She thought it was Eleanor.
Then a man whispered against her ear.
“Give me the violin.”
Elena drove the heel of her shoe down as hard as she could.
The man cursed.
She stumbled backward, holding Isabella against her chest.
A white beam cut across the room.
Maxwell had switched on his phone’s flashlight.
Julian stood beside Elena, one hand braced against the piano.
His gracious expression was gone.
“Everyone stay where you are,” Maxwell said.
More phones illuminated the doorway.
Vanessa clutched her skirt. Caroline had pressed herself against the shelves. Eleanor stood alone in the center of the room, one hand extended toward the place Elena had been.
From the corridor, the housekeeper pushed through the guests.
Mrs. Bell had worked in the house for thirty-one years. She carried a battery lantern.
“The service door was opened,” she said. “I’ve shut it.”
Maxwell looked at his uncle.
“Why were you trying to take her violin?”
“It belongs to the family.”
“My father left it to me,” Elena said.
“Your father was an employee.”
The sentence hit harder than his grip had.
Maxwell released Julian’s lapel only to place himself between them.
“Bell. Call the police.”
Julian gave a short laugh.
“On what grounds?”
“Start with assault. We’ll work forward.”
Then he addressed the guests.
“Please go downstairs. Anyone who heard what was said, leave your contact details with security.”
Nobody moved at first.
His voice hardened.
“Now.”
As the corridor emptied, Maxwell asked Mrs. Bell to stay.
Vanessa reached for him.
“Darling, this is our wedding.”
He looked at her hand until she withdrew it.
“Then you should want to know what happened to my sister.”
Mrs. Bell lit fresh candles.
In their warm glow, Eleanor seemed terribly old.
Elena wanted to touch her. She wanted to turn away. Both desires were so strong they made her dizzy.
“Tell me everything,” she said.
Julian sighed.
“Eleanor is unwell.”
“She hasn’t had her tea today,” Elena replied.
Mrs. Bell’s face changed.
Maxwell noticed.
“What does that mean?”
Eleanor answered.
“It means I can finish a sentence.”
For a moment, all the fury left his face.
Something worse replaced it.
“Mother?”
“Arthur found discrepancies in the company accounts,” she said. “Money transferred through suppliers that didn’t exist. He confronted Julian at the lodge.”
“You’re repeating a delusion,” Julian said.
Eleanor continued.
“I was there with the children. Ruth had come to help with the baby. Samuel was due to collect her after supper.”
Elena tightened her hold on the violin.
“My parents.”
“Yes.”
Eleanor’s eyes filled.
“Arthur told me to take the children upstairs. Then I heard a crash.”
Her breath caught.
