“Elise.”
Her cousin, his bride-to-be—the woman who stood between him and Remi. But he wouldn’t hurt her, would he? She thought of Leith and his relationship with her. Hugo had been at the wake; if he had spied them together, he might have suspected something. Anyone would have. And there was Edgar, who’d died one month after marrying her. Remi gripped the letter, shaking from head to toe.
“I was wrong,” she said, thinking of her cousin’s face. “I should have told her, I should have warned her.”
Of course, Hugo wouldn’t hurt Elise. He wanted Remi.
But love—in any of its many faces—could drive people mad.
THE TRUTH
BEN
Remi’s visit had been too short, leaving him longing.
In the hours that had passed, Ben had thought of countless things he’d wanted to say, all of them involving how sorry he was. He wanted to tell her why he kept the bodies a secret, why he’d chosen to keep her in the dark—why he sabotaged what little good he did have within him. He’d become his father, keeping secrets from the people he loved most. Seeing her anguish over the last few days had broken something inside of him, shifting fundamental knowledge in his mind so that it could be rebuilt.
He wanted to be better, somehow.
And if she managed to save him, his life was hers. He meant it, too. She could have it all, every jagged part of him for her to reshape and remake to fit alongside her.
I only have to live, he thought to himself miserably.
“Apparently, you’ve had a visitor.”
Ben’s eyes dried. He hadn’t heard anyone approaching, let alone realized the hall outside his cell wasn’t as empty as he’d thought.
“Have I interrupted you?”
Arnaud Cuvilyé curled a hand around the cool bar of the damp cell. He was the last person Ben expected to see and one of the few visitors he could have done without.
“Why are you here?” Ben sneered.
“To make sure you are blamed for all of this.”
Ben blinked, unsure he was hearing correctly. Then it dawned on him. “You’re covering for Hugo.”
“Hugo?” Arnaud’s eyes widened. “Do you have proof?”
“He’s been sending Remi cryptic love letters.”
Arnaud threw back his head and laughed.
Stunned by his reaction, Ben recoiled at the sound. It was wild, belligerent, and full.
“Hugo has been an unexpected complication, but none of this is his doing,” Arnaud said. “He’s too blinded by his obsession with my niece to be of any help.”
Ben felt the air leave his lungs as if he’d been punched in the gut. “It’s you.”
“All of the pieces have fallen into place and I’ll make sure they stay that way,” Arnaud continued as if Ben hadn’t even spoken. “After the hand I’ve been dealt, and after so much miserable luck—I’m finally winning.”
Ben bared his teeth. “Were you the one who murdered my father?”
“Of course.”
Rage shot through Ben’s veins, boiling under the surface of his skin, chasing away the cell’s chill. “And Lamotte? That was you, too?”
Arnaud smiled. “Will you ask about Sylvie next?”
Ben shot his hands through the bars.
Arnaud stepped out of reach, unaffected. “Don’t worry. She’s alive for the moment. I’ve incapacitated her.”
“Do you plan to kill her as well?”
“Of course.” Arnaud did not hesitate. “She’s just another loose end. One I should have snipped clean weeks ago.”
Grief and rage overwhelmed Ben. He felt helpless, trapped in his cell. He couldn’t be of any help to Remi, and not a single soul was around to hear Arnaud’s confession. They’d been wrong earlier. Hugo might have been sending letters, deranged as he was, but he wasn’t the source of their troubles—Remi’s uncle was.
“Leith was an unfortunate loss,” Arnaud added with an air of relief. “Wrong place, wrong time, I’m afraid. I don’t know how much of our conversation he heard, but it was more than enough to make him a liability. A shame, too. My wife was fond of him.”
“It broke Remi’s heart.”
“You’ll hang for my crimes.” Arnaud leaned casually against the bars again. “If it eases your mind any, I have something delicious planned for my niece. If all goes accordingly, that is.”
“Why are you doing this?” Ben tensed his fists at his sides.
“Because I want what’s owed to me.” Arnaud leveled his gaze with Ben’s. Without an ounce of feeling, he spoke. “Because your sister made promises, and your father was a fool for robbing me. Your family is indebted to me, and I plan to take everything I am owed.”
