Chapter 1 - The Trip That Never Happened

Chadworth Prescott had lied to his daughters before breakfast.

“I’ll only be gone for a few days,” he had told Lorelai and Gemma at the front door.

Lorelai, eight years old and already too good at hiding disappointment, had only nodded.

Gemma, six, had wrapped both arms around his waist.

“Do you have to go?”

“I do.”

“Canada is far.”

“Not as far as it sounds.”

“Will you call?”

“Every night.”

Gemma had looked up at him with the kind of faith that made dishonesty feel heavier.

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Sabina stood two steps behind them, elegant in a cream sweater, one hand resting lightly against the banister.

“Your father has important work,” she said. “You know that.”

Lorelai glanced at her and immediately looked away.

Chadworth noticed.

He did not understand.

Not yet.

His driver loaded the suitcase. Chadworth kissed both girls, climbed into the car, and allowed the vehicle to roll through the gates.

There was no airport.

No flight.

No Canada.

Thirty minutes later, he entered the mansion through a rear service corridor with his head of security, Marcus Hale.

Marcus closed the concealed steel door behind them.

“You’re certain you want to do this?”

“No.”

“That’s not the answer I expected.”

“It’s the honest one.”

Marcus studied him.

“Sabina accused Rosamund of theft.”

“And manipulation.”

“Of the girls?”

“Yes.”

“Do you believe her?”

“I don’t know.”

Marcus folded his arms.

“Rosamund has passed every background review we ever ran.”

“Sabina says people like Rosamund know how to appear harmless.”

“People like Rosamund?”

“Quiet. Invisible.”

Marcus’s jaw tightened.

“You hired me to tell you when fear is making a decision for you.”

“I did.”

“This looks like one of those times.”

Chadworth looked toward the locked monitoring room.

“Then I need to know.”

Marcus entered the code.

The door opened.

Inside, a wall of screens glowed in the darkness.

Kitchen.

Breakfast nook.

Foyer.

Living room.

Playroom.

Upstairs hall.

Back terrace.

Service corridor.

Chadworth sat.

Marcus remained standing.

“The cameras are live.”

“I want the morning exactly as it happens.”

“No audio in the bedrooms.”

“I know.”

“No camera in the girls’ bathroom.”

“I know.”

“No private staff quarters.”

“I know, Marcus.”

Marcus paused.

“Good.”

For several minutes, the mansion looked ordinary.

Rosamund cleared breakfast plates.

Gemma drank the last of her milk.

Lorelai sat cross-legged on the rug with a book.

A gardener crossed the back lawn.

A housekeeper carried towels upstairs.

Chadworth rubbed his hands together.

“This is ridiculous.”

Marcus said nothing.

“I’m sitting in a dark room watching my own employees.”

“You can still leave.”

“If Rosamund is innocent, I owe her an apology.”

“If she’s guilty?”

“Then I deal with it.”

“And if Sabina is wrong for another reason?”

Chadworth looked at him.

“What does that mean?”

Marcus nodded toward the screen.

“Wait.”

The front door closed behind the last morning contractor.

Sabina entered the living room.

Her face changed.

The warmth disappeared first.

Then her shoulders hardened.

Then her mouth.

Lorelai looked up before Sabina spoke.

That was what Chadworth noticed.

The anticipation.

The child already knew.

Sabina stopped beside the rug.

“What did I tell you about sitting here?”

Lorelai shut the book immediately.

Gemma hugged her stuffed rabbit.

“We’re not making a mess,” Lorelai said.

“I asked what I told you.”

“That we should use the playroom.”

“And?”

Lorelai swallowed.

“And not be in the living room when you’re here.”

Sabina smiled without warmth.

“Good. So you do remember.”

Gemma whispered, “Daddy lets us read here.”

Sabina’s eyes moved to her.

“Your father isn’t here.”

Gemma’s fingers tightened around the rabbit.

“I know.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you testing me?”

“I’m not.”

Sabina snatched the rabbit from her arms and tossed it onto the sofa.

Gemma flinched.

In the monitoring room, Chadworth stood.

Marcus touched his arm.

“Not yet.”

“What do you mean, not yet?”

“Watch.”

“I’ve seen enough.”

“No, you haven’t.”

Sabina leaned toward Gemma.

“When your father is gone, you do what I say the first time.”

Gemma’s lower lip trembled.

“I was just reading with Lorelai.”

“You were disobeying.”

Lorelai shifted closer to her sister.

“Please don’t be mad.”

Sabina turned.

“I wasn’t speaking to you.”

Lorelai looked down.

Footsteps appeared on the hallway monitor.

Rosamund entered.

She stopped at the edge of the room.

“Miss Sabina.”

Sabina did not turn.

“What?”

“The girls haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Did I ask?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Then remember your place.”

Rosamund moved one step closer.

“My place is to care for them while Mr. Prescott is away.”

“My place,” Sabina repeated, turning now, “is to become their mother.”

Gemma whispered, “You’re not my mother.”

The room went still.

Sabina’s face hardened.

“What did you say?”

Rosamund stepped between them.

“She didn’t mean anything disrespectful.”

“I heard her.”

“Miss Sabina—”

“Move.”

Rosamund stayed where she was.

“Move.”

“No.”

Chadworth felt something cold run through him.

Marcus spoke quietly.

“Look at the girls.”

Lorelai’s hand had found Gemma’s.

They clasped each other so tightly their knuckles were pale.

Not surprise.

Not ordinary fear.

Habit.

Chadworth sat again because his knees suddenly felt weak.

“How long?”

Marcus did not answer.

Sabina stared at Rosamund.

“You think because they like you, you have authority here?”

“No.”

“You think because Chadworth trusts you, you can undermine me?”

“No.”

“Then why are you standing in front of me?”

“Because Gemma is scared.”

Sabina laughed once.

“Children get scared when adults set boundaries.”

Rosamund’s voice stayed quiet.

“They get scared when they know what comes after the boundary.”

Chadworth looked at Marcus.

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.”

Onscreen, Sabina stepped closer.

“Be careful, Rosamund.”

“I am.”

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

“I know exactly who I’m dealing with.”

That was the first moment Rosamund sounded angry.

Sabina heard it too.

“Interesting.”

“Please leave the girls alone.”

“This is my home.”

Rosamund’s eyes sharpened.

“No. It’s Mr. Prescott’s home.”

Sabina smiled.

“For now.”

Marcus looked sharply at Chadworth.

Chadworth’s throat tightened.

“What did she say?”

“You heard her.”

“For now?”

Marcus reached for the keyboard.

“Keep watching.”

Sabina walked away from the girls.

Before leaving, she turned back.

“Rosamund, bring me the bracelet from my dressing room.”

Rosamund frowned.

“Which bracelet?”

“The diamond one.”

“I don’t enter your dressing room without permission.”

“You have permission.”

“I’d rather ask another housekeeper to witness it.”

Sabina’s expression flickered.

“Why?”

“Because you accused me of stealing.”

Silence.

Then Sabina smiled.

“There it is.”

“What?”

“The guilty conscience.”

Rosamund looked exhausted.

“You’ve accused me for weeks. I am protecting myself.”

“You’re paranoid.”

“No. I’m paying attention.”

Sabina walked out.

Rosamund crouched beside the girls.

Gemma threw her arms around her.

Chadworth looked away.

Marcus did not allow him to.

“No.”

Chadworth stared at him.

“What?”

“You wanted to know what happened when you were gone.”

“I know now.”

“No, sir. You know one part.”

“Don’t call me sir right now.”

“Then listen to me as your friend.”

Chadworth looked back at the screen.

Rosamund was smoothing Gemma’s hair.

Lorelai said something too softly for the living-room microphone to catch.

Rosamund answered.

“No. You did nothing wrong.”

Gemma whispered, “Will you tell Daddy?”

Rosamund hesitated.

“Yes.”

Lorelai shook her head violently.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“She’ll say we’re lying again.”

Chadworth’s hands went cold.

Again.

Marcus heard it too.

Rosamund sat beside them.

“Your father loves you.”

Lorelai’s voice broke.

“He loves Sabina.”

“He loves you more.”

“He never believes us.”

Chadworth closed his eyes.

Marcus said nothing.

That silence hurt worse than accusation.

Onscreen, Rosamund whispered, “Then we make him believe the truth.”

“How?”

“I don’t know yet.”

Gemma wiped her eyes.

“Sabina says you’re going away.”

Rosamund went still.

“When did she say that?”

“Yesterday.”

“What exactly did she say?”

Lorelai answered.

“She said after Daddy marries her, she’ll make sure you never work here again.”

Rosamund’s face changed.

“Anything else?”

Gemma nodded.

“She said Daddy will forget you.”

Rosamund forced a smile.

“He won’t.”

“And us?”

“What about you?”

Gemma’s voice was tiny.

“Will he forget us too?”

Chadworth stood so quickly the chair rolled backward.

“I’m done.”

Marcus stepped aside this time.

Chadworth moved toward the door.

Then Marcus said, “If you walk in now, Sabina knows how you found out.”

“I don’t care.”

“You should.”

“Why?”

“Because she said, ‘For now.’ She’s accused Rosamund of theft. She’s telling the girls Rosamund will disappear. And Rosamund just said she needs to make you believe the truth.”

Chadworth stopped.

Marcus continued.

“You can protect the girls this minute and still find out what Sabina is doing.”

“How?”

“First, you stop being the man she expects.”

Chadworth looked at him.

“What does she expect?”

“That you’ll confront her with anger and no plan.”

He looked toward the screens again.

Rosamund had both girls beside her now.

Chadworth’s voice dropped.

“Get the car.”

“To leave?”

“No.”

“Then where are we going?”

“To the front entrance.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow.

“I thought you wanted to keep the deception.”

“I do.”

“Then why the front entrance?”

“Because I’m going to come home early.”

“From Canada?”

“From the airport.”

Marcus understood.

“A canceled flight.”

“Mechanical issue.”

“Convenient.”

“Make it believable.”

“And Sabina?”

Chadworth looked at the screen where her empty reflection moved briefly through an upstairs mirror.

“I smile at her.”

Marcus said nothing.

“I apologize for the disruption. I say the trip is postponed until tomorrow.”

“And tonight?”

“I sleep under the same roof as the woman my daughters are afraid of.”

“That won’t be easy.”

“No.”

“What will you do?”

Chadworth looked at Lorelai and Gemma.

“For once, I’ll pay attention.”

Thirty-five minutes later, the front doors opened.

Gemma ran first.

“Daddy!”

Chadworth caught her.

Lorelai followed more slowly.

Sabina appeared at the top of the staircase.

Her smile was perfect.

“What happened?”

“Mechanical problem.”

“Oh no.”

“Flight’s delayed until tomorrow.”

She came down the stairs.

“What a disaster.”

Chadworth smiled.

“Yes.”

Rosamund stood near the hallway.

Their eyes met.

She looked confused.

He gave nothing away.

Sabina kissed his cheek.

“Then at least we get one more night with you.”

Chadworth held Gemma tighter.

“Yes,” he said.

“One more night.”

And for the first time since he had begun doubting Rosamund, he understood that he had been watching the wrong woman.

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The question was no longer whether Sabina had lied.

The question was how much damage her lies had already done.