“Did you notice anything else suspicious at the château?” Bram asked, breaking through my thoughts.
“Yes.”
I told him about the injections Father Schedoni had given the family, who’d fallen ill afterward.
“It is odd,” Bram acknowledged, looking perplexed. “It’s also rather ironic that Henri framed my father’s practice as some medical experiment that would harm people when Schedoni seems to be doing just that to them.”
“It’s dangerous then?” I asked.
“I don’t know. It almost sounds like some sort of debilitating disease in the family bloodline. I wasn’t aware of any such history, but maybe that’s why they insist on having their own doctor.”
“What kind of disease?”
Bram shrugged. “There are a lot of illnesses out there, Emile. Many of them are passed on to subsequent generations. Some diseases are rarer than others. Without more information, I couldn’t begin to hazard a guess. The treatment sounds extreme, however, in my opinion.”
I nodded slowly. Maybe what I’d seen wasn’t as strange as I’d thought it was.
“Look, Emile, you’re under a lot of strain right now. Why don’t you concentrate on taking care of yourself?”
“What?” I turned to face him. “What are you talking about?”
Bram shifted. “I mean that I don’t want you getting in over your head any more than you already are. You have to focus on what’s going on with Count Morano and your inheritance. That’s enough. The family illness, the murders … leave those to the professionals. They have a doctor. We have the gendarmerie. That’s what they’re there for.”
I let out a deep breath. “I suppose you’re right. I just don’t trust the gendarmerie. Or Father Schedoni. It makes me anxious that these nefarious things might be taking place right under our noses.”
“But you need to take care of your own problems. It’s okay to let things go. Other people can deal with their own issues, and you don’t need to feel guilty about that.”
Bram came to a stop, and I realized we were back at his house already. A small crowd had once more gathered at the corner as the body was taken out on a pallet, the remains thankfully covered. We watched for a moment before I felt Bram press my hand.
“Stop worrying about other people,” he said softly. “Your life is worth fighting for. And if you have to overlook some things or hurt some people while working toward your own happiness, then maybe that isn’t such a bad thing.”
I turned to him. “What do you mean?”
Bram squeezed my hand. “Sometimes you have to take what you need from people. You can’t count on everybody to have your best interests in mind, and you can’t wait for people to save you. The Montoni household isn’t going to save you. Whatever they’ve gotten themselves into doesn’t matter. Find a way to get your inheritance, no matter who it hurts. That’s what I mean. It’s okay to just look out for yourself.”
“You’re saying that I should be more selfish. Because I’ve had many selfish thoughts lately.”
“Good. Keep having them. Follow through with them. You deserve a happy ending. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Do what it takes to get that ending, Emile. Take what you need because everybody is going to try to take from you.”
I squeezed his hand back. His encouragement was so sincere. He really did want the best for me. How could I tell him what I wanted for us? That I wanted us to be together, in a life I secured through blackmail? A wave of shame shot through me, but I took Bram’s advice and shook it off. I would have to get used to subterfuge if I was to have any hope of happiness.
I opened my mouth to say something to that effect but was cut off by the sound of a loud scoff. “Are you serious?”
I looked up to find Count Morano striding toward us, jaw clenched.
I met Bram’s eyes briefly and swallowed hard before turning back to Henri.
“What can I help you with, Count Morano?” Bram asked cheerfully, stepping forward to meet him.
“Don’t patronize me.” Henri scowled, shoving past him as he stomped over to me. He was breathing hard as he glared at me. “Were you leading me on? When all you really wanted was to return to this country doctor of yours?”
“Keep it down,” Bram said, voice low as he drew up next to me. “Or do you want a scandal on your hands?”
Henri snorted. “What do I care of scandal? Did Emile tell you how we spent the night together?”
Bram blinked and met my gaze, but I shook my head. “Not like that,” I protested, turning to Henri. “You know very well that it wasn’t like that.”
Henri smiled dangerously. “Yet you woke up in my arms. You didn’t leave.”
