My heart stuttered in my chest, forgetting what its sole purpose was. Grief was a terrible thing and reared its ugly head at the worst moments. That she would have taken my name and the name Billy gifted her–it was a special kind of torture. She probably would have enjoyed knowing she was killing me slowly.
“That’s literally insane. Why would she do that?” Oscar said, mouth open for the flies that drew near.
“She’s been threatening Edmonds and James. Says she will sink any ship with a British flag if he hangs him and, for James, she has and will continue to sink North Star Line ships if he continues to send them out.”
I was simultaneously blown away by her capability and ready to tear down this entire stone hellhole for what she was doing. I wasn’t meant to be saved. This was always where I was headed, and she knew that. If she listened for once in her life.
“She’s going to get herself killed. The navy won’t allow this to keep happening,” Oscar said.
“They aren’t. The problem is the Wraith is hard to track down. She knows North Star Line and every weakness, but they don’t know how to corner her. Then there’s the rumors, which I suppose aren’t rumors at all.”
He fiddled with the letters in his pocket, mouth slightly agape.
“Tell me,” I demanded.
Oliver Bailey, parliament member and aristocrat, snapped his mouth shut and leveled me with his worst stare, which was rather tame all things considered.
“You are not in any position to demand anything from me. First, you–you know what you did and then took my brother, now my sister is on some destructive course I can’t see the end of. You are single-handedly destroying my family,” he said.
While I might argue the merit of individual free will, in many ways, he was right. The worst part — the part that reminded me I was exactly where I was meant to be — was that I didn’t regret it. That I would do it all again if it meant having her.
It was a sickness, this thing inside me. Passed on from father to son as easily as eye color.
Every word Oliver Bailey spoke was as true and real as this lice and flea-infested prison.
If he expected me to offer up a defence, he would be waiting a long time. Unfortunately, he had the answers I needed. If Rose was scheming, I needed to know as much as I could.
“What are the rumors?” I tried to be less demanding, but it came out gruff and harsh.
Oliver Bailey shook his head, a sardonic smile on his face.
“Rose has the absolute worst taste in men,” he said.
“Undoubtedly,” I said.
“Without question,” Oscar agreed.
Oliver stared from Oscar to me and back again, trying to unravel the layers of our relationship. Friend or foe? Most days, in the gloom of cloudy mist climbing in through the outside into this cell, it was hard for me to tell either.
“They say she has a sea monster at her disposal,” Oliver whispered.
Rosamund Bailey. Only she would be able to spin a rumor like that. If I weren’t so mad at her for impeding my plans, I would have been impressed.
“The letters?” Oscar asked, holding his hand out through the bars.
The eldest Bailey hesitated, fidgeting with the letters and glancing down the hall.
“Listen, Edmonds is in a bad place. Yes, he caught Flynn, but he let the Wraith go, and whatever he bargained with you to do so has led to zero gain. Now he can’t even hang you to regain his standing because ships are sinking like rocks. I think I can use this to our benefit. I’ve been working on passing a new bill in parliament, and it’s close, but doesn’t have enough support. With a little more time, I can make it work.”
“Well, good thing for Rose then,” Oscar said.
I huffed out an irritated breath that earned a glare from Oliver. It appeared we would not be quick friends.
Oscar jerked his head toward me. “Bash is very excited for the gallows, and this has all been rather inconvenient for him.”
Instigating little shit. Oscar grinned at me like this was all exceptionally amusing. He didn’t know why this was my path. No, Rose was the only soul now who understood, except for my father. I never accounted for his not caring, that he would have set his own plans in motion when this day came. Now I could see how short-sighted I was.
“We need to figure out what Edmonds wants and exploit it. Everyone has a price,” Oliver said, tapping his lip.
