For the first time in years, he seemed uncertain how to begin a conversation with his sister.
DEREK BENNETT:
"Caroline."
She turned.
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"What is it?"
DEREK BENNETT:
"Can we talk?"
Caroline glanced toward Captain Harris.
CAPTAIN MICHAEL HARRIS:
"I'll give you a moment, Admiral."
He moved toward the nearby reception desk, remaining close enough to assist if needed.
Caroline faced her brother.
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"What do you want to talk about?"
Derek looked at the floor.
DEREK BENNETT:
"Dad left a letter."
Caroline's expression changed.
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"What letter?"
DEREK BENNETT:
"Samuel Keene brought it. He also brought financial records."
She waited.
DEREK BENNETT:
"Apparently, Dad had concerns about some transactions involving the family business."
Caroline said nothing for several seconds.
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"What kind of concerns?"
DEREK BENNETT:
"Transfers that were not properly documented."
Caroline's eyes narrowed slightly.
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"I asked about those records before Dad died."
Derek looked up.
DEREK BENNETT:
"You knew?"
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"I knew that he was worried about inconsistencies. He told me he wanted the records checked. He did not give me the details, and I never had access to the accounts."
DEREK BENNETT:
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Caroline stared at him.
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"I tried to ask you about the business. You told me I had no right to interfere."
Derek had no immediate answer.
He remembered the conversation.
He had dismissed her concerns because he believed she was criticizing their mother.
He had accused her of looking for reasons to undermine the family.
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"I was not trying to take anything away from you. I wanted to know whether Dad was receiving accurate information about his own company."
DEREK BENNETT:
"I didn't understand."
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"No. You didn't want to understand."
He accepted the accusation without arguing.
For several seconds, he looked as though he might say something more, but the words seemed to fail him.
Then he glanced toward the main ballroom.
DEREK BENNETT:
"Everyone saw what happened earlier."
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"Yes."
DEREK BENNETT:
"I shouldn't have hit you."
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"No, you shouldn't have."
DEREK BENNETT:
"I'm sorry."
Caroline studied him carefully.
The apology was quieter than his earlier statements, but she could not tell whether it came from genuine regret or from the realization that his actions had damaged his reputation.
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"Why are you sorry?"
Derek frowned.
DEREK BENNETT:
"What do you mean?"
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"Are you sorry because you hurt me, or because four hundred people saw you do it?"
He looked away.
The question was simple.
His inability to answer it immediately was not.
DEREK BENNETT:
"Both, I suppose."
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"Then you need to think about that."
She turned slightly toward the ballroom.
Derek's shoulders dropped.
DEREK BENNETT:
"I know I have treated you badly."
Caroline did not respond.
DEREK BENNETT:
"I've spent years believing that you thought you were better than us."
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"I never believed that."
DEREK BENNETT:
"I know that now."
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"Do you?"
He looked at her.
DEREK BENNETT:
"I don't know how to answer that."
For once, Caroline believed him.
Not because the answer was sufficient, but because it was the first thing he had said that did not sound like an attempt to win.
DEREK BENNETT:
"I thought you left us behind. I thought you chose your career because you didn't want to deal with the family."
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"I chose my career because it mattered to me. That doesn't mean my family stopped mattering."
DEREK BENNETT:
"You were never here when things got difficult."
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"I was serving overseas when Dad's condition became worse. I called whenever I could. I sent letters. I offered to help with expenses. I asked whether he needed anything."
DEREK BENNETT:
"Mother said you didn't want to get involved."
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"Mother said that?"
Derek lowered his head.
DEREK BENNETT:
"Yes."
Caroline looked toward the reception room.
Suddenly, several memories seemed to rearrange themselves.
There had been messages she never received, conversations that appeared to end before they began, and occasions when her mother told her that Derek was too busy to speak.
She had assumed that everyone was simply dealing with grief in their own way.
Now she wondered how many of those silences had been deliberate.
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"I cannot change what you believed. But I can tell you what happened."
DEREK BENNETT:
"I should have asked you."
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"Yes."
Derek rubbed his forehead.
DEREK BENNETT:
"I don't know what to do about the documents."
CAROLINE BENNETT:
"Let the records be reviewed. If there are explanations, they can be provided. If something was done improperly, it needs to be addressed."