Tristan barely remembered him, aside from knowing there had been some falling-out. I searched for Richard anyway, and when I finally reached him, his first question about Tristan was simply, Is he all right? That told me more than Linda ever had.
Richard explained that he and Linda had fallen out years earlier after she accused him of interfering in her marriage. He admitted he’d been stubborn, and had said things he regretted, but he had also tried to reconnect — writing letters Linda returned, and making calls she rejected, until she stopped mentioning him to Tristan altogether.
Months before the wedding, Richard had told me that if anything ever went wrong, I should call him. That morning, after Linda hung up on us, I did exactly that. He didn’t hesitate. The estate was ready, he said — he sometimes hosted private events there, and by luck nothing had been booked that evening.
