Chương 7
“How brave of him,” Mara said.
“He has also canceled Sunday’s reception.”
That surprised her.
“Why?”
“He says the household is unsettled.”
“Meaning the staff knows.”
“The staff saw Paul order the terrace cleaned. People notice more than Arthur thinks.”
Jules took the groceries into the kitchen.
Mara lowered her voice. “Why did Isabelle do it?”
Eleanor walked to the window. Down on the street, a hygienist in blue scrubs unlocked the dental office.
“She has believed from the beginning that your return threatens her.”
“Because of money?”
“Partly.”
“What is the other part?”
“Your father.”
Mara almost laughed. “He’s sixty-eight.”
“That does not make attachment less humiliating.”
“To whom?”
“To everyone, apparently.”
Eleanor sat in the armchair and adjusted the hem of her dress.
“After your mother died, Arthur became impossible. He refused meals, fired two nurses, accused the cardiologist of treating him like an old man. Isabelle organized everything. Appointments. Medication. Travel. The foundation. She learned when to argue and when to leave coffee outside his door. He began to rely on her.”
“I know.”
“No, you know the version you found distasteful. You did not see the need.”
Mara’s anger shifted toward Eleanor. “Are you asking me to sympathize with her?”
“I’m trying to tell you why she believes her place can disappear.”
“Then she should have spoken to a therapist, not poured juice on a child.”
“I agree.”
“You don’t sound like it.”
“Because agreement is not the same as understanding nothing.”
Mara sat across from her.
Eleanor continued. “Three weeks ago, Arthur told Isabelle he wanted you on the foundation board. He also said he was reconsidering the ownership structure of the estate.”
“What structure?”
“He wants the property held for Theo eventually.”
Mara stared.
“He never told me.”
“He planned to yesterday morning, but you delayed the conversation.”
“I delayed it because he presented it like a summons.”
“That sounds like Arthur.”
“And Isabelle knew?”
“She handles his calendar. She saw documents. She asked me whether you intended to move into the main house.”
“I don’t.”
“I told her that.”
“Did she believe you?”
“No.”
Mara looked toward the sofa. Theo was whispering to the airplane.
“So she wanted us gone before the meeting.”
“I think she wanted you to decide the house was intolerable.”
“She could have been rude.”
“She was rude.”
“She could have asked us to leave.”
“Arthur would have refused.”
“So she frightened a four-year-old.”
Eleanor’s eyes filled, though no tears fell. “Yes.”
The direct answer left Mara with nowhere to throw her anger.
Eleanor opened her handbag and removed a thin envelope.
“This came to the house yesterday afternoon. Before the incident.”
Inside was a draft amendment to Arthur’s trust. The estate would remain available for Arthur’s use during his lifetime. After his death, Mara would have the right to live in the guesthouse, and Theo would eventually inherit the property through a managed trust. Isabelle would receive a separate residence in Los Angeles and an income distribution for ten years.
Mara read the pages twice.
“She was being provided for.”
“Not with control.”
“Is that what she wanted?”
“I don’t know what she wanted. I know what she feared.”
Mara folded the document.
“You took this from his office?”
“He left it on the library table.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“No.”
Eleanor looked toward the kitchen, where Jules was putting canned soup in a cabinet too small for it.
“I have spent most of my life believing Arthur’s worst quality was arrogance,” she said. “It is not. His worst quality is that he makes everyone around him responsible for preserving his innocence.”
Mara waited.
“I helped him do it,” Eleanor continued. “With your mother. With you. Yesterday.”
“You told him to protect Isabelle?”
“No. I told him to take time. I said the recording should be reviewed before anyone accused anyone. It sounded measured. I was proud of sounding measured.”
“You hadn’t seen it.”
“I had seen Theo.”
Mara returned the papers to the envelope.
“What do you want me to do with this?”
“Know that the trust amendment existed before the incident. Know that Isabelle had reason to believe your presence would change her life.”
“That explains motive. It does not prove it.”
“No.”
“Does Arthur know you took this?”
“No.”
“You should tell him.”
“I will.”
“When?”
Eleanor looked ashamed.
Mara understood then why Sofia had rejected her business card. Courage looked different when the person risking something had less power.
“Tonight,” Mara said.
Eleanor nodded.
Arthur arrived the next morning without calling.
Jules opened the door and left him standing in the hallway while she asked Mara whether he was permitted inside. He heard the entire exchange.
“You can come in,” Mara said.
Arthur entered carrying no flowers, gifts, or legal folders. The absence seemed deliberate.
Theo sat at the coffee table eating toast cut into squares. When he saw Arthur, he picked up the red airplane and moved closer to Mara.
Arthur noticed.
“Hello, Theo.”
Theo looked at his toast.
Arthur remained standing. “May I sit?”
The question was directed at the child.
Theo shrugged.
Arthur sat on the rug, an awkward movement in his tailored trousers. His knees rose higher than he expected. Jules turned away to hide a smile.
“I watched the full recording,” he said.
Mara’s eyes narrowed. “There’s more?”
“The system captured twenty minutes before and afterward.”
“Why wasn’t it sent to Dana?”
“It will be.”
“What does it show?”
Arthur rubbed one hand over the other.
“Before the incident, Isabelle moved a chair from the edge of the terrace. She placed her cup on a table near Theo. She spoke to him twice. There is no useful audio.”
“And then?”
“She picked up the cup. She looked toward the doorway. She poured the juice.”
The room became very quiet.
Theo’s toast remained halfway to his mouth.
Arthur looked at him.
“I am sorry,” he said.
May you like
Theo put the toast down.
Arthur’s voice roughened. “She should not have done that. I should have said so immediately. I should have made sure you knew I believed you.”
