Chapter 2: The Archival Eye

I stared at Marcus, my heart thumping against my ribs. He thought he could break me with a forged bank statement and a calm voice. My hands trembled, but I folded the document and tucked it into my bag.

“I won’t sign a thing,” I said, my voice steady despite the tremor in my fingers. “Not until Arthur Pendelton audits everything.”

Marcus’s jaw tightened. “You’ll regret this, Clara. There’s no escaping what you did.”

I turned my back on him, walking away from the hushed hallway and back into the attorney’s office. Mr. Pendelton sat at his mahogany desk, looking grim.

“I need to see the original ledger for the estate’s operating accounts,” I told him, placing the suspicious bank statement on his desk. “And the full record of all transactions for the last six months.”

He nodded slowly, his gaze flicking between me and the printed statement. “Of course, Clara. I’ll have them brought up immediately.”

While we waited, I examined the paper Howard Fenn had given me. My archival training kicked in, the kind I used to restore fragile botanical illustrations. I ran my fingertips over the slight texture difference, then held it to the light. The printer’s ink on the date, January 15th, looked subtly different from the other text, a shade too dark, a fraction too thick. A tell-tale sign of a past edit.

A shadow fell across the doorway. I looked up.

Julian Montgomery stood there, his usually gentle eyes dark with a mix of exhaustion and something else I couldn’t quite name. He wore a rumpled linen shirt, as if he’d just stepped off a transatlantic flight. My breath caught in my throat. Fifteen years had passed since I last saw him, but he was exactly as I remembered.

Mr. Pendelton cleared his throat, rising. “Julian. A surprise.”

Julian stepped further into the room, his gaze locking with mine before turning to the attorney. “Not entirely. Beatrice named me co-trustee of the estate in a letter she sent weeks ago.”

“Co-trustee?” Mr. Pendelton repeated, his brows rising in genuine surprise.

Julian gave a curt nod. “I flew in from London as soon as I heard the news. I believe Clara and I have a great deal to discuss.”