“It suits you to be honest. I really can’t see you as an accountant or anything along those lines.”
“Does it frighten you?”
“I’m not afraid of you. You are a temporary problem I must deal with before returning to my life inside the convent. I’ll do what I must to make that a reality.”
“Even it means committing a sin?”
“I’ll have a lifetime to pray for forgiveness.”
She shrugs. “I didn’t ask to leave the convent. I didn’t ask to be the target of a woman like Morgan, and I didn’t ask to be here, so if I break a few rules to get back to what I did ask for, I’mcertain God will forgive me, even if it takes my entire life on my knees praying for his forgiveness.”
She shrugs and says almost as an aside.
“So, we’ll play your game, Joseph, but if I may ask you one thing.”
“You may.”
I’m curious what she is going to ask.
“Can we murder Morgan Sorcusi before I’m obliged to be with child? Because if that happens, my life may as well be over, anyway.”
I’m stunned as she glares at me. “You see, if I have a child with you, I will never leave, and so Morgan’s threat of ending my life may be the more attractive proposition.”
Thank God for that.
We are back on territory I’m familiar with. I prefer hatred over companionship any day of the week, and manipulating others into doing my bidding is pure entertainment to me.
This time I shrug.
“I share your aversion to a lifetime with you, so yes, we can murder your stepmother, but I’ll leave it up to you to explain to your sisters why they will never receive their inheritance.”
I stand, noting the confusion clouding her expression, knowing that her love for her sisters will override any personal ambition of hers. It’s at this precise moment realization hits her hard because the chains snap in place as she understands exactly the sacrifice she will make, whether she likes it or not.
CHAPTER 10
TIFFANY
I’m glad when he leaves me. His parting words are a lot to deal with, and as I make my way back to my attic room, I am more than happy about that. As I pass luxury on a grand scale, I’m immune to it. I’ve lived in houses like this all my life, and they brought nothing but misery, and this is no exception.
As I walk, my sisters accompany me, in my mind anyway.
I wish I could talk to them. Surely, they want the same as me. To return to the Order of the Holy Mother of God. It’s where we have been happiest. It’s peace to us. We are part of a team working for good. Nobody bullies us there, and life is full of simple pleasures, not material ones.
Surely, they want that.
Yes, but do you?
The voice inside my head raises an interesting point that occurred shortly after Joseph kissed me. It set off a chain reaction that shocked me. I have never been kissed, never wanted to be actually, but in that moment, I saw nothing but him.
It was a craving that crept up on me undetected. I dislike him intensely, but apparently desire him more than anything. In thatroom, it was as if nothing could touch us. We could be anything and anybody, and I wanted the sin, the deprivation, and the, well, life I suppose. I could be anyone I wanted to be, and I wanted something I’ve never considered before.
My blood is on fire as I race to my room, passing the black room, wondering if I should edge inside.
I stop, my hand on the banister as I turn toward it, wondering if it’s locked, wondering if I dare go in alone.
For some reason, I experience a pull so strong it consumes me, causing me to turn. My heart racing as I face the door.
I reach out, my hand suspended in mid-air, almost turning away—almost.
