Chapter 14 - dark ledgers
By midnight, the storm outside had reached its peak, driving rain against the stone walls of the mansion in fierce, echoing gusts. The state constables had escorted Isabella away to the local precinct for questioning, leaving Catherine, Sterling, and myself alone in the vast, silent library.
A single brass desk lamp illuminated the piles of ledgers, land deeds, and bank statements spread across the green felt blotter.
"How did you survive the fire, Catherine?" I asked, sitting across from her with a cup of hot tea between my hands. "If Arthur knew you were alive, why did he let you work here as a servant for six years?"
Catherine looked down at her hands, her fingers tracing the silver surgical scar on her wrist. "Arthur didn't know I was alive at first. After the hospital fire twenty years ago, our mother's trusted nurse, Margaret, took me to a private sanctuary in Wales. I grew up under an assumed name, completely unaware of my true identity until Margaret passed away six years ago and left me mother's private journals."
"And when you discovered who you were?"
"I returned to Blackwood Manor to claim my place," Catherine said, her voice dropping into a quiet, painful register. "But when I arrived, I realized Arthur was already under Isabella’s complete psychological control. He was addicted to prescription sedatives, and Isabella's uncle managed all his affairs. If I had revealed myself then, they would have had me committed to a private asylum or eliminated me quietly."
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"So you took the job as a housekeeper," I realized, marveling at the incredible patience and courage my sister had possessed for six long years.
"It was the only way to search the house," Catherine nodded. "Every night while the estate slept, I searched Arthur’s study, piece by piece, document by document. I found the hidden wall safe behind the library mantle three months ago, but I needed Sterling to verify the Swiss account numbers before we could act."
