Chapter 12 - The Last Letter of Richard Blackmere
Eleanor had kept Richard's letters in a locked drawer for years.
She had never shown them to Roman because she believed they contained nothing more than personal reflections and business instructions.
Now she admitted that one letter had always seemed different.
It had been written the night before Richard died.
The handwriting was hurried, the ink uneven. Several lines had been crossed out so violently that the paper was nearly torn.
Eleanor retrieved a copy she had hidden inside an old prayer book.
Roman read it standing beside the fireplace.
If anything happens to me, do not trust the men who claim they acted in my name.
The accounts are not what they appear to be.
I made a mistake believing loyalty could be purchased.
The third signature is not Julian's.
The letter ended abruptly.
Roman lowered it.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Eleanor's eyes filled with tears.
"Because your father was dead, you were twenty-nine, and every man in this family was telling you what you needed to believe. I thought I could protect you by keeping one secret."
"You protected the people who killed him."
"I know."
Her voice broke.
For the first time, Eleanor looked old.
Roman turned away, struggling to contain his anger.
I wanted to leave them alone, but Eleanor reached for my hand.
"Please stay."
She looked at me.
"Your mother worked for us once, didn't she?"
I froze.
"What?"
Eleanor's face changed as she realized she had revealed something she hadn't intended.
"Your mother, Margaret Vale. She worked at the Blackmere estate before you were born."
I stared at her.
"No. She worked for a family outside Philadelphia."
"Before that. In the city. She was employed here for nearly two years."
Roman looked between us.
"Mother, what are you talking about?"
Eleanor returned to the drawer and removed an old personnel record.
Margaret Vale's name appeared on the first page.
Beneath it was a photograph of my mother, younger than I had ever known her, standing beside a nursery window.
I recognized her smile immediately.
But it was the handwritten note at the bottom that made my knees weak.
Dismissed at the request of Malcolm Reed following the disappearance of confidential correspondence.
My mother had worked inside Blackmere House.
She had known Richard.
She had known Victor.
And someone had forced her to leave.
"Why didn't she ever tell me?" I whispered.
Eleanor's eyes shone.
"Perhaps she was afraid of what would happen if you knew."
Roman took the record from my hands.
"We'll find out what happened."
I shook my head.
"No. I will."
He studied me.
"Nora—"
"My mother spent her life protecting me from men like Victor. I won't let her story become another file someone locks away."
Roman nodded slowly.
"Then we do it together."
That night, Dominic discovered that Malcolm Reed had withdrawn a large amount of cash and purchased a one-way ticket out of the country.
Before he could leave, however, a message arrived from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of Malcolm sitting in a dark room, his hands tied behind a chair.
Beneath it was a single sentence.
The lawyer is ready to talk.
Roman stared at the screen.
Then another message arrived.
May you like
Bring Nora Vale.
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