EstherJack could say nothing more, and as sunlight wound along the kitchen walls, Isobel announced she would have to speak to Evan Bellamy about their staying the night. The sisters had tried to ease more from Jack about what had happened to his brother, but the man had folded into himself. Glancing at Esther over Jack’s head, Isobel got up and left the two together. She walked down the hallway to find Evan Bellamy.
‘Do you think he’ll let us stay?’ Esther asked Jack after Isobel had left the room.
Jack had closed his eyes. Dirt from the ride across the plains streaked his face and there were black half-moons under his nails. ‘I don’t know. If it were me alone, asking for board, I should say he’d send me over to a hut on Chimney Pass, where the hands stay. Might be different with you her
