Scarlett hadn’t known what to think about Beni being left to save her on his own. Shehadwondered why the Spencers, who knew her so well, did nothing to intervene. However, as she looked at Elestine’s pinched face, some of her resentment faded. “Truly, Elestine, all’s well that ends well. I’m grateful it’s over with. I’m ready to move on. Let’s focus on how I’ll help the Cerulean Party now that I’m back.”
Elestine gestured to the chair opposite her. “Please, have a seat. I should have known Jules’s daughter would be ready to hit the ground running. But before we talk about Cerulean business, in your letter you alluded that the danger you were in wasn’t solely to do with Laylani. Can you tell me more about what happened?”
How much do you think I can trust her?Scarlett asked Nori.
“I think you have to be honest.Otherwise you’ll have no help from the Soleil government. Perhaps leave your mother’s death out of it for now.”
Scarlett sat in the uncomfortable wooden chair across from Elestine and told her almost everything, starting with her encounter with Lady Moira Ashworth at her father’s funeral. To Scarlett’s pleasure, gold smoke streamed out of Elestine’s head and into the air above her. There wasn’t a hint of blackas Scarlett detailed what Beni had overheard Laylani saying to the doctor about keeping Scarlett and Manon asleep. Elestine listened with rapt attention, her eyes wide as Scarlett described their terrifying escape.
“Do you agree Laylani and Moira could’ve been behind it all?” Scarlett asked when she’d finished.
“I can see why you’re coming to that conclusion, but we need ironclad proof before we make any moves.”
Scarlett’s jaw tensed. “I have my and my grandmother’s urine test results, which prove the doctor employed by Laylani committed malpractice. Paired with Moira’s threat, isn’t that enough to start an internal investigation?”
Elestine’s expression shifted from concerned to calculating as she leaned back in her chair. “Let’s start with the doctor. Did he interact with anyone other than Laylani? How was he paid, and from which accounts? Now that you’ve inherited your father’s finances, you should check your family banking records yourself. Also, I’d suggest stripping Laylani of account access if you haven’t done so.” Elestine was suddenly more assertive than she’d been the whole time Scarlett was unconscious.
Scarlett paused for a beat before answering. “I’ll check the bank records. I do know Laylani had her own accounts, and it’d be unusual if she hadn’t used those for the doctor, given the circumstances. It’s worth a double check though. And I appreciate the suggestion to strip her account access, although I’m sure she’d see that as me declaring war.”
Elestine nodded thoughtfully. “You want to keep things neutral until it serves you. Fair. At least adjust so she requires a cosigner on purchases over a certain threshold. I think Jules had that in place already, but it’s worth double-checking.”
This knowledge struck Scarlett as odd. “Thanks.” She paused before asking, “How do you know he had a cosigner requirement?”
Elestine blinked several times, then her face brightened. “I overheard a bit of a lads’ chat in the canteen. They were discussing their wives’ allowances.” She rolled her eyes.
“I see.” Except it didn’t sound like any “canteen chat” her father would’ve engaged in. She’d known him to be highly private about his finances.
“Anyhow,” continued Elestine, “while you start with that, I’ll bring some colleagues I trust into the conversation. Lord Navarre and Lord Garfield to start. They’re quite influential, and getting them onside will be key if we’re to launch a formal investigation.”
Scarlett’s tension eased. Elestine was taking her worries seriously. “Thank you. Oh, and what about Lord Mayweather? I interned for him last year and consider him a friend.”
“Mayweather is a good shout. I’ll include him.”
Scarlett shifted in her seat. “Thank you. And can I ask, please, that you speak of this to no one else? The last thing we need is Moira Ashworth catching wind of it. We’re taking precautions, but I’m concerned for my family’s safety.”
“Of course.”
A knock at the door interrupted them.
“Come in,” called Elestine.
Alastair strode through the door. He stumbled, nearly falling as he clocked Scarlett. “You’re back.” He looked her up and down as if searching for injuries.
She froze. Only a month or so apart, and how her attachment to him had changed. The invisible cord that had once connected them was gone, severed by their breakup, leaving behind only nostalgia for the time they’d shared. Some of her anger had faded too in the time since their last fight.
Her heart was also forever changed. She belonged to Brayden, and no one else. Alastair might not yet know it, but any possibility between them had withered and died in Clair deLune.
“Scarlett.” He said her name reverently, approaching like he wanted to hug her, but she stayed seated in the chair across from his mother. “I’m so sorry for everything, and I’m so glad you’re here and all right. Is your grandmother well? And Beni?”
“They’re both fine. Thank you.” Scarlett didn’t trust herself to say much more.
Alastair held his arms open, offering her a hug. At first she went to decline, but was that really how she wanted to behave? Didn’t she want to someday be his friend? She gave in to his expectant hovering and stood. He embraced her without hesitation. The scent of the neroli-and-bergamot cologne he’d always worn washed over her like a breathy kiss from the past, reminding her of their old closeness.
Then she stepped back, and the smell faded.
Alastair grabbed her left hand. Brayden’s ring sparkled even in the dim office light. “That’s pretty. Did you get it in Clair de Lune?”
Scarlett swallowed. “Yes.”
