One Last Goodbye (The Governess: Book 4): A gripping psychological thriller that will keep you hooked with stunning twists by Blake Pierce

Author:Blake Pierce [Pierce, Blake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2024-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I take the children around the side of the house to the garden, careful to avoid letting the boathouse in sight. Since it is mid-January, none of the flowers are in bloom, but there is a small stand of young spruce trees on one end of the garden that look absolutely enchanting covered in snow, and in the daylight, the ice and snow covering the garden's other fixtures arranges itself in interesting shapes. The air is cold but no longer biting now that we've been outside for several minutes. The soft sound of our footfalls provides a soothing background to the trek, and I feel a sense of peace settle over me.

I don’t say anything to the children. In my experience, grieving children must not be pushed to speak. Nudging them to physical activity is a good thing. They must not be allowed to wallow. But they must not be made to verbalize their pain either. Forcing them to confront their feelings can injure them, especially in so fragile a time as this. When they’re ready to speak, they will. I just need to be there for them when they do.

For a while, they are content to remain silent. The garden is organized so that the footpaths that meander through it give an impression of greater size than the two acres it covers. From the other side of the spruces, it is even possible to forget that we are on the estate if one doesn’t look too hard in the direction of the house.

I find myself grateful for the silence. I don’t realize until now how trapped I feel. Not just here but everywhere. It seems as though ever since I left my teaching post in Boston, I am… compressed is the word that comes to mind. Like I am surrounded by walls on all sides, and they close in on me inexorably regardless of any action I take to change that. Even the satisfaction I get when I solve a murder and bring justice to someone who otherwise wouldn’t receive any justice does little to alleviate the constant pressure I’m under.

But I don’t dwell on that now. Today isn’t about me. It’s about the children. I study their faces. Ethan’s shell has softened. He looks wistfully at the trees, and a small smile plays at the corners of his lips. Perhaps he remembers walking in this garden with his father.

I look at Olivia, but I see only anger on her face. Anger is a very common reaction to tragedy, and one of the more well-documented stages of grief, so it’s understandable, especially considering her mother’s flippancy over her father’s death and the law’s reluctance to solve his murder.

Still, I feel sorry for her. I hate that she’s forced to grapple with this emotion. I can only hope that she will speak to me about how she feels soon enough.

“Why were you spying on me?”

I’m so stunned by her choice of words that it takes me a moment to realize she’s actually spoken.

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