‘Thank you,’ she said, meaning it.
Clearing his throat, the man glanced down at his papers for a moment before continuing.
‘Now, as she was quite specific, I think the best thing to do would be to read what your grandmother wrote.’ He pulled a pair of glasses from his breast pocket and put them on, then held up the documents.
‘I, Lucinda St John Meldrum, being of sound mind, do hereby bequeath and bestow upon my granddaughter, Lady Alyson Elizabeth Sheridan, all my worldly goods and possessions. All companies in their entirety, all bank accounts as listed herein, my houses in London, Scotland and St Barts, detailed below. Other entitlements and holdings, without restriction.’
He held up the thick stack of paper. ‘There’s a complete list here for you of the properties, both corporate and domestic.’
Allie just stared at him, her lips parted in surprise. The words were simple but she couldn’t seem to process them. Her grandmother had been one of the most successful businesswomen in the country.
If she’d left her everything…
She couldn’t even conceive of what that would mean.
I don’t even know where St Barts is. And I’ve got a house there?
She turned to Isabelle as if she might be able to make sense of it, but her attention was focused on the attorneys.
‘Tom. Please read her the section we discussed. I think it’s important she should hear this, as it impacts her directly.’
‘Of course.’ He flipped a page and searched until he found the passage in question. ‘Here we go.’
‘To my stepson, Nathaniel Ptolemy St John, I leave neither money nor possessions. Instead I leave a word of warning that is more valuable than either. Nathaniel, your place within this world is not to sit atop it. That location belongs only to God. Your role is to walk among men as an equal. Do that, and you will find all you seek.’
He took off his glasses and put them away. For a moment no one spoke.
‘I don’t understand.’ Allie turned to the headmistress. ‘Isabelle, how is this possible? I’m only seventeen years old. I can’t own companies.’
‘That’s a good question.’ The headmistress turned to the two men. ‘I suppose this is the time to discuss trusts and holding corporations.’
‘That’s where I come in.’ The younger man cast a deferential glance to Tom, who nodded. ‘I specialise in financial planning at the firm, Miss Sheridan. And I’m here to explain your options.’
He pulled a very thick binder from his briefcase.
Allie’s heart sank.
‘Oh good,’ she said weakly.
‘So, wait.’ Rachel stared at Allie. ‘She left you everything?’
‘Everything. I have a house in St Barts.’ Allie paused. ‘Where’s St Barts?’
‘Someplace very pretty.’ Rachel’s tone was light, but Allie could see the stunned surprise in her expression.
Dinner had just ended and the two were in the empty library. Allie had kept the secret of Lucinda’s will as long as she could. She could hardly bear to be away from Dom’s office – from Carter – but she had to tell someone.
The second the meal ended, she’d dragged Rachel away from Nicole.
For more than an hour in Isabelle’s office, Will Ainsworth had explained trusts and inheritance tax, handing Allie sheets of papers with enormously long numbers on them, and others with endless lists of corporations.
Allie wasn’t completely certain what any of it meant.
‘Lucinda owns Nabisco?’
‘Uh… No.’ Will’s smile had become fixed. ‘She owned stock. That is your list of stock derivatives.’
‘Oh,’ Allie had replied without comprehension. ‘Derivatives.’
Now she and Rachel were sitting on the floor in the Ancient Greek section, talking quietly. The library was mostly empty – just a few students were at tables in the front – too far away to overhear them.
For a while, they tried to amuse each other by calculating how long it would take Allie to spend all of Lucinda’s money if she started spending a million pounds a day. They gave up when they reached a hundred years.
‘This is bonkers, Allie,’ Rachel said. ‘Lucinda had more money than the Queen. What are you going to do?’
‘I don’t know. It doesn’t seem real. She owned everything. I thought for a second I owned Weetabix. But it turns out she was just on the board. Whatever that means.’ She leaned back against a row of leather-bound books with a sigh. ‘Help, Rach. How can I be on a board when I don’t know what a board is?’
Rachel shook her head. ‘I guess you’ll have to learn what a board is.’
‘The bosses?’ Allie guessed.
‘Kind of… I think they’re like extra bosses.’
‘Extra bosses?’ Allie was baffled. ‘I’m an extra boss?’
‘I think you get paid for nothing, if that helps?’
Allie held up her hands. ‘Oh, I don’t know, Rach. Lucinda must have thought it would help me but it just seems like crazy responsibility. It’s all going into some trust until I’m twenty-one, and Isabelle’s going to help but… she says I have to understand it all.’ She pulled a string from the binding of one of the books. ‘I’m not ready for any of this.’
‘At least you’re rich,’ Rachel said. ‘Which is nice.’
‘Beyond my wildest dreams.’ But Allie’s tone said what she thought of that.
Rachel stretched out her legs until the soles of her shoes pressed against the book shelves across from her.
‘My dad always says there’s nothing like being rich and powerful to make you hate wealth and power.’
Allie blinked. ‘He says that?’
She couldn’t imagine the always circumspect Raj Patel saying something even mildly rebellious.
‘He says lots of things.’ Rachel changed the subject. ‘Will it be weird for you? Being so rich, I mean?’
Allie considered that. ‘Will it be weird for you?’
‘No.’ Rachel’s reply came without hesitation, and Allie cocked her head.
‘Really? You don’t have any doubts?’
Rachel’s face grew serious. ‘Allie, after everything we’ve been through, I’ll always be your friend. If you had no money and lived in a cardboard hut or you had all the money and bought Buckingham Palace… it doesn’t matter to me. I’m your friend for life.’ She grinned crookedly. ‘I hope you like me. Because you’re stuck with me.’
There was no way she could have known how much that meant to Allie. It was just what she needed to hear.
Allie launched herself at her, pulling her into a rough hug.
‘You old softie,’ she said. ‘I thought you hated me.’
‘I do secretly.’
As they laughed at that, at the end of the row of towering bookcases where they were hidden, two students approached chatting.
For a horrible second, Allie thought one of them was Sylvain.
She hadn’t spoken to him since the break-up. He hadn’t been at the debrief, after the meeting with Nathaniel. He’d avoided all meals in the dining hall. He’d just disappeared.
She wasn’t ready to see him yet.
Releasing Rachel abruptly, she crawled to the end of the row and peered out to see if it really was him.
It wasn’t. It was one of the junior exchange students – not Sylvain at all.
It took a second or two for her heart rate to return to normal. Her cheeks felt hot.
When she looked up, Rachel was watching her quizzically. ‘What’s the matter?’
‘Nothing…’ Allie lied. ‘I just… thought it might be Sylvain.’
Rachel’s eyebrows winged up. ‘And that totally freaked you out because…?’
Allie hesitated. She hadn’t had a chance to tell Rachel what had happened. Everything had been too crazy since last night.
‘Because… we broke up. And I don’t want to see him.’
‘What?’ Rachel stared at her. ‘When did this happen?’
‘
Last night.’
‘So, that’s why you looked like you’d been crying.’ Rachel reached for her hand. ‘Oh, bollocks, Allie. I’m sorry. I should have asked what was going on but with Carter and Nathaniel…’
Allie waved her apology away. ‘I didn’t want to talk about it anyway.’
‘What happened?’ Rachel studied her face. ‘Was it rough?’
Allie thought of the look on Sylvain’s face when he saw the teardrop on his own fingertip.
The memory made her heart ache.
‘It was hard,’ she admitted. ‘Really hard.’
Haltingly, she told Rachel what had happened in London. The night with Carter. Her sudden realisation that he was the one she wanted.
Rachel knew better than to interrupt. She just let her talk until she’d told her everything.
When Allie was finished Rachel leaned back. ‘Wow,’ she said. ‘Everything makes sense now. I knew something was up but I just didn’t know what it was. And you’ve been carrying all that around by yourself for days?’
Allie nodded. ‘I kept waiting for a time to tell you about it…’
‘But it’s hard to share personal stuff around here lately.’ Rachel finished the thought for her. ‘Don’t worry. I don’t mind that you didn’t tell me. I’m just worried about you. How are you dealing with all of this?’
‘Badly,’ Allie confessed. ‘The thing is, this is all my fault. I made everything so much worse by not making up my mind earlier. That made Sylvain believe I’d chosen him. So when I told him the truth… it really hurt him.’ She blew out a breath. ‘I wouldn’t blame him if he hated me now.’
‘Hey, don’t do that.’ Rachel’s voice was passionate. ‘It’s not like you meant to fall in love with Carter. You tried with Sylvain. I watched you try. You can’t help who you love. No one can.’
‘Yeah, but… I could have made it easier.’
Rachel shook her head. ‘Come on. You can’t blame yourself for this and I won’t let you. You did the best you could.’ She must have seen Allie wasn’t convinced, though, because she leaned forward, reaching for her hand. ‘We’re young. This is the age when we’re supposed to make mistakes. You have to let yourself learn. We’re still figuring out what we want. Who we are. All of us are.’
The intensity with which she said those last words caught Allie’s attention. She frowned, suddenly aware that Rachel might be hiding secrets of her own.
‘Hey. Is something going on with you, too, Rach?’
Rachel dropped her hand. She didn’t answer for a long time. Colour rose to her cheeks.
‘Actually,’ she said when the silence had stretched on too long, ‘there’s something —’
‘Allie! Rachel! Are you in here?’ Zoe’s high-pitched voice floated across the library, cutting Rachel off.
‘Back here.’ Allie shot Rachel an apologetic look but, to her surprise, Rachel appeared almost relieved.
‘You’re late for Night School.’ Zoe appeared at the end of the row, already in her black training gear, hopping from one foot to another.
Allie glanced at her watch – it was five past eight. They’d been here much longer than she’d thought. Only now did she notice how quiet the library had become.
‘Shit,’ she muttered. ‘We’re screwed.’
Zoe nodded so hard her ponytail flew. ‘Zelazny says to get your arses in motion or he’ll put you in detention until you don’t know any other way of living.’
She emulated the history teacher’s gruff bark so perfectly Allie had to laugh, despite everything.
‘Zoe, sometimes you’re actually scary,’ she said, climbing to her feet.
‘Really?’ The younger girl beamed.
Allie and Rachel followed her across the mostly empty library.
‘We’ll talk later, OK?’ Allie said, keeping her voice low. ‘I want to know what you were about to say.’
‘Sure,’ Rachel said. ‘No worries. It’s not important anyway.’
18
When Allie and Rachel ran into the training room a few minutes later, shoe laces dangling and still straightening their Night School gear, the room was packed.
‘You’re late,’ Zelazny barked.
‘Sorry Mr Zelazny,’ they chorused.
Allie braced herself for a lecture, but he let it go at that, turning back to the junior students he was training without another insult or complaint.
She and Rachel exchanged surprised looks. The teachers were definitely not themselves right now.
The older students had gathered at the back of the room, where they’d carved out a space from which younger students were banned. They threaded their way across the room to join them.
With the guards, teachers, and all the students, the small, square room was pretty crowded. So it was only when she reached the back section that Allie saw Sylvain.
His head was down and he was listening to something Lucas was saying.
Allie’s chest tightened.
When he raised his head, even though he was still mostly turned away, she could see the high planes of his cheekbones, his finely carved jaw. She searched for signs of pain or imminent collapse, but he looked exactly the same. No scars.
Spotting her, Lucas said something to Sylvain, who glanced up.
For the tiniest fraction of a second their eyes met.
Then he turned away again, shifting his position so she couldn’t see his face.
Blood rose to Allie’s cheeks. For a second, she just stood there, momentarily uncertain of what to do. When she saw Rachel, Nicole and Katie were talking in a corner, she hurried to join them.
‘Hey, so, what’s going on? Anything happening?’ The words came out unbelievably cheery, but none of the others seemed to notice.
‘Apparently we’re patrolling tonight.’ Rachel sounded disapproving.
‘And we get to play teacher.’ Nicole, too, seemed less than happy.
Allie looked back and forth between them. ‘Play teacher?’
‘We’re taking the juniors out,’ Rachel explained. ‘It’s their first patrol.’
No wonder she didn’t seem happy. The junior students were far too young to be put into such danger.
‘Why is all this happening all of a sudden?’ Allie asked. ‘I thought the guards were handling the patrolling now.’
‘Apparently, so many guards are off searching for Nathaniel, they’re spread thin here.’ Rachel’s voice was low. ‘They need us to fill the gaps.’
‘Bollocks,’ Allie whispered, unable to disguise her shock. What a stupid night to be late. If she’d been on time, she could have at least tried to talk Raj and Zelazny out of this.
This was the worst time for the school to be unprotected. Nathaniel had to be watching them like a hawk right now.
‘Listen up, people.’ Zelazny’s voice cut through the buzz of conversation like a chainsaw. ‘Raj Patel will hand out your assignments. He’s overseeing tonight’s activities. I want quiet.’
Raj, who Allie hadn’t even noticed before now, stepped into the pool of light at the centre of the shadowy training room.
He was tall with a commanding presence – powerfully built but not overly muscular, with dark skin and piercing eyes. His ability to command attention without a word and then – five minutes later – disappear into the shadows like a wraith, never ceased to astound her.
‘The rules tonight are simple,’ he began. ‘You’ll be patrolling in teams of three. Senior students are each assigned two juniors to oversee – your teams are here.’ He waved a sheet of paper that crackled in the stillness. ‘Each team is assigned a zone to cover. That is where you will stay. Now, you should be aware my guards are patrolling, too. You’re not alone out there. Each team leader will have radio equipment, connecting them to base.’ His gaze moved from face to face, as if searching for signs of weakness. ‘But this is the real deal, make no mistake. This is what Night School is all about.’
Allie studied the junior students who stood rapt, watching him wi
th wide, fascinated eyes.
She wished she still believed anyone held all the answers. She longed for the old days, when Night School was all weird philosophy questions and nocturnal jogging. Back when she still thought the teachers could keep them safe.
It would all be gone soon, anyway. Once Carter was back.
As Raj talked to the junior students, she found herself wondering what it would be like when they moved. Would the new school have the same kind of massive grounds as Cimmeria? Would they need to patrol it?
No matter how she tried, it was impossible to imagine being at school anywhere except Cimmeria. Whenever she tried to envision a place they might escape to, it looked exactly like this.
Across the room, Raj was wrapping up. ‘Remember your training. Stay with your senior students. Do as they tell you. And be safe.’
Allie heard Katie murmur, ‘God I hope I’m not a senior student…’ to herself as Raj stuck the piece of paper to the wall.
She and the others crowded around the list. Allie found her name midway down the page. ‘Allie Sheridan, Charlotte Reese-Jones, Alec Thomason. Zone 6.’
‘Awesome,’ Zoe said. ‘Minions.’
‘Trainees, Zoe,’ Rachel corrected her.
‘Whatever.’ Zoe dashed across the room shouting, ‘Stephen and Nadja! You are mine.’
Rachel watched her despairingly. Catching her eye, Nicole smiled.
‘Poor minions.’
From the doorway, Zelazny barked, ‘Time is money, people. Get moving. Senior students, your comms devices are here.’
Rachel, Nicole and Allie exchanged a look.
‘Here goes nothing,’ Allie said.
19
Charlotte turned out to be about Allie’s height, with shoulder-length golden-brown hair pulled into a pontytail. Her serious hazel eyes seemed to miss nothing. Alec was loose-limbed and laconic, with dark hair and glasses. Both looked to be about thirteen years old.
They stood just outside the school building, waiting as Allie hooked the comms device to her ear. Even though it was tiny, it was hard to get it into place. While she struggled with it, most of the other groups had moved off, heading to their areas, although a few still lingered, asking questions, going over the rules.
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