Page 26 of Revenge

Patricia’s nostrils flared, and she pulled back her shoulders and stuck out her chest. I rolled my eyes. No matter how much she adjusted her posture, she would never have half of Charlotte’s assets. I was about to tell her as much, but she bared her teeth. “I was talking about you, whore.”

Edward sighed. “Must you make a scene?”

“Glass houses and all that,” added Henry.

I rubbed my temples. “Can you stop the name-calling? It’s tiresome and hypocritical.”

Charlotte reared back. “Who are you calling a hypocrite?”

“You, mostly.” I stood and let my voice carry, so everyone behind us in the common room could hear. I didn’t give a damn about these idiots, their marshmallows, or their petty jibes. My target here was Blake, and I needed to word things correctly to prompt him into giving his infamous boast. “Henry is the heir to the Bourneville fortune, and you’ve tried every trick at your disposal to get at him.”

“That’s not true,” she spat.

“Even I’ve noticed it,” drawled Henry.

Charlotte’s face turned purple. “What about you?”

“I’m not the one chasing after riches. Not like your little friend whose name I can’t remember.”

“It’s Patricia. Patricia Darnley.”

“Thank you, Darling.” The boys snickered at that. “You’re so desperate for Edward and his Duchy of Mercia wealth, you’re prepared to fight your best friend over him. What kind of girl does that?”

“A gold digger!” shouted someone from deep within the common room.

“Out of the mouth of babes.” I sat and held my breath, hoping Blake would take the bait.

“And there’s me, of course,” Blake drawled. “If anything happens to the Prince of Wales, my stepfather will become the King of England and make me a prince.”

“Not this again,” Henry muttered under his breath.

A tingle of excitement ran through my insides. Blake had fallen into my trap. Now, all I needed to do was give him the gentlest of prompts. “What’s that?”

Blake sat straighter in his seat, chocolate eyes shining. “It’s obvious, really. Her Majesty doesn’t have long for this world, and the next in line is always going overseas and sticking his neck out for all sorts of international causes. With the rise of terrorism, something might happen to him and voila!” He stood, stretching his arms wide. “My stepfather gets the throne, and I’ll be Prince Blake.”

“Sit down, you twat,” said Henry. “It’s just a title.”

Edward chuckled, blue eyes dancing with amusement.

Blake shook his head. “My stepfather says it won’t be. I’ll join the civil list and get my own wing in one of the palaces. If I endure a few charity events each year, I’ll be set. An entire life of luxury funded by the taxpayer.”

I rubbed my chin. This was excellent. I had one more question that if answered right would get him into a world of trouble. “Your stepfather, the prince, told you this?”

“Of course.” Blake rocked back on his heels. “He’s seen the writing on the wall, and he’s told me more than once that he’ll become the King of England.”

“That explains why the gold diggers want you.” I turned to Wendy. “Have you been setting your heart on becoming a princess?”

She curled her lip. “Oh, fuck off, you pathetic whore.”

Triumph flared through my insides. Blake had said enough to hang himself. I took note of the time on the mantle to tell Jackie where to find the clip and fluttered my eyelashes at Wendy. “Did I hit a nerve?”

Charlotte grabbed the bag of marshmallows and threw their contents at me before storming out of the room with her doppelgängers.

“If that’s your way of having the last word, I’ll debate with you any time!” Snickers filled the common room, and I picked off a marshmallow and stuck it in my mouth. “I should have asked her for a prong. These are much better toasted.”

* * *

Days later, I sat at the head table between Edward and Henry, staring at the next article of the Saturday Correspondent on Henry’s smartphone. A photo of Blake sitting on the sofa in front of the fire, smoking a joint, featured prominently on the page. Charlotte’s head was at his crotch, but her face was obscured. I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek to hide my reaction. Blake had to be in serious trouble.