Page 74 of The Vanished

“I’ve been advised not to access the internet, so I haven’t been able to research any of the players.”

“When are you back?”

“Tomorrow night. Jude was meant to come today, but there was a power outage at Stuttgart.”

“Yeah, I saw on the news. All flights are grounded. It seems a transformer blew. It shouldn’t take long to repair, but I doubt Jude will be flying out today.”

“No, he won’t,” Quinn agreed.

“I’m sorry for what you’re going through. It’s unfair that one person should have so much to contend with.”

“Drew said there’s no such thing as a celestial scale that measures out pain in equal doses.”

“No, but some people sure seem to be born under a lucky star,” Rhys said dreamily.

“Like who?”

“I’ll let you know when I meet them,” he teased. “I consider myself lucky, though. I never imagined I would get to be this happy. I had given up on the idea of meeting my soulmate, and then love walked into my life when I least expected it. All thanks to you.”

“It wasn’t me, it was destiny,” Quinn joked.

“I don’t believe in destiny. I believe in mathematics.”

“Sorry, you lost me.”

“We’re all a statistic, Quinn. The only question is which column you wind up in.”

“That’s rather a cynical view.”

“It’s not cynical, it’s realistic. No one knows what’s meant for any of us, but, if we try to be good people and make reasonably well-informed choices, we might avoid becoming a cautionary tale.”

“Every choice we make leads us down a particular path,” Quinn said. “And Geneva must have made a decision that resulted in her death. The only questions that remain are what that decision was and who made the choice to end her life.”

“Whoever it was, this promises to be a riveting episode,” Rhys said. “A young woman caught between two very different men, a fortune at stake, and a sister who may have had an agenda of her own. That’s television gold.”

“If you say so,” Quinn said with a soft chuckle. “Now, let me see what I can learn before Gabe and the kids get back.”

“Go to it. And I hope you hear from Logan soon.”

“Thank you. So do I.”

Quinn set aside her mobile and pulled out the case with the earring from her pocket.

FORTY-THREE

DECEMBER 1923

Ravenglass

Geneva tried to dismiss what Rory had said about Honor, but doubt had already taken root, and as she lay awake that night, she viewed the events of the past few weeks through a different lens. Was Honor really envious of her? And would she betray her in the most vicious way one woman could betray another? Geneva had her doubts about Rory, but Honor didn’t know that, and if she had been the one to go through Geneva’s jewelry case, she’d know that Rory had given her a ring. And if it was her, what had she been looking for?

Perhaps Honor felt slighted that Geneva had inherited some of their mother’s most valuable pieces of jewelry, but their father had handed her their mother’s jewelry case without thinking, and simply because she was the oldest. That wasn’t fair, and she would ask Honor if there were any items she wanted and offer them to her. But was it possible that what Honor wanted most was Rory? She had made such passionate arguments against Geneva’s relationship with him, but could that have been just so that she could pursue him for herself?

And what about Jesse? She had never seen Honor behave in such a coy, playful manner before, and Geneva had to concede that her sister was no longer a little girl. She was on the cusp of womanhood, and perhaps she had crossed that line already, while no one had been watching. Did Honor think that if Geneva chose Rory, she herself might have a chance with Jesse? That would certainly solve all Honor’s problems. She wouldn’t have to leave her home, go off to finishing school, or look for work once she came of age. She would be Lady Bellamy, the beautiful young countess she could only become if Geneva were no longer in the way.

But was her little sister capable of such devious deeds? Had she really offered herself to Rory, or had he embroidered the facts in order to nudge Geneva into making a decision? It was possible, of course, but deep down Geneva knew Rory to be on the level. He was a grown man, not an adolescent boy bent on playing games, and she’d never before caught him in a lie. She would have to keep a close eye on Honor in the coming days. Her sister didn’t know that Rory meant to leave, so perhaps she would try again and see if this time he might be amenable to her advances, but, handsome as Rory was, he wasn’t the ultimate prize. He had nothing to offer Honor besides a sexual experience, and, as exciting as that might be, it was Jesse who held her world in the palm of his hand.

Geneva turned onto her stomach and punched her pillow. She couldn’t believe she was thinking these awful, disloyal thoughts. Perhaps that was precisely what Rory had intended, to give her reason to question Honor’s integrity and see if she could find the evidence she needed to support her suspicions. Well, she wouldn’t play into his hands. Honor could be selfish and immature, but she was seventeen. What seventeen-year-old girl wasn’t a bit of a handful? Honor was just testing the waters. It was only natural. She was taking the measure of the men around her in order to understand their very natures.