Her voice trails off making me imagine the horrors my monster of a brother must have put her through. Several years back, David had taken a fancy to one of the new maids who worked at Heaven’s Gate. A week after she joined, the maid was found molested and beaten black and blue. My father covered up the entire issue and nothing further of the sort was ever reported again. Hearing Celia makes me certain my father has brushed several of David’s misdeeds under the rug.

“I tried to leave him.” She sighs. “I tried. But my father was unwell and he owed your father a huge amount of money. Your father wanted me as David’s wife. I had the right pedigree and upbringing, you see, and so I had no choice but to accept meekly unless I wanted to see them destroy my father. Thankfully, David never pushed the marriage between us. I knew he was cheating on me on the side and it was fine, absolutely fine, as long as he left me alone. And then he died. I may sound horrible to say this, but it was a relief for both my father and me to hear that.”

“Why are you still close to my mother? She doted on David,” I press further.

My mother could never see beyond David and so it boggles my mind how Celia is so close to her.

“Your mother has always been kind to me. She tried to talk to David several times on my behalf, but David never listened. It’s not her fault he was who he was.”

I disagree with Celia because my parents made David the person he was. They spoilt him rotten and allowed him to get away with anything. Thus, he grew up with the belief he was better than everyone else. But that is not a topic I wish to debate with her. If she has a good relationship with my mother then far be it for me to interfere in that equation.

I round the desk and reach her. “Celia, I don’t know what to say. I did not know about your father’s debt, but I will ask Peter Dighby about it.”

That man perhaps knows every atrocious thing my father and brother have done and it’s rather surprising he hasn’t mentioned this to me.

“I’ll write off the debt, Celia. I swear it. No matter the amount. You won’t have to live your life in fear anymore. You can live the way you want with whom you want.”

She gives me a sad smile. “Don’t you see, Damien? All I want is you. I made a mistake with David. I left you for him and that was my biggest sin. I have paid tenfold for doing that to you. So, please give me another chance.”