Chapter 5 - The Man in the Photograph
"His name is Samuel Ashford."
William took the silver locket from my trembling hand.
His face had gone pale beneath his tan.
"He was my father's younger brother."
I stared at the photograph.
The man looked to be in his early thirties, with dark hair, a crooked smile, and green eyes almost identical to mine.
I had spent my entire life believing I looked like nobody in my family.
Now I was staring at a man who looked like he could have been my father.
"Is he alive?" I whispered.
William didn't answer immediately.
"Sam disappeared twenty-four years ago."
My chest tightened.
"Before I was born?"
"Yes."
"What happened to him?"
"My family believed he left the country after a dispute with Richard."
"About what?"
William slowly closed the locket.
"That was never explained."
I looked at Thomas.
The old gardener's eyes were fixed on the floor.
"Mr. Reed?"
He didn't look up.
"Did you know Samuel?"
"Yes, Miss Clare."
"Was he close to my mother?"
Thomas swallowed.
"Very."
I could barely breathe.
"How close?"
The old man's face crumpled.
"He loved her."
Silence filled the cottage.
I stared at the locket.
For twenty-three years, I'd called Victor Aldrich my father.
He'd never embraced me unless photographers were watching.
He'd never asked what I wanted for my birthday.
He'd never attended a school performance or graduation without complaining about the inconvenience.
I'd spent years trying to earn affection from a man who treated me like a burden.
And now the possibility existed that he wasn't my father at all.
"Did Samuel know about me?" I asked.
Thomas nodded slowly.
"He knew Eleanor was pregnant."
"Was he happy?"
The old gardener's eyes filled.
"Very happy."
I looked down.
Something inside me twisted with a grief I couldn't name.
A man I'd never met might have loved me before I was born.
A man who disappeared before he could hold me.
William pulled out a chair.
"Clare, sit down."
I shook my head.
"I need to know."
"I understand."
"No, you don't."
The words came out sharper than I intended.
William stepped back.
I immediately felt guilty.
But I didn't apologize.
Not this time.
"You know who your father was," I whispered. "You know who your mother was. You have photographs and memories and stories."
His expression softened.
"I do."
"I don't have any of that."
My voice broke.
"I don't even know my real name."
William looked at me for a long moment.
Then said:
"Whatever your birth records say, Clare, you have the right to decide what name you use."
Tears blurred my vision.
I sat down.
Thomas brought me a glass of water.
William contacted Daniel Pierce.
The attorney answered immediately.
After a short conversation, William handed me the phone.
"Mr. Pierce wants to speak with you directly."
I pressed it to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Miss Aldrich, my name is Daniel Pierce. I represented Catherine Ashford."
His voice was calm and professional.
"I understand you've discovered documents relating to Eleanor Bennett."
"Yes."
"Have you shown them to anyone outside your immediate circle?"
"Only William."
"Good. Please preserve the originals and don't make additional copies for anyone without legal advice."
I swallowed.
"Do you know who my father is?"
There was a pause.
"I know Eleanor believed Samuel Ashford was your biological father."
My heart slammed against my ribs.
"Believed?"
"Samuel disappeared before your birth. No DNA test was ever completed."
I looked at William.
He was watching me carefully.
"Can we find out?"
"Yes. But we should discuss the safest and most reliable way to establish your identity."
I closed my eyes.
For the first time, someone was talking about my life as something that belonged to me.
Not my father's property.
Not a family embarrassment.
Mine.
Daniel continued.
"Catherine left instructions concerning you. She also established a trust to cover legal expenses if you ever sought the truth."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"Because she believed Victor Aldrich had concealed material facts about Eleanor's disappearance."
"Did she think he killed her?"
"She never reached a conclusion."
The answer frustrated me.
Everyone seemed to know pieces of the truth.
Nobody knew the whole story.
Then Daniel said:
"Miss Aldrich, I need to ask you something important."
"Okay."
"Have you ever seen a woman named Elizabeth Bell?"
The name from Dr. Mercer's medical record.
My heart jumped.
"No."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
He exhaled.
"Catherine believed Eleanor continued using that identity for some time after escaping the private facility."
"Where?"
"We have incomplete records suggesting she received treatment at a rehabilitation center in Vermont."
"Treatment for what?"
"We aren't certain."
My fingers tightened.
"Was she injured?"
"Possibly."
I felt sick.
"Can we find her?"
"We can investigate, Clare. But I won't promise an outcome we can't guarantee."
I appreciated his honesty.
Even though I hated the uncertainty.
William arranged for Daniel to meet us at his Manhattan office that afternoon.
Before leaving Thomas's cottage, I turned to the old gardener.
"Why did you stay at the estate?"
He looked surprised.
"After everything you knew, why didn't you leave?"
Thomas lowered his head.
"Because Eleanor asked me to watch over you."
I thought of the thousands of times he'd helped me in the garden.
The peppermint tea he brought when I was sick.
The little wooden birdhouse he'd made for my tenth birthday.
"She asked you?"
He nodded.
"Before she disappeared, she told me that if anything happened to her, I should stay close to her baby."
My throat closed.
"Why?"
Thomas's voice broke.
"Because she knew Victor wouldn't love you the way you deserved."
I began crying.
He stepped forward.
This time, I embraced him first.
"Thank you," I whispered.
He held me like a grandfather.
"I wish I'd done more."
When we finally left, William walked beside me toward the SUV.
I stopped before opening the door.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"If Samuel really was my father..."
William waited.
"That would make us cousins."
He nodded.
"Yes."
I studied his face.
"Does that bother you?"
"Why would it?"
"Because you offered to marry me."
He gave a quiet, humorless laugh.
"I didn't know who you were when I made the offer. I suspected there was a connection between Eleanor and my family, but I didn't know Samuel might be your father."
I looked away, embarrassed.
William's voice softened.
"Clare, regardless of what a DNA test establishes, I'm not pursuing a marriage with you."
I felt an unexpected sting.
Then immediately hated myself for it.
Why would I care?
I'd rejected him.
I barely knew him.
And I certainly didn't need another powerful man deciding my future.
But William continued.
"I want you to know you can trust my help without wondering whether I expect anything romantic in return."
I looked at him.
His expression was sincere.
For the first time, I smiled.
"Thank you."
He opened the car door.
"You're welcome."
At Daniel Pierce's office, the situation became even more complicated.
The attorney was a silver-haired man in his early sixties.
His office overlooked Central Park.
He greeted me politely, then invited me to sit beside a table covered with sealed files.
"Catherine was very concerned about you," he said.
I looked down.
"She never met me."
"She did."
My head snapped up.
"What?"
Daniel opened a folder.
Inside was a photograph.
A little girl sat on a park bench holding an ice cream cone.
Beside her was a beautiful woman with auburn hair.
I recognized the little girl.
Me.
I was about six.
I remembered that afternoon.
Our housekeeper had taken me to the park.
A kind stranger bought me strawberry ice cream after I dropped mine.
She'd told me that sometimes brave people have quiet voices.
I stared at the photograph.
"That was Catherine?"
Daniel nodded.
"She wanted to meet you without putting you in danger."
Tears filled my eyes.
"She told me I was brave."
William turned away.
I saw his jaw tighten.
Daniel continued.
"Catherine tried repeatedly to obtain lawful access to Eleanor's records. Victor blocked her efforts, and several people with information became unwilling to cooperate."
He opened another file.
"She also found evidence that large charitable donations had been redirected through companies controlled by Victor and Richard."
I looked at Genevieve's notebook.
"Is this related?"
Daniel examined the entries.
His expression sharpened.
"Where did you get this?"
"My sister."
He studied several pages.
"These may be very important."
William leaned forward.
"Why?"
Daniel pointed to a series of transfers.
"These payments appear to involve the same network of accounts Catherine was investigating."
I stared at the notebook.
"So Dad is still doing it?"
"Possibly. We'll need authenticated banking records and a forensic accountant to establish that."
William looked grim.
Daniel turned another page.
Then stopped.
"Interesting."
"What?" I asked.
He tapped an entry.
"Three months ago, a payment was made to a company called Bellhaven Medical Services."
My heart began pounding.
"Bellhaven?"
Daniel nodded.
"Does the name mean something?"
I thought of Elizabeth Bell.
My mother's alias.
"Could that be connected to her?"
Daniel looked at William.
"Possibly."
He opened his laptop and searched several business records.
Bellhaven Medical Services was a private healthcare management company.
It operated assisted-living facilities, rehabilitation centers, and long-term residential treatment programs.
One facility was located in Vermont.
I leaned forward.
"Is she there?"
"We don't know."
"Can we find out?"
Daniel nodded.
"Through lawful records requests and appropriate inquiries, yes."
Before he could continue, his assistant knocked.
"Mr. Pierce?"
He looked up.
"Yes?"
"There's a woman downstairs asking for Miss Aldrich."
My blood went cold.
"Who?"
The assistant checked her notes.
"Genevieve Aldrich."
I stood.
"She's here?"
"Yes. She says it's urgent."
Daniel nodded.
"Bring her up."
Minutes later, Genevieve entered.
Her hair was disheveled.
Her designer coat was torn near one sleeve.
There was a bruise on her wrist.
I rushed toward her.
"Genevieve!"
She embraced me.
"I'm okay."
"What happened?"
"Dad found out I helped you."
My stomach twisted.
"Did he hurt you?"
She looked away.
"His security men tried to take my phone. I refused."
William's expression darkened.
"Where is Victor now?"
Genevieve shook her head.
"I don't know."
She pulled away from me.
"Clare, there's something you need to see."
She opened her handbag.
Inside was a photograph wrapped in tissue paper.
"I found this in Dad's safe."
She unfolded it.
My heart stopped.
The photograph showed Eleanor standing beside Samuel Ashford.
Between them was a dark-haired man wearing a hospital identification badge.
He held a baby blanket.
On the back, someone had written:
October 18. Everything changes tomorrow.
I stared at the date.
The day after my birth.
Genevieve looked directly at William.
"Do you recognize the third man?"
William took the photograph.
His expression changed.
"Yes."
"Who is he?" I whispered.
William looked at Daniel.
Then back at me.
"His name is Dr. Anthony Vale."
Daniel stood abruptly.
"That's impossible."
I looked between them.
"Why?"
Daniel's face had turned white.
"Because Anthony Vale was the physician who signed Eleanor Bennett's death certificate."
A terrible silence filled the room.
Then Genevieve said:
"There's something else."
She reached into her handbag.
And placed a small black flash drive on the table.
"Dad was watching a security recording when I went into his study."
William's eyes narrowed.
"What recording?"
Genevieve swallowed.
"A woman leaving a medical facility."
My pulse accelerated.
"Who?"
May you like
Genevieve looked at me.
"Clare, I think your mother is alive."
