Mom rounds on Marlow. “Who is the housemaid to you?”
I’ve never seen my mother whipped into such a fury. Her red face, combined with the sharpness in her eyes, dares Marlow to defy her.
“Well, she’s, um, my sister.”
“Your sister, an heiress to the Dwight Drilling fortune, works as a housemaid? That seems unlikely,” Mom says.
If this were a football game, my mother would’ve been the first woman in her sixties to score a touchdown. She worked fast, putting the pieces together.
“Your sister?” Dad asks, aghast.
Mom continues, “Is Dwight your real last name? Is your father really the executive at Dwight Drilling? Never mind. Don’t answer. Save your voice for this, Why are you blackmailing my husband?”
Marlow opens and closes her mouth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I stop pacing. “Maybe Joe can tell us?”
“Joe? I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“Let me see your phone,” Mom says, holding her hand open.
“No, that’s private.” Marlow sniffs.
“If you’re to marry into the Collins household, we share all content on all devices.”
“We do?” I ask.
“New rule.”
Marlow rolls her eyes. “Fine. I know a guy named Joe, but how do you know about him?”
“Never mind that. You have one chance to explain yourself. Otherwise, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”
“Ruth, we don’t have to take it that far.”
“You almost forced our son to marry this woman, I will take it as far as I have to.”
My eyes widen at my mother’s forthrightness. But before anyone can say anything, my phone beeps with a notification. It’s another email from Pippa, forwarded from her sister Phoebe, revealing a pair of documents that are almost identical except for one thing.
As if there are less than ten seconds left in the game and my father holds the ball, he becomes my target as I stride over to him and lift him to his feet by the collar of his robe.
“You are going to look me in the eye and swear that what I’m looking at is a mistake.”
“I don’t know what you’re looking at.”
“Two documents,” I say.
“I need my glasses,” Dad blusters as if that’s my problem.
I already know what I’m looking at and what I’m dealing with. Dishonesty. Deceit.
“How dare you try to smear my grandfather’s good name?” My muscles coil with energy. I’m in tackle mode and nothing will stop me except for the truth.
“I can tell you, if?—”
I cut my father off. “There will be no bargaining, blackmail, or funny business. Marlow, if you know something, tell me now, otherwise, three of the largest and strongest guys I know will track down Joe and?—”
Marlow fidgets and then relents. “Ruth is right. My sister works at your home in London. She came across some documents that looked unusual.”
