“No, no you do not. I can’t allow it, I’m afraid. Sit. There’s no reason to be afraid. No killers in this house.” His smile wasn’t very friendly, all teeth and sneer, betrayal and hurt there that had no reason to be.
She walked stiffly to the table and sat as far from the others as her position allowed. Gabriel dropped into the remaining seat.
“Well, isn’t this a happy scene.”
“Gabriel—”
“A happy reunion, is it not?” Gabriel said, cutting the butler off.
She looked sharply to the others. Jeremy was still abnormally pale. Gabriel looked like a dark demon come to prey on their souls. The butler was impassive. His brows creased just the tiniest bit, just like Gabriel did when he…
The moment froze.
“Figured it out, did you?”
“Gabriel, leave her be.”
She barely registered either remark.
“No,” he said harshly. “I saw and heard what was happening before I entered. Answer the question,Miss Winters.”
“He is your father,” she said numbly. “He is your tie to the Dentry estate. The reason you would have been around the estate so often. Why you would recognize Jacob Worley. You worked with him.”
“A mere servant. Did I detect that part of the answer in your voice?” His tone was silky, dark, dangerous.
Jeremy shifted across the table. The butler—she didn’t even know his name—remained impassive, though she detected a hint of disapproval as he too watched Gabriel.
“No, I didn’t say that.”
“Mmmm, sometimes there is no need to say so.”
A lick of anger climbed her spine. “Whatever your station in life, it doesn’t allow you to play with the lives of others.”
“I couldn’t agree less.” He leaned back, eyes hooded. “Your station in life directly impacts how much you can play with the lives of others and on what scale.”
“That’s horrible.”
“Spare me your horror. The higher you are in society, the more with which you can get away. Own those people…” His eyes twinkled darkly. “…and you own everything.”
The air grew thinner, harder to breathe. “No.”
Gabriel, beautiful, and terrible in that beauty, leaned forward. “Oh, yes,Marietta.”
“Gabriel,” the butler barked. “That’s enough.”
“You are a guest in my house, Father. As mentioned before, I hardly need to take direction from you anymore.” There was something black in his eyes. “Not that you ever showed much care for my direction, in any case.”
The butler straightened, but even she could see, not knowing him at all, that Gabriel had shot him clean through. “Your mother and I—”
“Do not mention her in this.” His voice was deadly. “If you had left us with—”
Jeremy’s face had turned from white to red. “Gabriel, you cannot blame father for—”
“Really? And why not?”
“It’s not fair.”
Gabriel lifted a brow. “Fair? How interesting.”
