They both stood up, her arm linked in his. Rockwell wore a suit; she was in a violet dress. The sense of meeting royalty came over me again, and I wondered if I should curtsy.
“Hello,” I said. “Very pleased to meet you.”
“Pleased to meet you, dear.” Celeste Mercer was beautiful, with blond hair, green eyes, and diamonds glittering on her ears and fingers. But it was immediately clear she was not a trophy wife. Aside from having her own career, it was obvious these two were partners. Equal in all things, and I remembered that Orion had told me she’d been with him since the beginning.
“I trust you had a pleasant flight, young lady?” Rockwell intoned. He was large, big around the middle, with an intimidating bearing. A mountain of a man because he’dbuilta mountain out of nothing with his bare hands and expected every ounce of respect and deference he’d earned while amassing his vast fortune.
“Yes, sir,” I said. “Thank you.”
I felt them both watching me, sizing me up. Not cold or cruel, only practical. Controlled. There was a slight hum of tension in the air, everyone wearing pleasant smiles, and I got the impression that the worst thing I could do in this house was start screaming at the top of my lungs or maybe burst into tears.
After some pleasantries, a different servant appeared to show me to my room so I could rest before dinner. Orion came with me andloosened up the moment I closed the door to my huge suite, which was complete with private bathroom and a balcony that overlooked the grounds.
“My room is just next door,” Orion said, taking me by the waist and waggling his brows. “Just FYI.”
“I can’t imagine anything worse than your parents catching us having sex.”
“They wouldn’t dream of coming up here in a million years.”
“Why not?”
“Because the very last thingthey’dwant to do is catch us having sex. The scandal!”
I pulled away from Orion to sit on the four-poster bed. “They’re intimidating as hell, but nice. Even if they both scare me shitless, I can tell they’re good people.”
Orion grinned. “Sounds exactly right.”
“Odin seems fun. Can’t get a read on Octavian.”
“Neither can I,” Orion said. “Not anymore. He’s changed. The monochromatic color scheme is new. Maybe there’s a goth craze sweeping Cambridge.”
I glanced at Orion sideways. “So, you’re going to tell them tonight, right? At dinner, about your dyslexia? And the spring concert?”
He stiffened. “I will.”
He sounded as if I’d asked if he wanted to get dental surgery followed by a colonoscopy. I reached for him and pulled him so that he stood between my knees. “Is it hard to talk to them about this stuff?”
“It’s hard to talk to them about anything.”
I gave his hands a squeeze. “I’m here for you.”
“I know.” He bent and gave me a kiss. “That’s the best part.”
***
Orion’s confidence vanished again as soon as we stepped outside of the room and headed down to dinner. I learned there were threedining rooms: a formal dining room that could hold over a hundred people, a smaller dining room for half the number of people, and the “family” dining room for tonight. It was smaller—slightly bigger than my entire house—with high ceilings and cool air despite the fireplace burning in one wall.
A team of servants served a seven-course meal. Rockwell and Celeste hadn’t seen their sons in months, all of the boys being at their respective schools, but the conversation remained light, jumping along from topic to topic on the surface like a skipped rock. I waited for Orion to tell them about his diagnosis, or more importantly, hismisdiagnosis. How he’d been suffering in silence for so long, struggling and working so hard to keep up, and how brilliant he was. Ineededthem to come listen to him play at the spring concert. Maybe they’d all finally understand—Orion included—what was at stake.
But course after course was served, and he said nothing. Finally, as dessert plates were being cleared away, Orion shifted in his seat, looking like he was facing a firing squad.
“Mum, Father, there’s something I need to tell you,” he said stiffly.
Celeste lifted her a glass of red wine. “What is it, darling?”
“Father probably told you, but I’ve been struggling academically.”
The tension in the room tightened.
