CHAPTER 22
“Seth?”
Seth did not stir at her voice. He remained motionless, ensconced behind the desk, a solitary figure amidst the flickering candlelight, with sealed boxes sprawled beside him.
Charity gradually came into his line of vision. She strolled cautiously into the study, her hands guiding her path through the dimly lit chamber. She navigated by feeling her way along the backs of chairs until she reached the desk, where she lightly placed her fingertips.
“Seth? Are you there?”
“I’m right here,” he murmured, his gaze rising to meet hers.
A dread beset her features and he found himself unable to look away. The distress was evident in her eyes—glistening with theeffort to hold back tears, her lips parting in a silent struggle to find the right words.
And right then, his worst fear manifested.
It became clear to him she had caught the tail end of his heated discussion with Luke, even without needing to confirm it.
“Is it… is it true?” she whispered.
He let out a heavy sigh and steepled his hands on the edge of the escritoire, resting his forehead against them.
“What my father did… to you, to your father, to your friend… is it all true?” she asked, her voice trembling now.
“…It is,” he managed to say eventually. He contemplated showing her the contents of the boxes, revealing every piece of evidence and suspicion that pointed to Lord Holmwood's presence at the Aldenbury club that fateful night. But what would be the point?
“And—and your father?”
“He perished in the fire. Smoke inhalation before the blazes took him. I found Arthur, managed to drag him out, but… by then, it was already too late.”
“Oh God.” Her resolve crumbled, and she capitulated down into the nearest chair, the one that Luke had vacated just a couple of minutes ago. She looked much smaller in that chair, her shoulders hunched forward as a tear rolled down her cheek. Seth’s heart shattered into a million shards at the sight. “I’m—I’m sorry. I did not know. My father, he… he never breathed a word—”
“There is nothing to apologize for,” he interrupted instinctively, “nothing on your part, at least.”
“But—but, the Aldenbury, Papa never let on anything about it,” she sobbed, “not even to Kenneth, and Papa told Kenneth everything!”
The words, deceptively benign, pulverized those million shards into finer dust. For over a decade, Seth had devoted his life to unraveling the truth behind the Aldenbury fire and the cruel demise of those close to him, but for many, including Lord Holmwood, the occurrences of that night had faded into insignificance.
Not even worth an afterthought.
“You were but children at the time, Cherry,” Seth gently reminded her as much as himself. “…Did he even speak of a rival establishment?” his grim curiosity ebbed him to ask.
After a moment of silent reflection, Charity shook her head.
Seth scoffed in disbelief, shaking his head too. Lord Holmwood indeed played his cards close to his vest. This very secrecy was undoubtedly why Seth and Luke had repeatedly hit dead ends in their quest to uncover the truth of that night.
“Do you… do you truly think he intended for lives to be lost?” She lowered her head as she spoke, seemingly too embarrassed to even voice such a question.
“That, I cannot say,” Seth murmured. “Strictly from a business angle, the fire could be seen as an act of sabotage. It left everything in ashes. But as to whether he aimed for such tragedy to unfold, I have never been sure. Sometimes… some nights I would find myself praying he had. That way, at least I could live knowing someone out there was wholly culpable for their deaths, someone I could bring to justice… someone to blame.”
She lurched forward and rested her palms on her thighs, “Oh God, I feel nauseous.”
A strange sort of silence descended upon them, but it was unlike the companionable quiet they had so often shared. It was akin to that of a heavy cloak, tense, full of unease, as Charity inhaled deeply into her stomach. Seth watched her, searching her features for any resemblance to her father and finding none. Once more, it only reinforced his belief in how unlike she was to that serpent.
Had he been allowed the time, the right moment to share the truth in a manner she could bear, he would have been beside her by now, offering her a consoling embrace. But he was stillfurious after his argument with Luke. His whole body was tense, his mind racing against the injustice of Luke accusing him of not being loyal to their cause. Unable to soothe his nettled thoughts, he couldn’t rouse himself to move an inch without lashing out again.
“My family has cast a shadow over your life,” she said quietly. “Seth, why did you keep it from me?”
“What could I say?” he responded with an unintentional bite in his tone. “How could I possibly lay that accusation at your door? You were a child. You were not to blame for what happened back then. It was your father.”
