Page 58 of Revenge

My blood turned to ice. Without the ability to administer exams, everyone from Mercia Academy would have to make a pilgrimage to a local school to sit their A-Levels and GCSEs. That had to be disruptive, and might affect students’ grades.

I’d thought a few people would be publicly shamed from the exposure, but the fifth and upper-sixth years who were due to take their exams in the summer would be at risk. This wouldn’t affect Rita yet, as we were all in the lower-sixth, but she’d probably worry about her friend from Hawthorn House. My mouth went dry, and I gulped down a glass of orange juice.

“Can’t the Board of Directors put them right?” asked Henry.

Edward gave his head a minute shake. “At the rate things are going, if there’s one more scandal, people will start withdrawing their children from the academy.”

I stared down at my plate and swallowed the guilt writhing up my gullet. Before the end of term, Jackie would publish a scandal that would make the others seem like the mildest of misdemeanors.

Chapter 19

With a weary sigh, Edward rose from his seat. His shoulders hung several inches lower than usual, and he seemed shorter with his slumped posture. “The matter was out of my hands. Excuse me while I catch up on my sleep.”

My stomach churned with a mixture of confusion and guilt and worry. I had only meant to embarrass Edward. To repay the pain and humiliation of leaving Mercia Academy beaten, broken and in disgrace. But I’d gone too far. Set into motion a national scandal that would hurt more than just Edward. Now, every student at the academy might suffer, and Edward would blame himself.

“I’ll come with you.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. “No one should be alone at a time like this.”

He gave me a half-smile. “I’d appreciate the company.”

We walked side-by-side out of the dining room, through the hallway laden with the disapproving stares of alumni and Mercia ancestors hanging on the wall. We ascended the stairs in silence, the tread of wood under our footsteps creaking in time with the thud of my heart. If I had any sense, I would leave Mercia Academy now. There was no more information left to gather. Jackie and the others could complete their exposés without my help.

If I was honest with myself, I’d become a little too attached to the boys. Even when they made me angry, I still needed their presence. They’d burrowed into my heart like a trio of persistent maggots and now wouldn’t leave. A tiny part of me also wanted to help Edward weather the upcoming shit storm, but it was ridiculous, since I’d been its cause.

Edward’s bedroom was much like the one I shared with Rita, except there was a wooden-framed double bed instead of a single. The fire in the grate had reduced itself to embers, and a chill hung in the air.

“I’d better stoke that before it burns out.” I rushed to the wood bucket, adding kindling to the fire with trembling hands. A month ago, I might have delighted in his misery. Mere days ago, I had rejoiced in having that last piece of information to bury Edward and Mr. Chaloner, but now, all I could think about was Edward’s pain. And it was all because of me. The kindling caught fire, and I added some more logs. Moments later, large flames curled around them, and I stood.

“Thank you.” Edward wrapped his arms around me from behind, filling my senses with his camphor wood scent.

He felt warm and comforting and so right at my back that my eyes fluttered shut, and I exhaled a long, shuddering breath. “What for?”

“I’m not sure how I might have survived this without your presence.” His breath puffed against my neck, sending pleasant tingles down my spine. “These past few years have been an ordeal, but things have gotten worse, recently. Without you, I might have fallen apart.”

His words were a knife through the heart. If he knew I’d set up his troubles and had stuck around to see him suffer, he’d revert back into the Edward I had met at the start of last term. I turned around, rested my head on his shoulder, and hugged back. Edward rubbed circles between my shoulder blades, as though I was the one who needed soothing.

“Edward…” I drew back, mind going blank. It wasn’t like I would tell him I was the cause of his troubles, but I didn’t deserve such high praise.

His eyes were as blue as the ocean reflecting storm clouds. Indigo around the edges with starbursts of pale light. “You’re the only girl in Elder House who hasn’t wanted something from me apart from friendship.”

The intensity of his stare weighed my stomach with guilt, and I lowered my lashes. Unlike the other girls, I hadn’t been interested in becoming the Duchess of Mercia — because I’d wanted to bury Edward for what he had done to me and leave him in ruins. Now that I was on my way to getting what I wanted, victory over such a broken soul felt hollow. “Let’s go to bed.”

“I’ll be a gentleman,” he said.

I smoothed my hands down the front of his blazer and gave him a peck on the lips. “You always are.”

Edward kissed back, a slow brush of his lips against mine. It was warm, soft, unhurried, as though he wanted to savor this moment. He held me by the waist, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing us closer.

His hands slid to my front, skimming the opening of my blazer. “May I?”

“Only if you let me take off yours.” I slipped his buttons through their holes, reveling in the slow reveal of Edward’s body.

I slid my hands under the fabric of his blazer, brushing over the hot skin of his neck and eliciting a groan. Once I had eased it off his shoulders and let it fall to the rug, I worked on the buttons of his shirt, pressing my lips on each new glimpse of alabaster skin stretched over taut muscles.

“Emilia, I want to see you.” With deft fingers and the lightest of touches, Edward unbuttoned my shirt.

I let my arms fall to the side and stared into his eyes. Heat blazed within their blue depths, and his fingers shook as he pushed my shirt and blazer off my shoulders, revealing my cream, silk bra. “You’re even more beautiful than I imagined.”

My lips quirked into a smile. “I could say the same for you.”