Page 57 of The Vanished

“I wonder if Father feels more alive,” Honor mused.

“I seriously doubt that,” Geneva snapped. “It’s hardly a similar situation.”

“I don’t think he felt that way during the war either,” Honor replied. “And then when Jack died…”

They all became somber then, thinking of the people they had lost and the legacies they had left behind. Jesse didn’t mention his parents, but he was obviously sad to have been left alone in the world.

“I’m very sorry about your brother,” he said. “He should have been the one to inherit. Not me. I don’t even know what I’m doing here. It all feels so strange.”

“That’s British inheritance laws for you,” Geneva said. “Unfair and unapologetically archaic.”

Jesse fixed her with his serious gaze. “You are right. It is unfair. You should be the one to take over. I’m a stranger, to you, and to this way of life.”

You can leave me in charge and go back, Geneva thought but didn’t voice her wish. Maybe he would come to it on his own and she wouldn’t have to beg. That would be the best possible outcome, at least for her and Honor, but she didn’t think it would be that easy. Jesse may not have expected to come into this inheritance, but that didn’t mean he was ready to walk away.

“I think we should go home and play the new records for Uncle Douglas,” Jesse said once they’d finished and he’d paid the bill.

“He doesn’t like jazz,” Honor said.

“It might cheer him up.”

“It’s worth a try,” she conceded. “Will you join us, Genny, or do you have plans with Rory?” She fixed Geneva with a pointed stare. “Geneva is in love.”

“Are you?” Jesse asked. “Who’s the lucky fellow?”

“Our estate manager. He’s Irish,” Honor supplied.

“The Irish are not treated very well in New York,” Jesse said.

“They’re not treated well here either. I don’t know why Father hired him,” Honor said.

“Because he was the best person for the job,” Geneva said defensively. “He’s a good man.”

“He’s an opportunist,” Honor retorted. “I bet now that he knows you won’t inherit, his interest will begin to cool.”

Geneva almost let it slip that Rory had given her a promise ring but stopped herself just in time. Her relationship with Rory was private, and Honor had no right to expose her secrets to Jesse, not when their very livelihood would depend on him in the future.

“I think you should follow your heart,” Jesse said. “I always do. It hasn’t steered me wrong yet.”

“I always follow my heart too,” Honor said, and the way she smiled at Jesse nearly stilled Geneva’s breath.

It wasn’t the expression of an innocent young girl but a knowing, seductive smile that wordlessly showcased what was on offer. There was a reason Honor had brought up Rory. She was trying to discredit her sister so that she could have Jesse all to herself.

They left the pub and walked back to the car in silence. Without saying a word, Geneva climbed into the back seat next to the parcels, leaving Honor to ride shotgun, which clearly delighted her.

Geneva was glad there was no opportunity for conversation on the way back. She had nothing to say to her sister, and little desire to speak to Jesse either. As soon as they reached the house, she excused herself and went straight up to her room, relieved to finally be alone. Suddenly exhausted, she stretched out on the bed, and fell asleep within moments.

A song she had heard that afternoon played on and on in her mind, though the melody sounded tinny and distorted. She dreamed that the three of them were laughing and holding hands as they stepped cautiously onto a frozen pond. Their new skates slipped and slid across the ice, and they nearly fell more than once before finally finding the courage to let go of one another.

Feeling braver, they skated in a widening circle, and then Honor began to twirl, her arms outstretched, her face lifted to the sky as fat snowflakes settled on her nose and cheeks. She laughed, and Jesse caught her around the waist and spun her round, the blades of their skates slicing into the ice and sending shards flying. The fragments glittered briefly in the light before scattering across the frozen surface of the pond. Geneva fixed a smile on her face to prove she was enjoying herself and everything was just tickety-boo, but she felt unsteady and didn’t dare twirl, afraid she might lose her footing and fall. Jesse set Honor down and reached for Geneva’s hand, pulling her along to the strange, unsettling music. She was frightened but exhilarated, and she laughed with the sheer joy of being alive and trying something new and wonderful.

She was still laughing when the ice began to crack.

THIRTY-FIVE

SEPTEMBER 2023

Keswick