Shreya’s eyes went wide, and Merritt could sense her wariness. Even Alan looked up from his notes. Merritt reached into Evie’sdesigner bag and slid the finished manuscript across the table. Shreya took it gingerly and began to flip through its early pages. Then she let the manuscript pages fall back into a stack.
“Whit told Joan he had no manuscript,” she said in a clipped voice that Merritt might have used herself if she were being confronted by a clearly delusional stranger.
“Yes, I know that. But that’s not true. He and I wrote this together.”
“Then why...”
“He had a crisis of confidence.” She was massaging the truth, but what choice did she have? “He doesn’t consider himself a fantasy writer, and he convinced himself that what we’d written together wouldn’t be... right for the series. But I’m here because I know it is, and I think you might agree. When you read it.”
Shreya remained suspicious, but an intrigued look had crept across her face. Merritt wondered whether Helen’s agent had mentioned that Whit had brought on a coauthor. It would explain why she wasn’t treating Merritt as if she werecompletelyinsane. Merritt kept talking.
“Ask Joan. She’s been checking in on Whit and knows we’d been making progress. And you and I both know Helen left the completion of the manuscript to Whit in her will, and well, here it is. Completed.”
“Yes, there isamanuscript here,” Shreya said, curt once again. “But Whit himself said he could not complete it, and we are in the process of amending the contract in light of the estate’s failure to deliver. Another writer has already been signed to write the book, and we now have access to Helen’s journals and plans for the final installment. We are in a position to complete thisquickly, and in a manner that best suits the interests of the series and the publisher.”
“Even if it means ignoring what Helen wanted.”
Shreya’s face darkened at that. She pushed her hair behind her ears and leaned forward.
“Listen. Helen wasn’t just my author. She was a good friend. It pains me that this is how things have ended up. Really. To lose her, first of all, and then to lose her before she could complete her... well, her masterpiece. I hate this, truly. It’s been so awful.”
“Awful for Whit, too, as I’m sure you can imagine.”
Shreya nodded, genuine compassion in her eyes, and Merritt was relieved to see that this woman did indeed have a soul.
“So there’s nothing you can do? Even with the completed manuscript sittingrightin front of you?”
“I wish—”
Alan cleared his throat, drawing Shreya’s eyes his way. She turned back to Merritt just as her eyes finished rolling at her colleague.
“No” was all she said.
Édouard cleared his throat in a way that might possibly have been meant to mock Alan. “And you think this decision will hold up to legal scrutiny.”
Alan smirked. “I can assure you, Mr.Marchand, that it will.”
Merritt and Shreya sat silent for a moment. Alan seemed to be losing interest, so Merritt pulled out the first weapon in her arsenal.
“Fine. Let me ask you this then, Shreya. How do you think Helen’s fans will respond when they find out you’ve given the book away, against Helen’sfinalwishes? That you’ve chosen, for the sake of efficiency, some ghostwriter over Helen’s husband—the person shehand-selectedto shepherd this beloved series to its conclusion?”
Shreya made a face, as if this were a distasteful thing to say, but when she spoke, her tone was measured.
“Merritt, I can understand how disappointing this must be for you. I’m sure this”—she gestured to the manuscript—“must havetaken a lot of time and effort. From both of you. But as I said, we have the journals.”
“The journals are just journals.Thisis a finished manuscript, completed by Whit, like Helen hoped. She left it tohimto complete, using”—Merritt repeated what Whit had told her about the will with far more certainty than she felt—“whatever means he deemed necessary and appropriate.”
Shreya clenched her jaw for a moment. “We had no choice, Merritt. We gave Whit as much leeway as we could, but he missed multiple deadlines, not just the final one. We knew it was difficult for him, but we needed him to deliver, and he couldn’t. As for how the fans will respond, I highly doubt that our publisher is going to be motivated by empty threats.”
Merritt narrowed her eyes.
“Empty?”
Shreya cocked her head in a pitying way. She was visibly ready for this meeting to be over.
“So you really won’t consider Whit’s version? No matter what?”
Shreya gave her a sad smile and shook her head.
