Chapter 12 - The Night the Garden Went Dark
The estate's power failed during a thunderstorm. Backup lights came on in the main house, but the cottage remained dark. I was visiting Rosa when the lamps went out. She was halfway through telling me a story about Elena's wedding dress. We heard a car stop on the gravel lane, then a door close. Rosa reached for my hand. “That's not Nico's car.”
I called the estate security desk and moved with Rosa to the interior pantry, away from the windows. We heard footsteps on the porch and a knock. A man's voice called Rosa's name. It was Charles Ashford. “I only need to talk,” he said. Rosa looked at me with an expression that was all fear and stubbornness. “We have nothing to say to you.”
Charles tried the door. It was locked. He shouted that Elena had stolen from him and that the trust documents belonged to his company. I kept my phone connected to the dispatcher and told Rosa to stay behind me. The sound of breaking glass made my whole body shake. I didn't try to confront him. We went through the pantry's rear exit into the covered garden walkway, just as security arrived.
Charles ran toward the driveway, but police vehicles were already approaching. He was detained without anyone being hurt. Later, investigators told us that he had violated a court order and was carrying documents related to the financial case. I didn't feel triumphant. I felt cold and furious that an old woman had been frightened in her own home.
Nico reached us after the police secured the scene. He wrapped Rosa in his coat, then looked at me. “Are you hurt?” I shook my head. He took my hands, saw them trembling, and held them without a word. When we were finally alone, I told him what I'd been thinking during those minutes in the dark. “I was afraid I wouldn't get another ordinary day with you.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “Then we won't waste the ones we have.”
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Rosa insisted on sleeping in her cottage once the windows were repaired. “I survived raising a Santoro boy,” she said. “A broken window won't defeat me.” Nico arranged the repairs and upgraded the cottage's safety features with her approval. He didn't try to make her leave. That mattered.
The next morning, I returned to the garden. The storm had knocked petals from Elena's roses, but the stems stood firm. Antonio came outside with Leah and asked me to push his chair closer to the flowers. “My wife planted the first one,” he said. “Rosa kept them alive.” I thought of everything the Ashfords had tried to take, and of how stubbornly love remained. Then Antonio looked up at me. “Sophie, I have a favor to ask. Help me plan something for my son.”
