He nodded.“I will be brief.I only need a moment.My name is Alexander Claudell.I am an attorney working for your late Aunt Beatrice's estate.”He handed me a business card with his contact information.
“Aunt Beatrice?”The mention of her name brought a smile to my face.I stepped down from the stairs and stood next to the old man, taking the card he offered.It was thick cardstock, creamy, with raised black classic lettering.“I was just thinking about her.How odd.”
He shrugged.“I don't believe in coincidence.But that's just my own personal experience talking.”He shifted the box to one hand and reached into his suit coat pocket with the other.He pulled out an envelope.“I understand today is your birthday.Your twenty-first?”
If he were working for Aunt Beatrice, she'd have given him that information, so I didn't see the harm in confirming the fact.“Yes.My twenty-first.”
“Good.Happy Birthday, Marigold.This is for you.”He handed me the box as he opened the envelope.Then he lifted his chin and peered through the bottom of his glasses, reading from the paper he unfolded.“This box, and the contents therein are to be given to one Marigold Margareta Blaine upon her twenty-first birthday, as ordered by Beatrice Eliza Royce, the decedent.”
I stared at the box, stunned.“Aunt Beatrice left me a birthday present?”I clutched the box to my chest as though he might take it back.It was the size of a cigar box.It was the only present I'd received for my birthday, unless you counted Chinese food, cake, and a night of reruns.“What's in it?”I asked.
He shook his head.“I don't know.It can only be opened by you.”He folded the paper, slid it back into the envelope, and handed it to me.“Everything you need will be in here.”He tapped the envelope and glanced again at the living room and Mother at the podium.She was answering questions now.“If I may be so bold as to offer a bit of advice?”He arched an eyebrow at me.
“Of course,” I said, more curious than anything else.
“Don't open the box while you're here.Take it with you and open it when you're alone.”He winked at me and tapped the side of his glasses in an odd salute.“Good day, Miss Marigold.And happy birthday.”
I couldn't help but laugh.Well then.There was no mistaking what Mr.Claudell meant by that little piece of advice.Clearly, Aunt Beatrice had warned him about Mother.Unless he'd seen enough of her in the time he was here today to understand she would not be happy to know about the box.
I watched as the old man walked toward the front door.Once he was gone, I took the stairs two at a time and hurried down the hall.I pushed open the door to my sister's room and took in the scene.I guess if you were totally delusional, the disarray might look like a struggle had happened here.But to my eye, the only struggle was the one Calyx had had with her closet, trying to decide which pieces of her wardrobe to toss around the room and which to shove into the bag she had obviously packed with haste.
I sat on the edge of her bed and slid the box against the wall next to me.The sounds from downstairs grew muffled and faraway up here, with the thick carpeting, fluffy bedding, heavy fabric curtains, and all the clothing strewn about.It was like I was in a world apart.I lay on my sister's bed, looking up at the ceiling, smiling at the posters of hot movie stars pinned above me.
“Where are you, Calyx?”I lifted my necklace, rubbing the gold between my fingers, trying to get to the bottom of my feelings.I wasn't worried for her as much as I was… what?Annoyed?Feeling used?And yes...okay...worried.
My sister's new perfume hung in the room.She called it 'her scent.'Overpowering and tart, I thought it smelled cheap when she wore it.It definitely didn’t suit her.There was something else in here as well, something musty.I pressed my face into her pillow and sniffed again, unable to tell where it was coming from.It wasn't here when we hung out last night, but when I woke up this morning, I'd noticed it.Now, back in here, in Calyx's room, everything reeked of it, even me.
I didn't know what to make of that since the rooms were cleaned regularly and we didn't have any pets.Yet another thing Mother would never allow.
None of this made any sense.None of it.Calyx hadn't been kidnapped, but someone–something–had been here, something that was wet and musty smelling.She'd chosen what to take from her closet, and had done it fast.The mess was for effect.She hadn't been alone.Plus it made it look like there had been a fight.
Convenient.
I sat back, tucking the box next to me.I knew better than to tell the police much, because whatever my mother had decided was the narrative would be all that people heard.
No one would be looking for Calyx out on her own.
Except me.
I closed my eyes, my hand reaching over to touch the birthday box.Suddenly, it felt as though the weight of the world was on me.
I let the tension wash over me as I laid back on my sister’s bed.I’d just close my eyes for a moment.
Chapter Six
Eamonn
The Fae Realm
* * *
Iwalked slowly, my steps heavy and uneven.The stone floors of the castle echoed each footfall back at me, a hollow reminder of my solitary journey.I had to report this to my superiors, but what could I say?I failed at my duty.The weight of that knowledge pressed down on my shoulders like a physical burden, making each step more labored than the last.
I left the carriage gate, ignoring the questioning looks of the other guards.As I walked on, my mind raced, hoping against hope that Gavin had been given some other directions; that there were some other orders that I somehow didn't hear.
That was it.That had to be it.The thought took root in my mind, and I clung to it desperately.There was no way that Gavin would betray his oath to the king or betray his oath to his fellow Guardsmen—or to me.We had sworn each of those oaths together, side by side, our voices joining in unison as we pledged our lives to the crown, to our order, to each other.
There was absolutely no way.He was my best friend.I took a longer way back to the King’s Guard rooms, thinking that perhaps the facts as I knew them would prove to have a different outcome if I allowed myself a bit more time to think through them.The familiar tapestries that lined these walls usually brought me comfort, depicting as they did the great victories of our realm, but today they seemed to stare down at me with judgment.
