The Knight (Endgame #2)(36)

“No, he wasn’t.”

“Did Daddy know?”

“Not at first. There were a lot of boys in this town who wanted to marry Helen Lancaster. She would smile her Mona Lisa smile at them, and they’d think they had a chance. The only boy in the running was ever Geoffrey. Your grandmother made sure of that.”

“Because he had money.”

“He didn’t just have money. He had an ungodly amount of money. And your grandmother had expensive tastes. Big ambitions. Nothing less would do.” She laughs without humor. “And it’s ironic, isn’t it? The man she made your mother marry is flat broke. And the man she wanted to marry did well for himself.”

“I really need to know who it was.” Did she mention his name somewhere in this book?

“It wouldn’t have been enough for Maeve Lancaster,” Nina says, still lost in the past. “She wanted standing, too. The kind that only an established family can give you.”

The kind that Justin had, at least before his father disowned him. “Please tell me.”

She shakes her head. “It’s not a good idea to go digging in the past. I heard they auctioned the house. You need to stay away from it.”

Confusion tenses my brow. “I don’t own it anymore. Why would I go there?”

Her gaze holds a warning. “Whatever you read, Avery. Don’t go back.”

My fingers clench around the diary, resolve thick in my throat. “I don’t have any plans to step foot in that house again. But I need to find out what happened.”

“Why?”

I consider that a moment, wanting to be honest with her. “Because I lived in her house for most of my life. I listened to Daddy talk about her. It’s like everything I knew was a shrine dedicated to her, but it turns out I didn’t know her at all.”

“She had her share of secrets.”

“And because…” My voice catches. “I think in some ways I might be following in her footsteps. And maybe seeing how she settled down, how she found happiness might help me do the same.”

“There’s a flaw in your thinking, dear.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re assuming Helen Lancaster ever found happiness.”

Foreboding runs through me in tangible, almost violent shudders.

A racking cough overtakes Nina. I kneel at her side, clasping her hand. “Is there something I can do?”

“Charlie,” she says, eyes closed, leaning back.

I rush downstairs. “Charlotte? I think Nina needs you.”

Charlotte comes out of the dining room, a grim look on her face. “That’s another reason why I like to spend my weekends here. She doesn’t like to ask for help, but she needs it.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I might have worn her out.”

“Don’t worry. Talking about Helen always does her good. And she was thrilled when I told her you had come.” Charlotte bites her lip. “I’m not sure she’ll be able to talk more, though. Once the exhaustion sets in—”

“Please don’t worry about me. I’ll show myself out.”

“Okay, thank you. Do come back and visit her. I’m positive she would want to see you again.” Charlotte looks relieved before she hurries up the stairs.

I watch her as she disappears into the top landing. The barest hint of voices trickles down the curving staircase. In my mind I see Charlotte hovering over her mother, Nina insisting that she’s fine despite the fact that she isn’t. Not entirely unlike me and my father, until the secrets started spilling out. Does Charlotte know that her mother was once lovers with mine?

My hand is on the bronze doorknob when I turn sideways.

The stack of papers is a mirage in the desert, the promise of safety. I know that whatever I find there won’t save me, but I can’t stop from walking into the dining room. There are demons that drive me just as they drive Gabriel to seek revenge, to demand the truth.

I take one final glance at the stairway. Empty. Complete silence.

My gaze runs over the papers that I can see. Unfamiliar addresses. Names I haven’t heard before. There’s so much information here. I’m not sure I can narrow it down to a single case in the few minutes I’ll have to look.

I sit down in the formal dining chair at the head of the table, the embroidered cloth still warm from Charlotte’s body. The laptop screen still shows her e-mail application.

My gaze snaps to Gabriel Miller’s name. A double-click.

The previous owner of the home may request information about the winner of the auction. Under no circumstances should you provide it.

Heat floods my cheeks. That’s how much he wants to block me, that he would send a memo?

I know that you have discretion, but I also know your family has a personal connection to this case. I trust that it won’t interfere.

And now remorse burns a hole in my stomach.

I’m exploiting that personal connection right now. And I don’t stop.

To underscore the importance, know that this is a privacy issue as well as a safety concern. My concern is for the well-being of Ms. St. James in light of the recent events.

“Avery?”

I stand up, guilt warring with anger. “What recent events?”

Her dark eyes flash. “You shouldn’t have done that.”