“How do you suppose he found out?”
Pixel made a face. “Come on, Ceci, we both know how he did.”
Sir Stick Up His Ass.
It had to be.
Aunt Delilah came walking up.
Pixel whispered in Ceci’s ear. “Have you told her Clarke is the Man in the Iron Mask?”
“No. No point in doing so now.”
Her aunt’s eyes lit up seeing the scarf.
“And here I thought you didn’t wear scarves.”
Aunt Delilah fingered the delicate material and cast a sly glance at her niece.
“And so, we win the trophy but not the prize. Our hero still eludes us.”
Clarke
Clarke’s father and brothers were about to head over to the Paddock Club.
His father gave him one final hug. “Just focus on the road ahead of you. Forget the rest of it. See you after the race, up there on the podium in first place!”
Watching his father walk away, Clarke sighed.
“Give him a break,” said Athos, “he can’t help himself.”
“I know.” He looked at each of his brothers in turn. “Any words of wisdom?”
Porthos placed his heavy mitts on both of Clarke’s shoulders. “The plan is not wanting in grandeur;I see but one impediment … impossibility.”
Clarke shook his head. “Well, that was hardly helpful. Or encouraging.”
Aramis stepped forward. “Porthos is like me.He prefers…enterprises that are considered mad and impossible.”
“I meant race-wise, strategy-wise,” Clarke said.
It was Athos’s turn now. “You asked for wisdom.When you are in doubt as to which you should serve, forsake the material appearance for the invisible principle, for this is everything.”
Clarke sighed.Leave it to my brothers to quote Alexandre Dumas at such a moment.
Once Aramis and Porthos were gone, Athos turned to Clarke.
“It seems like you got over what happened on that mountain. But now I’m worried, you’re doing the same thing with what happened to Anker. Your performance has been subpar ever since. Yes, it was a stupid move you made with Tilney, but Anker was pressing—he wanted to pass you guys, he went for too much, and he put himself in a position where his reaction time was a fraction behind what it should have been. I’m just hoping you learned something from being with Ceci, even if you guys are no longer together.”
“Ceci?”
“Yeah, Ceci. Let loose a little, let go of that vise grip you’ve had on yourself since Aspen. Just try not to take on what doesn’t belong to you. You have a tendency to make yourself responsible for other people’s actions. When you do that, you hijack them. You take over their life and make it your own. It should be their story to tell, not yours.”
Do I really do that?
“I know you feel bad and you care about Niles and Naomi, and I love you for that. Hell, you even care about Anker. But you take on guilt in a way that makes others feel guilty.”
“I do?”
