CHAPTER ELEVEN

After Dr. Chalmers leaves, I intend to talk to Hazel and get her perspective on the events surrounding Minnie's disappearance, but the woman's skill for disappearing is unmatched. She's not in her room when I knock, and I know this because I stand with my ear pressed to the door for several minutes and finally open it to find it empty. She's nowhere in the house that I can see. She could be on the grounds, I suppose, but if she is, I'll have to run into her accidentally. Henri won't arrive for several hours, and Horace is out with Veronica, and with Niall out prowling around and no one else in the house, I am loath to wander.

So I look up what I can online. I am woefully illiterate when it comes to technology, having grown up fond of nature and books rather than computers and cell phones, and with no skill at digging into the dark web or searching for expunged or well-hidden data, I'm limited to what information is easily available.

It's not much. The Carltons may be well-known in some circles, but not all, and the Montclairs are utterly unknown. The story runs for four issues in the newspaper, starting as a fourth-page article and ending with a brief, five-paragraph summary that announces that the Carltons have been exonerated of wrongdoing and there are no leads in the case.

I look up Minnie herself and get very little. The search links to five different Minerva Montclairs, and when I find the one that matches my Minerva, I see only images from her social media accounts. This reveals nothing to me other than that she does indeed resemble both Annie and Lucas to a disturbing degree. This is hardly a revelation, since her resemblance to Annie is largely what motivates me to seek justice in the first place, and her resemblance to Lucas fits with the suspicion that she is somehow Veronica's long-lost child.

I wonder about that, though. Veronica is fiercely protective of Lucas and dismissive of Minnie. Perhaps Minnie is Lucas's half-sister but with a different mother and the same father. Perhaps the resemblance is entirely coincidental.

And does it even matter anymore with this new information from Dr. Chalmers? If Alistair truly is responsible for Minnie's death, then it would explain all of the family's behavior so far: their refusal to talk about Minnie openly, Sebastian's insistence that she not be discussed at all, and their indulgence of Alistair.

I search for Alistair next. I get even less on him than I do on Minnie. His Bohemian lifestyle so far has left no mark on society, which I suppose shouldn't surprise me.

The younger Carltons yield little besides their academic records, which is understandable given they've only just started their adult lives. The older ones have a more extensive record, but it's only ordinary information. Veronica's name is connected to several charities. Evidently her philanthropy is well-known enough that she's even earned a magazine interview or two.

Sebastian, not surprisingly, figures most prominently in the public's eye, but it's all business-related. He appears to command some respect in the world of technology. He's not a giant in the industry in the vein of Gates, Zuckerberg, or Page, but he's well-respected.

There's nothing here that tells me anything, nothing that indicates what might have happened to Minnie. Or rather, there's much that indicates what happened to her, but nothing concrete that can tell me which of the rumors are true, if any.

I finally admit defeat and close my laptop. I chastise myself for wasting my own time. Why would I think I could discover the cause of Minnie's death on the internet? If such information was available, then the police would have used it already.

I sigh and press my palms to my temples. I should let this go. I'm not trained to be a detective. I can't be of help to Minnie. I'm only torturing myself. But each time I think that, Annie's face floats across my mind, as though to remind me of the consequences of giving up.

The detective looks at me and says, kindly but firmly, "It's time to let go, Mary."

I think of Annie's face, her smile, her laugh. I can't bear to think that's been taken forever and I'll never know why.

But I'm so tired. I've fought so hard, and if I keep fighting, I'll lose myself. And for what? If there's nothing to gain, then what am I fighting for?

I lift my eyes to her and nod softly. "All right."

That conversation was twenty-eight years ago. The next day, Detective Huxley closed the investigation into my sister's disappearance. I've never forgiven myself for not fighting to learn the truth.

Someone kidnapped Minerva Montclair. Someone killed her. I don't believe for a moment the fantasy that she eloped somewhere. Someone murdered her, and whether it's right or wrong, I can't just ignore that. Not anymore.

But I won't learn anything else today. I head upstairs for some tea. I'll sit in the sun for a while, then work on my lesson plan for Lucas. I don't know if he'll be back tomorrow, but it's better than stewing in my own uncertainty.

I arrive in the tearoom to see Sebastian sitting with a cup in his hand facing the window. He turns to me and smiles. "Good afternoon, Mary. I thought you had gone for the afternoon. You can, you know. You're not a prisoner here."

I redden slightly. "I'm sorry to intrude, sir. I'll leave you to your tea."

"You mistake my meaning," he says. "You're welcome to stay if you'd like. In fact, if you'd like, I'd love the company. You're under no obligation to stay, though."

I hesitate a moment. On one hand, if there's anyone who knows the whole story of Minnie's disappearance, it's Sebastian. On the other hand, he might be the most dangerous of the Carltons, and I don't think it would be wise to poke this particular bear.

But again, wisdom has never been my strong suit.

"Thank you, sir. I will join you if that's all right."

"I invited you," he reminds me, "so it's all right. Sit. I'll get you a cup."

"Oh, sir, that's all right. I can manage."

"Sit."

I sit. What else is there to do when the lord of the manor commands me?

He returns a moment later and asks, "Do you take cream?"

"No, thank you. I've always said a good Earl Grey should stand on its own."

"I agree."

He pours me a cup and resumes staring out the window. Just when I'm about to make small talk to break the uncomfortable silence, he asks, "Have you ever married, Miss Mary?"

"No, sir. I've never met the right person, I suppose."

He nods. "You're lucky."

When he doesn't offer an explanation and the silence grows uncomfortable again, I say, "Veronica seems like a lovely woman."

"Oh, she is," he agrees, "the loveliest woman I've ever met. But also the most demanding."

"Oh?"

He smiles slightly. "She's enamored with the status that comes with wealth. The money itself is secondary to her. She must be worshipped always. You don't see that side of her at home, but she cannot stand being less than the most important person at all times."

I sip my tea. I really should speak to someone about my strange ability to get everyone to trust in me for no reason.

Sebastian notices my embarrassment. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Oh, no, sir. Of course not." As though I could give any other answer.

He nods. "I love her more than anything. And I will never leave her. I suppose that's my curse."

"It can't be all bad," I say. "She's given you three wonderful children."

"Yes," he says. "She has. For the most part."

I consider my reply carefully. "It's natural for a father to worry about his children. They will have to navigate many struggles in their lives, but they appear to be doing well enough. Eliza is establishing her place in the world, and while her job isn't prestigious, it's a good place to start. Oliver seems dedicated to his studies, and Lucas is quite brilliant. And so creative! I really think he could have a wonderful career."

Sebastian grimaces. "Lucas will fall over at the first strong wind thanks to Veronica's coddling. Oliver is one drunken escapade away from jail, and Eliza declined a graduate scholarship to Cambridge to work as a secretary for a country doctor."

And yet you allowed all three of them to travel to a foreign country with your rake of a cousin .

I'm smart enough not to say this aloud, thankfully. After a moment, he sighs and says, "It's cruel of me to say, and I hope you'll keep this in confidence, but there are days I wish I had never met Veronica."

"All married people feel that way at times, I imagine."

Sebastian nodded. "Yes. But I've acted on it."

I blink. "Is… I mean, it's not my place, but—"

"Oh, not with Veronica." He chuckles. "No, I'm far wiser with her. But Jeannie… Well, you heard Alistair's crass little joke the other night. I'm ashamed to say it's rooted in truth. I was married before Veronica, and when Jeannie and I began to have problems, I ran to the first pretty woman who caught my eye. It worked out well, I suppose, but I wonder sometimes what would have occurred if I had thought more prudently. Jeannie was a sweet, kind, and pure woman. That made her boring, but it made her trustworthy. I wish sometimes that she had been enough for me."

"You wouldn't have your children if you had stayed," I offer, not sure what else to say.

"Yes," he says. "I suppose I wouldn't."

There's a touch of bitterness in his voice. I fall silent and sip the rest of my tea. I'm about to excuse myself when he stands instead.

"I'd appreciate if you didn't ask about the missing girl."

My blood freezes and my mouth dries instantly. I swallow and stammer. "I… of course not."

"It's a source of great embarrassment to my family that rumors abounded regarding her disappearance. Reputation is very important to us, and the stain of her loss still corrodes that reputation. It's a source of personal pain for me, and while it's a tragedy that she was lost, I would rather not be reminded that so many people still think of us as kidnappers and possibly murderers."

"Of course, sir," I say, I hope not too quickly. "It's none of my business after all."

He nods. Then he lays a hand on my shoulder and squeezes softly. I resist the urge to cry out and hope that the trembling in my body isn't noticeable.

"Thank you, Miss Mary."

He leaves the room, and when I hear the door close behind me, I gasp. I set the teacup on the table so the trembling in my hand doesn't lead me to spill the remaining liquid. Then I stand and pace the room until my heart calms.

My reaction might be excessive, but Niall's warning echoes in my mind. How much danger am I putting myself in by turning over these stones? What can I hope to gain that is worth the sacrifice, perhaps of my life?

At the Ashford house, I was nearly killed by a crazed woman with a handgun. I escaped that situation by the skin of my teeth, but Sebastian Carlton is not unhinged. He is shrewd and cold and very, very dangerous.

And I have no doubt that he would erase me from the Earth in an instant if doing so would protect his family's reputation.