Page 10 of Payback

After the waiter deposited a jug of orange juice on our table, Edward spoke. “Term ends in two weeks. After that, Charlotte will leave Mercia, and we won’t see her until the start of the next academic year.”

I turned to Mom. “Can you hold off until then?”

She pursed her lips. “He’s expecting me back in New York next week, but I suppose I can tell him I want to go to Casablanca for a fashion expo.”

“Don’t tell anyone you saw me,” I said.

A tiny smile broke across her lips. “I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise when he finally gets what he deserves.”

Mom changed the subject from Rudolph and asked a bunch of questions about what life was really like at Mercia Academy. The impostor had given her the impression that the faculty provided weekly excursions to London for shopping and trips to the theater. Skipping over the bullying and the prejudice and the scandals, I told her about the beautiful buildings and the quaint village outside the academy.

Later, we walked back to the black-and-white tiled lobby. Mom needed time to check in for her flight which was in two hours, and we needed to work out a way to make Rudolph hurt.

After the boys hugged Mom goodbye, she held me back and whispered, “Is Henry…?”

“I’m dating him, too.”

“Be careful.” Mom glanced at where the triumvirate stood by the Dorchester’s revolving door. “They all seem to love you. Make your choice soon before you break the other boys’ hearts.”

I stared up into Mom’s gray eyes. How could I say this without her freaking out in the middle of the hotel lobby? “We’re all together.”

She gave me the oddest look. It was one-part wonder, two-parts concerned, and three-parts scandalized. “You’re sleeping with them all?”

“Not yet.”

Her nostrils flared. “Emilia Faye Hobson,” she whisper-shouted. “What did I tell you about safe sex?”

“Shhh!” I glanced around the lobby. No one was listening, but the conversation was embarrassing enough. “We’re being careful.”

Her expression pinched, and she brushed off a piece of imaginary lint on my shoulder, storm clouds forming in her eyes in an expression that I recognized as her building into a rant. “I should hope so—”

“Mom,” I snapped. “If it wasn’t for them, I would never have survived the past few weeks. They’ve done so much for me.”

She jerked her head to one side as though slapped. Then she sighed. “More than I have.”

“Don’t blame yourself.” I squeezed her hand. “I thought you were ignoring me, too.”

Her chest deflated with a sigh. “But I’m your Mother…”

“Is there anything you can tell me about Rudolph that might help us get our revenge? Something personal?”

“Hardly.” She made a soft snort. “We haven’t even consummated our marriage. After we announced our engagement, his pre-marriage blood test was positive for syphilis. I wanted to break things off, but he persuaded me not to make him lose face.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Persuaded or threatened?”

She shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine as long as I keep the confidentiality clause in our prenup.”

“But you’ve just told me.”

“And you won’t tell anyone else.”

I shook my head. The wounds Mr. Carbuncle had inflicted were reminder enough of the brutality of Rudolph and his agents. “What does the prenup say?”

Mom raised a shoulder. “I get nothing if I file for divorce in the first year and a sizable chunk of his fortune if he’s unfaithful. But to hell with Rudolph and his dirty money. I’ll file for divorce the moment you get your revenge.”

A plan hatched in the back of my mind. “Is there any way you can hang on until the end of August?”

“Emilia!” She stepped back.