Chapter 2 - The Room No One Was Supposed to Enter
Daniel took Lily straight out of the dining hall and into the small sitting room beside the library, where the sound of her crying wouldn’t echo through the estate like an alarm bell. He sat with her on the sofa until her breathing slowed, then asked one of the housemaids to bring ice wrapped in a soft towel and stay with her for a few minutes.
Only then did he step into the hallway with Mark.
“What exactly did you find?” Daniel asked.
Mark, a broad-shouldered man who almost never looked rattled, held a clear evidence bag in one hand. Inside it lay a sapphire brooch and a pair of diamond earrings Daniel recognized instantly. They were part of Margaret’s heirloom set—the same pieces she had claimed were stolen six years earlier.
“I was in the east guest wing with maintenance,” Mark said. “That leak behind the window trim finally got bad enough to open the old rooms. The room that used to be Caroline’s was still locked. Mrs. Bennett was the only one with the updated key after the funeral, but the maintenance team had to enter for damage inspection.”
Daniel felt the old name like a blow to the chest.
Caroline.
Lily’s mother.
His late wife.
Mark continued. “These were hidden inside a hatbox at the back of her closet. Not loose. Wrapped in a jeweler’s cleaning pouch.”
He handed Daniel a second bag. This one held a faded cream receipt.
“Harrington Jewelers,” Daniel read.
“Date matters,” Mark said quietly. “The receipt is from three days after Mrs. Bennett told everyone the jewelry had already been taken.”
Daniel looked up.
Mark didn’t soften it. “If this receipt is real, your mother still had those pieces after she accused Caroline.”
For a long second Daniel said nothing.
Then, from inside the sitting room, he heard Lily crying again, softer this time.
He looked toward the door, then back at the evidence in his hand.
“Don’t let my mother leave the estate,” he said.
May you like
Mark gave a single nod. “Already done.”
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