Unlike Laylani, Brayden was perfectly at ease. “I sent them to her at school.”
“I’ve seen the letters. You never pay attention.” Beni’s voice was full of irritation.
Scarlett smiled at her brother. “Yes, Beni caught me with the letters. He loves Brayden now that they’ve met in person. We can’t imagine life without him anymore.”
Brayden lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. Her heart fluttered at the touch. He was really laying it on thick for Laylani, but she loved it.
“I see.” Laylani looked like she wished she’d poisoned Scarlett’s wine.
Scarlett studied her stepmother, considering which levers she should pull.
“Ask her about your mother,”said Nori.
Scarlett thought of the journals and how Sabina had met Laylani. She hesitated for a split second, but then she asked a question she knew the answer to without knowing the details.And the details would be everything. Even a lie would be revealing—she was sure of it.
“You know, while we’re on the subject, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the story of how you met my father. How did you and Jules fall in love?” asked Scarlett.
Something shifted in her stepmother’s expression. A flicker of resentment shone through. “Your mother introduced us.”
Scarlett’s eyebrows rose. “Then she died, and you married him three months later?”
Laylani rolled her eyes. “No, your father didn’t cheat on your mother, if that’s what you’re asking. He may not have waited long before he moved on, but infidelity was only a feature inourmarriage. Lucky me.”
Scarlett tensed. Beni, who’d been taking a sip of water, sputtered and coughed.
“I suppose he could get away with a lot, given the hours he worked,” Scarlett said almost to herself. She didn’t want it to show on her face, but Laylani’s words had immediately damaged her view of her beloved father. She’d believed he was agoodman, the kind who wouldn’t cheat on his wife, even if that wife was Laylani. Her logical mind also understood Laylani was trying to distract her, and it was working. Her sudden resentment toward Jules, her hurt at his behavior—it was visceral.
He should have been better. His expectations for me weresohigh—
“Oh yes, and your hair would curl if you knew with whom.” Her stepmother took a huge slug of her wine, holding her chin high as she glared at Scarlett under the dim light of the chandelier.
A wave crashed on the beach outside, but it was as quiet as death in the room.
Scarlett’s mind raced. Did she want to know who her father had cheated with? Who would be so bad that Laylani wouldbait her that way? She could be lying, but why? It was uncharacteristic for her to reveal anything that could make her look less than. Poor Beni, having to listen to this.
Laylani dumped the rest of the wine into her glass. “That’s one of the reasons why…” She shook her head as if to clear it. “That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t wear black for long.” She gestured toward her elegant white cocktail dress.
“I don’t know what to say.” Scarlett glanced at Beni. He was staring down at his empty plate, his expression blank, but she was sure there was much more under the surface. He tended to disassociate—like her—but that didn’t mean his feelings weren’t there. They were just buried deep for now.
“Shocked your father isn’t perfect? I know you idolized him. Let this be a lesson to you. If you look hard enough, everyone’s shitty. My advice for a newlywed? Don’t ever pin your self-worth or your dreams on anyone else.”
The waiter arrived with their dinner, and Laylani signaled to him to bring another bottle of the wine. Cutlery clinked as they ate in silence. Scarlett hadn’t gotten anything useful out of Laylani, but what a bomb she’d dropped onthem.
Brayden looked at Scarlett as if waiting for her to make the next move. Laylani was well on her way to getting drunk, and Scarlett could certainly try again, but her heart wasn’t in it. She didn’t want any more wild revelations in front of her younger brother, and with that in mind, she decided to keep the peace for now and try again another day. Perhaps in a less obvious way.
She looked back at Brayden and shook her head ever so slightly, and he reached underneath the table, resting a comforting hand on her knee.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
The next day Parliament was in session. Scarlett rose early, after another night alone in her bed with Brayden watching over her. As she dressed to go into the city center, it felt like the first day of school. On the way in, she and Brayden dropped Beni off at his friend Blake’s house and got Brayden a phone that would work in Soleil.
Finally, they stopped at the gym across the road from Parliament. The facilities were only for the use of peers and their families, so they had to reveal their married status to the surprised clerk at the door so Brayden could get a membership.
“This is ten times bigger than our parliament,” Brayden said as they entered the peers’ wing of the parliamentary chambers hand in hand.
“Yes, it’s big, isn’t it? I’ve always loved the decadence and authority of this place. Clair de Lune’s parliament is prettier though,” offered Scarlett. “We don’t have anything like those gardens on the lake.”
