Chapter 16
Saturday morning, Evelyn changed at Sophie's place, then called a car to the Ashford estate.
The estate sat halfway up a hill on the west side of the city. Private property, gray brick and white walls, two plane trees in the courtyard. The first time Evelyn had come here was the day she and Sebastian got engaged. Richard had waited for her at the door himself, taking her hand and saying, "Sweetheart, from now on, this is your home."
That was three years ago.
The car pulled up to the entrance. Evelyn got out.
The first thing she noticed was the changes.
The flower beds by the door had been replanted. They used to have Richard's favorite roses. Now they were all lilies. A white birdcage hung beside the gate with two parrots inside.
Evelyn climbed the steps and rang the doorbell.
A stranger answered.
A maid in uniform looked her up and down.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm Evelyn. I'm here to see Grandpa."
The maid said "Oh" and stepped aside.
Jenny, the old housekeeper, was gone. As Evelyn walked in, she scanned the room. The living room layout had been changed too. The sofa faced a different direction. A new tea set sat on the coffee table. A wooden plant stand had been added in the corner with several potted flowers.
Everything had been carefully arranged, but it wasn't Richard's style.
Footsteps came from the direction of the kitchen.
Arianna appeared from around the corner carrying a bowl of dark medicinal broth, a maid with a tray following behind her.
She wore a light gray knit loungewear set, her long hair loosely pinned up, her face lightly made up—the picture of gentle domesticity.
When she saw Evelyn, her lips curved immediately into a smile.
"Eve, you're here! Grandpa's upstairs waiting for you. He asked twice this morning when you'd arrive."
Evelyn glanced at her without responding and turned toward the stairs.
A soft laugh floated up from below.
The door to the master bedroom on the second floor was slightly ajar. Evelyn pushed it open. The room smelled faintly of medicine.
Richard was propped halfway up against the headboard, a thin blanket over him. Several medicine bottles sat on the nightstand beside him.
He looked thinner than the last time she'd seen him.
Evelyn walked over and sat in the chair beside the bed.
"Grandpa."
Richard opened his eyes. When he saw her, a glimmer appeared in his cloudy gaze.
"Sweetheart, you came."
He reached out his hand. Evelyn took it. His fingers were so thin they felt sharp, his skin paper-thin.
"How are you feeling? You look like you've lost weight."
Richard waved his hand dismissively.
"Old problems. Nothing serious. You're the one who's gotten thinner. Are you not eating well?"
Evelyn smiled but didn't answer.
Richard sighed and slowly withdrew his hand, settling back against the pillow.
"Sweetheart, I heard about what that bastard Seb did."
The old man's voice was tired and helpless.
"That business at the dinner—did the boy lose his mind? And bringing Arianna to such an important event, not caring if he embarrassed the Ashford family. I yelled at him twice about it. He just stood there and said nothing. But I know—he's the one who wronged you. I'm apologizing on his behalf."
Evelyn looked down at her hands folded in her lap.
"Grandpa, you don't need to apologize. You're not the one who should be apologizing."
Richard was quiet for a moment.
"But sweetheart, about the divorce... could you reconsider?"
Evelyn looked up.
Richard met her eyes, his voice slowing.
"Not for Seb's sake. For the promise your mother made years ago. Before your mother passed, the last thing she asked of me was to make sure you had a good life with the Ashford family."
Evelyn's throat felt blocked.
Mom.
She'd been only nineteen when her mother died. While sorting through her belongings, Evelyn had found an unsent letter under her mother's pillow. The envelope had no recipient. The paper inside contained only one line—
[I'm sorry I couldn't give her a complete family.]
She'd never known who that "her" referred to.
Was it Evelyn herself?
Or someone else?
"Grandpa, about my mom back then..."
Evelyn had just started speaking when Richard suddenly broke into violent coughing.
Harsh, rasping coughs came one after another, unstoppable. Richard bent forward, one hand clutching his chest, his face turning red.
"Grandpa!" Evelyn quickly supported his back.
The bedroom door flew open.
Arianna rushed in carrying the medicine bowl, the new housekeeper right behind her.
"Grandpa! Don't get worked up! Drink your medicine quickly."
She half-knelt beside the bed, spooning the medicinal broth to Richard's lips in small sips, her movements practiced and attentive.
The housekeeper handed over tissues and adjusted pillows. The two of them worked together smoothly, like they'd rehearsed it.
Richard's coughing gradually subsided.
Arianna set down the bowl and wiped the corner of Richard's mouth with a tissue. Then she glanced back at Evelyn.
Just for an instant.
There was no smile at the corners of her mouth, but something new in her eyes.
Evelyn saw it clearly.
It wasn't a challenge. It wasn't mockery.
It was certainty. A kind of "this old man is mine to care for now" certainty.
Evelyn withdrew her hand from Richard's back and stood up.
"Grandpa, you should rest. I'll come see you again next time."
Richard coughed twice and nodded.
Evelyn turned and walked out of the bedroom.
The hallway lighting was dim. Her footsteps made soft sounds on the floor.
As she descended the stairs, someone was leaning against the wall in the shadows at the bottom.
Sebastian wore a dark pullover, arms crossed over his chest.
No telling how long he'd been standing there.
"You came to see Grandpa. Why didn't you tell me?"
Evelyn didn't stop walking, moving past him toward the front door.
"Didn't need to."
Sebastian caught up, taking three quick steps to block her path at the bottom of the stairs.
His voice was low.
"Evelyn."
Evelyn stopped.
They stood less than three feet apart. Light from the stairwell hit them from the side, leaving half of Sebastian's face in shadow.
He stared at her, pausing for two seconds like he was trying to figure out how to phrase something.
"About your mother back then... how much do you actually know?"
Evelyn's breathing hitched.
Sebastian looked directly into her eyes.
"Some things aren't what you think they are."
Evelyn turned to face him fully.
She looked at his face and asked, word by word, "What are you saying? You know something about my mother?"
Sebastian's lips moved.
His expression didn't look like an act. Not probing, not manipulative. More like words he'd been holding back for a long time had finally reached his lips, but he regretted them before they came out.
His fingers unconsciously gripped his sleeve.
"Your mother back then wasn't what everyone said—"
"Seb!"
Arianna's voice came from upstairs.
They both looked up at the same time.
Arianna stood by the second-floor railing, both hands on the banister, anxiety on her face.
"Grandpa suddenly said his chest feels tight. Come up quick!"
Sebastian reflexively looked upstairs, then turned back to Evelyn.
He opened his mouth.
Evelyn's lips twisted into a bitter smile.
"Go ahead. Your sister-in-law's calling you."
Sebastian stood there, feet planted like they were nailed to the floor. His gaze moved between Evelyn and the second floor twice.
Another urging call came from upstairs.
"Seb! Hurry! Grandpa looks really bad!"
Sebastian bit down on his back teeth, then finally turned and headed upstairs.
His footsteps faded quickly. The bedroom door upstairs opened, then closed.
Evelyn stood alone at the bottom of the stairs.
Muffled voices drifted down from above—Arianna's, the housekeeper's, Richard's low coughing, all mixing together.
Evelyn turned around, pulled open the front door, and walked out.
The door closed behind her.