Hendrik spoke up at last. “Hiding is harder than you think. We may not all survive.”
I wondered if Sebastian had ever expected to live a long life.
“All this doom and gloom,” Bianca declared, producing a bottle of whiskey. “Sounds like we might as well drink up!”
There were more bottles, and a mini fridge concealed in a tasseled ottoman. Leopold and Hendrik shared gummies. The spirit of rebellion slunk from the room. We transformed into any other club at Helshire—secret handshakes, vows of friendship, beer.
As I sipped tonic water, watching them, Arabella sat beside me. She swirled her glass of whiskey for a moment before speaking.
“Five years I’ve been waiting to come back to this room. Never thought you’d be here.”
“The surprise is mutual.”
She smiled. “You didn’t find me a caring mentor in New York?”
“Not at the time, but I get it now. When you told me Hiromi was just prey, you were trying to protect me.”
“I was trying to protecther. I wanted your seduction to fail.”
I felt it again, the wetness on my face. Arabella trying to save Hiromi—out of nowhere, like her arrow flying into Uncle Max’s chest. Both times, not enough.
“My last tears, these tears of blood,” she murmured. The old words that Cyrus had said to me in Peter’s room.
“I cry all the time now.”
Arabella sighed. “Between the two of you, Sebastian was always my pick. But he wanted you brought in too. When I said no, he lobbied Divya and Hendrik.”
“This was after my accident.”
“He said it changed you. But little Mary’s curae sealed it.”
My puking and fainting had made Sebastian trust me. My weakness that night had opened the door to Care.
“Bianca was also on your side,” Arabella went on. “Because you burned down Halcyon Hall—for Peter. We’re supposed to pick only one from each family, but we made an exception this year.”
“You’ve been short on Mortons lately.”
“We are. But we’re risking everything, sharing our secrets with Elizabeth’s little prodigy.”
“I’m not the only prodigy here—you were blooded at fifteen. Back in New York, I thought you were the fifth vote on Peter.”
She looked confused.
“A game my mother played,” I said. “Making me guess who approved his culling. Her, Elizabeth, Cyrus, Veronica…and someone else.”
“Not me. I would have said no.” Arabella lifted her glass, almost a toast. “Peter would’ve caused chaos for the elders, one way or another.”
“When you put the question to Sebastian,” I asked, “did he talk about Peter?”
“No, he sang his answer.Uncle Max, took an axe…”
I looked at Hendrik and Divya. “And they heard that? Our family secret?”
“Sooner or later, everyone will know.” Arabella took a drink. “We have dirt on all the families. We’re saving Uncle Max for when Elizabeth needs a punch in the face.”
I wondered how Grandmother would react. Would she turn cold, or would her lips form that calm and ancient smile?
Both made me shiver.
