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“No.”
“Why is he avoiding Cara then?”
“He’s not avoiding Cara—”
“He’s not speaking to her, Baird. Just you.”
“He’s barely speaking to me as well. I just happen to know what’s going on so I’m someone he can talk to.”
Ella studied him for a long moment from across the table. “This doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s not good.” He pushed up from the table. “I’m going to take the dogs for a walk. Want to go?”
“Now?”
“That’s why Alec called. He wanted to be sure the dogs were getting out twice a day, and I promised him I’d handle it.” He reached for his coat. “We can talk while we walk. It’ll be easier than just sitting here.”
Ella nodded, trying not to let her imagination run away with her. “I’m ready when you are.”
At the house, the dogs were thrilled to be leashed for a walk. Baird took the young labs while Ella took Lady’s leash. The morning was clear and crisp, the sky a lovely blue. They walked in silence for several minutes. Ella bit her tongue, waiting for Baird to share what he knew. She didn’t have to wait very long.
“There’s something Cara needs to know that she does not know,” Baird said after a minute. “It’s not my place to tell her, and it’s not your place to tell her, but there’s a reason Alec isn’t here and it’s serious.”
Ella swallowed around the lump filling her throat, anxiety knotting her chest. “Is he having an affair?”
“No.No.Absolutely not. This is about business, his business.” Baird exhaled, his gaze fixed on the gravel road winding before them. “Something has happened. It’s why he’s been in London, which is why he might not be here for the party, which is why I don’t think there should be a party.”
“And you can’t tell me?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out. On one hand I think it would help explain Alec’s absence, but I worry you’ll tell Cara and then it’s just going to create drama no one needs.”
“You can trust me. You’re not the only one who can keep a secret.”
His lips curved. “I do believe that was a direct hit.”
Ella pushed a loose strand of hair back, tucking it behind her ear. “The point is you don’t want me to say anything to Cara.”
“Yes. This is Alec’s business—literally his business—and when Alec wants Cara to know, he’ll tell her. He just isn’t in the right headspace at the moment.”
“Is that why he’s not talking to her?”
“I don’t know about that. We haven’t been talking in depth. He just gives me brief updates. All I know, with regards to Cara, is that he’s not trying to hurt her. If anything, he’s trying to protect her.” Baird glanced at Ella, brow furrowed. “He’s afraid a shock with his situation will deeply upset her, causing a miscarriage. I don’t think his news will jeopardize her pregnancy, but who am I to weigh in? I’m not a doctor. I’m not her husband. I’m not the father of the babies. Alec is trying to do his best and he needs our support, all of our support.”
Baird’s words filled Ella with foreboding. There was no light in his eyes, no levity in his voice. He looked somber, and so deeply troubled that it made her gut cramp, as if she’d swallowed a handful of nails. “I promise I won’t say anything to Cara.”
The younger dogs were frustrated by their slow pace, and Baird unhooked their leashes so they could go run, the estate being huge, the dogs could dash about without getting into harm.
Lady was happy just walking at Ella’s side so Ella left Lady on her leash. “Is Alec in danger?”
“No, not that kind of danger. He won’t be arrested, either, but he is in trouble. His firm is in trouble, and it’s a family firm, one that was started by his grandfather decades ago. He’s worried that it might end up in the news, and so he’s calling the clients that have been impacted, letting them know what’s happened and what he’s doing about it. He believes they deserve to know the facts—the truth—before anyone else.”
She suddenly felt like she’d heard this story before, felt as if it was one that played out wherever there was wealth and those who managed money. “Has he lost their money?”
“Not Alec, but one of the senior vice presidents at Langley investments, one of the most senior vice presidents, has apparently embezzled millions of pounds. Not just from the clients, but from Alec as well. Alec discovered it a week ago, saw inconsistencies in some of the accounts, funds not matching with records and began digging in more deeply, and that’s when he discovered his most trusted right hand had been stealing for the past two years.”
“No,” Ella whispered.
Baird nodded. “It was never a lot at one point at one time. Twenty thousand here, fifty thousand there, but it added up and when Alec asked his senior executive to help him investigate, not realizing that James Phelps was the culprit, it gave James time to disappear, and he’s vanished.”
