Page 66 of Cruel Shame

“It’s best that I send you the link, since they buried it four clicks away from the Herald’s homepage.”

Kendrick’s text popped up on my screen. I clicked the link and scanned the page, where the paragraph was hidden among a bunch of trivial Clarifications and Corrections, such as a reporter getting a statistic wrong for the amount of rainfall in the Outer Hebrides. Even though Kendrick had already read out Elizabeth’s apology, each time I read the words it looked more and more like she was portraying herself as an abused martyr who just wanted the best for Templar Academy.

I swallowed back a mouthful of bitter bile. “What’s Mr. Burgh going to do with this?”

* * *

The rest of the morning faded into a blur of anger. During our free period, Maxwell and I created an anonymous note addressed to a DNA company, asking them to check the parentage of myself and baby brother against an array of possible fathers. Inside the envelope were samples from me, Elizabeth, Lady Liddell, Camden Liddell, Father Neapolitan, the archbishop, and the solicitor, Mackinnon Macdonald.

We placed the samples in a large envelope and placed it on the middle of the desk, and took a photo of the betting slip held up against the window of my circular room.

Throughout Fashion and Textiles, Maxwell texted with messages outlining the progress he was making toward his plan. He set up a fake email address and forwarded the photo to Elizabeth with a message to meet behind the chapel after dark if she ever wanted so see her three-hundred-thousand pounds.

I sat at the table, hand-stitching 3-D lace flowers to my embroidered bandana top, hoping we’d guessed right that Elizabeth still had the skeleton key Myra’s housekeeper mother used before she died. If she couldn’t sneak in and steal those samples, we were screwed.

At lunch, I sat between Gideon and Kendrick, dipping a bread roll into my beef and onion. “What if she throws it away?”

Kendrick shook his head “Elizabeth won’t resist the opportunity to discover the results, especially when she finds the betting slip missing and she’s wasted a trip to your room.”

I took a bite of my roll, trying not to fret over the plan. Orlando volunteered to stand at the far end of the gardens with a pair of horse racing binoculars, and Maxwell loitered in the hallway beside the academy’s mail room. Each student had their own mailbox, and there was a bin where people posted outgoing parcels and letters.

Kendrick cleared his throat. “Don’t turn around.”

I stiffened and resisted the urge to check. “Is she still there?”

“No.” He pinched the bridge of her nose. “She just poked her head around the door. She’s gone, now.”

“Elizabeth stole enough cocaine to get the academy high for weeks.” I stirred my stew and tried not to think of Mother. “Now her allowance has been stopped, she’s probably desperate for her next fix.”

Gideon tutted. “Normally, I would baulk at such underhanded methods, but it’s a plan that only works if Elizabeth is in possession of a key that undermines the academy’s security.”

“Not to mention how she obtained the money to purchase such a betting ticket,” Kendrick added.

“Quite,” said Gideon.

We ate our stew in tense silence, waiting for an update on Maxwell’s trap. Moments later, my phone buzzed with a text from Orlando.

She’s just left your room with the envelope.

“Did it work?” asked Kendrick.

I nodded. “Someone needs to take those back keys, so she can stop sneaking into everybody’s rooms.”

“Given the last time she vandalized your bedroom, I would say Elizabeth’s continued possession of them is a hazard.”

“I’m at a loss to understand how she’s not in an institution,” Gideon drawled.

We finished our soup, Orlando joined us just in time for the most delicious-looking lattice apple pie and jugs of custard made from real vanilla pods. As I poured a generous serving into my bowl, my phone buzzed again. This time, the message was from Maxwell.

E just entered the mailroom.

“She’s posting it,” I whispered to the boys. “I’m surprised she didn’t give this information to her mother.”

Kendrick shook his head. “She wishes to redeem herself by controlling definitive information over your parentage that will secure her triumph over you.”

Moments later, Elizabeth sauntered into the dining room with a wide smirk. She raised her hand and called over a pair of waiting staff. After seeing no sign of Maxwell for several minutes, I glanced over my shoulder at the double doors. What’s taking him so long?

My phone buzzed once more.