SOPHIA

I watched my former mother-in-law struggle with an explanation. What could she possibly say at this moment that wouldn’t sound ridiculous?

"We’re going to visit relatives," she finally said.

"My, my. A mere visit requires you to empty your house?" asked Scanderoon. He tapped his cane on the street.

"Who are you?" she snapped.

"Scanderoon." He made a slight bow. "Lovely to meet you, Mrs. Willowmarch. Where’s your husband?"

Her eyes darted toward the house, which answered the question without her having to say anything. She twisted her hands together, and I saw sweat dot her brow. I felt like I’d swallowed a hot brick. I’d been betrayed by this woman. By her family.

"We know what you did," I said, my voice quivering. Nathan put his arm around my shoulders. A gesture Mrs. Willowmarch clocked and instantly understood its meaning.

She pointed at us. "Jace isn’t even cold in the ground and you’ve already found another man."

"She was mine to begin with," said Nathan. He took a menacing step forward. "If you don’t stop pointing at me, I’ll break your finger."

Mrs. Willowmarch immediately put down her arm, but she huffed in irritation. "You have no right to bully me."

"Bully you?" Nathan laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. "Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?"

"I-I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Scanderoon pointed his cane toward the house. "Let’s step inside and have a long chat, dear lady. Our Miss Sophia is quite curious about what you did with her family."

I didn’t think the woman could pale anymore, but her face went gray and she stumbled back. She found her center again quickly, though. She shook her head. "We did nothing to the Pagemoores."

"But you did do something to the Rosebrights, did you not?" Scanderoon’s smile bordered on terrifying. He nodded toward the house. "You first, Mrs. Willowmarch."

Mrs. Willowmarch reluctantly took us into the house.

Mr. Willowmarch was in his study taking things off the wall. Pictures. Medals. Commendations. He stopped piling everything in crates and looked at the people who had entered the room.

I don’t know what he thought his wife, his daughter-in-law, the Duke of Golding, Scanderoon, and Tilda were doing, but he seemed to take it all in stride.

"I knew this day would come," he said. "Let’s go into the living room. They haven’t moved the furniture yet. We can sit."

We followed him to the living room. Mr. Willowmarch took an armchair, and Mrs. Willowmarch sat on the love seat near the fireplace. The four of us squeezed on to the couch. Even with space next to Mrs. Willowmarch, none of us wanted to be close to her. I would rather sit by a nest of rattlesnakes, it would probably be safer.

"You were in Velvetleaf, were you not?" asked Mr. Willowmarch.

"Yes," said Nathan. "The Velvetleaf Inn, Chapter House, and Amaranth Manor were all set on fire. But you knew that, didn’t you?"

"Not about the Inn," he said. "But I sent people to destroy the ancestral homes of the Pagemoores and the Willowmarches."

"Did my parents ... I mean, the Pagemoores know about it?"

He nodded. "Of course. The Pagemoores and the Willowmarches have been entangled since the day the Rosebrights disappeared."

I felt a knot in my chest. I pressed my fist against it, and shuddered. Tears filled my eyes. "You killed them."

Mr. Willowmarch shook his head. "No. We didn’t kill them."

"Who did?"

"No one," snapped Mrs. Willowmarch. "We’ve lost enough, haven’t we? Our only child. Our reputations. The grace of the Emperor. Our businesses are all but gone, too."

"Is that why you’re running away?" asked Scanderoon.

"We’re not running away."

"Yes, we are, Adelaide." Mr. Willowmarch steepled his fingers. "Losing Jace has been difficult for both us, especially the way he died." His sad gaze drifted to me. "I am sorry for my son’s treatment of you, Sophia. The two of you were never meant for each other."

Yet, I had married him in my last life, and married him again in this life. We shouldn’t have been forced to wed. But our families made sure we did to protect their secrets. I wonder if Jace would be alive if he hadn’t married me. Maybe his life would turn out different. Then again, Jace was selfish and unkind. There were karmic consequences for evildoers.

"I’m sitting next to the man with whom I share a destiny," I said, threading my fingers through Nathan’s. "If you hadn’t interfered, Nathan and I would be husband and wife."

"One of many sins," said Mr. Willowmarch, shrugging.

"Did you ever use the dungeon in the basement of Amaranth Manor?" asked Nathan. "Ever bury any bodies there?"

Mr. Willowmarch’s brows nearly reached his hairline. "No bodies. And no, the dungeon was not something I used. My father and grandfather, however, made use of it quite a bit. They were very adept at torturing enemies, especially when trying to gain information. But I’ve never had the stomach for it." He sighed. "The Rosebrights aren’t buried there if that’s what you’re asking. Like I said, we didn’t kill them."

"Why did you burn down the manor? And why destroy Chapter House?" I asked.

Mr. Willowmarch met my gaze, and saw a deep sorrow there. "Amaranth Manor was already half destroyed, wasn’t it?"

"Not that you told us about it," accused Mrs. Willowmarch. "Such a big thing and you kept it to yourself."

I hadn’t done so on purpose. It was just that so much had been going on at the time, and then Jace and Penelope died. I didn’t want to justify myself to the old witch, so I said nothing at all.

"Part of the reason we burned down Amaranth Manor was because of the dungeon. That house has too much blood staining it, Your Grace. It’s destruction shouldn’t bring anyone sorrow," said Mr. Willowmarch.

"I thought you might’ve set it on fire because you didn’t want Sophia to find out about her real family."

"That kind of evidence wasn’t at the manor."

I looked at him. "Does that mean it was at Chapter House?"