Chapter 4 — The Letter Beneath the Floor
Nathan carried the envelope downstairs without opening it.
Not because he wasn’t curious.
Because he was.
Too much.
But something in him understood that the moment he broke the seal, whatever remained of his old life would disappear.
Celia followed several steps behind.
Neither of them spoke.
The manor felt different now.
Every hallway, every portrait, every locked door seemed to contain another hidden story.
For years Nathan had believed Ashcombe Manor represented stability.
Legacy.
Tradition.
Now it felt like a beautiful prison built from carefully arranged lies.
They returned to the library.
It was the only room in the house where Nathan felt he could think.
The fireplace was still burning from earlier in the evening. The flames moved across the shelves of ancient books, casting shadows over the walls.
Nathan placed the envelope on the desk.
Celia stood opposite him.
“You should leave it unopened,” she said.
Nathan looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because once you read it, there is no going back.”
He almost smiled.
“There was no going back the moment my niece recognized Edmund’s ring.”
Celia lowered her eyes.
“You don’t know Edmund the way I do.”
“No. Apparently nobody does.”
The words hurt her.
Nathan saw it.
Despite everything, despite the secrets, despite the unanswered questions, he saw pain in her expression.
And that complicated everything.
Because part of him still loved her.
Part of him still remembered the woman who stayed awake beside him when his father was dying. The woman who held his hand at the hospital. The woman who promised she would build a future with him.
But another part of him wondered if every moment had been carefully planned.
“Did you know about the letters before tonight?” he asked.
Celia hesitated.
That was enough.
Nathan’s expression hardened.
“How long?”
“I knew there were documents hidden in the blue room.”
“How long?”
“Six months.”
The answer hit harder than he expected.
“Six months?”
“I didn’t know what they contained.”
“But you knew they existed.”
“Yes.”
“And you still let me propose to you?”
Celia looked at him.
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Her voice broke slightly.
“I loved you.”
Nathan looked away.
Because that was the problem.
He believed her.
And he hated that he believed her.
Before either of them could continue, a loud crash echoed from upstairs.
Both froze.
The library door opened.
Beatrice stood there.
Her face was pale.
“What happened?”
Nathan turned toward her.
“You tell me.”
His mother looked between him and Celia.
Then her eyes landed on the envelope.
Everything changed.
Not surprise.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
“You found it.”
Nathan stared.
“You knew?”
Beatrice did not answer.
That was an answer.
Celia stepped forward.
“You knew all these years?”
Beatrice closed her eyes.
“I was trying to protect this family.”
Nathan laughed quietly.
A bitter sound.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
His mother entered the room slowly.
“Because it is true.”
“No,” Nathan replied. “You were protecting the name.”
Beatrice looked at the fire.
“When your father discovered the truth, he wanted to expose everything.”
Nathan stopped.
“My father?”
“Yes.”
“What truth?”
Beatrice’s hands trembled.
For the first time, Nathan saw his mother as something other than powerful.
She looked old.
Tired.
Broken.
“Richard discovered that Edmund wasn’t the only person hiding a child.”
Nathan felt the room disappear.
“Who else?”
Beatrice looked directly at him.
“Your father.”
Silence.
Celia covered her mouth.
Nathan stared at his mother.
“No.”
Beatrice whispered:
“The child Edmund raised as his own secret…”
She looked at Celia.
“…was not the only secret in this house.”
A long pause.
Then she said:
“Your father had one too.”
Nathan couldn’t breathe.
“Who?”
Beatrice’s eyes moved toward the ceiling.
Toward the room where Poppy slept.
And when she finally spoke, her voice was barely audible.
“The blue room was never built to hide Celia.”
May you like
A tear slipped down her cheek.
“It was built to hide your family’s first betrayal.”
