue like me cannot be permitted to unjustly profit from his misdeed. By destroying my dear father’s will I sought to pull his estate back into intestacy, where the common law would make me heir. The will, and fair play, must be upheld! Never mind the damned thing never existed, and Andries and his ‘witnesses’ were perjurers. Such is the course of justice, as twisted by my brother and his Hudson peers.”
    â€œBut the New York courts are controlled by the Rebels,” she said. And Kate Grey’s allies. And Kate Grey had said nothing of any of this. It was possible that she had not known. And equally possible that she had known and decided against sharing all the facts with Anna.“Surely it must count for something that you fought for them with the Continentals.”
    â€œIt appears the teacher has done her homework on the Van Haren family.”
    Anna knew she had made another mistake. She must be more careful. She was supposed to be a stranger to Harenwyck. “It seemed only sensible to find out as much about the patroon as possible, before accepting his offer.”
    â€œHow much is he paying you?”
    â€œEnough,” she said.
    â€œI’ll double it.”
    â€œYou would like to brush up your English grammar and improve your needlework?”
    â€œJust now, I would
like
to reach my chest of gold, but find it buried beneath a heap of female impedimenta.”
    He set her book down and resumed rummaging through the baggage. He plucked Anna’s sewing box out of the jumbled mess on the floor and examined it in bafflement, unfastening the clasp and flipping it upside down.
    The lid swung open with the motion of the coach and Anna’s silks spilled out like tumbled jewels. Glinting among them were streaks of shining silver. Her lockpicks clattered over the mahogany paint case and the maple strongbox to land ringing upon the floorboards and dislimn Anna’s painstakingly crafted identity as Miss Winters, headmistress of Miss Winters’ Academy.

Four
    Anna held her breath as Gerrit raised an eyebrow and fished a steel pick out of the tangled heap. He held it up to the light and it glinted. She kept them polished because that made them easier to work with in the dark. With a sinking heart she knew that he knew what it

Similar Books

Oblivion

Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Lost Without Them

Trista Ann Michaels

The Naked King

Sally MacKenzie

Beautiful Blue World

Suzanne LaFleur

A Magical Christmas

Heather Graham

Rosamanti

Noelle Clark

The American Lover

G E Griffin

Scrapyard Ship

Mark Wayne McGinnis