Shortly after that last postcard from Noelle, Nadine had received a letter from Cal.
My dear Nadine,
It was so good to meet you at my brother’s wedding, and I enjoyed showing you our family home. We have a rich and storied history that goes well beyond what you saw in the library and on our parlor walls. In fact, our family money saved Argentum from becoming another ghost town when the silver mining industry collapsed.
Don’t be shy about arranging a visit with us, or feel like you have to go through your sister to do so. It would be my pleasure to personally escort you around. You seemed rather wary of me and I would like very much for us to be close.
Your servant,
Caledon Cullraven
When that went unanswered, another soon followed:
Nadine,
Did you get my previous letter? Here is my personal number.
Call me if you’d like to visit.
Yours,
Cal
Nadine had scoffed at the oddly formal, high-handed tone when she read both letters. Cal Cullraven was nobody’s servant and had clearly grown used to ordering others around.
When she had danced with him at the wedding, he had guided her every step in a way that while not quite forceful, still made her very aware of his presence. Controlling—but with a degree of nuance that demanded surrender, which she had balked from even as his touch set her ablaze.
The casual references to money and filial ties made her nervous. It sounded almost like he was commanding her to his side, like a wayward pet in need of correction.
She ended up destroying the letters—both of them. She told herself it was because she didn’t want her aunt to see and ask questions, which was true, but also not the real reason, which had more to do with the color of Cal Cullraven’s wine-dark eyes and her own profound loneliness.
She had left a card with her gift, addressed to both Ben and Noelle, saying that she had always wanted an older brother. But that was only partially true: what she really, desperately wanted was someone to take care of her. To protect her from the world when it made her feel weak.
Was that how it had been with Noelle and Ben? Had he swept her away upon a tide of easy charm and the promise of an even easier living?
The thought made her sad.Oh, Noe. I really hope you knew what you were getting into with this family. But more than that, I hope you’re happy.
At least one of us should get to be.
The door creaked open and Nadine jumped, craning her head around to look at her aunt accusingly as she rose up on her elbows on her floral bedspread.
Nikki held her hands up. “Hey, I’m just letting you know I’m getting Burmese for dinner, in case you were getting hungry. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Nadine put the postcards back into the empty shortbread tin. “I was just tidying up.”
“Are those from Noelle?”
Nadine nodded.
“Thought so. I recognized the handwriting. That husband of hers needs to get her a new set of pens, though. It looks like the one she wrote with is bleeding out.”
Nadine looked at the postcard on top. There was a big blot on thePin ‘please.’ “Yeah,” she said doubtfully. “Maybe I’ll get her a set for Christmas. She likes the Gelly Rolls.”
The doorbell rang in two sharply chiding tones. “Hold that thought, Nad. Food’s here.”
Hot, spiced food smells filled the room as Aunt Nikki carried the delivery bags into the kitchen. They ate in the living room on paper plates because the dining table was covered with boxes of ARCs and open day planners. Aunt Nikki’s current job was working as a PA to two best-selling romance novelists, both of whom were currently having signings and release parties to celebrate a newly published book. By a strange stroke of fate, they also highly disliked each other.
With a cheerful fatalism Nadine found quite daunting, Nikki revealed that they’d probably both fire her if either of them got so much as a hint that their PA was working for the enemy.
