“Thank God,” Lacy breathed.
“How did you know we were here?” I asked.
“I was looking for you,” Savilla said, before realizing that didn’t really answer the question. “And I use these back stairs as a shortcut around the house. I thought I heard voices. How did you two get up here?”
“We needed a quiet place to talk,” I said, deciding not to give away any of the confidences that Lacy had entrusted to me.
“I guess you found one,” Savilla said, flipping on a light switch that was three-quarters of the way up the wall. The room was suddenly bathed in yellow light from a lamp that hung from the ceiling in the corner near the chest. “I used to play dress-up in here, so Daddy had a light fixture installed.” Savilla gestured at the dresses flung over our shoulders for warmth. “I guessyou found the pageant extras. My grandmother had a stash of accetrements.”
I narrowed my eyes, trying to decipher her actual meaning. Accessories? Accoutrements?
Savilla didn’t miss a beat. “She kept that trunk full in case anyone got a last-minute stain or tear, and when I eventually inherited the vintage pieces, Nanny Kate suggested I keep them in here. It was our hideout for a couple of years.”
Savilla’s face softened with the memory as she looked around the room. My guilt at keeping our sisterly connection a secret twisted inside me. That, combined with worry about Lacy and frustration over Charlie’s distance, wasn’t a good mix. But my emotional state didn’t matter right then.
Someone in this house could be a murderer, and that had to come first.
EIGHT
Before making my appearance at the homecoming and reunion celebrations this weekend, I’d picked a bundle of wildflowers from the hiking trail and settled it in front of Momma’s headstone at the graveyard.
“I haven’t told Savilla,” I’d said, continuing our ongoing conversation. “And, honestly, I blame you for having to deal with any of this.”
Even dead for almost a year and a half, Momma was still the person I told my inmost thoughts to, especially the angry ones.
“If you’d told Mr. Finch that I was his kid before you died, then we could’ve dealt with this together, but instead, I have these weird pieces of my childhood—and Savilla’s—to work out.”
I’d imagined Momma nodding along and asking me what I planned to do now.
“You kept me away from the Finches for my entire life, and I get it. You didn’t want me caught up in their wealth and all the drama that came with it. But… I just think it would’ve been nice to know that I had a sister, especially after watching you and Aunt DeeDee have such an amazing relationship.”
I’d run a finger along Momma’s name engraved into the stone, thinking about all the times I’d almost picked up thephone to call Savilla with the news. I’d been too chicken, though, which was probably the same excuse Momma would’ve given for leaving me news about my paternity in a letter a year after her death.
The graveside conversation came to mind now as Savilla led Lacy and me back down the stairs to the first floor. When we were in the main hallway once again, Lacy excused herself to find Anton.
“Charlie might be wondering where I am too,” Lacy added, giving me a look.
She wasn’t wrong. As soon as he had a free minute, I was pretty sure he’d want to ask her why she’d been going through a dead man’s pockets. I hoped she would find the courage to tell him the truth, because I didn’t want to have to keep a secret from him.
Either way, Lacy’s absence meant that I was now stuck with my secret sister.
“Speaking of Charlie,” Savilla said, looking in the direction of the ballroom to make sure no one else was nearby. “He asked me to show you around.”
“Me?” A prickle of nerves went up my arms. I hadn’t told Charlie about the will reading or that Savilla was my half-sister. I needed to process the information fully on my own first.
“I don’t have time to give you a tour of the entire house right now,” Savilla said, glancing at her watch as if she were a real businesswoman. “I asked one of the staff to start demartriculating people into rooms.”
I ignored the strange word combo, but I couldn’t keep from giving her a quizzical look.
“I need to make sure everyone gets settled so I sorted the guests based on how well they know Aubergine. It’s a good practice run in hospitiality since I’m thinking about converting The Rose into a grand hotel in the new year.” Savilla smiledas she said the words, but it was forced. She seemed tired. “Depends on what I find out at the will reading tomorrow. I think I know everything, but there can always be surprises.”
My stomach flipped. This was my chance, my “in,” but I just couldn’t do it. I wasn’t ready.
“I know.” Savilla’s eyes lit up and she raised a finger. “It’s not at all the same, but I can show you the general layout of the house in about ten minutes.” She motioned for me to follow her as she took out a small ring of keys and we headed toward the vestibule and out the front door.
The darkness and cool air would’ve been perfect for an autumnal stroll, but in the middle of the chaos of this weekend, it felt more inconvenient than anything else. Savilla took me to the door of what appeared to be a two-story garage around the side of the home.
“There’s a replica of the estate in the old carriage house,” she said by way of explanation, as she inserted a key into the lock on the front door. “The main house has four floors—or, six, depending on how you’re counting.”
