I was about to comment further on the photograph, but Gina’s attention was already on the next one.
“Look, V. This one is just Eloïse with a Saint Bernard they had years ago…”
I lost track of the conversation when Bastian brushed past me. The brief touch of his hand against mine sent a jolt of electricity through my body, and I shook it off.Not now, Vera, I told myself.This can wait.I turned to watch him, but he was already moving away, heading toward Mr. Dubois. He had just entered the room with Enzo. His brows drew together, shadowing his eyes.
“Has anyone seen my daughter?” Mr. Dubois asked, his gaze swept the room, lingering for a moment on Bastian. When Bastian shook his head, Mr. Dubois shrugged and added, “Ah, well. She’ll come around. Dinner is about to be served. Please, everyone, move to the main dining room,” he finished with a forced smile.
Enzo’s eyes snapped to mine, but I didn’t give him a chance to say anything. Given that half of the guests had left thehouse early in the afternoon, only eleven of us remained from the more than twenty who had been present during brunch. From the corner of my eye, I caught Enzo standing next to the couch. He stood still, watching, as if waiting for me to make the first move.
I quickened my pace, as if putting distance between us could sever the pull. The taste of his betrayal lingered in my mouth, overshadowing every other feeling I tried to hold on to, even if my stomach lurched at the sight of his sparkling eyes, even if his gentle touch echoed in the back of my mind.
Opposite to me, Bastian hurried to leave the room. Bastian, whom I didn’t want to think about, whose lips had caressed mine with such softness that I doubted anything else would ever compare.
But I couldn’t let myself be fooled. Not when both guys held more secrets each than the old walls of this manor. Not when I had bigger fires to put out, like what I had seen in that picture on the wall.
My mind was focused on one thing: I needed to talk to Bastian as soon as possible.
Chapter 33
We descended to the main living room, trailing behind Mr Dubois like a group of preschoolers at lunchtime. The catering staff who were still in the house had pulled back the curtain that divided the room in half and set up a large wooden table in the centre. The table, meant for many more guests than we were, seemed ridiculously large in proportion to the number of dishes laid out. I was grateful for it. The more space there was between the Dubois and me, the better. I chose to sit in a corner, away from Enzo, Laurent Dubois, and their friends. Gina, after circling thetable a couple of times, sat down next to me.
“Eloïse still hasn’t arrived,” she said with a smile that tried to mask her unease.
Bastian, on the other hand, made no effort to hide his displeasure. I gave him a discreet kick under the table, and he looked up at me, a hint of irritation in his eyes.
“Stop,” he complained.
“Smile a little,” I whispered. “We’ll be leaving soon.”
When everyone was seated, Mr Dubois spoke.
“If you don’t mind…” he said, looking around, “we’re going to wait for those who are missing.”
“It won’t be necessary,” Talia said. She had just entered the room, wearing a long, light-coloured dress with thin straps, adjusting some shiny earrings on her left ear. “Sorry for the wait, something came up.”
Laurent Dubois placed his hand on his wife’s waist. “No problem, chérie. Either way, Norman is still missing, so is Eloïse,” he commented. “Maybe I should go fetch them.”
Talia scanned the table, searching for a free seat. Her eyes landed on Enzo, and she flashed a quick smile before stepping away from her husband. “I think Eloïse was upstairs,” she said.
“I’ll go fetch them,” Dubois insisted, but his words were cut off by the sound of the chair scraping against the marble floor. “Excuse me,” he added, hurrying off.
What happened next is still a blur in my memory. Talia approached Enzo, her dress glimmering in the light of the room. Maybe it was the shock, but it felt like watching a movie scene in slow motion. Mr. Dubois had just gotten up when Norman Plaskitt appeared at the opposite corner from the man, as if he had known in advance where each guest andeach Dubois family member would sit.
A bang. A gunshot rang out, piercing through the room. Silence followed, heavy and suffocating. Then came the screams, piercing and frantic, followed by a second bang. Chairs scraped against the floor, followed by the shattering sound of dishes breaking. Bastian’s face twisted from confusion to stark fear. I tore my gaze away from him, scanning the room for the source of the chaos.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. I mean it. I don’t think I’ll ever erase the image of Eloïse Hawtrey-Moore lying on the floor, a gunshot wound to her stomach, from my mind.
The chaos erupted as soon as the first people began to descend the stairs from the second floor. I can’t recall whether the initial scream came from Talia or the staff.
Eloïse lay crumpled at the foot of the stairs, her form stark and tragic against the gleaming marble floor. Next to me, Gina stood frozen, rigid. Laurent Dubois kneeled beside his daughter, shouting, yelling, howling. Someone called an ambulance. Then, Enzo lifted his sister’s lifeless body and carried her out of the house. Some of the other guests covered their faces, hands over their mouths, nausea from the shock winning over their bodies. Others lifted their hands to their heads, frightened, tearful eyes glancing at each other. The chauffeur took the Dubois outside. The staff tried to calm the rest of the guests. Many cried, many called taxis, and many stared at the bloodstain Eloïse had left on the floor, not knowing what to do.
No one had seen who fired the gun, but everyone had different theories. One of those people had shot Eloïse Hawtrey-Moore.
I felt bile rising from the bottom of my throat.
The food grew cold on the table. Some of the staff began to clean up the table, leaving the crime scene untouched. I was one of the last to leave the house.
No one saw Eloïse’s body again, given that Enzo had taken her outside, and the ambulance arrived soon after. The guests began to whisper.
