Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment before opening them. It shouldn’t hurt after all this time, but it still did. “You were a selfish bastard then, and you’re a selfish bastard now, Tom Bennet.” Her throat was tight, making it difficult to speak. “You could have done any number of things to make sure we were safe. That we were taken care of. You didn’t even have to be here. You could have picked up a phone and made some calls.” She turned her head to the side and saw that the knuckles on her hand had turned white. She uncurled her fingers. “Instead you wanted to make a clean break. How do you make a clean break from your kids?” She pressed her palms against the shelf and straightened painfully.
“It’s not like that, Elizabeth,” Tom replied, sounding both remorseful and pragmatic. “I thought I’d messed up too badly, and I always thought you’d call your uncle and aunt. I was sure of it. I didn’t count on Fanny blackmailing you the way she did me.” He leaned back in his chair. “I should have known.”
“Finally,” Elizabeth replied stonily. She hadn’t realized, at sixteen, that her mother probably would not have fared well had she followed through on her threat. But Tom should have. “A statement that makes sense.”
Tom rose from his chair and strode to the window. He stood, looking out onto the front lawn, hands clasped behind his back. “Lily’s tried to get the whole story from me a thousand times, but I’ve been too embarrassed to share it with her. You’re right, Elizabeth. I was a selfish man, even in making you all live with the chaos your mother caused because I was waiting for her to . . . but it is what it is. I’m doing better now.”
“No,” Elizabeth said, shaking her head, control returning, anger draining away. “I don’t believe that you are.”
Tom didn’t respond to that, and Elizabeth took the opportunity to escape the room. She walked quickly into the family room, where she found Will sitting on a couch with a curly-headed toddler on each knee. He looked both pleased and petrified.
“Hey,” he said with a piercing look. “How’d it go?”
She just shook her head. She was suddenly exhausted, as though every system in her body was shutting down, curling in on itself. Will frowned but returned to the young boys and gave them a smile. “Elliot, James,” he said, “this is Elizabeth.”
The boys craned their necks to look up at her. James smiled, but Elliot buried his head into Will’s chest.
“Hi, Elliot,” Elizabeth said gently, crouching down, but didn’t force him to respond. She turned to his twin. “Hi, James.”
“Hi!” James said and gave a wave before letting loose a long stream of conversation that was only occasionally comprehensible. Something about a turtle, a carton of milk, and preschool. Elliott sat up to listen about halfway through the recital, adding a few quiet words to his brother’s story. Elizabeth gave James a genuine smile and ruffled his hair. “That was an amazing story!” she told him, and the boy wriggled in excitement. She winked at Elliot, who ducked his head and peered up at her through thick, dark eyelashes.
“I think Lily’s in the kitchen,” Will said. “She and the boys got back from the bank not long ago, and I promised her I’d watch them so she could speak with you.”
Elizabeth smiled wanly. “They seem to like you,” she observed.
“They tried to climb me like a tree,” he told her with a chuckle. “I’m just playground equipment.”
She watched the trio for a moment, allowing Will to assess her, but she wanted nothing more than to be out of this house, and that required completing her business with Lily. “Later,” she whispered, and he nodded. She stepped through the doorway to the kitchen where Lily was waiting for her at the kitchen table.
Lily Bennet was sitting in that chair, papers and a ledger in front of her. “Lily, we need to do this somewhere else,” Elizabeth said from the threshold.
“Of course,” Lily said, though she appeared confused, and gathered her things. She walked quietly out to what had been Fanny Bennet’s sewing room. Now it was fitted out as a study, with new paint, new curtains, and a thick rug tossed on the floor. Lily set everything down on her desk. There was a single bookcase in the corner tidily stocked with both books and framed photographs.
“This is nice,” Elizabeth told her.
“Thank you,” Lily replied. “I thought the walls could stand to be lighter. It’s rather dark in here during the winter months.”
Elizabeth just nodded and took a chair.
“Elizabeth,” Lily said, sitting and placing her folded hands on the desk. “Tom has told me that you’re a proud and stubborn person. I think that’s admirable. But please listen to what I am about to tell you before you say no.”
Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed. “I want what I’m owed, and I want the papers for Mr. Liu.”
Lily shook her head. “You are due the entire college fund, Elizabeth. It was meant for you. The cashier’s check I am about to hand you matches the entire amount that is currently sitting in the 529.” She held up a printout. “This is a copy of the statement from the bank so you know I haven’t cheated you. We’ll use the actual 529 money for the boys so the taxes don’t eat it up.”
Elizabeth didn’t reply. This wasn’t what she’d expected. It wasn’t what she wanted.
“You are also due seven months of child support,” she said, “and because we pay child support for my daughter, I have a good idea of how much that should be. The check also includes that money plus interest, as close as I could figure it.”
“I don’t want anything from Tom,” Elizabeth said flatly, folding her arms across her chest. “Just my own money.”
“Too bad,” Lily told her. “I don’t have time to go back to the bank, so you’ll have to deal with it. Give it away, treat your sisters, it’s your money.” Her forehead wrinkled in thought. “Jane is probably owed some tuition money, too. I’ll see if I can find out how much that should be.”
“She might just tear the check up,” Elizabeth warned her.
“That’s her right,” Lily replied stoically. She tapped the corner of the check on her desk. “Tom isn’t the only one who’s made mistakes, Elizabeth. I have a truckload of my own. Like Tom, most of the things I’ve done cannot be remedied.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out. “This isn’t the same as having the money when you needed it, but it is what you’re due. Let us at least fix what we can.”
Elizabeth gazed out the window to the back of the property. She caught a small sparkle of light off the water in the pond. “So,” she asked, “this makes you feel better?”
This exacted a flickering, sickly smile. “Not exactly,” Lily replied. “There’s not a lot either one of us can do to feel better about the lives we led before. But part of working the program is making amends. I would like us to do that with you.”
“Did you know that he left us?” Elizabeth asked.
Lily shook her head. “No,” she said. “He didn’t tell me that. He said that he and Fanny split and that you were all estranged.”
“Would it have made a difference?” Elizabeth asked, truly curious.
Lily paused to consider it. “No,” she said, honestly. “I don’t think it would.” She sighed. “I was a heavy drinker, Elizabeth. A black-out drunk. I have done unforgiveable things. And I will pay for them for the rest of my life. As I should.” Her eyes held Elizabeth’s unflinchingly. “But though there were times I wanted to stop living, I can’t. And with the boys, we have another chance, Tom and I. Please try to understand. We’re just trying to get along the best we can.”
“Yes,” Elizabeth said, grimacing. “I noticed you named the boys James and Elliot. Is James the eldest?”
“Yes,” Lily said, puzzled.
“Jane and Elizabeth, James and Elliot. He said he wanted a clean break, so I guess this is it. Tom Bennet’s do-over.”
Lily’s eyes were soft and sad. “I hate to say I never thought about the names. James was Tom’s father, and I’ve always like Elliot.”
Elizabeth rubbed her ear again
st her shoulder. “I just want to get out of here, Lily. No offense.”
She nodded, her expression suddenly weary. “None taken.”
“I’m not interested in a reconciliation,” Elizabeth said firmly, “I forgave Tom years ago, for my own sanity, because I couldn’t carry his burdens as well as my own. But I can’t forget.” She stood. “When the boys are older . . . if they ever want to meet us, they’d be welcome.”
“That reminds me of something we were taught in group,” Lily said quietly. “Holding onto resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” She smiled sadly. “You’re a great deal wiser than I was at your age, Elizabeth. Thank you for being so generous with us.”
Elizabeth’s eyes moved to Lily’s face, searching for irony in the statement, but there was none. The woman was clearly uncomfortable, but the sentiment seemed genuine.
Lily held the check out. “Please take this. It’s no more than you’re owed.”
Elizabeth took the check, glanced at the amount, and grimaced. But she folded the check once and slipped it into her coat’s inside pocket. “Good luck, Lily,” she said earnestly. “I mean that.”
“Good luck to you, Elizabeth,” Lily replied. “I’m sorry Tom was . . . well, it was nice to meet you.”
Elizabeth stepped to the door before turning back. “Lily,” she said, conflicted, “I couldn’t sit with you in the kitchen because my mother died at that table.” She shook her head. “I just thought you ought to know.”
Lily’s eyebrows lifted to her hairline. “I see.” She brought her hands down and knocked over a cup with pens in it. She gathered them all up and replaced them. “I don’t know how I feel about that,” she admitted. “It’s original to the house, and there are good memories, too.” She paused. “Tom and I live with a lot of ghosts,” she said, her shoulders drooping, “I suppose one more doesn’t matter.”
Will took long strides to keep up with Elizabeth as she stalked out of the house to the car. When she reached up for the driver’s side door, he stayed her hand and moved to stand in front of her. When she looked up at him, unsure of what he was doing, he pursed his lips. Her eyes were shadowed. Haunted.
Will said nothing, just held out his hand. Elizabeth glanced at his palm and then back up at him. She blinked.
“Keys, please,” he told her gently.
Elizabeth began to argue. “I can . . .”
“No,” Will said firmly, in his best this-is-not-negotiable voice. “You can’t.” He smiled softly at her. “You don’t know where we’re going.”
Her expression relaxed. “To the bank?” she asked saucily. “To make sure the check is real?” Will’s heart lifted at the snark in her voice. He’d sparked her curiosity.
“Well, yes, first,” he agreed amiably. “But then we’re going somewhere else.”
“Where?” she asked.
Will almost laughed at her. It felt like the trip to Maine all over again. “It’s a surprise.”
She tilted her head at him warily. “A good surprise?”
“I’m not Richard,” he scoffed. “All my surprises are good ones.”
She stood in the gravel for a moment.
“Here,” he said, handing her the signed contract Tom had given him while Elizabeth spoke with Lily. “I’ll trade you.”
“Okay, Will,” she said with a slow nod, making the exchange, “I’m in your hands.”
“Mmm, I like the sound of that.” Will grinned. “Climb in, moneybags.”
Chapter Twelve
Elizabeth entered her uncle’s phone number and waited for him to pick up.
The phone only rang once. “Lizbet?” he asked.
“It’s me, Uncle Ed,” Elizabeth said.
He let out a breath. “How’d it go?”
“Oh, about as I expected,” she said lightly, glancing over at Will. “But I left with everything I wanted, and then some.” She heard her cousins playing in the background.
“He apologized?” Uncle Ed sounded surprised.
Elizabeth laughed, and though there wasn’t much bitterness in it, the laugh wasn’t pure. “Oh, in a very Tom Bennet sort of way, sure. I didn’t really buy it.” She paused. “But his wife made him sign the contract, and she wrote a check for my college fund. So I’m flush.”
“Elizabeth,” Uncle Ed said seriously, “I know that this wasn’t really about the money.”
She sighed. “No.”
Ed sighed in reply. “Well, I suppose it’s as much as he’s capable of.”
“No,” Elizabeth replied, stoutly this time. “It’s as much as he’s willing to give.”
Ed considered that. “You’re probably right. Did you at least get to tell him what you think?”
“I did,” she replied briskly, “It didn’t make much of an impact.”
He snorted at that. “Did you expect it to?”
“No, not really,” she admitted. “But I needed to say it and I’m glad it’s done. Will you call Richard? Jane said he’d get her the message.”
“Sure thing,” he agreed. “When are you coming home?”
Elizabeth’s voice grew playful. “Well, I don’t know, Uncle Ed. Will is driving, and he won’t tell me where we’re going.”
“Good man,” he replied. Elizabeth looked at Will, who had a satisfied smile on his face. Her attention was pulled back to the phone when her uncle spoke again. “Well, enjoy yourselves and let us know when you’re inbound.”
“Will do, Uncle Ed,” she replied cheerfully. “Give my love to everyone.”
“I will,” he promised, and ended the call.
Elizabeth turned to Will. “Where are we going?” she asked as the scenery rushed by. “Tell me, tell me, tell me,” she sang.
Will shook his head, a ghost of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “You’re like a child.”
Elizabeth grinned and waggled her eyebrows at him. “Is it working?”
He shook his head solemnly. “Not remotely.”
“Mmm,” she replied, feigning disappointment. “It always worked for Kit.”
Will raised his own eyebrows at that bit of information. “Not Lydia?”
Elizabeth laughed. “No, Lydia just took what she wanted. She’s always thought apologies were easier than asking permission. It was adorable when she was two. Not so much at nine.” She stretched, arms raised above her head, hands clasped together. “Uncle Ed cured her of that.” She laughed softly. “Mostly.” She shot a sidelong look at him. “Where are we going?”
Will chuckled. “Just wait. You’ll like it. I asked G to set it up a few days ago.”
“Where was I?” she asked.
“Sleeping,” he replied. “I wore you out.”
She snorted. “Stop bragging.”
Will laughed, and Elizabeth frowned, trying to readjust her thinking. “So G set it up. It must be something girly.” Her eyes narrowed. “You aren’t taking me shopping, are you? I’m not up for that right now.”
He shrugged. “You’ll get nothing from me.”
Elizabeth turned her face up to the ceiling of the cab, still weighing the options. “No, Georgiana would want to go shopping with me, and she’s on her way back to school, right?”
Will nodded.
“Oh, Will, I didn’t even think about that,” Elizabeth said apologetically. “You missed saying goodbye.”
“You are a piece of work, Elizabeth Bennet,” he told her with a roll of his eyes. “You are not responsible for my relationship with G.”
Elizabeth blushed. “Sorry.”
He glanced at her and saw she was embarrassed. He groaned silently. I am so not good at talking. He gave it another try. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t care, Elizabeth. I’m saying there are things you can’t control. Stop taking the blame for everything going on around you.” He paused, then gave her a grin. “That’s my job.” He moved his eyes up to the rearview mirror and saw her face relax. She caught him looking and offered him a self-deprecating shrug.
/> Will was satisfied. “I knew when I left to meet you, I wouldn’t be back right away. We said our goodbyes, she told me you were a keeper, and that she’d call me when she got settled in.”
“A keeper?” Elizabeth asked, tossing the conversation on its ear. “Like a goalkeeper or a zookeeper?”
“Or a prison guard,” Will threw back. “Not sure which.”
She nodded, then leaned back in her seat trying to stifle a mighty yawn. “I’m sorry to do this to you, Will, but you’ll have to drive without my constant interruptions for a while. I think I need a nap.”
Will was pleased by the pronouncement, and not just because it promised some relief from Elizabeth’s dogged questioning about their destination. She’d been looking exhausted from the moment she’d left Tom Bennet’s study. He reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’ll miss your incessant chatter, but somehow I’ll muddle through.”
Elizabeth pushed the seat into a reclining position. “Donkey,” she replied drowsily, a small smile on her face. She curled up as best she could and was quickly fast asleep.
Richard slid down into the sofa and propped up his laptop on his knees. “I thought paperwork in the Marines was bad,” he grumbled, “but at least there was an order to it.” He yawned and opened another report, working slowly but steadily until his phone rang.
He grabbed it and saw the call wasn’t from Jane, as he’d hoped, but his brother. “Oscar?” he asked. “Where are you?”
“In the lobby,” Oscar’s voice said as though Richard had just asked the dumbest question he’d ever heard. “Tell the giant at the desk to let me come up.”
Richard grinned. “His name is Jeremy, and I have half a mind to tell him you’re a stalker.”
The line went quiet for a moment. “I wouldn’t advise that,” his brother replied coolly. “I know people.”
Richard snorted. “So do I.”
Oscar released a quiet sigh. “Are you going to say the magic word or am I just going home?”
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