Scarlett held him at arm’s length for a moment before dropping her hands and stepping back. “Moira and Laylani will probably be arrested later today.”
“Goddess, what a relief,” Beni said, running his hand through his hair. “Now we can really move on.”
“That’s true.” Once justice was served, they’d finally have real closure. Scarlett had been so lost in the weeds she hadn’t taken a moment to process that yet. It’d probably take her ages to really work through all her bottled-up feelings about both her parents.
But for now she’d keep going.
“We’ll work from here this morning,” she said. “Are you good to stay here for a while?”
“Sure. All I need is food and my laptop.”
Scarlett made her way to Elestine’s study, where they’d worked the previous night. There she found Elestine already up and at her computer, with a breakfast tray full of coffee, toast, and hard-boiled eggs sitting at one end of the expansive mahoganydesk.
“Good morning, dear.” She gave Scarlett a once-over. “Grab an espresso—it’s going to be one hell of a day. You just missed Alastair. I sent him to Parliament to man the phones with some of the other staff, but key Ceruleans will be meeting here shortly.”
“Thank you,” Scarlett said. Her voice sounded rough to her own ears, and she had serious brain fog. She forced down a few bites of egg in the hope some protein might help. “Do you mind if I take some of this food to Beni?”
“Oh, don’t go to the trouble. We’re moving to the dining room to set up a war room. I’ll ask Liz to take him a breakfast tray on our way,” said Elestine. “Shall we head down now?”
“Sure.” Scarlett stood. “By the way, how do you look so fresh? You hardly slept too.”
“Underneath my makeup I look absolutely rough,” said Elestine as she led the way downstairs.
Scarlett grinned. “You look lovely to me.”
“Thank you.” Elestine whispered conspiratorially, “My secret is the mostexpensiveconcealer in Soleil. I’ll send you some when this is all over. But don’t worry, dear. You look marvelous. You’re as fresh as a daisy if you ask me.” She squeezed Scarlett’s hand briefly and then beelined for the kitchen.
The conversation reminded Scarlett of the many times Elestine had acted as a mother to her over the years, and it made her glad their friendship, as well as their professional relationship, had survived the utter destruction of her love for Alastair.
Over the next hour, the lords who’d been at their meeting yesterday trickled into the Spencer home, along with their staff. The house buzzed with excitement. As Scarlett and Elestine walked them through the damning evidence they’d spent all night poring over, Scarlett caught a second wind, energized by it all despite her poor sleep.
After reviewing the findings, she released the information to the police, and together, the Cerulean Party announced an evening press conference at Parliament. Elestine had a series of whiteboards brought into her dining room, and they made a list of expected arrests.
Around midmorning, Cass emerged in Elestine’s dining room carrying a cup of coffee. Her eyes were bright, though they were lined with shadows. Scarlett gave her an enthusiastic hug.
“Thank you for last night. You’ve helped me change the world.”
“Happy to.” Cass leaned closer to Scarlett and spoke into her ear. “Everyone made it home fine. According to the news, the two men from Federsin’s house paid a visit to an ER and filed a police report, but they were both sent home hours ago. They’ll be fine.”
“Good to hear. Anything on the officers from Goldie HQ?”
Cass grimaced. “Yes. The hand injury is bad. He’s got tendon damage and several broken bones, but he won’t lose his hand.”
Scarlett’s face crumpled. “I feel terrible. I need to reach out and see what I can do to help.”
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up. It’s all for the greater good. And speak to your lawyer before you do anything hasty. Send all inquiries through him.”
Scarlett’s shoulders slumped. Cass was right. “I will. Thanks. I’m just praying the public will think the ends justify the means. I know that sounds terrible. But I hope people don’t think I acted selfishly, going all rogue the way I did.”
Cass chuckled. “We’ll be fine. We’ve unearthed the biggest conspiracy in Soleil history.”
“I hope so. Let me know if you need anything. I’m going to step away while there’s a lull and try to call Brayden.”
Cass gave her a knowing smile. “Good idea. While you do that, I’ll grab a bite to eat and head back to bed, if that’s all right.”
“Of course,” said Scarlett. “It’d be good for you to rest upbefore we have to leave for Parliament.”
“Come get me if you need me,” said Cass.
