Marcus leaned forward, his eyes locking onto hers.

“We can’t return it, Caroline,” Marcus said.

The room grew very quiet, save for the wind rushing through the oaks outside.

“What did you do, Marcus?” I asked.

He straightened his cuffs, his face entirely devoid of regret.

“The deposit was three hundred thousand dollars,” Marcus said.

“And it is already gone.”

“I spent it to keep the Mercer name out of the bankruptcy courts,” Marcus said.

He walked over to the window and looked out at the dark lawns of the estate.

Aunt Caroline stared at him, her lips parting but no sound coming out.

“You spent it on your own debts,” I said.

Marcus turned around, his expression perfectly calm.

“I had back taxes to clear, and my creditors in Richmond were getting impatient,” he said.

“Three hundred thousand dollars,” Aunt Caroline whispered, her voice trembling. “Gone in a week?”

“It doesn’t matter how long it took,” Marcus said.

“What matters is that the money is no longer in the account.”

Lydia leaned forward, her fingers hovering over her laptop keyboard.