Page 47 of Cruel Hearts

This was what I loved best about Gideon. On the outside, we were so different. I was a girl from the shittiest borough of London, and he was practically a Nigerian prince with the way he talked and carried himself. But when you stripped away the layers, we were like two peas in a pod. Mrs. Campbell had been a genius to know we would get along when she sent him over on the pretext of giving me elocution lessons.

Out in a distant paddock, a black figure rode a white horse.

I pulled my hat over my ears and groaned. “She’s back.”

“Who?” Gideon turned in the direction of my stare and shook his head. “One would think she would be busy attending functions with Lady Liddell and the archbishop.”

“Where do they actually live?”

“There’s a mansion somewhere on the estate, but the archbishop works from Edinburgh Cathedral and stays in the attached palace,” he said. “But I expect they’re not impressed with her recent stunts.”

I grunted my agreement. “Mr. and Mrs. Deloraine can’t be impressed by her getting their son arrested and beaten up in custody.”

“And I’m sure Mr. Burgh had a few things to say to all of them about Elizabeth’s campaign against you.”

We continued down the driveway past a smaller house built in a similar style to the academy and the headmaster’s quarters. Above its front door was a wrought-iron balcony similar to the one in my room. I wondered if that was where Mrs. Campbell lived.

“I don’t know what kind of punishment Elizabeth got from the Board of Governors.” A cloud of condensation escaped my lips. “Mr. Burgh’s being tight-lipped about the details of her disciplinary.”

“I suppose he wants to play fair. Giving you privileged information might lead to you saying something incriminating to Elizabeth.”

“It’s a pity no one on her side seems to think the same. She would never have been able to dredge up all that stuff about my mother without the help of someone in the police.”

The memory of that brutal kiss on the frost seeped into my mind, and bile rose to the back of my throat. “Sometimes, I want to smash some sanity into her skull.”

Gideon stopped walking and stood in the middle of the driveway. “I know things are difficult, but please think about your future.”

“What do you mean?”

“Elizabeth’s entire life is laid out for her. When the archbishop passes away, she will become Lady Liddell and the mistress of everything you see from here to the horizon.”

Irritation flared across my skin. Not at Gideon, but at the truth in his words. It was so unfair that someone who had never needed to struggle would resort to such extreme tactics to resolve a petty rivalry that she started. “Miss Martin said something similar. That I should leave and get away from Elizabeth.”

Gideon shook his head. “In your position, I’d work from the shadows and learn from her mistake.”

“Which is?”

“She always takes her actions far enough to make them backfire. Instead of revealing your illegitimate birth and criminal stepfather, she told everyone about your family connection with Mr. Burgh, which turned many in your favor and resulted in your warm relationship with the headmaster.”

“Right.” I narrowed my eyes. It almost sounded like Gideon was saying Elizabeth had done me a favor.

“And then there’s the drug bust.” Clasping his hands, he continued down the driveway. “Elizabeth could have placed a gram of cocaine in your room and gotten a better result. Instead, she sprinkled the drug over a kilogram of whatever, instantly proving to the police that it was a set-up.”

I raised my shoulders. “It’s not like she’s clever.”

“Stupidity isn’t her Achilles heel. It’s an overinflated sense of invincibility. Use that to your advantage and uncover what those boys you texted me about have on her.”

“That was the plan…”

“I know.” He intertwined his fingers between mine, and we continued walking. “Just be stealthy about getting your revenge. When you uncover what she’s been doing, find a way to reveal it without getting yourself into trouble.”

“I’ll try.”

His lips tightened with annoyance, but I ignored him and stared into a field of long-haired cows with horns that reminded me of the handlebars of a motorcycle.

* * *

For the rest of the holiday, Gideon and I worked side-by-side on our assignments. He didn’t want to share any juicy details about his ménage with Francesco and Lachlan, nor did he want to return Lachlan’s calls. I wondered if he had trouble coming to terms with having fucked two guys, but every time I brought up the subject, he clammed up. When he spent New Year’s Eve with Mr. Burgh, Mrs. Campbell and me, I became worried about the state of his relationship with Lachlan.