Page 66 of Destiny of the Witch

‘It’s okay,’ she told him. ‘The thing is, I’m the one responsible for this. I memory-walked again, and by venturing through Blaise’s mind I’m afraid I unearthed all those memories that had been hidden from him.’

‘So he’s back,’ Raiden said heavily.

‘And you’re sticking with him?’ Ewella sounded worried, which I couldn’t blame her for.

‘You surely can’t trust him now?’ Sirius asked incredulously.

‘But that’s just it,’ Romy said firmly. She smiled at John, who gave her a nervous smile back. ‘I do. Completely.’

‘You know,’ Sky said cautiously, ‘you don’t look like Blaise. I mean, obviously, you do, but you seem different, too. I can’t really explain it. Are you sure you’ve got your memories back?’

John lifted his head and looked round at everyone.

‘I know what you’re all thinking,’ he said. ‘I don’t blame you at all. After everything I did… Look, I know I can never make it up to you, but I want you to know that I’m so sorry for everything that I put you through back then. You must understand that, even though I’m still that man, I’m different now.’

‘Where have we heard that before?’ Star folded her arms. ‘In case you’d forgotten, you tried to kill my husband.’

‘To be fair,’ Benedict said, ‘he was aiming for Hector. I just got in the way.’

‘Oh well, that’s all right then,’ she said, giving him a withering look. ‘Honestly, Benedict, stop defending him.’

‘I’m not defending him,’ he said stubbornly. ‘Just getting the facts right, that’s all.’

‘Well, I for one will never believe a word you say,’ Iliana said firmly. ‘Romy, if you have any sense at all you’ll walk away while he gives you the chance. In fact, forget walking. Run. The man’s toxic.’

‘Please,’ John said, holding up his hands as various shouts of agreement began. ‘If you’ll just give me a chance—’

‘Why should we?’ Aurora said tearfully. ‘You were an absolute rotter back then. Why would we risk letting you into the family again? Haven’t we been through enough lately?’

Raiden handed her a handkerchief and she blew her nose with startling force.

‘I’m sorry, Aurora,’ Celeste said, ‘but I promise you, he’s changed. If you won’t listen to him, then at least listen to me. I trust him.’

That quietened everyone down.

‘Are you sure about this?’ Sirius’s eyes widened in shock. ‘Celeste, after everything he did to you!’

‘But out of all the people here I’m the one best placed to judge him,’ she told him. ‘I’ve walked inside his mind. I’ve lived through his memories and seen the difference in him. I know how good and kind and gentle John Ford is.’

‘But he’s not John Ford any longer, is he?’ Sirius pointed out. ‘He’s Blaise St Clair.’

‘He’s both! The memories he has of John haven’t disappeared,’ Celeste insisted. ‘If they had he wouldn’t still be in love with Romy, would he?’

‘How do we know he is?’ Keely asked. ‘It could be an act.’

‘Exactly,’ Sky said. ‘Like loving you was an act, remember?’

Celeste reddened, and for a moment her eyes met John’s. He looked away.

‘It’s not an act,’ she said. ‘The part of him that was John fell in love with Romy, and he’s still there. For the last few years everything John saw and experienced impacted on Blaise’s subconscious. You don’t have to try to make him feel bad about all that’s happened, because he already does.’

‘Boo hoo,’ Star said, pouting.

‘I don’t expect you to believe me or trust me straight away,’ John—or Blaise, or whoever the heck he now was—told us all. ‘In fact, I’d be amazed and probably a bit suspicious if you said you did. But all I can say is, I love Romy, heart and soul. I know everything I did back then was horrific, and I’m so very sorry. All I want is the chance to prove I’m not that same man, and to try somehow to put it all right.’

‘I really think,’ Hector said, ‘that he can’t say fairer than that.’

‘You agree with this then?’ Castor asked, shaking his head. ‘You, of all people, think he should be given another chance?’

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