Chapter 15 - WHEN LILY FOUND HER VOICE
Leo closed the book.
“Because I didn’t pay enough attention,” he told her. “You tried to tell me she made you uncomfortable, and I thought you’d get used to her. I was wrong.”
Lily traced one finger along the rabbit’s ear. “Will you listen next time?”
“Yes.”
“You have to listen even if I don’t have all the words.”
“I will.”
Beatrice sat quietly while Lily considered her father’s promise. Then the little girl climbed into Leo’s lap and asked him to read the book again.
In the weeks that followed, Lily recovered. She went back to her therapist, baked shortbread with Beatrice, and learned that an ambulance siren outside did not mean anyone she loved was leaving.
Beatrice’s cheek healed. Her fingers took longer. Leo paid her medical bills and offered her a new position caring for Lily, with hours and responsibilities they agreed on together. Beatrice accepted after her hand was well enough for work. She kept Sundays for herself.
The investigation into Graham Kensington’s companies continued. Harriet cooperated. Victoria gave her statement about the cellar and her father’s visits to the mansion. Graham was located, and the evidence Elena had saved became part of the case against him. None of it brought Elena home, but Lily would grow up knowing that her mother had tried to protect her family.
One spring afternoon, Leo found Beatrice and Lily beneath the kitchen table. Rain tapped against the windows.
“Thunder?” he asked.
Lily shook her head. “Secret meeting.”
“Am I allowed in?”
She handed him a cookie. “If you don’t tell anyone we ate dessert first.”
Leo sat on the floor, his knees nearly touching the table legs. Beatrice tried not to laugh as he struggled to get comfortable.
May you like
Lily leaned between them, warm and safe, and took a bite of her cookie.
For a moment, Leo thought of the cellar stairs and the terrible silence at the bottom. Then Lily began telling him about the bird’s nest she had seen outside. He listened to every word.
