by A. L. Tyler
There was a moment of silence, during which Hesper gave Bianca a desperate look. Bianca struck up a conversation again, and Lena glanced nervously over at Hesper. Hesper grabbed her hand and dragged her away from the group and into a corner. Lena noticed the other girl, Serafina, was leering after her.
“They don’t like me.” Lena watched as Serafina started flirting with Martin.
“You’re not what they expected.” Hesper explained.
“Why?”
“I told you. You come from a very well-known family—not the Collins, but the Darays.” Hesper smiled and waved in the direction of some other young adults; Eric Mason was the only one Lena recognized.
A man was walking toward them. He stretched out his hand toward Lena as he stopped in front of her. Hesper looked somewhat annoyed; the man glared at her before smiling back over at Lena. He wasn’t as well dressed as most of the other people in the room, and the glare off of his spectacles complemented the gray hairs that were starting to spring up in his dark hair.
“Miss Collins. I’m Warren Astley, a friend of your father’s.” He shot another poisonous look at Hesper. “I’m so sorry about your loss. Sometime, I’d like to get to know you. I think we’ll have a lot to talk about.” Lena hesitated before shaking the man’s hand. Hesper was about to say something, and by the looks of it something impolite, but just then Howard ran up.
“Lena! Good, you’re here. Making friends?”
Mr. Astley walked away. Hesper seemed to be winking at Bianca.
“Not exactly. Well, one.” Lena smiled over at Hesper.
Howard looked like the stress of the busy room was exhausting him. “I’m sure you’ll know everyone here before the month is out. May I escort you two to the dining room?”
Hesper took Howard’s left arm, and Lena took his right. As they walked, Howard dropped a quick warning that her grandfather, Master Daray, would be attending. He then refreshed his caution that he shouldn’t be trusted, and that she should ignore him if he tried to get to her through some sort of manipulation.
As they entered the dining room, Lena noticed that the room had grown significantly. She blinked a few times and looked around. She was almost sure the room was now too big to fit inside the house; the wall that divided the dining room from the entrance hall had jumped nearly thirty feet further out. Several smaller tables now surrounded the large main table, and the entire room had been decorated in silver and gold streamers and banners. Howard seated Lena and Hesper near the head of the main table before excusing himself to find Ava, and asked if either of them had happened to see David in a while. They hadn’t; Lena decided to use the time before the hall filled up as best she knew how.
“What was up with you and Mr. Astley?”
“Oh, he’s a big pain.” Hesper said plainly. “His whole family is.”
Lena frowned. “So you don’t like him, then? I mean, he seemed nice. Maybe a little weird…”
“Ya think? Don’t trust him. He’s a serious manipulator, and his whole family is kind of screwy. His dad is a huge political pain in the butt, and he’s a huge religious pain in the butt, and I’m sure his kids are working on innovative ways of becoming pains in the butt in the future. I’ve never met his kids, by the way. No one has ever seen any of them, which is, well…”
“Really weird.” Lena finished the thought for her.
For such a small group of people, Lena remarked how divided they were. Howard didn’t trust Master Daray, the Corbetts didn’t trust Howard, Hesper didn’t trust Mr. Astley, Hesper’s friends didn’t trust Lena, and Ava didn’t trust anyone. Lena looked over at Hesper.
“Why—“
“Religion, politics, and money.” Hesper responded.
“Well, isn’t that always the case…” Lena thought back to several places she’d been before. “Which religions?”
“Old Faith and New Faith.”
“I haven’t heard of those before…Which are you?”
Hesper shifted uncomfortably, and Lena realized she had been rude to ask. “Old Faith.”
“Oh.” Lena looked around the room as more people filed in and took their seats. She usually made a point of finding out about new religions, but didn’t want to lose Hesper as a friend. Besides, her father had always taught her that money, politics, and religion, while needing to be discussed, were not topics for dinner conversation. Hesper sensed her curiosity.
I’ll tell you later, okay?
Okay.
Lena smiled as Ava and Howard walked over to the table. They sat across the table from Lena, and Hesper’s parents were soon seated to their daughter’s left. A few more people Lena didn’t know seated themselves around her, and she would have introduced herself, except that the entire room went silent at that point.
Lena looked in the direction of all the gazing faces, and saw Master Daray. She shivered and turned back to Howard, who met her eyes. The old man was dressed very nicely in a suit, new looking shoes, and had his hair slicked back. He was walking leisurely toward the head of the main table. A man twelve feet down the table from Lena shot up from the table, as if to protest, but Howard waved for him to sit down.
Hesper nudged Lena with her elbow. That’s Master Pain in the Butt, Senior.
Lena looked down the table at the man; sure enough, Mr. Astley was seated next to him. While the father looked enraged by Daray’s presence, the son only looked anxious. His eyes switched very suddenly from Daray to Lena, and she turned to look at Master Daray to avoid eye contact.
Daray smiled and nodded at several families as he walked. When he finally reached his destination, his eyes scanned down the table until his gaze fell upon Lena.
“Good Masters, I welcome you to my house. Before we begin the celebrations, I’d like to introduce my granddaughter, Eden Daray, who has recently been recovered from the unlawful custody exercised by her father.”
Lena’s mouth dropped open. Not only had he just called all the attention in the room to her—he had changed her name and called her father an unlawful guardian. It might have made her angry if she hadn’t been so embarrassed. She tried to slouch down in her chair, but quickly noticed that everyone seemed to know who she was, and was clapping and staring at her. She felt her face go red. Howard had closed his eyes and was silently shaking his head; he seemed to be meditating. Daray went on.
Ignore it, Lena. He’s just an old man trying to find a way to control you. The words were quiet in her head, like a whisper. She nodded gratefully at Howard.
“I have another announcement.”
Howards eyes shot open. He looked over at Daray with a confused expression. Daray smiled serenely.
“After much rumination on the subject, and given my current situation and inadequate family, I have chosen to name an heir outside of my own family.”
There was a silence in the room as Daray’s smile broadened. Howard looked away and back at Lena. His eyes had gone very wide. He wasn’t panicked, but he did look worried. Several people, Hesper included, looked taken off guard by this additional piece of information.
Lena, don’t let it get to you. Howard’s voice was in her head. He’s not in control here, remember that…
“After much thought, and many years of planning, I have discovered a boy of promising talent. It’s my wish that he become the next in my family line. He will be respected as I am—as a member of the House of Daray. Darius, join me at the head of the table.”
Master Corbett rose, walked calmly toward Daray, and bowed before taking his place at the patron’s side. Howard’s hand moved of its own accord to cover his mouth.
We knew it…we don’t know where he hid him, but we knew it would be the Corbett boy…Lena, try to act casual, don’t give him anything that says he’s getting to you…
“My heir, Griffin Corbett…”
Across the room, Lena saw Rosaleen Ralston’s jaw drop. A horrified expression crossed her face, which she attempted to cover with her hands. As Lena’s luck would have it, Davi
d had walked into the room at the same time, blocking her view of Daray’s heir. She strained her neck to see around him, but then she realized…He was dressed nicer than Lena had ever seen him—a suit, similar to the one Daray was wearing. David was…Griffin, the heir. The ‘apprentice,’ as he had called himself. She looked back to Howard, whose eyes had narrowed to slits.
*****
CHAPTER 8
Howard didn’t act betrayed, though he certainly felt it. He studied the boy—the lost Corbett, whose birth he’d been sure of, but that he’d never seen. Daray was a clever one, for sure; Howard had taken Griffin in willingly, believing he was a child in Lena’s situation, as so many were. Human-born Silenti were themselves not rare, but finding one capable of rehabilitation was pure luck. He’d believed David—Griffin—to be a lucky child to be found. To Howard, he had been a boy from a broken home, needing an understanding family; after losing his nephew, and fearing that he would never see his brother or niece again, he had thought that helping out David was a way to find peace.
All these years, Howard had known Daray would take an heir because he didn’t have a male in his own line to lead the household. He had even guessed it would be the missing Corbett boy; but he had never been able to find him. No one had. He’s been outwitting me all this time…They both have. But Howard kept this thought to himself. He suddenly found himself second-guessing the last ten years. If Daray had had enough contact with him, enough time alone, Griffin could be a formidable opponent; dangerous, even, under the right circumstances. Howard’s eyes drifted back to Lena; he’d let them go into town together, alone. He secretly counted his blessings, because the situation could have been much worse than it already was.
As Griffin walked up to the table, only half of the people in the hall clapped. Lena could tell the difference, even across the expanse of the dining room; he was holding himself differently, acting differently—even more arrogant than he had been before. The rest sat about, sending nervous looks to one another.
“I’ll now turn the evening over to Howard Collins, who, I believe, wishes a word.” Daray sat down looking very smug, with Griffin to his right, and Master Corbett to his left.
Howard stood immediately; he took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking.
“First, I’d like to congratulate Griffin on achieving such an…honor.” He nodded toward the head of the table, where Daray was still smiling, a glass of wine in his hand. “Second, I’d like to say goodbye to him, as he will no longer be permitted to live on this property.”
Daray stood back up with surprising agility for his age. “You cannot strip me of my heir, Collins. I have a right to him.”
“You have a right to an heir. There’s nothing in the law or our mutual agreement that says you have a right to keep him on this property.”
Howard and Daray stared at one another across the table. Lena wished she knew what they were communicating to each other; the entire room was silent, but she could see people looking at each other. They were all talking, but she couldn’t hear any of it. Eventually, both Howard and Daray sat down, and servants started bringing in food. The dance, which usually followed the first dinner, was cancelled.
Back up in Lena’s bedroom, a cot had been delivered to accommodate the extra guest. Lena insisted that Hesper take the bed. In the back of her mind, she knew she should have told Howard about David’s apprenticeship, but she had only started to trust Howard recently, and David really hadn’t seemed that threatening… He'd been her only friend for so long.
“What do you think is going on down there?” Hesper was removing her makeup in the bathroom. She left the door open so she would have someone to talk to.
“What d’you mean?” Lena had just finished making up the cot, and threw herself down on it. Hesper had forced her into nail polish for the big dinner, and the feeling of it on her nails was beginning to annoy her. She wanted to chip it off, but didn’t, as Hesper had spent almost forty-five minutes getting it just right.
“They’re down there talking about something.”
“Who?”
“The household representatives. Master Daray created quite a stink tonight—I’m surprised they’re still down there, actually. They usually take it to the Council hall upstairs.” She walked out of the bathroom and into the closet. A moment later, she reappeared in nightclothes. Seeing Lena, so calmly reposed on the cot, and seeming not to care, worried her. “What do you think about all of this, by the way? You’ve been quiet.”
Lena shifted her doe eyes over to Hesper. “I guess I didn’t like it that he changed my name. That was…weird. What he said about my dad was obviously not true, so I guess I don’t care about that.”
“No…about the other thing.” Hesper walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it, facing Lena.
“Did you…know? I mean, you said you haven’t seen him in years, so…” Lena realized she was attempting to chip at the nail polish and stopped herself. She looked up at Hesper, who was watching her fidgeting hands. “What? I don’t mean to do it, really. I’m just not used to having my nails done.”
“I recognized him, when he came to the door, earlier. They never told me where he was though. Shocking, really. I didn’t know he was going to announce it tonight, but I guess my dad did. He didn’t seem too surprised. I guess I don’t really care—it’s not like I know him like you do.”
“What do you mean by that?” Lena rolled on her side to face Hesper.
“Well, you said you two were friends.”
“We are. Were. I don’t know about now. I guess I always felt like he was more of an older brother type…You know, we kind of bully each other.” But really, it had been Griffin doing most of the bullying.
“Sweetie,” Hesper went and sat on the cot. Lena sat up to accommodate her, and Hesper put an arm around her shoulders. “You really don’t get it, do you? This is a patriarchal system. It’s changing, which is for the better in a lot of people’s minds, but it’s a patriarchal system. When someone names an heir, it’s assumed that person is their son or grandson or something. When someone names an heir outside of the family, it’s assumed that person is about to become part of the family…usually by marriage.”
Lena stared at Hesper, who stared back at her. How could she have missed that? It made perfect sense.
The look on Howard’s face after Daray had started talking.
Something David had said to her was ringing in her ears. You’ll save me a few dances, right?
Suddenly, a feeling came over her. One she hadn’t experienced but a few times in her life. She stood up and started for the door.
“It won’t do any good!” Hesper stood up, and followed Lena. Lena kept walking. “Hey! Hey, slow down!”
Lena whipped around so fast that Hesper actually ran into her.
“So what? I’m just supposed to sit up here? Hesper, I just got engaged in front of a room full of people without even knowing it!” Then she said some things that made Hesper’s eyebrows rise in shocked surprise. Lena turned around and walked briskly toward the library.
“Lena!”
Lena felt Hesper make a grab for her arm and started into a run, which she maintained until tripping on the last stair. She fell flat on her face, but managed to get back on her feet before Hesper caught up. Her knees and palms stinging, she sprinted to the dining hall and had her hand on the door, ready to barge in and raise hell.
“YOU KILLED THAT BOY, DARAY! EVERYONE KNOWS IT!”
Lena froze. She felt Hesper grab her and push both arms to her sides. The yelling in the dining room continued.
“YOU DID IT! YOU!”
Hesper’s eyes were wide. She seemed unable to move. The dining hall had gone quiet. The door opened, and a red faced Master Mason appeared. Behind him, she could see Master Astley Senior, flushed red with anger, staring down Master Daray. Warren Astley was seated next to him, watching the floor nervously. Around the room, several other Representatives were watching Lena and Hesper th
rough the doorway, or talking silently amongst themselves.
Hesper was shaking; she and Master Mason stared at each other. Lena would have wondered when she would finally be privy to such conversations, but her mind was already busy with what she’d just overheard. Master Mason closed the door behind him, and silently led Lena and Hesper back upstairs. He nodded for Hesper to go back in the room, but kept Lena in the hall. He sighed.
“Lena. I need to get back down there, for your own good. I want you to know, you can’t say anything to help that isn’t already being said. I promise you that, so don’t come back down.” He started walking down the hall.
“Master Mason!” Lena’s breathing was too fast; she thought she might be about to hyperventilate.
He turned around.
“Did he kill my brother?”
Master Mason shook his head, and looked at the carpet. “That’s not something I could tell you.” He walked away.
Lena turned and knocked on the door across the hall. When Ava didn’t answer, she knocked again. Then she opened the door, but her mother wasn’t in her room.
They probably had a special summons.
What?
Your mom. She’s probably down there as a witness. I told you, you really can’t do anything. Can we just go to bed, please?
Lena walked back to her bedroom.
“Who did he kill?” She asked.
Hesper looked shaken. She was tucked under the blankets of the bed, but she appeared to be shivering.
“You’re going to get me in trouble.” Hesper pulled the blankets further up over herself and curled halfway into a ball. She was suddenly childlike; Lena could feel her fear, and she was sure it wasn’t any sort of special ability allowing her to do so.
“Why?” Lena pressed.
Hesper’s words were muffled by the blankets. “We don’t talk about it.”
“I won’t tell…”
“They’ll know, whether you tell or not.”
Lena thought hard. There had to be something she could say to persuade Hesper to tell her. If there was one lesson she’d taken from Turkey, it was that everyone had a price.
