He pronounced the last word in three exquisite syllables.
“Um, thank you,” Ruth said. This was a strange turn. “I know it was never your intent that I stay here on Fort Niles…”
“Oh, it was precisely my intent.”
Ruth looked at him without blinking.
“It was always my hope that you would stay here and organize these islands. Bring some sense to them. As you have done, Ruth. You look surprised.”
She was. Then again, she was not. She thought back.
Her mind slowed, picking around carefully for an explanation, looking closely at the details of her life. She reviewed some ancient conversations, some ancient meetings with Mr. Ellis. What exactly had he expected of her? What were his plans for her when her schooling was over? He had never said.
“I always understood that you wanted me to get off this island and go to college.” Ruth’s voice sounded calm in the big room. And she was calm. She was vitally involved in the conversation now.
“I said no such thing, Ruth. Did I ever talk to you about college? Did I ever say I wanted you to live elsewhere?”
Indeed he had not, she realized. Vera had said it; her mother had said it; Cal Cooley had said it. Even Pastor Wishnell had said it. But not Mr. Ellis. How very interesting.
“I’d like to know something,” Ruth asked, “since we are being so candid. Why did you make me go to school in Delaware?”
“It was an excellent school, and I expected you to hate it.”
She waited, but he did not elaborate.
“Well,” she said, “that explains everything. Thanks.”
He let out a rattling sigh. “Taking into account both your intelligence and your obstinacy, I imagined the school would serve two purposes. It would educate you and would drive you back to Fort Niles. I should not have to spell this out for you, Ruth.”
Ruth nodded. That did explain everything.
“Are you angry, Ruth?”
She shrugged. Oddly, she was not. Big deal, she thought. So he’d been manipulating her whole life. He’d manipulated the life of everyone he had sway over. It was no surprise, really; in fact, it was edifying. And in the end-what of it? Ruth came to this conclusion rapidly and with no fuss. She liked knowing at last what had been going on all these years. There are moments in a person’s life when the big understanding arrives in a snap, and this was such a moment for Ruth Thomas-Wishnell.
Mr. Ellis spoke again. “You could not possibly have married better, Ruth.”
“My, my, my,” she said. On came the surprises! “Well, how do you like that?”
“A Wishnell and a Thomas? Oh, I like it very much. You have founded a dynasty, young lady.”
“Have I, now?”
“You have. And it would have given my father supreme satisfaction to see what you’ve accomplished here in the last few years with the cooperative, Ruth. No other local could have pulled it off.”
“No other local ever had the capital, Mr. Ellis.”
“Well, you were clever enough to acquire that capital. And you’ve spent it wisely. My father would have been proud and delighted at the success of your business. He was always concerned for the future of these islands. He loved them. As do I. As does the entire Ellis family. And after all my family has invested into these islands, I would not want to see Fort Niles and Courne Haven sink for lack of a worthy leader.”
“I’ll tell you something, Mr. Ellis,” Ruth said, and for some reason she could not help smiling. “It was never my intent to make your family proud. Believe me. I have never been interested in serving the Ellis family.”
“Regardless.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” Ruth felt strange and light-and thoroughly comprehending. “Regardless.”
“But you’ve come to speak of business.”
“So I have.”
“You have some money.”
“So I do.”
“And you want me to sell you my land.”
Ruth hesitated.
“No-o,” she said, and she drew the word out. “No, not exactly. I don’t want you to sell me your land, Mr. Ellis. I want you to give it to me.”
Now it was Mr. Ellis who stopped blinking. Ruth tilted her head and returned his gaze.
“Yes?” she said. “Do you understand?”
He did not answer. She gave him time to think about what she’d said, and then explained it, with careful patience. “Your family owes a great debt to my family. It is important and proper that your family make some restitution to my family for the lives of my mother and my grandmother. And for my life, too. Surely you understand?”
Ruth was pleased with that word-restitution. It was exactly the right word.
Mr. Ellis thought this over for some time and then said, “You aren’t threatening me with legal action, are you, Miss Thomas?”
“Mrs. Thomas-Wishnell,” Ruth corrected. “And don’t be absurd. I’m not threatening anybody.”
“I rather thought not.”
“I’m only explaining that you have an opportunity here, Mr. Ellis, to right some of the wrongs that your family inflicted on my family over the years.”
Mr. Ellis did not reply.
“If you ever felt like cleaning up your conscience a bit, this might be your big chance.”
Mr. Ellis still did not reply.
“I shouldn’t have to spell this out for you, Mr. Ellis.”
“No,” he said. He sighed again, took off his glasses, and folded them. “You should not have to.”
“You understand then?”
He nodded once and turned his head to regard the fire.
Ruth said, “Good.”
They sat in silence. David was asleep by now, and his body made a hot, damp imprint against Ruth’s body. He was heavy. And yet Ruth was comfortable. She thought this brief and forthright exchange with Mr. Ellis was both important and proper. And true. It had gone well. Restitution. Yes. And it was about time. She felt quite at ease.
Ruth watched Mr. Ellis as he watched the fire. She was not angry or sad. Nor did he appear to be so. She felt no resentment toward him. It was a nice fire, she thought. It was unusual, but not unpleasant, to have such a big, Christmasy fire blazing away in the middle of June. With the draperies drawn over the windows, with the smell of woodsmoke in the room, there was no way to know that the day was bright. It was a beautiful fireplace, the pride of the room. It was made of heavy, dark wood-mahogany, perhaps-decorated with nymphs and grapes and dolphins. It was capped by a marble mantelpiece of greenish hue. Ruth admired the workmanship of the fireplace for some time.
“I’ll take the house, too,” she said, at last.
“Of course,” said Mr. Ellis. His hands were clasped on the card table in front of him. His hands were spotty and papery, but now they did not tremble.
“Good.”
“Fine.”
“You’re with me?”
“Yes.”
“And you do understand what all this means, Mr. Ellis? It means you’ll have to leave Fort Niles.” Ruth did not say this in an unkind manner. She was simply correct. “You and Cal should both return to Concord now. Don’t you think?”
He nodded. He was still looking at the fire. He said, “When the weather is good enough to set sail in the Stonecutter…”
“Oh, there’s no hurry. You don’t have to leave here today. But I don’t want you dying in this house, do you understand? And I do not want you dying on this island. That would not be appropriate, and it would unsettle everyone too much. I don’t want to have to deal with that. So you do have to leave. And there’s no immediate hurry. But sometime over the next few weeks, we’ll pack you up and move you out of here. I don’t think it’ll be too hard.”
“Mr. Cooley can take care of all that.”
“Of course,” Ruth said. She smiled. “That’ll be a perfect job for Cal.”
They sat for another long time in silence. The fire crackled and shimmered. Mr. Ellis unfolded his eyeglasses and returned them to his face. He turned his gaze upon Ruth.