Beautifully Forgotten (33 page)

“I don’t know. I’ve thought about what could have motivated Sister Margaret and the only thing she seemed to care about was St. Agnes. Maybe she thought I was going to seek restitution because I fell there.”

Lucien lifted his glass but Darcy could tell he was mulling over her words. “Maybe. Doesn’t explain your mom.”

“Unless Sister Margaret asked her to come for me, maybe compensating her to do so. My mom would do just about anything for money.”

His response was barely audible. “Bitch.”

And then he sobered. “I’m sorry you went through that alone. There were several times I almost came back during that first year just to see how you were doing. If I had, maybe you wouldn’t have fallen.”

“Maybe. And you would have stayed; I know you well enough to know that. We’d have our child, but I would never have known if you stayed because you wanted to or because you thought you had to. And I suspect you would have wondered yourself. It was a difficult time—everything happens for a reason.”

He reached across the table for her hand. “No, there wouldn’t have been any question. I would have stayed because, despite how much you’d hurt me, you’re it for me. Always, Darcy. I meant that.”

“Me too.”

He squeezed her hand before he released it and reached for his menu. “Our waitress is circling.”

My dearest love,

It has been two weeks since I held you in my arms. I cannot bear this separation. I need to see you. I cannot focus on my work or my family because all of my thoughts are with you. You must put me out of my misery and agree to be my wife. Please, my love. I know what I ask, how much you would have to give up, but I am lost without you.

Yours always,

XX

Darling,

You must marry me now. Can you not see that? We will be happy, I promise. Please let me love you. Let me give you the world. I will devote all that I have to you. Give us a chance to have our happily-ever-after.

Love,

XX

You win. I will not write again and I will keep my promise. You are making a mistake, and one day I think you will come to realize what you gave up. I hope the life you chose was worth it, worth losing something so absolute. I will never stop loving you and I will watch over you.

As always, your devoted love,

XX

Ember folded up the last letter and felt the tears stinging her eyes. It was heartbreaking, the agony of loving someone but being denied a lifetime with them. What had kept them apart? Clearly there was love on both sides; the fact that the letters were saved was proof that they meant a great deal to the recipient. They looked old, a few decades, she would guess by the discoloration. Whose were they?

She was so focused on the letters that she didn’t notice Trace until he bent down and kissed her. He looked at the letters.

“What are they?”

“Old love letters that I found in the attic at St. Agnes. It’s like a treasure trove. I can’t imagine the number of secrets that attic is hiding.”

She turned into him and pulled him down onto the floor with her. “What are you doing home? I thought you had a class.”

“I asked Carlos to take it.”

“Why?”

“I wanted to see you.” His fingers raked through her hair and he seemed to be following the motion before he asked, “How’s the writing?”

“Good, but I’m trying to decide on one of two directions.” She was nervous when she asked, “Did you read what I sent you?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“Well . . .”

She felt her heart start to pound with nerves.

“A story about two very unlikely people falling wildly in love.” His eyes looked right into hers and he looked so serious. “I think it’s . . . a little farfetched.”

A grin cracked over his face and humor burned in his eyes as he continued. “I mean, what’s the likelihood that would ever happen? It seems to lack that realism your professor is so fond of.”

Ember’s jaw dropped and Trace touched his thumb to it to close her mouth.

“Holy shit, you’re teasing me. Trace Montgomery has discovered a sense of humor. I need to write this down.”

“I’m learning from you that there are other ways to express how I feel that don’t require getting naked.”

In response, her body clenched since she happened to like, a lot, that he expressed himself by getting naked. So much, in fact, that she was suddenly feeling really warm; but the sentiment was beautiful and she said as much.

And then those eyes went dark as he lowered her to the floor and covered her body with his own.

“That being said, I happen to be a great fan of expressing one’s self naked.”

His fingers were already moving her shirt up just before he pressed a kiss on her belly. He did that often and she loved that even though he was worried, he wanted the baby. He gripped her pants and moved them down her legs, then lifted her foot in his hands, rubbing the arch in a massage that felt so good.

He pressed a kiss where he was massaging before moving his lips slowly up her leg. He kissed the edge of her panties, just over her navel before moving up her body to pop her breasts from the top of her bra right before closing his mouth over one of them. She rubbed herself against his jean-clad body and reached for his button. He quickly yanked her panties off before he removed his clothes with an economy of moves that was very much appreciated. And then he took his good sweet time expressing himself.

Trace went back to the cooking school after their fabulous lunch break. Ember went to work on her book and was just getting into the scene when her phone rang. She wasn’t going to answer it until she saw that it was Lena. Her stomach dropped, even as she felt joy that Lena was finally returning her calls.

“Hello.”

“Ember, it’s Lena.” She paused for a moment, then said, “Look, I’m sorry I haven’t called you, I’ve just been busy with my own stuff.”

“I understand.”

“How was the wedding?”

Maybe it was silly, but Ember couldn’t help her smile. “It was beautiful.”

“You’re happy, right?”

“I am. How about you?”

“I’m getting there. You were right about Todd. I know that now and I’m sorry.”

Progress
, Ember thought. “Thanks for saying that.”

There was a moment of silence. “I’m really calling you at Dane’s request.”

Ember totally didn’t see that coming. “Dane?”

“I know. He was high and his judgment was seriously off. He’s the first to admit it.”

Ember couldn’t help the anger she felt remembering the night he’d dragged her from Sapphire with the intention of . . . she didn’t even want to think about it.

“You have every right to hate him, but he asked that I pass something on to you.”

Only out of curiosity as to what Dane could possibly think she’d find interesting, Ember said, “Okay.”

“He knows the cops are looking at Seth for Heidi’s murder, but he knows for a fact that she was blackmailing someone in his family and, though he doesn’t know who for sure, he thinks it was his dad.”

Ember couldn’t deny Dane’s timing was impeccable, but why would he want her to know this? She asked Lena.

“Heidi and Dane had a little blackmailing deal going on. Small potatoes, pretty harmless stuff and not very big payouts, but Heidi escalated it. She wouldn’t tell him how she’d come to know certain things. So when she took the blackmailing to the next level, Dane stepped back. He’s concerned the killer doesn’t know that.”

“And he’s worried the killer may come after him,” Ember finished.

“Yeah, the more people looking into who stood to gain the most with Heidi’s death, the sooner the killer will be caught.”

“Why doesn’t he just go to the cops?”

“Fear of his family. And since he knows from Heidi that you have a PI in your family, he figured you were the next best thing.”

“I don’t know how much we can help, but I’ll pass the information along.”

“I better go.”

“Okay, thanks for the information and the call.”

“Yeah. I’ll talk to you later.”

Lena hung up before Ember had a chance to reply. She stared at her phone for a long time in mild shock, wondering if perhaps that was a step toward them being friends again, and then she called her uncle and relayed the news.

I
contacted Belinda Carmichael, the senator’s estranged wife. It took some time to get through to her. Her sister Lily is a hell of a guard dog and when I finally was able to speak to Belinda, she wasn’t any more helpful. I suspect that was because of fear, but of what I am not sure,” Josh said to Lucien at lunch. “She painted a picture of her husband as a serial adulterer, though I suspect she was exaggerating his affairs because there’s a lot of bitterness there; but nothing she told me would be profitable for a blackmailer. She had threatened to leave, but it was the judge who objected because of how that would look to the public.”

“And yet she left. How did that happen?” Lucien asked.

“Apparently she had something to use as leverage against him and he agreed to let her go. The cost of her leaving was giving up her son and maintaining her family’s silence about whatever she had on him.”

“So maybe Heidi learned whatever it was Belinda had on the judge,” Lucien concluded.

“That’s what I’m thinking.”

“And we still don’t know the connection between Heidi and Charles, but I’m guessing she was blackmailing him too,” Lucien said.

Josh leaned forward. “So Heidi was blackmailing one or more of the Carmichaels and possibly Charles. That’s an awful lot of people who wanted her dead and there were probably more that we don’t know about.”

“Undoubtedly,” Lucien replied. “Trace is already looking into the connection between Heidi and Charles.”

“I’ll keep digging into the Carmichaels,” Josh offered. “How are things with Darcy?”

“I was an ass and she called me on it. We’re working it out.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“I should have listened to you,” Lucien admitted with a self-deprecating smile.

“I’m not one for I told you so . . .” Lucien joined in as Josh laughed.