Page 49 of Revenge

Nadia shook her head. “He does not come in every day.”

I rubbed my chin, trying not to salivate. “Let me take a photo of these, and I can look on the internet and give you a list of books that can give you the answers.”

“You would do that?”

I nodded. “Would you like me to order them on the internet for you? I can have them delivered to International House.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “Thank you, Emilia!”

I swallowed hard. If the Correspondent published evidence of the headmaster basing a curriculum on public exam papers, it would be damning. But if I could get Edward’s file, and have Jackie link this scandal to prove that he was also accepting candidates linked to organized crime, I would bury the headmaster along with Edward.

Chapter 16

The following Saturday morning, I sat between Henry and Edward, my gaze glued to my smartphone. A detailed article in the Correspondent revealed how Charlotte’s father had falsely claimed expenses to bolster his ministerial salary. Mr. Underwood had gotten the government to pay for a luxury apartment he rented through an agency, but a quick search through the land registry showed that Mr. Underwood already owned it outright.

He also listed Charlotte as his secretary, earning a salary of twelve-thousand pounds a year, even though Charlotte was in full-time education. At the bottom of the article were links to reports on Charlotte’s brother, the gambling addict, including a gallery of photos depicting the young man living the high life at various London casinos.

Chatter filled the air, and a small crowd gathered around Duncan’s table to read a paper copy of the article over his shoulder.

Alice rushed into the room, cheeks bright. “She’s walking down the stairs!”

A hush fell over the entire dining room, and my heart thrummed a steady beat. How would these vultures treat one of their own whose family had been disgraced? Memories of that terrible gauntlet rolled to the front of my mind, of fists raining down on my cowed body and the weight of the crowd crushing me to the ground. A tight band formed around my chest and throat, making my breaths shallow. Sweat gathered on my brow, and I closed my eyes, trying to force air in and out of my lungs. It was just a memory. It couldn’t hurt me now.

“Emilia.” Edward placed his fingertips on my arm. “Are you alright?”

“Just a cramp… It’s nothing.” I placed my hand on my stomach and grimaced.

Charlotte stepped through the wooden doors, flanked by Wendy and Patricia. She wore an ivory v-neck sweater that accentuated her figure and a skirt too short for her muscular thighs. Her steps faltered, and her gaze darted around her new audience. She creased her brow. “What’s wrong?”

Those who weren’t filming Charlotte turned to the head table. Edward, whose skin had turned as pale as milk, pretended to be too engrossed in his smartphone to notice. He was probably thinking about the scandal on his own doorstep. Blake glanced away. Whether it was because he had also been the victim of the newspaper, or because of his strange relationship with Charlotte, I wasn’t sure.

Henry stood. “The Saturday Correspondent is making some damning accusations against your father.”

Her eyes bulged. “They’re not true.”

Duncan, the boy with the thick glasses, scurried over to her with his physical copy of the paper, opened at the center spread. I could only guess this was where the reporter had published copies of the expense claim alongside evidence from the Land Registry that Charlotte’s father had been claiming rents for an apartment he already owned and rented out to someone else.

Charlotte’s bottom lip trembled as her eyes scanned its contents. Then she shook her head. “No… That’s libel.”

“Which part?” drawled Duncan.

“All of it!” She shoved the paper away, making Duncan stagger back into the nearest table. “And I’m not receiving any kind of salary.”

Duncan folded up his copy of the Correspondent. “I’m sure the press will demand answers from your father on Monday. If you’re part of the scam, you might also face criminal charges.”

“She lied about her brother being an advisor to the Saudi Royal family,” said Alice from Duncan’s table.

Charlotte’s eyes bulged, and her chest heaved up and down as though she was trying not to faint. “T-they’ll clear him. He’s done nothing wrong!”

“Let’s hope so,” said Henry. “Every single politician caught fiddling expenses has been imprisoned for false accounting.”

For a moment, she froze, her eyes glassy. I thought I would enjoy seeing her suffer, but a well of pity opened up in my heart. Maybe it related to my younger years, when Dad had relapsed and ended up in the papers. Back then, the mean girls at school had acted as though I’d been the one to have taken drugs.

It was hard to watch someone ostracized for something they didn’t do. Even if it was Charlotte. That didn’t mean I forgave her or wanted to rush to her defense. Instead, I observed her the way a scientist watched an experiment for a chemical reaction. All I needed was a clipboard.

Charlotte tossed her head. “Don’t you people have better things to do than read such low-brow publications? Come, Wendy and Patricia, I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.”

The other two girls snubbed her, walking to their usual table and leaving Charlotte standing by the doorway, opening and closing her mouth like a trout left out of water to flounder.