Garnet or Garnets Curse

right. Maybe he can be treated,” I said, trying to comfort her.
    “Yes, my husband spoke of medications or even surgery to suppress the sexual appetite of the mentally ill. I rejected that idea too. It is still experimental and there are great risks involved. I suppose I was just hoping for a miracle that one day Martin would wake up and be as normal as you and me,” she said.
    “It is ironic that just today I signed the papers to have him committed to ‘La Vallee’ home for the mentally ill. I always said I would just as soon see him dead than in one of those places. I fear he will grieve himself to death within the first month. However, for now I have a greater fear. Lord forbid he attacks another woman. I must go at once and find him,” she said, standing to her feet.
    “Wait, I will get dressed and go with you,” I said bravely.
    “After what you have been through?” she questioned.
    “Maria, he is a sick man, not a criminal. Who knows what you might encounter. You might need my help,” I insisted.
    Maria and I spent the rest of the morning looking for Ox. We talked little as we rode from place to place, hoping to find him. Our first thought was he would be back at his old shack at Nell’s place. When we drove up to the property, it seemed like years since I had been there. What was left standing of the house were only a few blackened timbers.
    We searched the grounds, the sheds and outbuildings before giving up. Our walk back to the carriage forced us to walk by the ruins of the house. Circling the frame of the house was a charred line. I was not an expert, but it looked as if someone had poured kerosene all around the house and torched it.
    Maria saw the questions in my eyes. She took my hand in hers and looked me in the eye. “Margo, or is it Garnet? The Bible says: For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”
    I turned my head, but she gently reached up and turned my face back toward her. “Do you wish to know about the fire?” I said nothing, but she continued. “If you recall, you and I had met before on the beach. I gathered that you were staying with Nell, but by your speech and carriage, I knew you were not just a servant girl. I thought of going to Nell and offering to take you in myself. My reserve in getting involved in Nell’s affairs kept me from it. However, the night Martin came carrying you in, not only did I feel guilty, I was furious with Nell. As soon as day broke the next morning, Martin and I went over to see Nell. First, I was going to make it clear she was never to see you again. Second, I was going to demand that she turn Martin over to me and give him his half of the inheritance. If she refused, I planned to have her arrested on charges of assault and battery. When we arrived, I walked in uninvited. I expected to find her in bed, so I pushed open her bedroom door.” Maria paused and her voiced dropped off to a whisper, “To my horror I saw her lying in the middle of the floor. A quick evaluation told me she was dead.”
    “So, this is when you got my bag and the kitten?” I asked, putting the puzzle together in my head.
    “Yes, then Martin and I loaded the carriage with the valuables and important documents. They are stored in my attic now. My plan was just to ride away, but I feared some cruel person would find Nell ’ s body and expose it to the world. It was bad enough that she suffered from her disfigurement in life, but it seemed unholy that it should haunt her in her death. I looked around at all the years of evil in that house and it occurred to me that the only thing to do was burn it to the ground with Nell inside. ”
    “Maria, if you had not, Ox may have been charged with Nell’s murder. You should not feel guilty. You did what had to be done,” I said sincerely.
    “ Let me be weighed in an even balance that God may know mine integrity. Book of Job 31:6,” she said softly and climbed up in the carriage.
    I felt my knees trembling as I sat down beside her. “This is all my fault,” I said. “I wish my father had never brought me here. I am cursed and now it has spread to all of you.”
    “Don’t be so vain,” Maria laughed. “If you think you caused what has happened you are greatly mistaken. God is in charge, not us. Besides, if you had not come here, I would have missed the blessing of your acquaintance.”
    “Maria, you are wise, but there are things you do not