Page 43 of One Last Smile

“Well, that’s odd,” Veronica finally says. “What on Earth could have inspired him to leave us so abruptly?”

Sebastian shrugs. “Perhaps he means what he says. I’ve always told you he won’t live like this forever. Sooner or later, he’ll want to be a man and stop living on my coattails.”

“Father!” Eliza exclaims.

“What? It’s a compliment! I approve of his choices, and I always knew he’d shape up. What’s wrong with that?”

The others continue to debate the legitimacy of Alistair’s choice to reform. At the moment, I suspect that Rupert Chalmers might be more closely involved with Minnie’s death than Alistair, but I can’t help but wonder if Alistair is fleeing because he is, after all, her killer. He knows I’m close, and perhaps he only distracted me long enough to make his escape.

I hope he isn’t the killer. I rather liked him for all his immaturity. I would like to believe he is simply what he seems to be, a no-longer-young man who realizes he’s wasted his life and wants to seize one last opportunity to make something of himself.

And if he is the killer, then he may already have made his escape, and the opportunity for justice may have vanished as completely as Minnie has.

***

I don’t take the melatonin Dr. Chalmers prescribes me. Part of the reason is that I don’t entirely trust him, and part of it is that I wish to have an excuse to see him again in the morning. Tomorrow is Saturday, and I will have the weekend off. According to the hours posted on the front of his clinic, Dr. Chalmers takes Sundays and Mondays off, so he should be in the office tomorrow. Eliza will be there too, unfortunately, but I hope I can figure out a way to get a chance to talk to him alone.

Without the sleep aid, restlessness takes me again. I don’t wish to snoop around the house after my uncomfortable experience in the attic. I doubt I’ll find anything helpful in one of the few unused rooms in the manor, so there’s no reason for me to wander and possibly alert the house.

I decide to make myself some chamomile tea, so I head quietly to the kitchen and prepare a kettle. I stop it just before it boils and steep the tea, then carry the cup and saucer to the tearoom. I will miss this house when I leave. It’s not the vast cavern the Ashford estate is, but it’s large enough to be stately and laid out in an orderly and sensible fashion. Were I wealthy enough to afford a home like this, I could see myself retiring here. Oh well. I’ll find a nice cottage somewhere that will do instead.

I reach the tearoom to find Oliver awake. It seems I’m not the only restless one.

“Oh,” I say. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect anyone else to be awake.”

He smiles at me. “It’s fine. I should be asleep, but tonight is hard for me.”

“Why tonight?”

His smile becomes wistful, and he looks out the window. “This would be my second anniversary with Minnie.”

I take the seat across from him. I’m fairly confident I’m on the right track with Dr. Chalmers, but if this is a chance to glean some new information, then I should take it. “You cared deeply for her, didn’t you?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. Sometimes I think she’s only the first girl I ever sh—” He looks at me and blushes. “Ever loved. Other times…” He shrugs again. “Mum and Dad say that I was only a boy and that I’ll grow up and find someone better. I’m sure they’re right, but…” He taps his finger on his knee and falls silent.

“The first love is always the loveliest to feel and the hardest to lose.”

He nods. “Has anyone told you what happened before she disappeared?”

“I’ve heard some rumors,” I say carefully. “I’m not sure I believe any of them.”

He nods again. “Well, you shouldn’t. Minnie wasn’t kidnapped. She’s perfectly fine.”

I am too stunned to answer for a moment. He notices my shock and smiles sadly. “I haven’t told anyone. I trust you won’t either.”

“No,” I say, “of course not. But… you’re sure?”

“Certain. I saw her leave myself.”

Once more, I am too shocked to respond. He looks out the window and says, “The last night she was here, she and I talked. We had fought so much since I learned she was… well, I suppose you might as well know. She was pregnant.”

I feign shock at the news. “Goodness!”

“Yes, well, that wasn’t my initial reaction. The baby wasn’t mine, of course. I’ll spare you the gory details, but I knew it wasn’t mine.”

“Yes, I… I think I understand.”

“So, anyway, we had fought, but I was too tired to fight anymore. I didn’t love her anymore, but… I think maybe a part of me still did. I don’t know. Anyway, we talked on the porch, and she told me she was going to run away. Her parents were furious with her, my family hated her, including me and my sister, and the baby’s father evidently wanted her to get rid of the baby. She said she couldn’t handle being hated by everyone who had once loved her, so she was going to take the money she’d saved and make a new life for herself somewhere else. She was going to cut her hair, wear glasses instead of contacts, and work on changing her accent. She told me she wanted to tell me because she really did love me, and she was really sorry that things ended between us the way they did.”

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