“I know I’m probably not on your list of favorite people right now,” the prime minister began. “Edward and I have always had an arrangement, but I still want to apologize to you—”
Shaking her head, Scarlett held up her hand. “Please. That’s not necessary.”
“But I don’t want you to think—”
“Elestine, I don’t care.”
“Why not?”
Scarlett sighed. “Maybe it’s more accurate to say I’d prefer to move onnotknowing the specifics. I do care. What you did is gross. I wish my dad had divorced Laylani rather than cheat on her. Doing it with my boyfriend’s mother—again, gross—but Alastair and I aren’t together anymore, so I’ll do my best to let that go and not let it harm our working relationship.”
Elestine’s shoulders slumped. “That’s more grace than I deserve from you. I hope you still feel that way when I tell you what I’ve learned.”
Scarlett recoiled, unable to fathom taking on more stress right now. “And that is?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll start with the good news. I’ve issued a full pardon for Brayden. It took until now to arrange it because of the magic use, but the senior court’s approval came through today. He’s being discharged from jail as we speak.”
Scarlett stood. “Right now?”Thank the Goddess. If that’s true, he won’t end up exiled from Soleil.
“Yes, but I have some bad news as well.”
Scarlett’s heart screamed for Brayden, but she sat. “Go on.”
“Last night, after the press conference, something wasn’t sitting right with me. I was as shocked as you that we didn’t find anything about the National Theater incident in the raid. Then I was thinking about Lord Federsin. He’s claiming he had no knowledge of the money that went out of his bank account. Blamed it on his son, the coward.”
“That’s pathetic.” Scarlett couldn’t imagine trying to pin something she’d done on Beni.
“Agreed, but as I was listening to his sad explanation, I thought to myself, what kind of a ninny would miss such an astronomical sum being withdrawn from his household account?” She took a deep breath and continued. “So I looked through our accounts. And I noticed fifty thousand marcs were withdrawn last week from Alastair’s trust fund.”
A shiver ran down Scarlett’s spine as she stared at Elestine. Her fingers found her lips. “He didn’t,” she whispered.
“At first he acted like it was a down payment for a flat, but when I threatened to trace the payment with the bank, he admitted he hired the men to attack Brayden and you at the National Theater.”
The shock stunned Scarlett momentarily. Of all the possibilities she’d considered, she hadn’t evendreamedof this. Her whole body tensed as her worldview realigned around thenew information. “Was he trying to get us killed?”
“He got what he wanted—Brayden in jail. He said he did it to free you, but obviously, that’s absolute nonsense.”
“That bastard,” growled Scarlett.
“Icompletelyagree.”
“He deserves to be arrested.Hedeserves to be sitting in jail for sending those men after us.”
Elestine hid her face in her hands for a second, and then she looked Scarlett in the eye. “Scarlett, I’m so sorry. Words can’t convey—”
Scarlett held up her hand. “Please. It’s his mistake to apologize for. I just want to see him brought to justice for what he’s done.”
“That’s true, and if that’s what you want, we can see it done together. But I do ask you to take a moment to look at the big picture.”
“What’s the big picture? He paid people to assault us, several people were seriously injured, and it led to Brayden burning down the lobby of the theater!” Scarlett’s voice echoed off the walls of her office.
Elestine put her hands up. “Please—if someone overhears you, the choice will be made for us. I want you to consider the big picture. The border legislation.” Elestine’s eyes pleaded with her. “Right now we have complete public sympathy, both for you and our party. If we expose Alastair, I’ll be obliged to resign, which would be a disaster for the party. And while I’m willing to take responsibility, it gives me pause to give up your father’s dream when we’re soclose, Scarlett. I was up all night thinking about the greater good and justice, and I don’t think there’s a perfect way to resolve this. So I want to know whatyouthink we should do. Do we punish Alastair publicly, or do we do it privately for the sake of the legislation we both believe is for the greater good?”
A splitting headache assaulted Scarlett. She massaged hertemples with her fingertips as tears pricked at her eyes. “Is this some kind of quid pro quo?” she asked, her body tensing. “If I don’t agree, Brayden’s pardon gets revoked?” She was too tired to read between the lines.
Elestine’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. “Certainly not. I can show you the emails. His release is happening regardless of what you decide.”
Scarlett steeled herself as she racked her brain for the right answer. Either way, she was letting people down. Elestine or herself, either via a lie that birthed a new corrupt cover-up or via the truth that forced Elestine to resign.
