Page 78 of The Vanished

“Will you do it, Geneva? Will you take your rightful place as the Countess of Gosforth, or will you become some grubby housewife?” Douglas asked.

Geneva felt as if brick by brick her father had just torn down the wall she had built to protect herself. In theory, she had free will, but in reality there was little choice. She could say yes to Rory and run off to Pittsburgh with not a penny to her name, or she could retain the position she had always assumed would be hers. And if she didn’t, everything would pass to Honor, who would welcome the opportunity. Why go to finishing school and endure years of being molded into someone one wasn’t when one could skip all that and become a countess? The choice was obvious.

“Have you spoken to Honor?” she asked.

“Not yet. I thought it was only right that I speak to you first. Once I put this to your sister, there will be no taking it back, and if you decide to do the right thing after all, she will feel nothing but resentment towards you. I would never wish to drive a wedge between you.”

“Thank you for that,” Geneva said. She could hear the bitterness in her voice, and so could her father, but she wasn’t going to pretend she didn’t feel cornered or manipulated, even if Douglas believed he was doing what was best for her. “Can I have some time to consider?”

“You have until tomorrow night. If you refuse to see sense by then, I will put the proposition to Honor.”

“And does Jesse not care whom he marries?” Geneva asked. “Are we interchangeable?”

“You are not. He admires you, but few men can resist a girl who looks at them adoringly and hangs on their every word. He’s flattered by Honor’s obvious attention, and he will learn to love her, or at least like her, if he hopes to make a place for himself in British society. And if he craves something else, we both know he will have ample opportunity to find it.”

“And you would condone his infidelity?”

“I don’t condone adultery, but we both know it’s as common as drawing room gossip. In both men and women. People have a right to search for happiness, as long as they are discreet. And it’s not as if I will be here to censure any of you.”

“Are you suggesting I marry Jesse and take a lover?”

“Once you’ve produced the requisite heir, you can do as you please.”

Disgust bubbled in Geneva’s belly, but she wasn’t going to debate the issue any longer. Her father had made his position clear. He was going to strongarm everyone into doing his bidding before he died, and, if they refused, there would be consequences. For everyone except Jesse, because Douglas had no hold over him. He could refuse and marry where he pleased. Jesse was doing a kindness by acquiescing to the wishes of a dying man. And perhaps he would change his mind once Douglas was gone. But so could she, Geneva realized as she stepped out into the corridor. Her choices were limited, but she still had the final word.

Unable to face Honor or her scheming aunt, Geneva fetched her coat and hat and left the house. She wanted to be on her own.

FORTY-SIX

SEPTEMBER 2023

Keswick

Quinn put away the earring, reached for her mobile, and stared at it for several long moments before setting it aside. She desperately wanted to look up the individuals in her visions, but couldn’t afford to take the risk in case someone was tracking her online activity. After less than three days without access to the internet, she felt frustrated and cut off, the urge to go online so strong it made her realize just how addicted she was to both her phone and the immediate, uncensored access to data she usually took for granted. The information she sought was within her reach and would probably help her to fill in some of the blanks, but she would have to wait until it was safe to log on.

She had to admit that, as much as she had resisted doing another episode of Echoes, the case had got under her skin, and she now had to know what had happened to Geneva. Well, she knew what had happened, she reminded herself, but she needed to understand why. There were several potential suspects, but none of the people she had seen so far had any reason to murder Geneva and dump her in the well. As she gazed out over the peaceful lake, Quinn considered every person she’d seen for a killer, but none of them quite fit the profile. The members of staff had nothing to gain by Geneva’s death, and all the retainers seemed fairly ordinary, except for the valet, Dennison, who clearly suffered from PTSD and had a soft spot for her.

But what would be his motive? Might he have tried it on and been rebuffed? Could he have lashed out in anger and then tried to cover his tracks? Quinn had not seen anything to support this theory, and set it aside. She supposed Rory could have lost his temper when Geneva refused his proposal and tried to return his ring. He was a scorned lover who knew about the well and was about to leave the country, meaning he would escape all consequences. It was a plausible possibility.

Then there was Jesse. He was amenable to marrying Geneva, and it looked like she would agree as well despite her reservations. She might feel rushed and managed, but her feelings for Rory were not all that strong, and at the end of the day, she was a dutiful daughter who had a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Could things have turned ugly between her and Jesse? Perhaps he had found out about his bride’s indiscretion with Rory and killed her in a fit of jealous anger. Jesse seemed like a nice bloke, but what did any of them really know about him? He had been part of the family for two weeks, and it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that behind the charming demeanor lay a nasty, violent temper.

But what if the killer wasn’t a man? Honor appeared to love her sister, but her life was about to irrevocably change. While her sister would get to marry the lovely Jesse, Honor would be shipped off to finishing school, then forced to live with her haughty aunt until she was passed on to a suitable husband. With Geneva out of the way, Honor would get the man, the home, and the clout that came with being the Countess of Gosforth. It seemed hard to imagine that a teenage girl would commit such a heinous crime against the sister who loved her, but people had killed for less.

Quinn couldn’t see that anyone else had anything to gain by Geneva’s death. Perhaps she had yet to meet the killer, or perhaps she had been a victim of a random act of violence. It would help if Quinn could look up the key players and see how their lives had been affected by Geneva’s death. Perhaps she could use a computer at the library, where she could do a search without logging on or revealing her IP address. She glanced at her watch, and her frustration mounted. Gabe wouldn’t be back for several hours yet, and she couldn’t get to the library without a car. She couldn’t use her Uber app either because that would require going online and inputting her address.

And tomorrow was Sunday; the library would be closed. She could probably ask Sam and Reggie if she could use their computer—but then she thought better of it. What if she unwittingly gave away their location? It wasn’t very likely, and no one except Lynn Michaels knew that she was looking into the past owners of Lynn’s new hotel, but it was still risky. Quinn would have to wait until she got the all-clear from DI Malone or Drew Camden. Which made her wonder what the DI had been up to since they’d spoken last.

She selected his number and made the call. She was about to give up when he finally answered.

“Quinn,” he said, and she could hear the hesitation in his voice. “What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to ask if there’s any progress on the case.”

“I can’t discuss an ongoing investigation with you.”

“But surely you can give me an update,” Quinn protested. He had to know how worried she was about Logan, and how concerned for Max’s safety.

DI Malone exhaled heavily, and Quinn knew that whatever he said next wasn’t going to make her feel any better. “Look, we’ve had to prioritize another case. A child abduction.”