“Oh, Iris,” she said sympathetically, grabbing the circle where it had landed in the dirt. “We will fix it, I…”
She trailed off as she realized what she held. It had not been a solid medallion at all. On the back, the part that had always been pressed against Iris’ skin, there was a tiny line—one that had been closed too tightly to see before but which Letitia now recognized clearly.
It was a door. The medallion wasn’t a medallion. It was alocket.
Letty’s pulse raced as she wedged a fingernail in the crack, terrified that she would find something she did not want to know. When the minuscule hinge popped open, a small piece of folded paper was inside.
My darling Iris, the note inside said when Letty unfolded it.
If you are reading this, then I am no longer with you. I am sorry for that. You are the most wonderful thing in my life, and knowing you was the greatest blessing. If you ever find yourself feeling alone in this world, you are to seek out the Lightholders—the family of my mother, your grandmother, Peace. They will not know about you; they did not know about me. My mother’s husband was not a good man, and when she came to love another, and I was the result, she hid away so I could be born undetected. I know that all sounds very strange, as though they are not people that you would want to meet. But Mama always spoke proudly of her lineage—your lineage, too. Go to them; show them this medallion. They will know that you are theirs, and they yours, and you will never be alone again.
My love will also always be with you forever,
Your mother,
Artemis Lightholder Johns
“What does it say?” Iris asked, peeking curiously at the paper.
Letitia folded it carefully. She would keep the details for later, when Iris was older and needed to know them. For now, only one part was important.
“It says that your mama loves you. And that Ezra is really your uncle,” she said, throat thick.
Iris made a disgruntled sound. “Well, I knowthat,” she said, clearly unimpressed. “Can you fix my necklace while I play some more, Miss Knightley?”
And off she scampered without waiting for an answer, Hermes following as faithfully as ever.
Letty carefully folded the letter and took it along with the medallion as she went to find Ezra. She had not spoken to him much since they had returned to London because... well, because she had been avoiding him, as cowardly as that sounded. But she was terrified to go out alone again after the last time, and she didn’t want to discuss how utterly unnecessary she was to the household.
But this could not wait.
She found him in his study, staring at his estate account books as if he wanted to hurl the entire thing into the fire. As soon as he saw her, he pushed the tome aside and stood with a smile.
“Letty,” he said, and her heart raced even faster at the sound of her name in his mouth. “You are here. I have been meaning to talk to you.”
She shook her head. “I have to tell you something first,” she blurted, then shoved the letter at him before she could lose her nerve.
His slightly puzzled look faded into curiosity, then into awe as he took in the now-open medallion and the letter. As he read, his face went very, very still.
“I am sorry,” she said when she saw him fold the letter again, clearly finished reading. “I know you had a… difficult relationship with your mother, and now you find out that she lied to you, as well.”
Ezra wore an inscrutable look as he took the letter and locked it in a drawer in his desk.
“I will keep it for Iris,” he muttered, half to himself. “She will want it, someday.” When he looked up at Letty, though, he was smiling. It was a small, sad smile, but a smile nonetheless.
“It’s all right,” he said. “I have learned recently that I have misunderstood my mother. I have misunderstood both my parents, really.” He drew in a deep breath. “My father was the one who set the fire that killed my uncles.”
She knew her face had to be a mask of shock. “He… did? Why?”
“Jealousy,” Ezra said simply. “There’s more complexity to it, but it’s as simple as that. They were more powerful and rich than he was, and it made him so angry that he concocted a plan that killed them all. I always thought that my mother was snobbish for not wanting to spend her time with the ‘lowly duke.’” His words bore a twist of irony. “But who can blame her for wanting to spend time away from a man who felt that his own woundedpride was a good enough reason to set fire to a housefull of children?”
Letty reached out to grasp his hand before she could think better of it. He held on tight, though, stopping her from pulling away.
“That’s very understanding,” she said, aching to give him comfort. “But I am sure you must be feeling… Oh goodness, I can’t even imagine what you must be feeling.”
He tilted his head to the side briefly, as if he was trying to figure that out himself. Then, he looked at her with a crooked smile.
“You know,” he said, “I think I am… relieved.”
