A Visitor Nobody Saw

Lily's POV

Ethan pushed the blanket off and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Wait," I said. "You can't walk yet. The doctor said..."

"Then help me," he said.

I hurried back and put his arm over my shoulders. He was heavier than he looked, and his legs shook with every step. Duke walked right beside us like he wanted to catch Ethan if he fell. It took us almost a full minute to cross the room, and by the time we reached the window, the gray car was already rolling out through the gate.

All we saw were two red lights disappearing into the dark.

"Are you sure it was Richard?" Ethan asked.

"I'm sure," I said. "I saw his face under the lamp. He leaned forward and said something to her, and she laughed."

Ethan didn't say anything for a while. He just stared at the empty road. I could feel his whole body go tight against my side.

"My uncle hates the Sinclairs," he said finally. "He told me not to get engaged to Vanessa. He said her father was weak and her mother was a snake. So why is he picking her up from my house in the middle of the night?"

"Maybe they want the same thing," I said.

He turned his head and looked at me. "And what's that?"

"You gone," I said quietly. "Vanessa wants her place back, and she can't have it while I'm here. Richard wants your company, and he can't have it while you're awake."

Ethan let out a slow breath. "You're smarter than you let people think, Lily Carter."

"I clean offices at night," I said. "You learn a lot when people forget you're in the room."

I helped him back to the bed. He was pale and sweating by the time he lay down, but he grabbed his phone right away and called Marcus. He told him about the gray car and asked him to find out who owned it. Then he put the phone down and closed his eyes.

"Go to sleep," he said. "Tomorrow, we act like nothing happened."

I slept on the small sofa in his room, the way I had every night since the wedding. I didn't sleep much.

Breakfast the next morning was in the big dining room. It was the first time Ethan had come downstairs since he woke up, and Eleanor wanted the whole family there to see it.

Marcus pushed Ethan in a wheelchair, and Ethan let his head hang a little, like the trip down had worn him out. I sat beside him and cut his toast into small pieces. My hands were cold, but I made them move like a wife's hands should.

Eleanor sat at the head of the table with her black cane leaning against her chair. Richard sat across from me. He was wearing a gray suit and his usual smile.

"Look at you," Richard said to Ethan. "Downstairs already. You're a fighter, just like your father."

"Thank you, Uncle Richard," Ethan said in a tired voice.

Richard poured himself some coffee. Then he looked at me over his cup.

"I hear you had a visitor last night, Vanessa," he said.

The room went quiet. Rosa was pouring orange juice at the other end of the table, and I saw her hand jerk. A few drops spilled on the white cloth.

Eleanor turned her sharp eyes on me. "A visitor? Nobody told me about a visitor."

My mind went blank. Rosa hadn't told anyone. Marcus would never say a word. The only way Richard could know was if he had been there himself.

I felt Ethan's knee press against mine under the table. It was a small touch, but it told me to stay calm.

"It was my cousin," I said. "She's been worried about Ethan, and she stopped by for a few minutes. She didn't want tobother anyone, so she left fast."

Eleanor kept looking at me. "Your cousin came to see your husband at nine o'clock at night and didn't come to say hello to me?"

"She's a little shy," I said.

"How strange," Eleanor said. "I've met your whole family, Vanessa. I don't remember a shy one."

I didn't know what to say to that. My face felt hot.

Ethan saved me. He coughed into his napkin, hard enough that everyone turned to look at him. I put my hand on his back, and he leaned against me like he needed it.

"Grandmother," he said weakly, "I asked her to keep it short. I didn't want a crowd. I'm sorry."

Eleanor's face softened a little when she looked at him. "Of course. You need rest." Then she looked back at Richard. "And how did you hear about this cousin, Richard? You weren't home last night."

Richard's smile stayed on his face, but his eyes changed. "One of the guards mentioned it this morning."

"I see," Eleanor said.

She didn't say anything else, but she watched him as he drank his coffee. I couldn't tell if she believed him or not. I couldn't tell if she believed me either.

After a minute, she picked up a white card from beside her plate.

"Before I forget," she said. "Margaret Sinclair called me this morning. She's having a family dinner at their house on Saturday to celebrate Ethan waking up. All of us are invited." She looked at me. "Your mother says she misses you terribly, Vanessa."

My fork almost slipped out of my hand. A dinner at the Sinclair house meant Margaret, and Mr. Sinclair, and the real Vanessa, all sitting at one table with the Blackwoods.

"That sounds lovely," I said. My voice sounded thin, even to me.

"Good," Eleanor said. "Then it's settled."

After breakfast, I pushed Ethan's wheelchair back to the elevator myself. Marcus walked behind us. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Ethan sat up straight, and the tired look fell off his face.

"She's walking you into a trap," he said.

"Who? Your grandmother or Margaret?"

"I don't know yet," Ethan said. "Maybe both."

Marcus held up his phone. "Sir, I found the gray car."

Ethan looked up at him. "Whose is it?"

"It isn't registered to your uncle," Marcus said. "It belongs to a company." He turned the screen so we could both see it. "Bright Care Nursing."

The same company that had sent the nurse with the blue pills.