Chapter 3 - Vanessa’s First Rule
“I already have a mother.”
The words left Clara’s mouth before she could stop them.
Vanessa remained perfectly still.
Then she smiled.
“Of course you do.”
She walked toward Clara’s dresser.
“But Evelyn isn’t here.”
Clara noticed Vanessa never called her mother Mom.
Always Evelyn.
Vanessa picked up a framed family photograph.
It showed Daniel, Evelyn, and Clara at Lake Como three years earlier.
Vanessa turned the picture facedown.
“We’re starting a new chapter.”
Clara looked at the silver bird necklace around Vanessa’s throat.
“You stole that.”
Vanessa’s fingers stopped.
“What did you say?”
“That necklace belonged to my mother.”
For the first time, Vanessa’s expression cracked.
Only for a second.
Then she smiled again.
“Your father gave it to me.”
“He said it was lost.”
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Your father has been through terrible grief.”
“So have I.”
The answer surprised Vanessa.
She leaned forward.
“You’re clever.”
Her voice became quieter.
“That can be a wonderful thing.”
Another pause.
“Or a dangerous one.”
Clara refused to look away.
Vanessa finally turned toward the door.
“Your father and I have rules.”
Clara said nothing.
“No wandering after bedtime.”
Vanessa held up one finger.
“No entering Daniel’s office.”
Another finger.
“No asking the staff questions about your mother.”
A third finger.
“And no more conversations with Arthur unless another adult is present.”
Clara’s stomach dropped.
Vanessa had heard something.
Or suspected something.
When she left, Clara waited exactly ten minutes.
Then she opened the closet.
Behind a row of winter coats was a narrow wooden panel.
Evelyn had shown her the passage years earlier.
The old estate contained several servants’ corridors built when the house was constructed in 1912.
Daniel believed most had been sealed.
He was wrong.
Clara crawled through the passage until she reached a narrow staircase.
At the bottom, Arthur waited.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he whispered.
“She knows we talked.”
Arthur’s face tightened.
Clara grabbed his sleeve.
“Tell me the truth.”
Arthur looked at the little girl who had her mother’s gray eyes.
Then he made a decision.
He led Clara into an unused pantry.
Behind a shelf, he removed a small metal box.
Inside was an old phone.
Arthur powered it on.
One message appeared.
No name.
Only a date.
The night before Daniel’s wedding.
Clara looked at Arthur.
He pressed play.
A woman’s voice filled the room.
Clara stopped breathing.
“Arthur, if Daniel marries Vanessa tomorrow, begin Phase Two.”
Clara’s knees nearly gave way.
May you like
She knew that voice.
Arthur whispered, “Your mother survived.”
