“You can wait outside,” Stewart tells the guard as he steps into the room behind us in the basement cell where James Manford awaits.
“My instructions are to remain in the room at all times when visitors are in attendance,” the guard replies while looking straight ahead.
Eric doesn’t hesitate, shoving the man up to the wall and pressing an arm underneath his chin. “I am the Lust & Envy Luminary. Ignore my direct command again, and it will be the last thing you ever do.”
The man gulps, nodding as fear enters his eyes. Eric releases him, and he scuttles out of the room like he has a rocket up his ass. James is sitting on a single bed by the wall, just under the camera. He lifts a finger to his lips, cautioning me to be silent. Beside me, Eric discreetly removes a black device from his pocket and presses it.
What the fuck is going on?
I wet my dry lips, feeling like I’ve stepped into the middle of a James Bond or Jason Bourne movie.
“Okay, we can talk, but we don’t have long,” Eric says, spinning around to face James.
James motions for me to sit beside him on the bed, and I walk toward him as if on autopilot.
“The cameras are scrambled,” he confirms. “This conversation is private, but it won’t take long for them to fix the technical glitch. I know you must have lots of questions. I wish I had time to answer them. Eric will be able to answer some.”
“Are you two working together?”
“I’ll discuss it with you tomorrow,” Eric says. “Listen carefully to what James has to say.”
I bob my head and wait for my uncle to speak.
“Firstly, I had nothing to do with that attempt on your life, and I had no idea Julia was behind it if she was.”
“She was.”
His chest heaves, and sadness washes over him. “She was so troubled and always so jealous of you.”
“Doesn’t mean I deserved to die.”
“Of course not.” He takes my hand, and I let him, only because I’m curious to see where this is going.
“I only found out my wife had been cheating on me, before and during our marriage, when Julia was ten. I was devastated. I loved her. I understood the implications, and I was prepared to bring it to the board when your mother stepped in and pleaded with me not to. She had worked so hard to keep you from this life, and she knew things would change if the board became aware Julia was not a pure-blood.”
“That must have hurt so much, especially when you didn’t have any other children.”
“It did.” James scrubs a hand down his face. “I contracted a deadly virus while on a business trip to Africa in my twenties. I was on death’s door for a week, but I recovered. It was only later I discovered it affected my fertility. I couldn’t father any other children.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.”
“It’s not something I publicize.”
“James.” Urgency threads through Eric’s tone, and my uncle nods.
“Anyway, I chose not to say anything for your and your mother’s sakes. Julia was matched with Jason, and I knew he would make a fine Luminary one day. Having a pure-blood in control of the Sloth Luminary helped to appease my guilt. It was the best way to protect everyone and keep the sanctity of our society intact.”
If you say so. Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night.
“Everything had settled down, and then Pamela killed my wife.”
I perk up at that news. “What?” My eyes startle wide.
“Your mother staged it to look like a skiing accident, but she broke down a couple of weeks later and admitted the truth to me.”
“Why would my mother kill your wife?”
“Pamela was furious on my behalf, especially when she discovered Lucille in bed with another man.” His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat. “I loved my wife, but she was jealous of the close relationship I had with my sister, and she had affairs to punish me.” He claws a hand through his hair. “Or maybe it was a cry for attention.” He shrugs. “I don’t know.” His eyes are sincere when he looks at me. “Lucille knew I would take a bullet for Pamela. That I would choose my sister over her, no matter the circumstances. And she knew Pamela felt the same. She couldn’t handle that truth.”
