Page 10 of One Last Night (The Governess #8)

The following Sunday, a new emergency greets the family. I head downstairs at six-thirty, as I always do, and hear Victoria shouting. I stop halfway down the stairs, just out of sight, and listen in.

“How the hell does this happen, Julian? Listeria? Listeria? For God’s sake, do you understand that could be fatal?”

“Yes, I’m well aware. Mr. Pelton was very clear about that when he called to let us know he was in the hospital.”

“Then why are you sitting there so calmly? Why aren’t you outraged? Why aren’t you terrified?”

“Why isn’t shouting solving the problem?” Julian replies impudently. “I mean, doesn’t the bacteria know how angry you are?”

There’s a smacking sound, and I flinch. Victoria has just slapped her son. “This isn’t fucking funny, Julian.”

“I’m not laughing.”

He’s not laughing, but he does seem eerily calm. Considering that he’s been the more volatile one thus far and Victoria the more levelheaded one, the difference in their demeanors now is striking.

“This could ruin us, Julian. Damn it.”

“It’s not going to ruin us,” Julian says soothingly. Maybe that is the reason for his calm. “We’re going to shut down the winery, deep clean the hell out of everything, and put it back together. It’ll take two weeks, four tops. We’re well ahead of our production schedule. We’ll be fine.”

“And what happens when all of those professional wine tasters writes about how we almost killed them? What happens if they do die?”

“No one’s going to die. We’re going to pay for everyone’s medical treatment, and we’re going to pay for their discretion as well.”

“Oh great. So we’re going to toss our morals out of the window too.”

“Now’s not the time to be concerned with morals, Mom. I’m being calm, but I’m very much aware of how much trouble we’re going to be in if this gets out.”

“Oh good,” Victoria scoffs. She sounds like she’s been crying. “Good, because for a little bit, it seemed like you didn’t give a shit.”

Finally, Julian shows some emotion. “I care, Mom, I’m just not going to panic. Panic won’t solve anything.”

“Nonchalance won’t solve anything either.”

“I’m not…” He sighs. “Mom, we’ll handle it. Businesses like ours deal with this crap all of the time.”

“If Robert hears about this, he’ll ruin us.”

“ No one will ruin us, least of all that prick. Look, take the day off. Take the kids out. Let me handle everything. It’s going to be fine. I promise.”

Victoria sighs. “Okay. Okay, I’ll… God. I’ll tell Mary to take the day and the kids and I can go… oh Hell, I don’t know.”

“Go to the mainland,” Julian suggests. “Get off of this island for a while. Hell, make it an overnight trip. Go to Boston. Get your head out of all the crap.”

“I’m not going to take two days off. I’ll take the kids to the lighthouse, and we can have a picnic on the beach. Tomorrow, I’m back in the saddle.”

“Tomorrow, you’re not doing anything out of the ordinary. I will handle the Listeria emergency. It’s only the barrels that came from this estate. We’ll be fine.”

“Well, this estate is important to me, Julian. I wanted to showcase our family’s history here. We’re just another commercial winery to everyone. I wanted to prove that we haven’t lost sight of our legacy.”

Julian sighs again. “We’ll figure it out. I can’t snap my fingers and make this unhappen, but if you let me work on it, I can make it go away. Just please stop panicking.”

"Oh, sure. I'll get right on that."

Her footsteps stalk toward the stairs. I prepare to flee, but it's too late. She sees me a moment later. "Oh, good. You're up. I'm going to take the kids out today, so you can take the day off."

“Oh, of course, Victoria. I’ll wake the children and have them get ready.”

She pushes past me without a reply. I don’t blame her for her rudeness, but Julian apologizes anyway. “Sorry for her attitude, Mary. We’re in the middle of a very stressful situation.”

He doesn’t seem stressed as he says it, though. I finish my descent so I can get a look at his face. Often when people are faced with an extraordinarily stressful or traumatic circumstance, they will present a calm demeanor, but their terror will be betrayed by their eyes. This is why people pulled from horrific car accidents can often understand questions from emergency services and provide articulate answers even while severely injured or having witnessed horrible injuries.

Julian doesn’t show the same signs. His eyes aren’t wide or staring. He doesn’t appear distracted. There’s no tension in his shoulders but there’s no slackness either. He looks as though he’s woken to a normal morning.

He smiles at me, not a warm smile or a false one worn over fear but a perfunctory greeting. “You should take some time to explore the island. The beaches are an obvious choice, but the state forest is also beautiful. There’s a quaint little cottage in West Tisbury that’s been converted into a restaurant. It serves the best clams I’ve ever eaten.”

“Thank you. I’ll give it a visit.”

He nods, another perfunctory response. “Well, I hate to leave you so early, but I have some urgent business things to deal with. The work never stops.”

He heads out of the house, and I only just now realize that he’s fully dressed. I understand that executives are often up early, but in my experience, Julian begins his day at around seven and isn’t ready to leave the house until eight-thirty. Why is he up so early today?

Voices call down the stairs. Victoria is returning with the children. Nathan and Luann are dressed in comfortable casual clothing, but Victoria wears an elegant black silk dress that looks more like something she would wear to a formal dinner rather than a day outing with her grandchildren. Her eyes are wide, and her shoulders stiff as bricks. She gives me a smile that looks more like a grimace. “I’m taking the children out today. We’ll see you later, Mary.”

“Bye, Mary,” the children reply. They are bleary-eyed and clearly unhappy with being woken this early. Nathan even asks, “Why can’t we leave in a few hours? I’m tired.”

“We’re leaving now,” Victoria says crisply. “And we’re going to have fun. Wipe that look off of your face.”

Nathan rolls his eyes, and the children trudge after their grandmother out of the house.

When they are gone, I go to the kitchen and prepare my coffee and breakfast. The difference between Victoria’s reaction and Julian’s reaction is stark. Victoria is acting like a woman on the brink of scandal. Julian is acting like it’s just another day.

It could mean nothing, but the disquiet I feel only grows as I eat my breakfast. I’ve managed so far to deflect my interest in the family’s drama by burying myself in past scandals. Perhaps it’s time I involve myself in the present a little more.

When I finish eating, I put on some warm clothes and head out. I think I’ll visit the forest. The beaches are likely to be crowded, and I’d like some time alone with my thoughts.

The forest is a mile from the house and easily accessible from the main road. I pass the occasional traveler on my way, but it seems I was right to believe the forest the less popular choice of diversion.

When I am alone among the trees, I call Sean. He answers right away, a trait of his that I absolutely love. “Hello there, love. Have you decided to come visit your poor old fiancé at last?”

Heat flames my cheeks when he says that. I’ve spent two weekends here when I’d promised to spend them with Sean. I’ve been so caught up in the drama here that the thought completely slipped my mind. “I’m so sorry, Sean. I’ve been in the middle of a whirlwind here.”

“Of course you have. You’re Mary Wilcox. Whirlwinds follow you.”

“It certainly seems that way sometimes,” I reply morosely.

“Well, out with it,” he says. “If you’re caught in a whirlwind, you’re no doubt asking me to help you sort it all out.”

“Only if you can. I know you’ve been busy.”

Sean’s detective agency has become quite popular. He’s had to hire a personal assistant to manage his calls and his schedule, and he’s been talking about hiring another investigator.

“I shouldn’t have any trouble moving things around. What do you need from me?”

I feel a sudden and powerful longing for him. I spent nearly all of my life alone, but since meeting Sean, I’ve grown used to having someone close. It’s challenging to hear his voice and know that he’s not here with me. “A hug would be nice,” I say softly.

“You have to come see me for that,” he replies. “But while we’re waiting for that, what can I do for you right now?”

I take a deep breath. “I need you to follow my employer. Or rather, my employer’s son.”

“Julian Bellamy?”

“Yes.”

“I see. Am I allowed to know why?”

“Well, there have been some strange goings on here. Before I arrived, the winery on the mainland suffered a fire. My first night here, a portion of the estate vineyard was destroyed.”

“Destroyed how?”

“Chopped down.”

“So no fire?”

“No, not here.”

“Interesting. Go on.”

I see movement out of the corner of my eye and glance to my left, but it’s only a family of geese waddling down the path. As I watch, they leave the road and move to a small pond ten yards inside the trees.

“Mary?”

“Yes, sorry. I thought I saw someone. “So the vineyard was damaged, and just this morning, it appears that the Pinot Noir the estate prepared for a wine tasting last weekend was poisoned.”

“Poisoned? With what?”

“ Listeria .”

Sean’s breath sucks in. “Oy. That’s a bad one. Anyone taken ill?”

“Yes. I’m not sure how many, but Victoria Bellamy was beside herself this morning.”

“I can understand that. How are you feeling? Did you drink any of the wine?”

“I did, and so did the Bellamys. I suppose it’s possible that we could still get sick.”

“It’s also possible that not all of the wine was poisoned,” Sean deduces. “The saboteur could have targeted specific barrels or been interrupted before he could finish.” He hesitates for a moment, then says almost reluctantly. “Or the wine could have just been accidentally contaminated. Listeria is a very common infection. Frankly, it’s remarkable that there aren’t more outbreaks.”

“That’s true,” I agree, “and if this was the only instance, I would believe that the fire was unrelated, but with that, the Listeria and the destroyed vines… It seems suspicious to me.”

“Suspicious enough to make it worth a look,” he concedes. “Now for the big question: why do you suspect Julian?”

“I’m not sure I do,” I reply. “But he behaved oddly this morning. He didn’t seem overly concerned with the claim, even though it could mean an enormous scandal for his company.”

“Probably will mean one,” Sean says. “If this is traced back to an official company event, then the attendees will almost certainly blow the whistle.”

“Exactly my point. He didn’t seem like he was trying to seem calm, he seemed genuinely calm.”

“That’s an odd reaction, yes,” Sean replies. “But it doesn’t mean that he sabotaged his own means of financial support.”

“I know. As I said, I’m not sure if I suspect him of wrongdoing yet. I just want to rule him out, I suppose.”

“Very well. I’ll look into him. If you can do so safely and discreetly, you might consider investigating the servants. As you know, it’s not unheard of for household staff to be behind these sorts of crimes.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea. I will.”

“Be careful, though. Please. I don’t want to have to shoot another cook.”

I grimace a little. At one of my positions, I discovered the dead body of my employer on his boat. I eventually learned that his killer was the household cook, who murdered him out of revenge for his cancellation and absorption of her pension. In the ensuing struggle, she nearly killed me, but Sean rescued me in the nick of time.

My grimace turns into a smile. “That was our first kiss.”

“I prefer to keep the memory of the shooting and the kiss separate,” he says. “But either way, I’d like you to be more careful this time.”

“I will. Thank you, Sean.”

“Of course. I love you, Mary.”

I will never get tired of hearing him say that. “I love you too.”