Page 22 of Rules for Ruin

“Bon travail,” she praised him.

Franc’s tail quivered in response. He trotted to Effie, his lead trailing behind him.

“That’s a useful trick,” Nell remarked.

“It is,” Effie agreed as she picked Franc up. “And for more than unwinding his lead.” She pressed a distracted kiss to his beribboned head, her thoughts returning to the subject at hand. “I didn’t even know Miss Corvus had a brother. Or any family, come to that.”

“Nor did I,” Nell said. “I’d always imagined she’d sprung fully formed from Zeus’s head, like the goddess Athena.”

Effie smiled slightly. “In battle armor, as well.”

“Quite so,” Nell said. “Speaking of which…” She extracted a folded newspaper from a drawer in her secretary. “There’s a report in this morning’s Courant that troubles me.” She returned to Effie, pointing to the offending lines as she passed her the paper. “Just there, at the bottom of the society column.”

Effie read it, frowning:

Whispers about the affairs of the late Mr. Wingard have lately reached your humble correspondent’s ears. Rumors of a trove of important documents, which, if made public, could cause trouble for more than one of my gentle readers. Old sins, it is said, cast long shadows, and never more so than when those sins have been set down in ink and paper.

“Who is Mr. Wingard?” Effie asked, lowering the newspaper.

“I don’t know who this Mr. Wingard is,” Nell replied. “Only that Miss Corvus’s half brother bore the same name.”

“Perhaps it’s a common one?”

“What I fear it is, my dear, is another complication.” Retrieving the paper, Nell took it back to her desk. “If the need arises, you shall have to deal with it, just as you’ll have to deal with this Mr. Royce fellow. We can let nothing stand in the way of toppling Compton.”

“Given her supposed history with the man, I wonder that Miss Corvus trusts me to do it.”

“Naturally, she does.” Nell remained on the opposite side of the small room, facing Effie. “Who better to represent her than the girl she made in her image?”

Effie glared at her friend in the lamp’s glow. “I’m not surprised you put distance between us if you’re going to spout such nonsense.”

“It isn’t nonsense. You and Miss Corvus are essentially the same. I daresay that’s why you were constantly at odds with each other. She sees herself in you, and you in her—the good and the bad. But she believes in you for all that. She’d have given this task to no one else.”

“We both know that’s not true,” Effie said. “It should have been you.”

“It would never have been me,” Nell retorted with an edge of uncharacteristic sharpness. “Despite what you believe about my falling from the tower roof, or about the part you played in it. You were always meant to be her avenging angel. She’s counting on you. So are we all.”

Effie’s fingers tangled in Franc’s curly black coat. She didn’t have the heart to argue with Nell on the subject. Not when Nell was already showing signs of annoyance. She so rarely exhibited anger or bitterness over the past. To be sure, Effie had rather she would.

“The Oracle of the Ring says the first blow is half the battle,” she replied instead. “By that measure, I’m halfway to being finished.”

“Then make the second half count,” Nell said. “Remember yourself, Effie. And remember the rules.”

“Know my surroundings. Know my opponent. Know myself.” Effie heaved a sigh. “I used to think Miss Corvus the veriest hypocrite for the first rule, considering she never permitted me to venture further than the bounds of the school.”

“Miss Corvus is too ill at the moment to prevent you doing anything,” Nell said. “Go where you will. Learn what you can. Anything is permissible if it achieves our goal. And, Effie? Whatever happens…don’t come back here again.”

Effie couldn’t conceal the flash of hurt provoked by Nell’s words. She rose, Franc cradled in her arms. “In other words, I’m on my own.”

“Never. You must simply be more careful.” Nell returned to her. “I don’t know everything about Compton’s crime, or how deeply he injured Miss Corvus, but I know he has a great deal to lose. Assume the worst—that he’s having you followed, that he’s intercepting your letters, that he’s peering into keyholes.”

Effie found it hard to imagine any of those things given the viscount’s seeming lack of interest in her. Then again…now she thought of it, she had seen a similar-looking boy more than once during her journey to the Academy this morning. She’d scarcely registered it at the time. It hadn’t occurred to her then that she might have been being followed.

Just as it hadn’t occurred to her that a wolf might be lurking in the darkness of Lord Compton’s library.

“I shall be on my guard in future,” she vowed.

“See that you are,” Nell said. “If you need to reach us again, send a sampler.”