“I’m afraid everything has a connection to him,” said Lara under her breath. She looked up. God knows, the woman was trying. “You are the world’s most thoughtful mother.” She reached out and took her mother’s hand.

Audrey leaned over and kissed her daughter on the forehead. “I’d give anything to take your pain away.”

“I know you would.” Lara stood and shook herself. She felt very conflicted now, torn between her past and present. Oddly, as she was embarking on her first date, Todd seemed closer to her tonight than he had been at any point in the past months. Lara pushed those thoughts away and focused on her mother. Her hair was gathered in a French twist, and she had chandelier earrings dangling to her chin. If she was involved with Gaston Boucher, he was a lucky man.

“So, Gaston Boucher?”

“Look at the time,” said Audrey, handing Lara a mask. “I need to find my shoes.”

“They’re on your feet,” said Lara, laughing before she turned and headed down the long hallway. “Someone’s in love.”

Mother and daughter made their way down the street toward City Hall down past the old Kerrigan Falls cemetery. As the sun set, the alabaster slabs, obelisks, and weathered cherub statues shimmered with a gold glow. Cecile and Margot were both buried on the southern side—the newer wing of the cemetery.

Lara peered through the tall iron gates. “Do you know if Peter Beaumont has a gravestone?” She was surprised to find herself thinking about him tonight.

Audrey stopped walking and opened her bag, pulled out a lipstick tube, and took one final swipe across her lips. “He does,” she said, pointing. “The grave is empty, of course, but his mother needed somewhere to go to honor his memory.”

So far, Fred and Betty had resisted any memorial for Todd. Lost in thought, Lara stared at a marble bench under the weeping willow tree, its branches overgrown and heavy.

“Peter’s grave is on the south side, near the back entrance of the church. It’s a small stone, easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it,” said Audrey, snapping her evening bag shut and walking on, like she couldn’t bear the sight of the graveyard.

A scatter of pale stones in all sizes and shapes bordered the chapel. Lara wondered how it was that her mother knew the exact location and details of Peter Beaumont’s grave.

“Something strange happened the other night,” said Lara, nearly running to catch up. “When I told Dad about it, he was upset.”

Audrey stopped again. “What did you do?”