Page 40 of Depraved Boys

“What’s up?” he asked.

I pulled out the leather-bound book.

Cormac hissed. “Where did you get that?”

“In my room, behind a cushion.” I tried putting it into his hand. “It belonged to—”

“I know.” He flinched away. “Burn it.”

“But—”

Cormac turned his head, as though looking at the diary hurt his eyes. “I want to remember my sister the way she was before we joined this mad house. If I open up that book and read any of those insane rants, it will drag me into lunacy.”

I suppressed a shudder and slipped the diary back into my satchel. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to dredge up painful memories.”

He swallowed hard. “I-It’s alright. If I’d found a belonging of someone’s deceased relative, I’d want them to have it, too. But this situation is different.”

Because he had lost her piece by piece in her last months. All because of her obsession with the kings. “Can I send it to your parents?”

He turned back to me and blinked. “Sorry?”

“Your parents. I could post it to them.”

Cormac paused and let a crowd of students pass before leaning into me. “We grew up in foster care. Our birth parents never reconnected with us, and I’m waiting to turn eighteen, so I can get my records.”

I chewed my lip. Every time I opened my mouth, it seemed I hurt Cormac in some way. Maybe Ashley was right about me hurting people and not realizing I’d caused them damage. But Corrine kept coming up in conversation, and now I’d found her diary. Apologizing didn’t seem to encompass how shitty I felt about dredging up the worst of the memories of his dead sister.

“Try not to end up like Corrine.” His eyes shifted away from mine. “She used to walk up to those three and accuse them of ridiculous things to get their attention. Just like you were doing before English.”

My mouth fell open. “But I wasn’t—”

“I’ve got to go to my next class,” he said. “See you later?” Before I could reply, he hurried down the hallway and through a door that led to a stairwell.

“Willow?” asked a familiar voice that both made my nipples tighten and set my teeth on edge.

I continued walking, but Sebastian caught up with me and stood in my path. I glared up into his green eyes. “What?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“The other night.” He swallowed. “Outside your room.”

“Ten thousand pounds is a lot of money. I can understand why you and Leopold wanted to take up Geraldine’s offer.” I made sure to use the phrase he’d said about scholars. “It’s enough for even someone like you to compromise your principles.”

He winced at the reminder. “Forgive me. Sometimes I run my mouth and forget who I might offend.”

“But isn’t that what you thought about people who take up bursaries?”

“Maybe at first,” he murmured. “But I never took the time to understand why they did it.”

“And now you do?”

“Willow. I’m the sole heir to Garraway Tea. It’s a company that’s been in existence since 1657. My grandfather can afford to send me to whichever school I want. Sometimes it’s hard for me to imagine what it’s like to have nothing.” He lowered his gaze to the ground. “Skeptics have said that losing everyone in the plane crash has put me in a better financial position.”

My chest ached. Whoever said that didn’t have a heart. Not everything was about riches. “But you’d give it up in a heartbeat if it would bring them back.”

“I’d give up everything. My point is that you and your sister were dependent on your parents, and no one should judge you for taking up a bursary to study here. I can see you’re doing your best to keep what’s left of your family together.”