Page 57 of Deposed

He smoothed the hair off my left temple and tucked it behind my ear. “How were you to know that going to a party in London would result in an abduction?”

My throat thickened, and I swallowed hard. “I should have been more suspicious. This new version of Charlotte is even worse than ever.”

“She was always nasty,” he replied. “When the tabloids published photos of Mother and the prince while she was still married, she was the first to rally the others to call her a trollop.”

The sun disappeared behind a thick cloud, and a cool breeze blew through the cashmere sweaters Blake had lent me for the journey back to the academy. Based on what I had seen of Charlotte in my first term, I would never have guessed that there had been an acrimonious history between her and Blake. “What made her change her attitude?”

“Edward and Henry being on my side, and Mother becoming the Duchess of Surrey by marriage.” He continued stroking my hair. “But I never forgot the trouble she started for me.”

My lips curved into a half smile, and I placed my hand over his heart. Its slow, steady rhythm quickened. “Is that why you had her suck you off in exchange for getting closer to Henry?”

“Henry would never have been interested in someone so simple-minded. And yes, I wanted her to feel a little of how she and her friends had made me feel during one of the worst times of my life.”

I squeezed his hand. “It can’t be easy seeing your Mother displayed in the paper like that.”

“She was the least of my worries. It was father who kept me up at night.”

Something in the background disturbed a flock of ducks, which took flight with noisy quacks. I spotted them flying away in the corner of my eye and turned my gaze back to Blake. Pained lines etched the skin around his eyes, making my heart twist in empathy. “You couldn’t sleep because of his drinking?”

He dipped his head. “Not knowing where he was or what he was doing. Strange phone calls late at night, saying goodbye and thanking me for being a good son.” A tiny shudder shook his shoulders. “It was terrifying. Mother had washed her hands of him after the divorce because of his violent rages, so he only had me.”

I gulped. “That’s why she knew so much about bruises?”

“That’s part of it. Yes.”

I bit down on my lip, waiting for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, I asked, “Is she still being—”

“It’s not something I can handle right now.” Blake blurted the words so quickly, they took a moment for my brain to parse. “I can’t persuade her to leave. She loves the attention of being married into the royal family, and nothing will make her let go of that.”

“My mom’s like that with Rudolph, I think.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“She hasn’t replied to any of my messages since I left the country.”

He stilled, and his gaze dropped to the side, as though he didn’t know where to look. I couldn’t blame him. At least his mother hadn’t shoved him out of the palace to cozy up with the prince. And she’d sort of stood by him during the scandals, even if her methods of support had been twisted and sick. Mom had just ghosted me, and if I hadn’t had so much shit to deal with at the academy, I might have succumbed to the loss.

“I’m… sorry.” He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and gave me a gentle hug. “Did she do the same the last time she married?”

My eyes fluttered closed, and I lost my self in his cedar scent. “No, but that guy was a corporate real estate investor and didn’t have the fame or vast fortune of Rudolph Trommel.” I shook my head. If Mom wanted to upgrade her life and leave her daughter behind, there was little I could do to change that. “It hurts less each day. Knowing that you and Edward are here for me is enough to negate the effect she’s had on my life.”

“And Henry,” he added in an admonishing tone.

We continued across the lawn and to the lake, where the boy waited for us with an impatient frown. Blake helped me onto the plank at the pointed end of the rowboat, which acted as a seat. Then he took off his jacket, got onto the boat, and the boy pushed it into the water until it was waist deep.

As Blake rowed, he said, “Henry was devastated when Edward told us you were the leak. Last term, he thought you’d settled your differences. It was a huge blow to him to discover you hadn’t forgiven him.”

I pursed my lips and gazed at his shoulder muscles rippling under his fitted sweatshirt. Right now, Henry was the biggest mystery of the trio. Sometimes the most loving and the one I felt the deepest connection with, and other times, a dismissive lout only interested in sex. “We couldn’t agree over getting him to clear my name.”

“He had his reasons. If you give him a chance, he’ll explain himself.”

I shrugged.

Without missing a stroke, Blake fixed me with a hard stare. “Just promise me that you’ll stay with one of us at all times, even if it’s Henry.”

I nodded. “Even if it’s Henry.”

He continued rowing across the lake until we reached the little island. Up close, the ruins were more intricate than from the other end of the bank. Instead of an empty, stone shell, there were room partitions, indoor arches, and even a staircase that protruded out from the internal walls.