Page 45 of The Price of Protection

“It is. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it,” Willow said.

Maxine lowered her gaze. Another group of dressed-up kids approached, these more exuberant, playful-looking. Willow laughed as Maxine gave out the candy, smiling wider.

This, Willow, reminded herself, was her little sister. She’d always longed for a little sister.

When this batch of kids left, Maxine turned and sat on the porch swing again. It creaked beneath them. Willow recognized that Rose was taking longer than she’d thought; maybe she was trying to force her daughters to open up to one another.

“Do you, like, have a boyfriend?” Maxine asked.

Willow laughed. “No.”

“Why not?” Maxine looked disappointed, as though she’d assumed all twenty-somethings had partners.

Willow considered this. “I went to college to study music. While I was there, I guess I had a few flirtations with some of the guys. But I was so focused on music. I wanted desperately to make it work. I wanted to perform. But when the time came to audition for a conservatory, I made a mistake.” Willow could still hear that rogue note, ringing out in the performance hall. Because she’d been very nearly a professional, she’d kept going, pretending that the missed note hadn’t happened. But she’d known, just as soon as she’d struck it, that she wasn’t going to be selected for the position. You had to be perfect every step of the way. And she hadn’t been.

“Did you regret not dating? When you didn’t get the conservatory?” Maxine asked.

“No,” Willow said. “I was too busy after that. My mother was diagnosed with dementia, and I poured all my remaining time and energy into making her as comfortable as I could.”

Maxine looked confused and disheartened, as though she hadn’t expected the future to be so glum. Willow searched her mind for something comforting. Something that would invigorate Maxine.

“You know, I did go out with someone recently,” Willow said. She was, of course, referring to her non-date with Harry Orlett, who’d called himself Andy and told her a made-up story of his life.

Maxine perked up. “Did you like him?”

“Not really,” Willow said, laughing. “But it reminded me that it might be good for me. Getting out there. Talking about myself. I’ve felt so closed-off for too long.”

Rose came out after that, her face stricken. Willow’s stomach dropped. “What happened?”

“Eleanor Pike is coming over tonight,” Rose said, linking her fingers together. “She wants to talk.”

Although Maxine didn’t know everything about Eleanor’s involvement in Rose and Maxine’s story, her face went pale. Willow sensed that no matter how old you were, if you were raised on Nantucket Island, you understood the Legacy Club's power. It was inescapable.

It wasn’t until trick-or-treating was done for the day and Maxine was in her room, talking to her friend Minnie on the phone, that Eleanor Pike, Clarice Charmont, and Rosamund Werther came to the house. Willow and Rose were in the kitchen, quiet and watchful, as the older women filled the rest of the space, glowering at them. Willow thought it was incredible that these women had known of her birth—the fact of her existence and who her father was—for the entirety of her life, since conception. What else did they know? They were the keeper of secrets.

Eleanor Pike spoke first.

“Willow,” she said. “We want to apologize to you. We were meant to protect you. We were meant to keep you safe. Your involvement with Harry Orlett never should have occurred.”

Willow wanted to brush it off; she wanted to say it was all right. But the truth was, going out with Harry had rattled her. “Thank you,” she breathed, then looked down at her hands.

“We wanted to be the ones to tell you that Harry Orlett is no longer residing on the island,” Eleanor said. “He’s been dealt with.”

Willow hated how sinister it sounded. Did this mean they’d killed him? Was there an end to their power?

“What did you do?” Rose asked.

Eleanor sniffed. “Everyone has secrets. His were more difficult to find, but we eventually uncovered them, as we always do. With those, we were able to pull a few strings.”

Rose and Willow exchanged a furtive glance. Willow couldn’t read her.

“And finally, we want to tell you that the files relating to Willow’s adoption have been fixed,” Eleanor said. “Rose Calder, you have been listed as the official biological mother of Willow. And the biological father’s name has been scrubbed from all forms. Therefore, in the future, it will be impossible to prove that Nathaniel Hawkins has anything to do with either of you. This protects not only his future political aspirations, but your safety as well.”

Rose raised her chin. “Why was his name listed, anyway? And how did people like Harry Orlett know I was the biological mother?”

Eleanor’s lips curled back. Willow sensed that she wasn’t accustomed to being questioned like this. Normally, Eleanor Pike had full control.

“We weren’t entirely safe in our ranks at the Legacy Club, it seems,” Eleanor said. “One of our long-standing members… well. Harry reached her first. She refused to speak to the press, but she exchanged Rose’s name for a good chunk of cash and got off the island.”