“Not here.”
He lowered his voice.
“I heard what she said.”
“Only part of it.”
“Maybe she didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
Evelyn looked at him.
Even a man who could negotiate million-dollar contracts could sound like a frightened child when protecting a love he did not want to lose.
“Keep watching,” she said.
The next morning, Claire arrived to retrieve an important folder Julian had left in his study.
Evelyn opened the front door.
Claire stared at her.
“Mrs. Mer—”
Evelyn widened her eyes in warning.
Claire stopped.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you worked here.”
“Only temporarily.”
Before Evelyn could explain further, Camille’s voice cut across the foyer.
“Mrs. Caldwell, why are you standing at the door?”
Claire turned.
Camille descended the staircase wearing a pale robe and looking at her phone.
“I asked you to steam my ivory dress.”
“I was assisting Miss Bennett,” Evelyn said. “She came for Mr. Mercer’s documents.”
Camille examined Claire as though she were another piece of staff furniture.
“And who instructed you to have a conversation?”
Claire’s posture stiffened.
“She was answering the door.”
Camille gave her a cold smile.
“I wasn’t speaking to you.”
“She hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“Do Julian’s office employees normally interfere with household matters?”
“No,” Claire replied. “But I believe everyone deserves respect, whether they work behind a desk or inside a home.”
Camille stepped closer.
“How admirable. Do you spend weekends rescuing abandoned animals too?”
“Kindness is not heroism,” Claire said. “It is basic decency.”
Camille’s expression hardened.
“You may leave now.”
“I will, after I collect the folder.”
Evelyn retrieved it from Julian’s study.
As she handed it to Claire, the younger woman touched her wrist.
“Are you all right here?” she whispered.
Evelyn’s throat tightened.
“Yes.”
“I mean it. If anyone mistreats you or you need somewhere safe to stay, call me.”
Camille snapped from across the foyer, “Are you still here?”
Claire turned toward her.
“I’m leaving. But the way someone treats people they consider unimportant reveals more than the way they behave around wealthy men.”
Then she walked out.
Evelyn remained by the door, deeply moved.
That woman’s goodness required no audience.
That evening, Evelyn told Julian what had happened.
He sat in the library, his expression darkening with every detail.
“Claire defended you?”
“Without knowing the truth.”
“What did Camille say after she left?”
“She said your mother would never have been a pathetic domestic servant like me.”
Julian stared at her.
“She said that?”
“She also said people like me should remember our place.”
He rose and walked to the window.
For nearly a minute, he said nothing.
Then he whispered, “I nearly married her.”
Evelyn believed the test had already provided its answer.
But the truth was not finished.
Two days later, Camille sent Evelyn to purchase several items from an upscale market.
“Try not to take all afternoon,” she said. “Older women move as though time has stopped.”
Evelyn left through the side entrance.
Halfway down the drive, she realized she had forgotten her purse in the mudroom. She returned quietly and entered through the service corridor.
As she approached the breakfast room, she heard Camille speaking in a low voice.
“I already told you. I’m pregnant.”
Evelyn stopped.
Through the partially open door, she saw Camille pacing near the windows with a phone pressed to her ear.
“No, it isn’t Julian’s. That is the problem.”
Evelyn’s stomach tightened.
Camille listened, then spoke again.
“He’s been absurdly restrained because of all those traditional ideas his mother put into his head. He wants to wait until after the wedding.”
There was a pause.
“I cannot lose him now. I owe money to two designers, my credit cards are nearly unusable, and the wedding planner keeps asking for overdue deposits. Julian is the only person standing between me and complete humiliation.”
Another pause.
Then Camille laughed bitterly.
“He is my escape.”
Evelyn pressed one hand against the wall.
Camille lowered her voice.
“What do you mean, put something in his drink?”
Silence.
“No. That could be dangerous.”
Another pause.
“All right. Only enough to make him relaxed and confused. He’ll return late tonight. By the time the child is born, everyone will believe what I need them to believe.”
Evelyn backed away before Camille could see her.
Outside, the afternoon sun shone across the perfect lawn. Birds moved through the hedges. The stone house looked peaceful and secure.
Yet inside it, a lie was waiting for her son.
She called Julian.
No answer.
He was scheduled to remain in investor meetings until evening.
She sent him a message.
Come home carefully. Do not eat or drink anything Camille gives you until we speak.