She began walking. ‘Due home any minute, so you should probably leave.’
Astin fell into step with her. ‘I got your message.’
She slowed, not speaking for a while. ‘I may have snooped through some of Cooper’s private letters.’
‘It wasn’t a one-time deal, was it?’
Presley shook her head as they walked beneath the bare trees that were once an orchard. ‘I think they’re under the illusion that they can keep it from the rest of the kingdom.’
‘And the fallout will be disastrous.’
‘What’s happening in the merchant borough is already disastrous. So much preventable death. I hope the new queen has a plan.’
‘Oh, she does.’
Presley watched him for a moment. ‘Of all the women you could have fallen in love with, you had to go and fall in love with her.’
He stopped walking. ‘You drew that conclusion based on what?’
She sighed. ‘Seeing the two of you together.’
‘For all of five minutes?’
‘Well, you made up your mind about Chadwick after two.’ She looked away, shaking her head. ‘I don’t have a ton of choices like you did.’
That last part got to him. ‘What are you talking about? I never had choices.’
‘Youchoseto leave.’
‘You think that was a choice? Was I supposed to wait around until he beat me to death?’ When she did not reply, he said, ‘If this is about me leaving, surely you understand that I couldn’t take you with me. I was hardly going to take you from the comfort of your home to live on the streets.’
Her eyes snapped back to his. ‘The comfort of my home? Is that how you remember it?’
Astin’s hands went to rest on his hips. ‘You know what I mean.’
‘No, I don’t.’
‘I would have been taking you from your mother, from regular food, from a warm bed—’
‘You would have been taking me away fromhim.’
Astin searched her tear-filled eyes. ‘If he had taken his belt to you even once, I would never have left you behind.’
She blinked. ‘Hisbelt? You think he needed a belt to hurt me?’ Shaking her head, she stepped back. ‘You should go. If he sees you here, Mother will be the one who pays.’
Astin did not move. ‘If there’s something you haven’t told me—’
‘I’m not doing this.’ She began walking in the direction of the house, arms wrapping her like a shield.
‘Presley.’
She picked up her pace, so he jogged to catch up. ‘Tell me he never laid a hand on you.’
She turned to him, panting. ‘It doesn’t matter now. Your question’s years too late. He never flogged me with his belt, never hit me, never kicked me in the face or held my head underwater. He never did those things tome. Happy?’
Astin felt sick as a realisation hit him. ‘Oh shit.’ He linked his hands atop his head, turning in a circle. ‘I’m going to fucking kill him.’
‘And what will that change? The damage is done.’
