Page 42 of Oblivion

“That would be great. Thank you, Mr. Hartley.”

His office is exactly what I was expecting. Dark wood, impressive antique desk, and comfortable leather chairs. However, instead of taking the seat behind his desk, he takes the one beside me. “Excuse me for a moment. I’ll just call and ask for that coffee,” he says, picking up an old-fashioned phone from the desk and pressing a single button on the receiver.

I’m assuming it’s some kind of intercom system when he starts speaking into it and I hear the sound of a female voice speaking back. The Hartleys don’t have live-in staff, and in my opinion, this house isn’t big enough to require an intercom, but I guess it must work for them.

“You wanted to talk to me about my daughter?” he asks bluntly.

“Yes, sir, I do. I’m actually not entirely sure what Sammy’s told you about her time at Kingsacre…” I leave the statement open-ended, hoping he’ll fill in the blanks, which he immediately does.

“She was living on campus with the Attingham girls and some boys. I don’t approve of co-ed housing, but as it’s all they offer at Kingsacre, we had to concede.”

“Actually, Sammy only lived in Alistern House for a matter of weeks. Shortly after arriving at Kingsacre, Sammy became friends with my stepsister, Starling, and when we realized her living situation was less than ideal, we moved her into our house.”

“Excuse me?” Mr. Hartley questions, his voice rising two octaves.

“My family is Kingsacre legacy, and as such, we have a private residence on campus that we share with our close friends, the Lockwood, Jansen, and Rossberg families. Mystepsister Starling moved in with us when she started at the school, and as we had a spare room, we invited Sammy to move in too, which she did a few weeks after school started.”

“She would have told us—” he starts.

“I believe she was concerned that if she told you about her dissatisfaction with her living arrangements, you may encourage her to leave school and come home.”

Mr. Hartley’s expression opens, then immediately closes again. “While I appreciate you telling me the truth about where my daughter has been living, I’m unsure why it’s relevant information. She’s recently engaged and starting Harvard with her fiancé this week.”

Making a soft sound of sympathy, I exhale dramatically. “Actually, sir, I’m afraid none of that is true anymore.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Mr. Merrick and Sammy’s engagement actually ended earlier this evening. I’m sure you’re aware of Mr. Merrick’s political aspirations. Well, it seems that after polling his future constituents, Mr. Merrick and his team have decided that Sammy does not poll well. That her taking a semester off school while you were unwell appears like a lie to cover up an unplanned pregnancy or drug addiction. He and his father’s PR team feel that instead of Sammy helping his campaign, it would in fact hinder it.”

“That’s ridiculous,” he roars angrily.

“Mr. Hartley, may I be frank?” I ask, leaning forward in my seat.

“Please,” he says, gesturing for me to speak.

“I have been in love with your daughter since the very first time I met her. I believe she feels the same way for me, but she’s scared that our lifestyles are too different and that she would feel like an outsider. She expressed her concerns about introducingme and our friends to you and your wife, but honestly, I believe her worries are silly.”

“Evan, she’s engaged.”

“When Sammy flew back to California at the end of the summer, it was to attend the wedding of one of our friends. As I’m sure you’re aware, it’s very common in our social sphere to marry young without considering love and thinking more of connection and gain.”

Mr. Hartley nods, like he’s buying all the bullshit I’m slinging, so I carry on.

“At the time, she said that she was considering transferring to Harvard, as she felt that the school would give her a better chance of securing a good job, and that although she loved us all, she feared she could never truly be one of us. I’m not entirely sure when she and Mr. Merrick rekindled their high school relationship, but I believe it was as a direct result of her uncertainty over her place in my life.”

“Evan, is there a point to all of this?” he asks.

“Yes, sir. The point is that Sammy isn’t in love with Drew. She was marrying him to ensure herself a life she understood and which she felt comfortable in instead of pursuing a relationship with me.”

I wait for outrage or shock that his daughter would marry someone she didn’t care about, just to ensure her future, but if he’s surprised, he doesn’t show it.

“Mr. Hartley, when Mr. Merrick ended his and Sammy’s engagement earlier tonight, he had already taken it upon himself to decline her place at Harvard on her behalf and had arranged for movers to take all of her belongings to a hotel.”

“He what?” he gasps, finally showing some emotion.

“Don’t worry. She’s not in a hotel. She’s actually on her way to California where she will be starting the new semester back at Kingsacre. She will be living in Collinswood House with us, andonce I can convince her that she has a place at the very center of my world, I hope to persuade her to marry me.”

Shaking his head, Mr. Hartley looks like his head is about to explode. “Home. She should come home so we can straighten all of this out. I’ll speak to John and Drew, and we’ll set things right.”

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