And my curiosity to understand Archie overcomes the part of me that knows I shouldn’t be asking questions I might not want the answers to.
“Has he always been like this?” I ask. “Keeping people at a distance?”
Elizabeth regards me over the rim of her teacup. “What has he told you about his family?”
I swallow hard. I have my own reasons for avoiding venturing too far into the territory of Archie’s family.
I turn the teacup slowly on its saucer. The scrape of porcelain is the only sound in the kitchen.
“He hasn’t told me much,” I admit.
Elizabeth nods slowly, like this confirms something she already suspected.
“His parents are beside themselves, as you can imagine. Archibald had the world at his feet, and suddenly, he announced he didn’t want to complete his postdoctoral research and was quitting academia.
“His parents tried to force his hand by cutting off his financial support. It went about as well as you’d expect with someone as stubborn as Archibald.”
I think of Archie’s bedsit, of his gigs as a dog walker and children’s entertainer.
I can’t imagine the courage it took for him to walk away from all financial support purely because he wanted to live life on his own terms.
“He’s been doing fine on his own,” I say loyally.
Elizabeth stirs her cup of tea.
“I’m not sure that he is,” she says.
“What do you mean by that?”
She settles her cup of tea back in its saucer before meeting my gaze. “His mother has been my best friend since college, and I don’t want to say bad things about her behind her back, but in hindsight, I don’t think they handled things very well with Archibald growing up. I’m concerned it has had a lasting effect on him.”
“What things didn’t they handle well?”
“Archibald was a…different kid. He was actually slow to learn to speak, did you know? And he seemed to be in his own dream world most of the time. And then, suddenly, in sixth grade, he won a national math award—a high-school level one. Followed it up a month later by winning a national essay competition.”
I blink. “Math and English?”
Her forehead creases. “Hasn’t Archibald mentioned he’s a polymath genius and how unusual that is?
“We…ah, haven’t discussed specifics. It’s not something he likes to talk about.”
Her suspicious look fades. “Yes, he’s always been very modest. But his type of ability is extremely rare. And you can imagine how his parents reacted when they realized his full potential.”
“Everything became about Archie,” I say.
“Yes. Almost overnight. And of course there was his older brother Vaughn. Has he told you much about Vaughn?”
I try not to flinch at the sound of Vaughn’s name.
“Not much.” I keep my voice neutral.
“Well, Vaughn used to be Evie and Henry’s golden child. He was such a wonderful big brother, always letting Archibald tag along and protecting him when he was picked on.”
I know. I know exactly what kind of guy Vaughn seemed to be. Charming, capable, the kind of person you’d trust without thinking twice.
“What happened?” I ask.
“What do you think happened? Vaughn got lost in the shadows. He went from being his parents’ pride and joy to being an afterthought.”
