CHAPTER 27 #2
“It will be even easier now that Caroline is a widow. Many young widows decide to live with companions. Though I do want both of you to know that if it were possible, I would marry your daughter. I’m committed to her in every way.”
Caroline’s blush intensified even as her heart soared.
It was nice to hear such sentiments from Valeria, not just spoken while they were in bed, but to her parents.
As a promise, her intentions were as pure as she had made Caroline believe.
Even if it was embarrassing to have her parents know they were together.
Her mother’s face softened. “Well, that’s good to hear.”
“Were you the one that bit me?” Her father asked with a stony face.
Caroline winced. She had forgotten this thorn in all of their planning. This was possibly even worse than her killing Edgar.
“Yes, sir. I had a task in coming here, but I couldn’t perform it because I loved your daughter too much. I wasn’t going to feed from you again, even if you hadn’t left. It felt…wrong. And I do apologize for doing so in the first place.”
Caroline appreciated the apology, but she would speak with Valeria about it later. As of now, she could feel as if her parents were on the precipice of either accepting her or throwing up many objections. Her father downed the rest of his whiskey and sighed.
“George,” her mother said quietly as she looked at her father.
He sighed. “Where is Edgar now?”
“He’s in my room. We placed a sheet over him.”
“There’s a dead body in my house,” her mother hissed, glaring at both her and Valeria.
Her father sighed again and stood up. “And he’ll be here for a few more hours, but I promise it’ll be settled before lunch.”
“Do you have a plan? Valeria said she was going to get rid of the body. We don’t have much time because she goes to sleep at dawn.”
“It’ll take longer than that, but of course I have a plan. Did you think you came by your planning naturally? I don’t often execute my ideas, but I’ve been known to have a plan or two.”
* * *
It was nearly half past ten in the morning, and Caroline had yet to go to sleep, but she was too jittery to be tired.
Her parents were dressed for the day while drinking tea in the bathroom they were hiding out in.
As a group, they had decided Caroline should stay in her night clothes.
It would make it more believable as a young, grieving widow.
“How much longer do you think he’ll be? The messenger had to have gotten there a while ago.”
“Give him time,” her father said as he read the newspaper. “Murnau would have rushed here if he was alive, but no doctor will rush to a dead body. He’ll be here soon, but he probably had to finish up with someone he could help.”
Her father’s logic made sense, but did little to quell her anxiety. Their plan was simple—as all good plans were—but she knew precisely how important it was that everything went to plan.
And it gave them time to prepare.
“Do you think his estate will be tied up in probate for very long?”
“I think it will be a while; his family will certainly fight it, but you should get at least a nest egg to get you started somewhere else. You weren’t married long, but you were unquestionably married.”
Caroline stopped short. Her father sounded entirely unconcerned about the money her family desperately needed.
“We need the money for the roof! We can’t afford to have it all tied up while there’s a legal fight.”
“All of the deposits have been paid. It will be months until we have to settle the rest of the bill. You don’t have to worry about it, Caro.”
She balled her hands into fists at her side. She hated how he never seemed to take anything seriously. He sat there so casually while she was fretting over their future. She couldn’t imagine ever feeling that calm over anything.
“Of course you’re not worried because you’re not the one who is going to have to find the money.”
“Caroline,” her mother said in the same scolding tone she used when she was a child.
“No one has asked you to find the money. You’ll inherit the estate ultimately, but I am still in charge.”
Caroline snorted. “Yeah, and how has that been working? Why do you think I married Edgar in the first place? We need his money to keep everything afloat, and now who knows what I’m going to do next, but I won’t be getting married again.”
“Is money the only reason you married Edgar?” Her mother asked, frowning.
“Basically. I knew I needed to marry smart and for money. I didn’t want to be backed into a situation where I was stuck with a man I didn’t choose.”
“Oh, Caroline,” her father said. “That isn’t your job. It’s never been your job. I didn’t realize this weighed so heavily on you. Obviously, Edgar’s money was going to be a tremendous help, but we thought you were interested in him at the very least.”
“How else were we going to get money? Our costs are more than we have been bringing in and you’ve never been concerned. Only the other day the Robinsons told me they’re moving to London after the summer because they can earn more working in textile factories.”
“I know,” he said, scrubbing a hand over his face.
Suddenly he looked tired, as tired as Caroline felt when thinking about their finances.
“I thought you understood what I meant every time I told you not to worry about it, and I do apologize for not being clearer. I’ve been working out a deal with my brother, where he could buy the land so I can have an income and we can stay in our home. ”
“This has been an option?” She screeched. “This whole time we simply could have asked your brother for money, and he would have given it? You made such a big deal about being disinherited all of my life.”
“Oh, my father wouldn’t have ever given us a dime, even if we were on the street, but he’s been dead for years, and since my mother died last year, there’s no one to complain if he supports me. Why do you think he’s been around so much lately?”
Caroline was flabbergasted. She never thought the solution could be so simple. Sure, her uncle had been around more frequently, but she thought he was just being a pain. Or worse, was trying to swoop in on her family’s misfortune.
“But I always thought he hated Mam and how you got married.”
“He did for a while,” her mother sighed. “But we’re all older and have experienced more and lost more and what was important to us twenty years ago doesn’t matter now.”
She reached for her mother’s hands and squeezed. “You know, I’ve hated him for years on your behalf.”
She laughed, squeezing Caroline’s hands back. “I do appreciate you having my honor, but I got over it a long time ago. He’s made amends so you can forgive him.”
“Though you don’t have to,” her father grumbled. “He’s still an overbearing tyrant.”
“George.”
Her father put his hands up, and the three of them fell into silence.
Caroline’s head felt like it was spinning with all of the new information she had received in such a short time.
The estate had been over her neck like a guillotine for so long; she couldn’t believe it could have been so easily solved.
“Then, what are you going to do with Edgar’s money once the estate is settled?”
Her father stood up and walked to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “That’s for you, sweetheart. It was always going to be for you. You and Valeria will be two women on your own and will need everything you can get. You don’t have to worry about your mother and me. We’re resourceful.”
Caroline hugged her father. It was nice to finally be free of her burden. It had been a long time coming, but at least now she could move forward.
“It would have been nice to hear this earlier, you know. I’ve been doing your bookkeeping for years, and it’s been stressful.”
Her father winced as he pulled from the hug. “I thought you genuinely liked doing the numbers and balancing the books. Nigel always has, and I know you don’t like him, but you do take after him in some ways. I thought it was some perverse oldest child quirk.”
Her mother smacked him in the shoulder, and Caroline shook her head at them, but couldn’t help her amusement. Her father was certainly vexing, but somehow still managed to get by on his rakish charm, even after all these years.
There was a faint sound of a bell, and they all froze. It was the code they created with Mrs. Thomas for when Murnau’s carriage was seen coming up the drive. He was there.
Caroline closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath as she cleared all humor from her mind. Instead, she thought of the worst things she could. Her parents dying. Puppies being drowned in a river. Valeria leaving her again.
All distressing things, but nothing that could inspire tears on such short notice.
“Oh my sweet girl,” her mother cried, wrapping her arms tightly around her before pinching the back of her arm. Hard.
Caroline cried out as her father threw open the bathroom door and her mother staggered out with her in her arms. She wasn’t fully crying, but there were real tears in her eyes. Combined with the rouge they had carefully rubbed around her eyes, it should look like she had been crying for some time.
Dr. Murnau stood in the bedroom with his hat in one hand and his sturdy, black medical bag in the other. Dr. Gardner and Mrs. Montgomery were behind him, and they all looked very serious.
“We’re so sorry to hear about your loss, Mrs. Andrews. I can’t believe I only saw you get married yesterday. You both were so happy,” Dr. Murnau said.
“Yes,” she said, shifting some. It was strange to hear a name that was never really hers, but if they thought of her as Mrs. Andrews, it would make it easier. “I think I’m still in shock; it doesn’t feel real that he’s gone.”