The lovers parted ways before sunrise, Nathan wondering if he would be good for anything that day, and suddenly recalling Sukey. how would he deal with her?  What to do with the bitch?  His best bet was, he realized, to kill her and be done with it. But he doubted his ability to either perform the necessary actions, or get away with them.  Especially given his current state of near total exhaustion. "Why me?" he wondered.  Why did his plans seem to have this horrible way of turning out entirely back to front?  Naomi was supposed to be an easy mark, and fall prey to his subtle seduction.   She had been easy only in getting her to bed, from that point on, everything was entirely wrong.  she was a hell cat, was wearing him out, and he found himself becoming quite possessive of her.  And now, Sukey.  Lovely, how could it get worse, he wondered?

Sukey Forbes was at his rooms to greet him.  "Well, this is a fine time to come in!  No wonder you are so ill!"  She would have nagged at him more, but he looked far too tired, and she helped him into bed.  "We will talk more later, Nathan, be sure of it."  Sukey left him, and went to gather information.  There was a lot going on here, she knew, a lot that an enterprising woman could turn to her advantage.  Nathan was into a great deal of skullduggery, and she wanted her share of the profits.  Perhaps she would make the acquaintance of Jebez Hawkes, and then find out who the woman was that her husband had been with. Yes, that was a good plan, especially since Nathan would be unable to get in her way for several hours at least.  Perhaps it would be best to be Nathan's sister, she didn't want to ruin whatever project he was involved with, no profit in that!
 

Naomi Collins crept into the house through the back door, carrying the boots to make no sounds with them.  "Slut!  You harlot!  You Jezebel!"  Abigail Collins stood before her, her face red with fury, hissing angrily at her.  Naomi stood speechless for a moment, staring at the woman.  Then she smiled. "Sister dear, whatever do you mean?  What can you be thinking?  I have been gathering herbs before the sun can strike them and dry out their oils!"  Naomi flourished a bunch of herbs from under her cloak.  "In the winter?!" Abigail was not buying it.  "See for yourself, many wild herbs in sheltered places retain their leaves, and we have had no snow nor hard frost as yet."  Naomi held her herb bundle before her. "The family must have medicines put by for the coming bad weather, Abigail, and I have long taken charge of this duty."  Abigail scowled "This is no time for a Christian woman to be coming in through the back door like some thief!"  Naomi looked abashed, "I am so sorry to have troubled you, dear Abigail!  I shall not do it again. now, why don't I make us both a hot cup of tea, take off this chill morning air, hmm?"  "Very well, I'll fetch some scones."  Abigail went in search of the bread, and Naomi made a pot of tea, two pots in fact. The tea was poured into cups  and brought to the table, along with a large pot.  The women drank their tea, chatted and ate the scones.  Naomi disappeared into the kitchen, taking her second cup with her, and returned with some marmalade.  Abigail drank yet a third cup, And Naomi cleared the things up, then went upstairs.  An hour later, a scream rang out in the halls of Collinwood, for a servant had found Miss Abigail Collins dead in her chair.  The doctor said it was her heart.

Sukey's research proved most interesting.  It seemed there was but one Naomi in all of Collinsport, the wealthy matron upon the hill, and Naomi was the name her husband had called out in his fitful slumber.  Further, there was known to be an old smuggler's cave upon the woman's estate, which might connect the lady quite nicely with Jebez Hawkes.  And yes, Mr. Hawkes was a known thorn in the side of excise men all along the Maine coast. Nathan was down for the day, she was certain.  Perhaps she should visit with Mr. Hawkes?  He was quite handsome.  Yes, and it would serve Nathan right if she returned to him with a neck all purple!  The idea!  Naomi Collins was old enough to be his mother.  Romping about with her son's friend, it was shameful.  She'd half a mind to introduce herself to the hussy as Nathan's wife, after all!  Perhaps she just would.  The more Sukey thought of her husband throwing her over for a rich old woman, the angrier she became.  Well, she'd just see how things went with Mr. Hawkes.

Jeb Hawkes was charming, he was witty, he was dashing!  He was all Nathan had been at first, and more.  He made grand gestures and flattered her outrageously, and was most interested to find she was Nathan's wife.  He felt it would be wrong, he said, to cut Sukey out of the profits, and that she ought to be well looked after.  He spoke of the fine house she would have, the lovely things, and how people would look to her with respect, would respect all of them.  Oh!  He painted a fine picture!  There they were, in a fine coach, pulling right up to the gates of Collinwood, where their partner, the rich Naomi let them in, and entertained her as a dear friend and social equal. When she left Jebez, her neck was still pink, but her steps were not as sure as they might have been, and she wobbled a bit as she went her way.

Sukey returned to Nathan's rooms, and was dismayed to find him out.  He'd left a note, it said simply "Gone to Collinwood, Nathan"  Well!  Of all the nerve!  Gone to see his doxie, and left his wife a note!  Of all the nerve!  Sukey fumed, and she drank some more, and then she made a decision.  She would go to Collinwood and see the cow for herself!  Give her a piece of her mind, set her straight about a thing or two! Sukey lurched angrily out the door, and wended her way unsteadily up the road.
Sukey stood atop Widow's hill admiring the view, perhaps this was where she would build her fine house when she got rich!  She was so surprised to find another person there, and someone she recognized, as well!  'Hello!  You've come to meet me!"  Sukey turned to greet the person, smiling a welcome.  Her smile soon left, however, as she felt the ground leave her feet, and she went sailing off the cliff, screaming all the way down.  The tide carried her battered remains out to sea, and that was the end of Mrs. Nathan Forbes.  "Brainless little bitch."  It was an apt, if unflattering epitaph.
 

The family was in mourning over the tragic death of Miss Abigail.  Collinwood was a subdued, and somber place.  Wedding preparations were set aside, and guests came and went, offering their sympathies to the bereaved family.  Conversation was hushed, and The Collinses wore mourning.  Now the wedding must be a quiet affair, small and not showy. For this mercy, Naomi was singularly grateful.  She'd not been feeling well recently, and the pace of her life had lately quickened.

Both Nathan and Jeb were there, paying their respects. Jeb took the opportunity to renew old friendships, he had not seen Barnabas nor Jeremiah since the war.  That Abigail should have died so close to the wedding was most unfortunate, and Barnabas was taking it hard, wanting to postpone it.  This would be most inconvenient, however, in light of the fact that he was to return to Martinique with the Dupres family, and take his part in the management of the Dupres holdings as Josette's husband.  Passage was already booked for the entire party, and to postpone was not possible.  It would have made more sense for him to go to Martinique, but Josette was most insistent upon the families meeting first. and it had made more sense for hers to come to his, it being smaller.

Angelique was indeed staying, as a maid.  The new house was larger, and would need more servants.  Indeed, a number had been hired, their service to start as soon as the house was habitable.  These seemed a more professional sort than was common in Collinsport, and were rumored to have come in on Mr. Hawkes vessel.
 

By lamplight a hand was writing.  Pages in a notebook, lines worth a great deal, lines containing detailed records of the comings, goings, meetings, and partings of Mrs. Joshua Collins.  It wrote of lust, and smuggling, and murder, and the author of these words re-read them every night, even as it added more.  There was a love of detail in this book, even a poetry to the tale it set down.  And it's author loved the story it told, had come to feel a special relationship with the people whose lives it detailed.  Those lives were intertwined with it's own in ways not even the author could imagine.  Here was wealth.  Here was status.  Here was a new life.  The book was guarded well.

End part 2

to be continued....