could attack me!” Bess’s body was shaking with a force that looked out of her control.
“I never meant for that to happen,” William said, and I heard the sorrow in his voice, even if Bess did not.
“You are trying to deceive me.”
“The deception was in making you believe that I was dead. In introducing you to a man named Lucius Harvey. He was the deception.”
Bess was taking in all of his looks, and I knew that she saw the truth.
“How did I not know? How did I not see?” It was more of a whispered plea than a question.
“You did not know because I did not want you to know,” William said.
They had not known even though they had been trained to see through disguises. To read people by simple hand movements and where their eyes looked. It was true that he had changed everything about himself but his eyes.
“You!” Bess charged toward him. I had never seen William move so quickly as he rounded Sam’s desk. “You are the reason that Andrew deserted me. You tried to kill me.” Her voice broke and she turned away from him.
“I did not try to kill you, Elizabeth. So far from wanting it, I have gone to great lengths to stop any such occurrence.”
Whirling around, she gaped at him. “That is a lie! You tried to hang me! How, pray tell, is that stopping my death? Or do you not know that people usually stop breathing when they are choked by a rope?”
“I find your sarcasm unbecoming, Elizabeth.”
“Well I find your presence absolutely abhorrent, but it seems that we cannot have everything that we want, William, or you would not be standing here now.” Bess retorted in a way that only Bess could. With the perfect amount of scathing and honesty.
“Whom do you believe gave Silas the harness that kept you alive?”
“Levi.” She looked as if she thought he were mad for suggesting anyone else had a hand in her rescue from the noose.
William spoke the truth, but I would never speak up and have Bess’s wrath turned upon me.
“Levi and I were working together. He has known about me since he came to Charleston with you.”
“That is a lie. Levi would have told us.”
Levi was devoted to their father, and William knew that.
“Does my mother know?” Bess demanded.
“Yes.”
“How long has Jack known?” Bess turned her accusing gaze on him.
“It was when Guinevere confessed who she was that I put the pieces together,” Jack told his sister.
“I find that I am rather proud of you, Jack,” William said, as if that truth baffled him. “You did not need someone to come out and say the words to find the truth.”
That drew another surge of wrath from Bess and she lunged for him again. William hurried away, placing the desk chair between them.
“Horrible wretch!” Bess sneered at William. “At least I have always known how intelligent Jack is.”
William had nothing to say to that. For several heartbeats the two stared at each other in a battle of wills that far surpassed any of my battles with William.
“Tell me about it all. How you succeeded, how the Holy Order was formed, all of it,” Bess ordered.
William complied. “The Holy Order was formed after the girls and Leopold arrived. I knew that they would be searched for, and that Luther would not halt until he found them. I could not put them in the Phantoms, for, as skilled as you were, you were still children. You could not be expected to fight Luther and his guards.”
But they had, I wanted to say, but I kept my lips compressed.
“Pierre was a friend from England. He and his family had followed me here. Together we formed the Holy Order to protect the girls. As keeping them together was out of the question, Arabella—forgive me, Rose—was made a Phantom and Guinevere was kept in the Holy Order.”
“All of the stories that Guinevere told us about your cruelty, are those true?” Bess asked.
I felt my face redden and I could not meet anyone’s gaze. I had lied more than I cared to remember.
“Most of the
“I never meant for that to happen,” William said, and I heard the sorrow in his voice, even if Bess did not.
“You are trying to deceive me.”
“The deception was in making you believe that I was dead. In introducing you to a man named Lucius Harvey. He was the deception.”
Bess was taking in all of his looks, and I knew that she saw the truth.
“How did I not know? How did I not see?” It was more of a whispered plea than a question.
“You did not know because I did not want you to know,” William said.
They had not known even though they had been trained to see through disguises. To read people by simple hand movements and where their eyes looked. It was true that he had changed everything about himself but his eyes.
“You!” Bess charged toward him. I had never seen William move so quickly as he rounded Sam’s desk. “You are the reason that Andrew deserted me. You tried to kill me.” Her voice broke and she turned away from him.
“I did not try to kill you, Elizabeth. So far from wanting it, I have gone to great lengths to stop any such occurrence.”
Whirling around, she gaped at him. “That is a lie! You tried to hang me! How, pray tell, is that stopping my death? Or do you not know that people usually stop breathing when they are choked by a rope?”
“I find your sarcasm unbecoming, Elizabeth.”
“Well I find your presence absolutely abhorrent, but it seems that we cannot have everything that we want, William, or you would not be standing here now.” Bess retorted in a way that only Bess could. With the perfect amount of scathing and honesty.
“Whom do you believe gave Silas the harness that kept you alive?”
“Levi.” She looked as if she thought he were mad for suggesting anyone else had a hand in her rescue from the noose.
William spoke the truth, but I would never speak up and have Bess’s wrath turned upon me.
“Levi and I were working together. He has known about me since he came to Charleston with you.”
“That is a lie. Levi would have told us.”
Levi was devoted to their father, and William knew that.
“Does my mother know?” Bess demanded.
“Yes.”
“How long has Jack known?” Bess turned her accusing gaze on him.
“It was when Guinevere confessed who she was that I put the pieces together,” Jack told his sister.
“I find that I am rather proud of you, Jack,” William said, as if that truth baffled him. “You did not need someone to come out and say the words to find the truth.”
That drew another surge of wrath from Bess and she lunged for him again. William hurried away, placing the desk chair between them.
“Horrible wretch!” Bess sneered at William. “At least I have always known how intelligent Jack is.”
William had nothing to say to that. For several heartbeats the two stared at each other in a battle of wills that far surpassed any of my battles with William.
“Tell me about it all. How you succeeded, how the Holy Order was formed, all of it,” Bess ordered.
William complied. “The Holy Order was formed after the girls and Leopold arrived. I knew that they would be searched for, and that Luther would not halt until he found them. I could not put them in the Phantoms, for, as skilled as you were, you were still children. You could not be expected to fight Luther and his guards.”
But they had, I wanted to say, but I kept my lips compressed.
“Pierre was a friend from England. He and his family had followed me here. Together we formed the Holy Order to protect the girls. As keeping them together was out of the question, Arabella—forgive me, Rose—was made a Phantom and Guinevere was kept in the Holy Order.”
“All of the stories that Guinevere told us about your cruelty, are those true?” Bess asked.
I felt my face redden and I could not meet anyone’s gaze. I had lied more than I cared to remember.
“Most of the
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