Me: Gael was driving? That must’ve been a sight. He’s terrified of the whole “wrong side of the road” thing.
Instead of seeing the reply dots, a call from Adrian appears on the screen.
“Tell me he didn’t get into an accident.”
“No, I don’t think that he did. I thought I should call you because it was the strangest thing. He drove up to the house, and he was speaking on the phone.”
“He was drivingandtalking on his mobile? He won’t even do that where he knows how to drive,” I say, dread starting to creep in around the edges.
“He was definitely speaking on the phone with someone. He saw me, waved, and kept going.”
“Like he was gonna stop by the house and changed his mind?”
“Exactly. It was almost comical.”
“Interesting. He hasn’t returned my text. Maybe I’ll call him directly.”
“You do that, sir. We have moussaka on the menu tonight and I would hate for him to miss it.”
“Thank you, Adrian.”
I check my texts again, and there’s no response from either Beatrice or Gael. I pull up the family location app on my phone, and Beatrice’s location is strange. She’s not on the estate at all, but rather in Manchester proper, seemingly at a small cafe. The name is familiar, but I can’t quite place it.
Since she’s not yet responded to my text, I phone her.
No response.
I phone again, and she picks up.
“Yes?” she asks, her voice sharp.
“Bea? Are you okay?”
“I am now.”
Something in her manner is off.
“Are you there with Gael?”
“No. I am not.”
Unable to account for the short way in which she’s speaking to me, I ask, “What is going on?”
“Have you been lying to us—to me—this whole time?” she asks, her voice quavering.
“What do you—”
“Have you even rescued a single child, Tolly, or was that all a lie, too? And what was the purpose of parading Gael in front of our parents? I swear, I’ve never seen such acting in all my life. Well, you had me convinced. All of those simpering looks at the poor man, knowing the entire time—”
“Bea,” I say, cutting her off. “What are you even saying right now?”
Her laugh is dry and bitter. “Forget it. Since you and Father seem bound and determined to set my course without me, I’m taking back control of my life.”
Oh, shit.
“Beatrice, I’m not sure what you overheard—”
“We heardeverything, Ptolemy.”
