by Sofia Daniel
By the time I reached the front door, any trepidation I might have felt hardened into anger. Entitled pricks. Did they honestly think they could set me up without consequences? I turned the latch and flung the door open, ready to spit on their faces.
Gideon stood at the doorway, clad in a blue blazer with gold buttons, a cream sweater and dark jeans. As usual, he wore his straightened hair slicked back. “There you are.”
“What are you doing here?” I blurted.
“Rumors of your incarceration were greatly exaggerated, I see,” he said in a voice posher than the royal family. His gaze traveled over my shoulder into the depths of the house. “May I come in?”
Stepping aside, I made space to enter. “Aren’t you seeing Lachlan today?”
Gideon breezed past in a cloud of Sauvage, the mix of mandarin and sandalwood unmistakable. “Lac walked down to the police station this morning to offer support, but the receptionist said they’d released you last night. We agreed it would be best if I spent Sunday with you.”
Warmth filled my heart, melting away the ice. In this academy full of treacherous assholes, I had one steadfast pal watching my back. “Thanks for coming. Do you want a cup of tea?”
He smiled back. “Only if you’re making one for yourself.”
“This way,” I said.
We walked through the hallway, past the living room and down a set of stairs to a kitchen designed for an army of servants. With its double, cast-iron stove and copper pots hanging from wooden beams in the ceiling, the place reminded me of a period drama. It even came with an oak dining table where a dozen or more underlings could eat the master’s scraps.
Gideon took in his surroundings with wide-eyed appreciation. I wondered if the servants in his family home in Nigeria had a kitchen like this but didn’t ask. It was probably a rude question.
“Take a seat.” I gestured at the dining table. “Have you had lunch yet?”
“Roast chicken,” he lowered himself onto the oak bench and rested his chin on his hands. “But more importantly, did they treat you well in custody?”
“I’ve had worse.” I picked up a copper kettle and filled it with water. “What’s everyone saying?”
His nose wrinkled with distaste. “That sniffer dogs and armed police raided the school and found you naked with the Deloraine twins, sniffing cocaine through rolled-up fifty-pound notes. The latest report at lunchtime included the Archbishop of Scotland traveling down from Inverness to expel you all.”
My lips tightened, and I placed the kettle on the hot stove. “No prizes for guessing who’s spreading that crap. It was one twin, not both of them, and there was no cocaine. And I’ve been suspended for two weeks, not expelled.”
Gideon’s shoulders relaxed, and he exhaled a long breath. “After Elizabeth’s exposé of your family background, everyone thinks you’re supplying the older students with drugs.”
I opened an oak cupboard, pulled out a tin of Earl Grey tea, and used the edge of a teaspoon to wedge off its airtight lid. A cloud of citrus filled my nostrils, clearing away some of the bitterness of the rumor Elizabeth probably started. I grabbed a teapot and busied myself with preparing the tea.
“What do you think?” Casting my gaze over the array of teacups, I settled for a plain china mug.
“I can’t believe the extent of that girl’s animosity.” Gideon shook his head. “Do you know Elizabeth has family connections with the police?”
“The Deputy Chief Constable?” I poured Gideon’s tea and placed it on the oak table.
“Not just them.” Nodding his thanks, he wrapped a hand around the mug. “Her mother is on the board of the Scottish Police Authority, and the family has various cousins in the ranks.”
“I doubt that they’re pleased with her right now,” I added a splash of milk to my mug, sat opposite Gideon, and explained how Elizabeth had wrapped flour in cellophane and sprinkled cocaine over its hiding-place to attract the sniffer dogs.
He grimaced. “What on earth was the point of that?”
“Who knows the contents of her sick mind?” I took a sip of my Earl Grey.
“Doesn’t she even think about the consequences of wasting police time and resources?” Gideon asked.
My brows drew together. Gideon made an excellent point. As I told my best friend how Maxwell had removed his tattoo transfers and fake piercings to disguise himself as Kendrick, a thought continued to plague my mind. Why would Elizabeth lie to the police when none of her accusations would stick?
Gideon leaned forward and frowned. “What’s on your mind?”
“Camden Liddell was at my disciplinary hearing today—”
“The Deputy Chief Constable?”
“Yes, with Lady Liddell and the archbishop. Any normal person would have apologized for Elizabeth’s dangerous prank, but they acted as though I’d been guilty all along.”
He tapped his chin. “Didn’t they know the outcome of the police investigation?”
“I don’t think they cared.”
“Would they go so far as to indulge a spoiled brat?”
Raising my mug to my lips, I said, “Maybe. Or maybe they know she has behavioral issues and wanted to keep them swept under the Persian rug.”
Gideon made a delicate snort. “You may have a point. Every year, they expel some girl or another for lewd conduct, theft, or reasons unknown. The only thing those girls did wrong was clash with Elizabeth.”
“Did anyone keep in contact with them?” I asked.
“Maeve O’Brian befriended the last girl. I can ask her to come over and tell you everything she knows.”
“Thanks.” My stomach rumbled, reminding me it was way past lunchtime. I walked to the freezer and pulled open the door. Piles of prepackaged meals, mostly from Marks and Spencer, sat behind perspex drawers. I slid one open and gazed down at shepherd’s pies, Lancashire hotpots, and steak and kidney puddings. I grabbed a shepherd’s pie and pushed the door shut.
As we waited for the pie to cook, I pulled out the biscuit tin and slid into the seat next to Gideon. Hearing him talk about the girls Elizabeth and her knights had run out of the academy was depressing. It seemed that she liked to target girls like her: blonde, petite, and pretty enough to knock her off her pedestal.
“How can anyone be so pathetic?” I opened another cupboard and pulled out a glass jar of peas and carrots.
“Someone clearly told her she was special but failed to explain why.” Gideon reached into the biscuit tin and pulled out a chocolate-covered wafer. “With no talents or attractive personality traits, anyone who vaguely resembles her is a threat.”
The doorbell rang, and my back stiffened. Mr. Burgh was still at the Board of Governors’ emergency meeting, dealing with Maxwell’s disciplinary. This had to be the other knights.
I shot out of my seat and headed to the door. “Come with me.”
Gideon set down his tea and followed me up the stairs and down the hallway. My heart thrummed a marching beat of soldiers going to battle. Kendrick and Orlando had tried to approach me after church. It made sense that they would track me down to the headmaster’s quarters.
At the door, I turned around and met Gideon’s hard expression. “Ready?”
He gave me a sharp nod.
I opened the door, letting in a gust of freezing wind that made my skin tighten. Orlando stood alone at the doorstep with his hands in the pockets of his suit jacket and his broad shoulders hunched. Snowflakes settled on his dark blond curls, making him look like he’d stood behind the door for several minutes before ringing the bell.
“What do you want?” I folded my arms across my chest.
“To talk.” His gaze lingered on Gideon, who stood at my side. “Alone.”
“Not interested.” I pushed the door closed, but Orlando jammed it open with his foot.
“Lilah, this is serious. Max—”
“Framed me,” I snapped. “Now, bugger off before you put me off my lunch.”
The asshole had t
he nerve to slacken his features and appear hurt. “Things didn’t go well for him in custody.”
“At least he won’t be able to impersonate Kendrick for the next few weeks.”
“They put him in the same cell as your ex.”
His words hit me like a flying kick to the gut, and my mouth dropped open. “Sammy?”
Orlando nodded.
I stepped aside. “You’d better come in, then.”
Chapter 8
As Orlando stepped through the threshold, a knot tightened in my stomach. I had never heard of the police putting two rivals together—ever. Why on earth had they inflicted Sammy on Maxwell? Orlando paused for a moment to give Gideon a nod of acknowledgment and to admire the antlers hanging over the six-foot-tall wood-paneling.
I shut the door, glad Orlando had come alone. Right now, I couldn’t stand to see Kendrick. Not that I had ever exchanged more than a few words with him.
“We’re in the kitchen.” I led the way through the reception hall with the ticking of the grandfather clock filling the silence.
Our footsteps creaked on the old wooden staircase that led to the kitchen. It was funny how I hadn’t noticed any of those sounds when Gideon and I had walked down a few minutes ago. But then, I never needed to be on alert with my best friend. Orlando was a completely different matter.
When we reached the kitchen, I pointed at the far end of the oak table, where I imagined they made the scullery maid sit. Or the guy who emptied the chamber pots. Gideon and I took the butler and housekeeper’s places. I refreshed Gideon’s mug with hot and steaming tea.
Orlando leaned forward and licked his lips, looking like he was parched and in need of a cuppa. I glowered into his hazel eyes, refilled my own mug and sat back. The fucker could die of thirst for all I cared.
“What’s this about Maxwell?” I folded my arms across my chest.
Orlando raised both hands, his eyes wide and earnest. “First of all, I had nothing to do with the police raid—”
“Says the guy who came up with the bright idea to get me expelled with a sex tape,” I snarled.
His expression flickered. That was probably the fake innocence taking a battering. “Alright. I admit to scheming to film us having sex, but I didn’t organize the police raid.”
“I believe you,” said Gideon.
Orlando’s posture relaxed, and he gave me an even-Gideon-knows-I’m-innocent-and-misunderstood look.
My head whirled to my supposed right-hand man. “What?”
Gideon leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, and steepled his fingers. “It’s doubtful that Nevis has the connections to convince the police to raid a boarding school without conducting an ounce of surveillance.”
“Exactly.” Orlando’s expression brightened. “And—”
“But I find it implausible that he was ignorant of this plot to have Lilah arrested in the most deplorable manner.”
The light in Orlando’s eyes dimmed, and a relieved breath slid from my nostrils. Gideon was better than any duty solicitor, and I was lucky to have him on my side.
Turning to Orlando, I said, “Don’t pretend to be blameless. You could have warned me, but you didn’t.”
Orlando lowered his head, his blond curls hiding his defeat. “I knew someone had planted something in your room and I also knew about the police, but I pictured two constables knocking on the door, not a full-blown raid with dogs and a battering ram.”
“What do you want?” I snapped.
“We have to do something about Elizabeth.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Because all this time, you’ve helped her get girls expelled for lewd conduct and gotten nothing in return, right?” I paused for a reaction, but Orlando continued staring at the surface of the wooden table. “All her spite and double-dealing was acceptable until she turned against one of your own.”
His head snapped up, and the flare of fury in his eyes told me everything. I was right. He and Maxwell thought they had been part of Elizabeth’s inner circle. Now they were just like everyone else: expendable and subject to her cruel whims.
“Are you aware of the phrase ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword?’” asked Gideon.
Orlando bared his teeth. “What’s your point, Adewale?”
Gideon sat straighter in his butler’s chair. “It’s hypocritical of you to be aggrieved about Elizabeth double-crossing Deloraine when that’s exactly what he did to Lilah.”
“Exactly,” I said. “So, don’t come to me whining that Maxwell got beaten up.”
Orlando’s hands curled into fists. “Your ex already knew what Max did to you before the police shoved Max in the same cell. The coward attacked from behind and beat Max unconscious.”
Nausea rose to the back of my throat, and a gasp slipped from Gideon’s lips. Gideon was probably horrified about the blatant police corruption, but not me. I’d seen Sammy in action enough times. With the right provocation, he could kill a man with his bare hands and fists.
I took a gulp of my tea and winced as it burned my throat. Last year, some twat set up a mini cannabis farm in his apartment and sold weed on Sammy’s patch. Not even Crawford and the boys could pull Sammy off the unconscious man.
“What was the point of putting Maxwell in a cell with Sammy and telling him we’d fucked?” I asked.
“One of the officers in the raid must have radioed ahead and shared that information.” Orlando raised his massive shoulders. “The police could have arranged a shared cell in exchange for your ex sharing information they needed.”
I rubbed my throat and thought back on that bizarre encounter with DCI Cromar. He had wanted information on Billy Hancock, but I hadn’t cooperated. Pushing those thoughts aside, I took another sip of my tea. None of this would have happened to Maxwell if he hadn’t agreed to such a terrible betrayal. The last thing I wanted to do was team up with them against Elizabeth when I wanted revenge on her and those wretched knights.
We stared at each other across the table, nobody wanting to speak first. The scent of the warming shepherd’s pie filled the air, making my mouth water.
“Will you join forces with us?” asked Orlando.
“Why do you need my help to bring Elizabeth down?” I asked.
“I thought you might want to turn the tables,” he replied.
Leaning forward, I placed both elbows on the table. “What does she have against me?”
“We thought it was jealousy at first.” Orlando raised his large shoulders. “You’re the only blonde in the academy prettier than her. And you didn’t fall in line like the other girls.”
“But there’s more to her animosity than petty rivalry?” asked Gideon.
Orlando blew out a breath. “No one infuriates her like you, Lilah. If you joined forces with us, it would hurt her when we get our revenge.”
“I’ll think about it.” Splaying out my fingers, I gazed down at my hands, pretending that my nails were more interesting than his proposal.
“What?” Orlando asked.
“You heard the lady,” Gideon snapped. “She said she would give it the consideration it deserves.”
I pressed my lips together to suppress a smile. Gideon’s tone implied that the boys and their revenge plan didn’t deserve an ounce of my attention. They’d probably find a way to twist the revenge around so Elizabeth would blame me and not them. Who knew? Maybe after a naked night handcuffed to a bed, Maxwell and Orlando had sworn off women and worked out a plan to get rid of us all.
“What will you do about all those girls you got expelled for lewd conduct?” I asked.
Orlando’s brows drew together. “They’ve already left the academy and settled into new schools.”
“But they’re still hurting from what you and your asshole best friend did to betray them.”
He squeezed his eyes shut as though somehow that would shield him from a torrent of remorse. “I’ll… make things right.”
I turned to Gideon, who rolled his
eyes. The damage had already been done. Those girls had to live with the humiliation of having been recorded during an intimate moment, just like I had to live with the sight, smell, and weight of a German shepherd standing on my chest and snarling in my face. A shudder ran down my spine, and I gulped down another mouthful of tea.
The timer on my phone chimed, and I glanced at the oven.
“Good luck in whatever you do with Elizabeth,” I said. “But count me out.”
Orlando’s hazel eyes widened. “Why?”
“Teaming up means spending more time with you, which turns my stomach.” I stood. “My food’s ready. Now kindly bugger off so I can get a chance to eat.”
Gideon rose and walked Orlando out of the kitchen while I shoved my hands in a pair of mitts and opened the oven door. A gust of hot air warmed my skin. How dare he come here and try to guilt-trip me into helping them out? If Maxwell got beaten unconscious, it was because he shouldn’t have fucked me under false pretenses and gotten me arrested.
My throat thickened, and pain spread across my chest. He could have asked me to get dressed, taken me for a walk before the dogs arrived, or taken me to his room for sex, but he had wanted me naked, freshly fucked, and in place for maximum humiliation. Maxwell hadn’t given a damn about me until the police arrested him.
Right now, I needed an oven mitt to slip around my heart.
After I removed the shepherd’s pie, the kitchen door creaked open, and Gideon returned.
“Did Orlando say anything else?” I asked.
Gideon shook his head and walked to the table. “Not a word.”
The hardened cellophane crackled as I pulled it off my ready meal. After plating my lunch, I sat at the table and took my first mouthful of mashed potato and minced lamb. Gideon watched me throughout like I was a walking, talking bomb about to explode.
He cleared his throat. “What will you do?”
“Find a way to get my revenge on all four of them. Preferably something that involves dragging them through the school naked.”
