Page 46 of One Last Smile

I am nearly at the house when I see Lucas coming out of the garage. As he closes the garage door, I frown and head in his direction instead.

“Lucas?”

He cries out and flinches backward.

I meet his eyes. “What are you doing? Did you leave the grounds?”

His cheeks turn bright red. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to tell you I left.”

I stare at him. “Where did you go?”

“I…” He looks around, then lowers his voice. “I had a suspicion about Eliza and Dr. Chalmers. I wanted to confirm it.”

My eyes widen, and the color leaves my cheeks. “What? What suspicion?”

He narrows his eyes. “You promise you won’t tell?”

“I…” I hesitate. It would be easy enough to lie to him, but I’ve had enough of lies. “I can’t promise that.”

He frowns again. “Will you at least promise not to tell anyone you got the photographs from me?”

“Yes. Yes, that I can promise.”

“Good.”

He takes his camera bag off of his shoulder and opens one of the pockets. He pulls out several Polaroid photos. “I took these about a half hour ago.”

He shows them to me, and I gasp and flush beet-red. “Oh, goodness!”

“I know,” he says. “I shouldn’t be taking these pictures of my sister. Obviously I won’t keep them, but…” He shifts his feet and says, “It’s wrong, right? I mean… it’s bad for her.”

“It is,” I agree. “Very bad.”

The pictures prove that at least one of my suspicions is correct. There’s no mistaking now that Eliza Carlton and Dr. Rupert Chalmers are engaged in a romantic relationship.

And if Dr. Chalmers got Minnie pregnant, that would infuriate Eliza, wouldn’t it? Not to mention, Dr. Chalmers would be terrified of the repercussions of such news. Both of them would have a motive to kill her. Both of them would want the pregnancy covered up.

And neither of them would want Oliver to suspect that it was Rupert who seduced his girlfriend. Neither of them would want Veronica and Sebastian to know the truth.

But they suspect. They must. Or else why would Veronica have had the painting removed? Why would Sebastian order that her name not be spoken? I had thought it was simply the sensitivity of the wealthy to scandal, but now I can see the very real chance of a scandal should the truth become known. Now I can understand why Sebastian would insist that there be no search when the chance existed that instead of clearing their name, it would prove that they were murderers.

“I’m not sure what to do with these,” he says. “I want her to stop before she gets hurt, but I don’t know if I should tell my parents or Eliza or what. What should I do?”

I have no idea what I’ll do, but I know exactly what Lucas should do. “Give the photographs to me,” I say. “Tell no one what you saw. Don’t take any more pictures of them. Let me think of a way to handle this so that you’re protected. In the worst case, I’ll simply be fired and sent away. I’m only a servant, after all.”

“But I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“You stand to be in far worse trouble,” I remind him. “Please. Let me handle this.”

He thinks a moment, then nods and hands me the photographs. I place them in my coat pocket, then put my hands on his shoulders. “Remember. Tell no one.”

“I’ll remember.” He smiles. “Thank you, Mary. Please be careful.”

I suppose I’m not done with lies just yet because I return his smile and say, “I will.”

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

The rest of the day passes in a blur. With his burden removed, Lucas returns to his photography, this time walking the grounds and taking pictures for the collage he promised me. I drink enough tea to leave my hands shaking by dinner time and sift through everything I’ve learned about Minnie’s disappearance.

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