The Treasure of Ecarte Island

A Reflection

         Petrich arrived home soaking wet and filthy, with a face to match.  He was not wearing his eyeglasses. These he held in wet, scraped hands, taking on a crumpled look and sporting cracked lenses.
Nora stared at him, her mouth gaped open, her eyes wide.
Petrich sighed and his mouth eased into a weary grin. "You should see the other guy."
"And would that other guy be a certain Hilary Baugainvillea?"
Petrich gave her a slight nod, and immediately registered Nora's fury as her mouth closed into a fine hard line and her nostrils flared. "I'm alright," he assured her, "And Hilary is, too. But we did not part as friendly as I had hoped."
"So be it!" Nora spat, taking Petrich inside.
She took an extra quilt from the linen closet and hung it near the fire to gently warm it. She then helped him remove his clothing and clean his face and hands.
"So, did he take my talisman?" Nora asked, in a tone of unexpected sadness. "He asked for it from me and was not happy to know he would have to take it from you instead."
           "No. He didn't take it," replied Petrich, "But somehow, it got itself free from me. I can't seem to find it. Hilary really looked about for it before we parted ways. No telling where it might have fallen off." He held her face in his hands, "So sorry, my darling."
              Nora covered his hands with her own and smiled, "Oh, I'll survive, of course. It was just a pretty stone, and you had given it to me. It was precious to me."
             She wrapped him in the warmed quilt and prepared a hot lemon whiskey instead of tea.  Petrich gratefully took it.
            Nora sat with him. "Now, tell me why he was so adamant about having that necklace. It is not as if he isn't about to come into the first of multiple trust funds."
            Petrich hesitated, then grinned. "What makes you so sure I know?"
            "Because you have a way of whittling the truth out of people. . .before or even after a brawl breaks out."
             Petrich sighed. "Well, I'm not into the business of telling the hardships of another man."
"Hardships," Nora scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"I know, I know. But hardships are relative. What is extremely difficult for one fellow, is nothing but a minor irritant for another."
"Yes, but still. . ."
"Hilary is in a unique position, one very few men his age ever experience. Mistakes are expected."
"And what mistakes would those be?"
"Well. . .apparently he has debt and needs money quick without Dietfried's knowledge."
             "Ah. . ." Nora replied, "Makes sense now. He wanted the necklace to have it inspected and touted out how beneficial it would be for the whole island if something of value were found here. Humph!" She haughtily crossed her arms in aggravation. "I knew he was not being honest."
             Petrich snuggled deeper into his warmed quilt, contemplating the fire. Gretchen quietly lay at his feet, but every so often let out a little whine.
            "I expected her to be hungry." Nora commented, noticing that her food bowl had not been touched. She knelt down to the dog and gently stroked her head. Gretchen wagged her tail weakly. "What's wrong, girl? Hilary didn't hurt you, too, did he?" Her tone took on one of anger.
             "No," Petrich answered, "She stayed well out of the way, barking at the both of us! Was full of energy until we started for home. Perhaps the ordeal just wore her out."
              "Well, whatever the case, Hilary needs to answer for this."
               "Something tells me he has been found out. I mean, he was just as wet and filthy as I was. And not  much of anything gets past Violet Baugainvillea."

                Of course, by the next morning, while Petrich was awake but not fully dressed and Nora was letting out the flock for their morning graze, Hilary arrived at their door.
Petrich opened the door just as he was pulling up his suspenders, stared at the boy a moment, then invited him inside.
Hilary had his cap off his head and wringing it in his hands.
"I do not deserve to be invited inside." he replied. "But thank you. Is Ellenora here?" He said this with a cautious glance inside the cottage.
"Not at the moment." Petrich answered, stepping aside, "She's tending her sheep but will be back soon enough. We have coffee in the mornings. Care for some?"
Gretchen, still acting a bit under the weather lifted her head. She did not growl, but neither did she welcome him with a wagging tail. She simply lay her head back down as Hilary sat in a cushioned chair nearby.
Both men had just settled with their coffee, making small talk of how the little cottage seemed so much more spacious on the inside as opposed to the outside when Nora returned.
She was taking off her jacket and gloves, talking of how well Lucy lamb was nursing from her mother when she noticed Hilary and stopped in mid-sentence. Her hands went to her hips as she stared at him, then slowly fell away, and her expression softened, but only a little.
"You wouldn't be here if you weren't into apologizing." she declared.
Hilary, who had graciously stood up when she entered, humbly nodded his head. "I am truly sorry to you both. I had no excuse. Let me do what I can to make amends."
Nora poured herself some coffee and sat, bidding Hilary to do likewise. "You can begin by telling us the truth of the matter."
Hilary sighed, and explained his triumphs and tribulations over the past year along with his recent troubles. He told them how well university was going and how he wished to simply be a student and not be a part of the social fabric of the aristocracy.
"Hmm. Understandable." said Petrich, thoughtfully, "Some of the expectations are beyond ridiculous. More out of tradition than out of any usefulness."
"Uncle seems to enjoy all that tightrope walking between the acceptable and non-acceptable of court life." Hilary shook his head. "I find it far too exhausting, and very dull. Not that it is any excuse, but I am afraid that was what drew me to the gambling parlors, the mind-numbing boredom of all else. Since beginning The Season, all I've wanted to do was see its end and get back to university. I find the business of estate managing interesting. I even feel confident about managing the Baugainvillea estate someday. The life of an estate holder, however. . ."
"In that way, you're more like your parents and mine, as well," said Nora, now much more relaxed, "Mother can hold her own, but Father always acts put out whenever he is wrangled into a high society social event. Without your uncle and Petrich, even the Grand Showings presenting our documents would be excruciating for me, too."
"And therein lies the answer," Petrich said, "Do not try navigating this all by yourself. Let yourself be guided. Dietfried is there for you, but he also arranged for you a court tutrice, did he not?"
"Oh yes, that would be Lady Daphne Pierpont. It was a sly way of hitting two birds with a single stone. I needed guidance and she needs to be betrothed again, since her engagement ended in tragedy a couple of years ago."
"Oh dear," murmured Nora, sadly, "Not the best situation for either of you."
"No, it isn't." Hilary agreed, frowning, "She and Uncle are quite a pair together. She far more fancies his company over mine, but. . .well, she's intelligent and can make good conversation. . ." His voice trailed off as he fidgeted with a buckle on his boot. "And she's also quite brave, come to find out."
Petrich and Nora glanced at each other. "Then she has all the makings of a good partner for you." Nora ventured. "Seeing such attributes and realizing them to be of worth is a great step forward."
Hilary grinned, and nodded.
Gretchen picked herself up off the floor and sauntered toward the cottage door. Once there she merely stared at it, a signal to be let out.
"I best follow her out." Petrich slipped on boots and grabbed his trusty canvas jacket, "I suppose I need to play the part of a veterinarian and check out her waste."
Nora and Hilary waited for Petrich to return, and when he did, his concern was obvious. "Gretch wasn't looking to relieve herself. She's walking off, like she is purposely trying to get somewhere. I must follow."
And with that, Petrich went after Gretchen who was walking along at a determined, yet comfortable pace. Before too long at all, he was joined by both Nora and Hilary.
Together they steadily followed the dog northward. Every so often, Gretchen would stop, wait for the trio to catch up to her, then continue.
"Where could she be going?" Nora wondered out loud.
"I think I know," Petrich replied somberly.
Within the next half hour, they all stood at the mouth of the north cave.