Chapter SeventeenEliza
The Sabbath, New Year's Day 1792
True to his word, Alex gave me 400 dollars the day after he received his bi-monthly pay. I dared not ask him from whence it came, and he omitted to tell me. But I needed to see the ledger balance and if he'd entered any more debits. During a New Year's reception in our parlour, I stole away to his study. By stealth, as if he could hear me across the hall, I slid the ledger out of his desk drawer and opened it. The debit column showed the 600 dollars he'd already withdrawn, and no more deposits. He hadn't deposited his entire pay—only half. Then, to my astonishment, I saw he'd withdrawn another 200 dollars. That was why he could only give me 400 instead of the 600 I'd asked for. He'd given it to someone else.
Just as I closed the bo
