“How could you leave it until now?”
Matron pulled up a chair and sat next to me. Her usual brusque manner had been replaced by the caring motherly person that I used to see talking to the wounded soldiers we all knew would never see home. “I believe your father left those instructions. I’m sure he didn’t want you to be pressured with this sad news while you were overseas. Perhaps he thought it would be better to keep the sad news until now so you could concentrate on your job.”
After a few more kind words, she left me alone to grieve, offering to bring me back a cup of tea.
It wasn’t until I got to my assigned room that I opened the box. Inside were all of the letters I’d written Wilz while I was overseas and there were letters addressed to me in her own handwriting. Why had they never been sent?
Surely Papa wouldn’t have stopped Carter from putting them in the post, would he? I already knew the answer. Papa would do whatever suited Papa, even interfere with our mail. I don’t believe he forgave Wilz for getting me away from home at all. I checked the dates on her letters, wondering if he had read them once she’d left them for posting. They were all slit open. I had my answer.
In the box I found other tokens of Wilz’s life. Her watch, a tortoiseshell hairclip I’d given her for a birthday gift. A photo of us together. Why had he sent these to me? Was it to prove that he still controlled my life? Was it to show that he could reach out and touch me whenever he chose? I felt the latter was correct.
I could not go back home to Foxborough Hall. If he was cruel enough to keep my sister’s death from me, what must he have planned for my return. I must make arrangements to hide, to make my own way in the world. I will not be a prisoner to him ever again. I no longer have Wilz to back me up but I’m not the same girl that left.
It is time I swallowed my pride, spoke to Frederick and asked for help.
“We think we found out your secret, Gran.” Alex held the phone on his shoulder so both he and Hamish could hear the conversation and be part of it.
“What are you talking about, darling?”
“Why you didn’t want Mom coming up here and doing a story on the house.”
They heard the gasp over the phone. There was silence for the longest time before Hamish joined the conversation.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Lucy, but we need help here. There’s still no sign of Billie. Her car is here, her camera was found in the house and she hasn’t been seen at the hotel she booked into when she arrived for the last three days. Alex needs to find his mother. So far nothing from the police according to Frederick.”
“I don’t know what you expect from me. Surely finding out my secret won’t help at all.” From the tone of her voice, Hamish knew she was more than a little annoyed.
“I’ll do everything I can to help Alex find his mother.”
“Sounds very unprofessional to me.” She sniffed and he could almost see the tilt of her nose. “You seem a little stressed for someone who claims to be mere friends, Hamish. You have feelings for her, don’t you?”
“I have a strong bond with Alex and yes, I’ll admit it, I like Billie a lot. She’s a lovely woman and a great mother. Qualities I admire.” Hamish watched the smile appear on the boy’s face at his words. “But I fail to see what that has to do with anything. Billie is missing and you should be more concerned than you are.”
“Be that as it may, I wasn’t asking for your opinion. And I knew there was more to this than you were saying. I have to say you surprise me, Hamish. I thought better of you than getting involved in your clients. She’s a lovely person, I’ll give you that, but still, her morals have to be questioned as far as I’m concerned.”
When Alex heard her words his shoulders slumped and his lips turned down.
Hamish reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a smile. “Technically Billie is not my patient, Lucy so I’m not crossing any boundaries. I don’t understand why on earth do you keep insisting that her having anxiety and possible depression makes her liable for her own illness? It’s not something you can will to attack you. I study these very things and for the love of God, Lucy, you seriously test my patience.” Hamish heard a gasp and listened as a door closed with a thud. Frederick’s concerned voice. “Lucy, what’s wrong, darling?” The phone crackled and then he came on the line. “Hamish? What the heck is going on? Lucy’s in tears. Have you found Billie?”
“No, Frederick. I’m sorry, but we found out Lucy’s secret. She still refuses to believe something has happened to Billie and won’t help at all.”
“Where are you? Give me a phone number.”
Hamish relayed the number and hung up. “He’s going to call us back later. We need to go and get dinner before they close the restaurant and leave him to sort out your grandmother.”
They received a call a couple of hours later. “Hamish, I have some things to see to first thing in the morning, but Lucy and I will leave town about midday. We should get to you before dark tomorrow night.”
“Good to hear it, Frederick. I’m sure Lucy can shed some light on what’s going on. In the meantime, Alex and I will go back out tomorrow to the
