Chapter 8 - THE ROOM BEHIND THE LIBRARY
The mansion felt different now.
Every hallway seemed longer.
Every portrait seemed to watch Eleanor as she walked.
Margaret led them toward the library.
Daniel followed silently.
Jonathan and Claire remained close behind.
Margaret stopped beside a massive bookshelf.
She placed her hand against one of the shelves.
A hidden mechanism clicked.
The bookshelf moved.
Behind it was a narrow staircase.
Eleanor stared.
“How long has this been here?”
Margaret smiled.
“Longer than you've been married into this family.”
They descended.
At the bottom was a hallway.
Soft lights illuminated framed photographs.
Eleanor walked past them.
Her heart stopped.
Every photograph showed Emily.
As a baby.
As a toddler.
At three.
At five.
At seven.
The girl had been watched her entire life.
Eleanor touched one photograph.
Emily was sitting beneath a Christmas tree.
She looked directly at the camera.
And she looked exactly like Lily.
Eleanor's eyes filled with tears.
Margaret watched her.
“You could have known her.”
“Why didn't you let me?”
“Because you would have ruined everything.”
“What did I ruin?”
Margaret's expression hardened.
“The Whitmore legacy.”
Eleanor laughed bitterly.
“A family legacy isn't worth destroying children.”
“You don't understand.”
“No.”
Margaret opened a door.
“This is what you don't understand.”
The nursery was enormous.
Two beds stood on opposite sides.
One had Lily's name.
The other had Emily's.
Eleanor stared.
“They slept here?”
“Sometimes.”
“Together?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Margaret looked at her.
“Because they were never supposed to meet.”
Eleanor felt rage rising.
“You separated twins.”
“I protected them.”
“You imprisoned them.”
Margaret's eyes hardened.
“You call it imprisonment because you don't understand what happens when powerful families lose control.”
Eleanor stepped closer.
“Where is Lily?”
Margaret didn't answer.
“Where is Emily?”
“Safe.”
“Where?”
Margaret smiled.
“Closer than you think.”
A child's voice came from behind the door.
“Mommy?”
Eleanor turned.
Lily stood in the hallway.
Her face was wet with tears.
Eleanor rushed toward her.
Lily ran into her arms.
“Mommy!”
Eleanor held her tightly.
“I'm here.”
“I knew you would come.”
“Where were you?”
“Grandma took me.”
Eleanor looked at Margaret.
“You're finished.”
Margaret laughed softly.
“No.”
Eleanor looked around.
“Where is Emily?”
Margaret's expression changed.
“She left.”
“Where?”
“Ask Daniel.”
Eleanor turned.
Daniel looked terrified.
“I don't know.”
Margaret smiled.
“You do.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Mom.”
Margaret walked toward him.
“You promised me.”
“Promised what?”
Eleanor stepped between them.
Margaret looked at her.
“That Daniel would keep the secret.”
“What secret?”
Margaret's eyes moved toward Lily.
“That Emily isn't the only other child.”
Eleanor froze.
“What?”
Margaret smiled.
“Did you really think twins were the entire story?”
The room went silent.
Daniel whispered,
“Mom, stop.”
Margaret continued.
“Your family was never supposed to have two daughters.”
Eleanor's heart pounded.
“How many children were born that night?”
Margaret's expression became unreadable.
“Three.”
Eleanor couldn't breathe.
“Three?”
Daniel looked down.
Eleanor turned toward him.
“You knew?”
He didn't answer.
“Daniel!”
“I found out later.”
“How much later?”
“Two years ago.”
Eleanor stared at him.
“Two years?”
“I was trying to find her.”
“Who?”
Daniel's voice broke.
“The third child.”
Eleanor looked at Lily.
Then at Margaret.
“Where is she?”
Margaret smiled.
“You're looking at her.”
Eleanor's blood ran cold.
“No.”
Margaret pointed toward Lily.
“Lily isn't the name she was born with.”
Eleanor held her daughter tighter.
“You're lying.”
Margaret shook her head.
“Ask Daniel.”
Eleanor turned.
Daniel looked devastated.
“Eleanor…”
“Tell me.”
He couldn't.
Eleanor screamed,
“Tell me!”
Daniel whispered,
“Lily was the third baby.”
The room seemed to disappear.
Eleanor looked down at her daughter.
Lily stared back.
Confused.
Frightened.
Still holding her stuffed rabbit.
Margaret continued.
“Emily was one twin.”
“Who was the other?”
“Abigail's daughter.”
Eleanor shook her head.
“Then Lily?”
Margaret smiled.
“Lily was the baby no one knew how to explain.”
Eleanor's heart pounded.
“What does that mean?”
Margaret walked toward a cabinet.
She removed a file.
“Because Lily wasn't supposed to survive.”
Eleanor felt sick.
“What?”
Margaret opened the file.
Inside was a medical record.
The baby's name was listed as Baby C.
Status: critical.
Then another line.
Transferred.
Destination unknown.
Eleanor looked at Daniel.
“You told me Lily was born healthy.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“I was wrong.”
“You were lying.”
“Yes.”
Eleanor's voice dropped.
“Why?”
Daniel whispered,
“Because the baby I brought home wasn't the baby from your delivery room.”
Silence.
Eleanor stared at Lily.
Margaret smiled.
“Now you understand.”
Eleanor shook her head.
“No.”
She looked at the file.
Then at Lily.
Then at Daniel.
“I don't understand anything.”
Margaret's expression softened.
For the first time, she looked almost sad.
“That is because no one has told you what happened after you lost consciousness.”
Eleanor's breath caught.
“What happened?”
Margaret looked toward the doorway.
A woman stood there.
Rebecca Hayes.
Eleanor stared.
“You came here.”
Rebecca nodded.
Margaret smiled.
“She knows.”
Eleanor stepped toward her.
“Tell me.”
Rebecca looked at Lily.
Then at Eleanor.
Her voice trembled.
“You didn't give birth to one daughter that night.”
Eleanor whispered,
“How many?”
Rebecca closed her eyes.
“Three.”
Eleanor's entire world shattered.
May you like
Then Rebecca said something even worse.
“And only one of them was supposed to leave the hospital alive.”
