nothing of her arrest. What a relief to find out now, after days of worrying.”
He winced. What I lacked in grappling skills I made up for in bite.
“Your father thought it best if we waited a few days to tell you.” Of course he had. “He knew you would want to see Drusilla, and what the poor girl needs right now is rest.”
Meaning what? That I would agitate her? “What she needs is her family.” And by that I meant she needed
me
.
Church leaned across the desk, placing his hands over my icy ones. Contrary to popular belief, vampires ran hot rather than cold. “Listen to me,” he commanded in a gentle tone that nevertheless would not be refused. “Your sister attacked a peer of the realm in front of witnesses. Not only that, but she began to insist – in front of these witnesses – that Ainsley’s heir was her child. She humiliated Lord and Lady Ainsley in addition to the physical violence.”
Oh, Dede
. I thought she had given up that nonsense. “Did you see this first hand, or is it hearsay?”
He looked at me with pity – much the same way the goblin prince had gazed upon me the night before. Nausea writhed in my stomach. “Yes,” he said softly. “I was there. You must believe me when I tell you that Drusilla was not herself. She was like an animal, Alexandra. A wild animal. They had to shock her to remove her from the premises.”
I closed my eyes. Shocking was pretty much the only sure-fire way to incapacitate a halvie without doing any physical damage.
“She’s not hatters, Church. She just wants to believe her baby didn’t die.” I think she also clung to the hope that Ainsley would leave his wife for her, but I wisely didn’t mention that.
Strong hands squeezed mine. “But it did, and she must accept that if she ever hopes to return to the world.”
I scowled. “If? Is there some question as to whether or not she’ll be released?”
He nodded, mouth grim. “Alexandra, Lord and Lady Ainsley only agreed not to press charges if Drusilla submitted to treatment.It’s obvious the poor girl is deluded and needs professional help. She will get that at Bedlam.”
I swallowed, throat unbearably tight. “She’ll die in there.”
A second’s silence. Gentle fingers tenderly brushed one of the bruises on my face before sliding down to cup my shoulder. “You say that because of what happened to your mother, but there’s no reason to believe that Drusilla won’t recover with the proper treatment. If you go raging in there spouting how a travesty of justice has been committed, you won’t be helping your sister.”
He knew me so well, but not as well as he might think. If I managed to make myself enter the nightmare that was Bedlam, I’d only rage to disguise my pants-pissing terror. My mother had been swallowed whole by that place. They never cured her.
I was wary of humans. I was afraid of goblins. I was
terri-fucking-fied
of Bedlam.
“What if they can’t help her?” I asked, my mother’s face lingering in my mind.
He squeezed my fingers again. “You cannot think that. You must remain hopeful. Drusilla is a Vardan, with all the strength that comes with that lineage. She will persevere.”
This reminded me of after Rye had been killed. I’d been nighon inconsolable. Church had looked at me with that same loving determination and told me that I would get through that awful time, that I would mourn and eventually recover. I hadn’t believed him then, but the years had proven him mostly right. I could only trust that he would be right about Dede as well.
“Thank you,” I said.
He nodded. “Meanwhile, why don’t I ring the hospital tonight? See what I can find out for you?”
I liked that he hadn’t called Bedlam an asylum. “You don’t have to do that.”
Church’s face took on a vaguely amused expression. “I’m wellaware of that fact. Perhaps I
want
to do it for you – and for Drusilla.”
A sudden knock at the door kept me from replying. We both looked at
He winced. What I lacked in grappling skills I made up for in bite.
“Your father thought it best if we waited a few days to tell you.” Of course he had. “He knew you would want to see Drusilla, and what the poor girl needs right now is rest.”
Meaning what? That I would agitate her? “What she needs is her family.” And by that I meant she needed
me
.
Church leaned across the desk, placing his hands over my icy ones. Contrary to popular belief, vampires ran hot rather than cold. “Listen to me,” he commanded in a gentle tone that nevertheless would not be refused. “Your sister attacked a peer of the realm in front of witnesses. Not only that, but she began to insist – in front of these witnesses – that Ainsley’s heir was her child. She humiliated Lord and Lady Ainsley in addition to the physical violence.”
Oh, Dede
. I thought she had given up that nonsense. “Did you see this first hand, or is it hearsay?”
He looked at me with pity – much the same way the goblin prince had gazed upon me the night before. Nausea writhed in my stomach. “Yes,” he said softly. “I was there. You must believe me when I tell you that Drusilla was not herself. She was like an animal, Alexandra. A wild animal. They had to shock her to remove her from the premises.”
I closed my eyes. Shocking was pretty much the only sure-fire way to incapacitate a halvie without doing any physical damage.
“She’s not hatters, Church. She just wants to believe her baby didn’t die.” I think she also clung to the hope that Ainsley would leave his wife for her, but I wisely didn’t mention that.
Strong hands squeezed mine. “But it did, and she must accept that if she ever hopes to return to the world.”
I scowled. “If? Is there some question as to whether or not she’ll be released?”
He nodded, mouth grim. “Alexandra, Lord and Lady Ainsley only agreed not to press charges if Drusilla submitted to treatment.It’s obvious the poor girl is deluded and needs professional help. She will get that at Bedlam.”
I swallowed, throat unbearably tight. “She’ll die in there.”
A second’s silence. Gentle fingers tenderly brushed one of the bruises on my face before sliding down to cup my shoulder. “You say that because of what happened to your mother, but there’s no reason to believe that Drusilla won’t recover with the proper treatment. If you go raging in there spouting how a travesty of justice has been committed, you won’t be helping your sister.”
He knew me so well, but not as well as he might think. If I managed to make myself enter the nightmare that was Bedlam, I’d only rage to disguise my pants-pissing terror. My mother had been swallowed whole by that place. They never cured her.
I was wary of humans. I was afraid of goblins. I was
terri-fucking-fied
of Bedlam.
“What if they can’t help her?” I asked, my mother’s face lingering in my mind.
He squeezed my fingers again. “You cannot think that. You must remain hopeful. Drusilla is a Vardan, with all the strength that comes with that lineage. She will persevere.”
This reminded me of after Rye had been killed. I’d been nighon inconsolable. Church had looked at me with that same loving determination and told me that I would get through that awful time, that I would mourn and eventually recover. I hadn’t believed him then, but the years had proven him mostly right. I could only trust that he would be right about Dede as well.
“Thank you,” I said.
He nodded. “Meanwhile, why don’t I ring the hospital tonight? See what I can find out for you?”
I liked that he hadn’t called Bedlam an asylum. “You don’t have to do that.”
Church’s face took on a vaguely amused expression. “I’m wellaware of that fact. Perhaps I
want
to do it for you – and for Drusilla.”
A sudden knock at the door kept me from replying. We both looked at
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