Page 105 of Waiting for Love

Jasper nodded.

“Greed makes rich men cruel and poor men fools. Simpson convinced me that there was gold for the taking deeper in the interior. And he knew where to find it.”

Jasper kept silent though it was clear he wanted to say something. Ask something.

“It gets worse,” Benjamin said, walking over to the fireplace, staring into it. He couldn’t look at Jasper. “He needed a partner to help him purchase supplies and to handle one of the boats. He said our foray would take six months. And that we could barter for food along the way. For that, we needed trade goods. Like those in the Company’s warehouse.”

“God, Benjamin.” Jasper’s voice went hoarse. “You didn’t.”

“I didn’t…take any crates from the warehouse. But I let him know how it could be done. And I sold my ticket home. Emptied my pockets.”

“Benjamin! What made you believe he could find gold when the Company could not?”

Then he did turn to face Jasper. “Marie.”

“Who?”

“Mrs. Simpson. Simpson took me to the camp outside the fort to meet her. She was…convincing. Not as loose lipped as her husband. She was furious that he had confided in me. I suppose she pretended to be furious. It had to be kept secret, you see. But he said they needed another pair of hands and my savings. When she finally acquiesced, I felt…” He laughed hollowly. “I felt grateful.”

“So you handed over your savings. Did they abscond with it all?”

“I wish they had done it that simply. No. We gathered what we needed. What they said we needed. And then, I discovered that not only was Marie coming with us, but also, a baby. I balked. Finally, I realized the insanity of what I had signed on for. But they were going whether I went with them or not. With everything I now owned. Moreover, Simpson drank more than you and I and Crispin ever drank combined. Marie asked me to please come. She couldn’t handle him by herself.”

“They had their claws sunk in deep.”

“We went upriver. After the first day, I no longer had any idea where I was. Marie and I paddled the canoes. Simpson drank. Half the time, I took Hannah in my boat to keep her safe from his carelessness. It got colder and colder. Our food ran low.”

Jasper’s brow furrowed. “But you had stolen goods to trade for food.”

Now Benjamin returned to pick up his glass and drain it. Beyond all else, his gullibility was the most difficult to confess. “Simpson traded for furs.”

“Why?”

“Because he knew we were never going to find gold. Fur was the treasure. And by the time I realized the swindle, there was nothing I could do.”

“But who was he swindling?”

“Me, Jasper! Me. We’d signed a contract. He was to get sixty percent of the profits, and I was to get forty percent, and I thought that more than fair.”

“But?”

“The contract very clearly stated we’d split the profit from the gold.”

Jasper stared a moment. Then one side of his mouth lifted. He coughed. Then he laughed.

“For God’s sake, Jasper! It isn’t humorous!”

“No, it isn’t.” He bit his lip trying to keep a straight face. “It isn’t at all.” Benjamin felt bizarrely unburdened to see him so amused. Jasper cleared his throat. “Go on.”

“It was not a six-month foray. We were at least five months going upriver. We were paddling through ice and portaging through snow. I told Simpson I was aware we would never find gold and we should turn around. I just wanted an end to the hell.”

“But he wouldn’t turn back?”

“He did. We did.” Benjamin sat back down. He hunched over the edge of Jasper’s desk. “I heard them arguing that night. They spoke French when they didn’t want me to understand them, but I know a little French. Enough. Simpson thought they should…leave me out there.”

“What! To die?”

He nodded. “That had been their original plan, but Marie must have had second thoughts. She reminded him they needed me to paddle one of the canoes. And…” His neck grew hot.