“My mother believed Daniel had discovered that money was being moved through companies controlled by several wealthy investors. She said your uncle was helping him gather evidence.”
Alexander sat opposite her.
“Then why was Daniel accused of stealing the money?”
“Because the records appeared to show that he had authorized the transfers.”
“Did he?”
“I don’t know.”
“Victoria, I need the truth.”
She looked at him with tired eyes.
“The night before your uncle died, he called my mother. They argued for nearly an hour. I heard her say that if he revealed what he knew, everyone would lose everything.”
Alexander stood.
“What happened the next day?”
“Thomas died in a boating accident.”
“Was it really an accident?”
Victoria shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
Alexander paced across the room.
His uncle’s death had always been described as a tragic accident caused by bad weather. The family had held a private funeral, and Richard had refused to discuss the details afterward.
Now, for the first time, Alexander wondered whether the official explanation had concealed something more complicated.
“Why did you agree to marry me?” he asked.
Victoria looked up sharply.
“What?”
“Did you love me, or did your mother want you close to my family?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I loved you before I understood any of this.”
“Before or after you discovered what your mother knew?”
She stood.
“That isn’t fair.”
“Neither is being lied to.”
Victoria walked toward him.
“Alexander, my mother has spent my entire life controlling what I say, who I see, and what I believe. She told me that your family had ruined ours, that Richard Whitmore had destroyed her career, and that marrying you would finally give us the power to protect ourselves.”
“Protect ourselves from what?”
“I don’t know!”
Her voice broke.
