"That''s right. I haven''t seen her, so I''m not sure what''s happened. She spent the afternoon in the study—I didn''t see here out at all." Timothy nced around the study, his eyes shadowed with concern.


    Ines was still here, and as host, he couldn''t afford to neglect his guest.


    Jessica''s situation could wait.


    He told Mabel to search the house and then went to invite Ines to dinner.


    Ines took the seat opposite him at the table. Timothy''s sharp features were set in an unreadable expression as he looked over the dishes. He recognized them instantly-takeout from The Silverthread Eatery.


    "Mr. Lawson, is your wife not home?" Ines asked, her tone gentle.


    Timothy lifted his gaze. "She''s usually here. Perhaps she stepped out for a walk."


    He''d had the staff keep an eye on things; she wasn''t likely to have left the property. Most likely, she was somewhere in the house and Mabel would find her


    soon.


    "Maybe you should call her? Invite her down to join us?" Ines suggested.


    "Of course."


    But Jessica had blocked his number-still hadn''t unblocked him. That afternoon, he''d resorted to texting her using Secretary Allen''s personal phone.


    They''d been at oddstely.


    Timothy had no desire to let outsiders see evidence of marital discord. He dialed her number anyway, for form''s sake.


    "Her phone''s off. She''s rarely out, often forgets to charge it. Why don''t we start eating?"


    "She''s thedy of the house. Wouldn''t it be inappropriate not to wait for her?" Ines hesitated, sensing something was off.


    "She keeps her own schedule. She''ll join uster. If we wait any longer, everything will get cold," Timothy replied.


    Henry had inherited Jessica''s gifts.


    Jessica and Timothy had been married for seven years. Henry was six-born soon after the wedding. That suggested their marriage was strong.


    Rumors said Timothy protected his wife fiercely.


    Jessica couldn''t speak; if people found out, they''d only gossip that she wasn''t good enough for Timothy. He must have cared for her deeply, Ines thought, to keep her private.


    She shouldn''t read too much into things. Perhaps Timothy simply knew Jessica''s routines well and wasn''t worried.


    Ines smiled, "Alright, let''s eat while we wait for her."


    Meanwhile, Mabel had searched every room in the house, but there was no sign of Jessica. As she returned downstairs, she saw Timothy and his guest chatting amiably. She didn''t dare interrupt.


    He didn''t seem all that worried about finding Mrs. Lawson, either.


    Sigh...


    Normally, when there were guests, Mr. Lawson would have his wife keep her distance. Maybe Jessica had already been told to stay out of sight-was she hiding on purpose? Timothy had checked in on her, but perhaps that was only for show in front of the guest.


    Mabel couldn''t help feeling sorry for Jessica.


    No wonder Mrs. Lawson had be distant toward her husband and sontely. After waiting all these years, and Timothy still refusing to acknowledge her publicly, it was no surprise she might be hurt-tired of making sacrifices.


    Mabel went back to her chores, deciding she''d simply report Jessica missing if asked.


    The meal was nearly finished, and Jessica still hadn''t appeared.


    As Ines was about to bring it up, Timothy spoke first, "Last time, you gave Henry such a generous gift. Since you''re here today, I''d like to return the favor-please don''t refuse."


    Timothy always spoke with a certain gravitas, and his words made sense.


    The future of animation needed not only talent but investment to thrive. He''d been


    the sole backer of her exhibition, and, after all, he was Jessica''s husband.