Page 20 of Among the Sins of my Father

“Mary was shot, but she didn’t die.”

The article says if the bullet wound had been a little more to the left she would have died instantly, but as it was, she lay there bleeding slowly until she was found. The son, Dominic, has not been seen since and is wanted by the police for questioning. When I finish reading, I glance up to find Berkley studying me. She opens her mouth as though to say something and then thinks better of it. Shuffling to the edge of the seat, she props her head on her hand.

“Did he hurt you? Dominic, I mean?” Her face flushes. “I mean I know he hurt you, he kept you captive. But the person I know could never do that, so I was just wondering how he treated you because it just doesn’t sit right in my head.”

“You knew him?”

“I thought I did. He was so gentle. I just can’t imagine him…” She doesn’t finish her sentence and lets the words hang between us.

“And you’ve been known as such a great judge of character in the past.”

She smiles sadly. “Yeah, I know. It seems I’m an easy target for lies. He was just always so kind to me. It’s hard to imagine him as anything else.”

“There were times he was kind. I could tell his heart wasn’t in it, you know? That the person he was trying to be wasn’t really him. Sometimes it was like a friend popping by for a visit. We watched a movie, played a game.” I laugh coldly. “If you ignored the fact that I couldn’t leave.” Berkley’s looking at me intently, drinking in the information regarding her friend. “But then there were other times he’d come in and it was almost as though he carried this dark cloud with him. He was moody and sullen. He was repulsed by me. It’s almost as though there were different versions of him.”

“Did he ever talk about his father?”

I shake my head. “He never mentioned his family at all.”

Berkley rises from the chair, her movements fluid and graceful. Jericho’s shirt is too big, floating around her body as though she’s an angel drifting on a cloud.

“It’s strange to think he’s Ette’s half-brother,” she says quietly.

“Family are the people you choose, not the ones dictated by blood.”

Her gaze burns my soul. “I wish everyone felt the same as you.”

I realize what I’ve said. I’ve let her off the hook for the sins of her father. I curse myself inwardly as she goes to leave. When she reaches the door, she turns around, leaning her forehead to the frame.

“I didn’t know he was married.” Her eyes plead with me to understand, to offer her some semblance of forgiveness or acceptance.

I don’t.

She drops her gaze to the floor. “But even when I did find out, I didn’t leave.” She bites her lower lip before looking back up at me and I almost curse Jericho then and there for falling for her charm so easily. “I loved him. I love him still. He’s the family I choose.”

I don’t say a word. I let the discomfort of my silence grow until she gives up and slips away.

chapter eight

BERKLEY

It’s commonplace for the staff to join in at the dinner table now. Our meals are provided on platters in the center and everyone helps themselves. The result is a more laid-back feel. Less stuffy. But tonight, the tension is palpable in the air.

To everyone except Ette.

She sits, stuffing her face and chatting easily. No one tells her off for talking with her mouth full. Not Jericho. Not even her governess Miss Jones. No one corrects her when she prattles on, mispronouncing words and telling nonsense stories. We all smile and nod while trying to avoid looking at each other.

Gideon sits opposite me, grinning the whole time. It’s almost as though he enjoys this strange dynamic. He chews with his mouth open, flicking his gaze between Jericho, Hope and me, and wiggling his eyebrows every time I happen to look up.

Hope watches and interacts with Ette. No one else. It’s like she’s got blinders on and she’s determined not to remove them. Jericho just eats, seemingly oblivious to it all.

But then he does something unexpected. After finishing his meal and laying down his cutlery, he reaches across the table and lays his hand over mine. It’s a quiet movement with no announcement but it’s as though the entire table collectively gasps. It’s innocent in relation to the affection he’s shown me in private, but my heart still starts racing and my cheeks flush. Gideon’s brows almost pop off the top of his head, and Hope’s eyes slide over and fix on our connection.

“You’re holding Miss Berkley’s hand!” Ette crows, announcing to the table which had already, quite literally, stopped and taken notice.

“I am,” Jericho says, offering her a smile.

“Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend now?”

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