She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. She couldn’t avoid Eve all night. It was better to just speak to her, to get it out of the way.
And there was no time like the present.
She scanned the room for Eve again. This time, Faith found her sitting alone, her head down and her hair falling over her face, half hiding it from view. Faith steeled herself and headed over to her.
As Faith approached her, Eve didn’t look up. Her eyes were fixed on the phone in her hand, a worried look on her face. Before Faith could reach her, Eve stood up and stormed out of the room.
Faith frowned. Was Eve upset? It took a lot to upset Eve. Faith hesitated, then followed her out the door.
The hall beyond led deeper into the mansion. Eve was already out of sight, but Faith could hear her voice faintly. As Faith followed her down the hall, the sounds of the party receded behind her, and Eve’s voice grew louder. Eve was almost yelling, but Faith couldn’t make out the words. Eve’s voice became more agitated, then stopped abruptly.
Faith reached an open doorway and peered into the room beyond. It was a library of some kind, with books covering every inch of the walls. In the corner, Eve sat perched on the arm of an armchair, scowling at her phone.
Faith knocked on the door.
Eve looked up. “Faith.”
“I saw you leave. You looked worried.” Faith slipped into the room. “I just wanted to make sure everything’s okay. ”
“You’re not on the clock. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“I know I don’t have to, but I do.”
Eve let out a hard sigh. “I’ve been calling Harrison all evening so I could say goodnight to the twins, but he wouldn’t pick up his phone. When I finally got through, his mother answered and said the twins were already asleep.” Her grip on the phone tightened. “Of course they’re asleep now. If someone had answered the phone an hour ago, I would have been able to talk to them before they went to bed.” She shook her head. “I’m sure they’re fine. I’m just sick to death of Eleanor’s petty tricks. I have no doubt this was deliberate. She’s been pulling this kind of thing for years.”
Faith gave her a sympathetic look. “She sounds like a real piece of work.”
“You don’t know the half of it. I just wanted one night off, to not have to worry about the twins and all this custody business, yet here I am.” Eve placed her phone down on the desk next to her. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I’m friends with Lindsey. We went to art school together. What about you?”
“Camilla invited me.”
Faith hesitated. “How do you know each other?”
“I don’t remember exactly. We have a mutual friend or two, so we run into each other a lot, but we don’t know each other well.”
Silence fell over them. Faith walked over to the window and looked out it. She had no reason to stay in this room anymore. But something held her there. Eve held her there .
Eve got up from the armchair and joined Faith by the window. “It’s a lovely view, isn’t it?”
Faith nodded. Outside, the moonlit estate grounds stretched on and on. Faith kept her eyes fixed on the view, not daring to look at Eve. Being alone with her, standing so close to her, set off the exact same feeling in Faith that the woman in the corset had.
“Look,” Eve said. “About the other day, in my office. I’m sorry for the way I treated you. I shoul
dn’t have yelled at you.”
“It’s okay,” Faith replied. “You were just looking out for Leah’s best interests.”
“No, it wasn’t about Leah. It was about me.” Eve’s eyes grew distant. “This is the first time I’ve ever let anyone else be responsible for my kids. I’ve been feeling so conflicted about it. I took it out on you.”
“It’s fine,” Faith said. “Really, I understand.”
“I know I can be controlling and critical, but you should know, I’m very happy about the job you’re doing. I’d be lost without you. So thank you.”
“No problem,” Faith said. “I’m just doing my job.”
“No, you’re doing far more than that. You seem to really care about the twins. You have a way with them.”