The first course arrives before I can answer. Delicate slices of citrus-cured fish are arranged over shaved fennel and fresh herbs, each plate more art than a meal.
“Yes,” I say, picking up my salad fork. “She raised me.”
His smile thins. “How is dear Mabel?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from her in a while.”
Beside me, E’s hand settles on my thigh beneath the table. His fingers tighten briefly, grounding me. Comforting me. He’s figured out the stakes of this conversation, even if he doesn't know every detail.
“Why did you come to Faerie? Why did my soldiers find you with those rebels?”
I rest my hand over E’s.
“We thought your son was a ghost,” I admit, and my cheeks burn. “I-I wanted to bring him back to life.”
Iris huffs into her wine. “But he’s not dead.”
My gaze drops shamefully to my lap. “Well, I know thatnow.”
When I dare glance up again, Ethan is studying me with an expression I can't quite decipher, and heat creeps farther up my neck.
E’s fingers lace through mine beneath the table.
“You two found each other against all odds,” Ethan says softly, his attention shifting to his son. “Tell me everything you remember.”
The rest of the first course passes, discussing E's disappearance, his years as a “ghost,” and the mystery surrounding the ailment that made him not only invisible but incorporeal.
By the time the servants clear our plates and bring the main course—a roasted piece of red meat glazed with honey and herbs, accompanied by buttered vegetables and golden potatoes—the conversation has narrowed entirely onto him.
Ethan leans back in his chair. “You were cursed. That’s the only explanation.”
“Cursed?” E repeats.
“To slowly disappear like this, you’d need more than an enchantment or a spell.” Ethan swirls his wine thoughtfully, and a hard look settles over his face. “Someone definitely wanted you out of sight and out of mind. Must have been Willow.”
I don’t like the way he says her name, like it’s his favorite curse word.
Ethan rests his utensils and turns to Iris. “Iris, darling, I wonder if you could leave us. I have something private to discuss with Maxine and my son.”
Iris bares her teeth in a smile that contains no warmth whatsoever. “Of course.”
She rises with the grace of a court lady, though her narrowed eyes make it clear she isn't pleased to be dismissed.
Ethan waits until she's gone before motioning to a servant for a refill.
The servant steps forward immediately, pouring dark red wine into his crystal goblet. Ethan murmurs something in his ear. The man nods, then exchanges a quick glance with the other servants.
One by one, they file out of the dining room.
Only once the door closes behind them does Ethan speak again.
He takes a casual bite of meat. “My son is invisible, Miss Lorntre, but he’s not a ghost. If you came here hoping to save him from his end, I’m pleased to tell you that you already have. But as long as his soul remains linked to the likes of Willow Summers, it will forever be bound to darkness.”
Miss Lorntre…
“You— You know my true name?”
Ethan grins boyishly, and I'd find it charming if I didn't know the truth. “There wasn’t a secret your mother could keep from me for long.”
