Page 5 of Fractured Loyalties
He continues to shoot daggers at me with a pair of eyes we don’t share. “Try harder.”
The waitstaff slides in with the next course. I catch Ivy watching his hands, the way he manages not to spill a drop of wine as he pours for Robert, then Irena, then me. When he reaches her, she flinches, as if she’s afraid he’ll splash her with Merlot just to see her panic.
Damn, there’s nothing more absorbing than the ways people fail to belong.
“So, Ivy,” Irena says, her voice dripping with manufactured interest, “what do you think of the house so far?”
“It’s… impressive,” Ivy answers, her voice mousy. “I’ve never seen a place like it.”
“There aren’t many left,” Robert cuts in. “Most people don’t know how to handle real estate with history. This is one of the oldest buildings in the state. It’s rumored that it belonged to a lord from overseas, and he still haunts the hallways. It’s all a myth, of course.”
Ivy nods, and I can see her brain scrambling. “My old house had black mold in the basement.”
I let out a bark of a laugh. “We have that here, too. It’s just better dressed, isn’t it, Irena?”
My stepmother looks like she could put a knife through my chest, but Ivy’s lips twitch upward. It makes it completely worth it.
The main course arrives then, though I note that Ivy has barely eaten at all. I suppose that’s understandable, given hergrief. The lamb that Edward sets in front of her is so rare it might bleat if you stuck a fork in it. Ivy holds her knife like a pen, then tries to carve a sliver. Her hands tremble so badly she drops the piece onto the plate, spattering sauce on her sleeve.
She freezes, horror-struck.
I lean across the table. “You’re supposed to eat it, not paint with it.”
“Sorry,” is all she manages to say. She then sets her jaw and tries again. I watch the effort it takes for her to keep it together. There’s something almost erotic about her humiliation—something that makes my blood thrum in my groin.
I watch her with pure allure.
Irena breaks the tension, coughing. “Roman, have you completed your grad school applications?”
“Finished last week,” I say, not taking my eyes off Ivy. “Early admissions. Dad wanted options.”
Robert nods, satisfied. “I’ll have the firm review your essays before submission.”
I ignore him and continue to watch Ivy, as if she’s a little lamb I’d love to slaughter. “How about you, Ivy? Any plans for the future, or just going to let Irena foot the bill forever?”
She blinks, startled. “I was going to go to State College. Before…everything.”
I grin. “We don’t do state schools here.”
Robert jumps in. “Roman,enough.”
The silence after is thick and ugly, but I drink it in. The only sound is the tick of the antique clock, its hands inching forward as if under protest.
Ivy’s water glass is nearly empty, so she reaches for the pitcher at the center of the table. Her fingers fumble on the cut glass handle, and for a second, it looks as if she’s going to drop it.
I can’t look away from her hand on the pitcher. My eyes trace the veins, the tightness in her knuckles, and thealmost imperceptible tremor of muscle and shame. She pours, overshooting the rim of her glass by a few drops, and hastily sets the pitcher down. Her hand leaves a wet print on the tablecloth, and her eyes dart around, knowing she’s being judged.
I lean back, just watching. I’ve broken a few women, that’s for sure. They were mostly socialites, debutantes, and even a Harvard grad who thought she was more intelligent than me… but none of them ever looked so exquisitely out of their element as Ivy does.
My father stands as soon as he’s finished, signaling the end of the meal. “Roman, ensure Ivy gets to her room. Irena, I’ll need you in the study.”
“I know where?—”
“He’ll keep you from getting lost,” Irena cuts Ivy off, before downing the rest of her wine. “Clearly,you need some direction.” She rises in a single, smooth motion and lets out a pained sigh as she passes by Ivy’s chair.
I chuckle as my parents leave the room, and then I turn to Ivy. The candlelight flickers across her face, exaggerating every slight unevenness in her complexion. She looks tired… and sad.
So goddamned sad.
