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“One year in which you must prove yourself worthy of being the Mistress of Harrow,” Iris continued, as if she hadn’t heard. “If you make it through the year, you will undergo a ceremony called the Investiture. Only then will we learn if Harrow accepts you.”
“If thehouseaccepts me?” I asked. “You realize that sounds...”
Iris’s eyes blazed. “It has been this way since Nicholas Vaughan built Harrow. The traditions have always been followed, and now is not the time to break them,” she said.
Caleb looked frustrated. “We didn’t even know about the new will until a few days ago. I know it’s ridiculous. It’s a relic of a different time. One that needs to be left behind.” He grimaced at me. “But... that’s a discussion for tomorrow.”
I felt dizzy. Wealth beyond anything I could have hoped for in my lifetime, the ability to buy any kind of comfort my mom and Simon might want—but to stay in this place?
If something had happened here, I didn’t remember it—oranythingabout the house, which was strange in itself. I was seven when I left. Old enough that I should have recalledsomething. But I only had the dreams.
“What if I refuse?” I asked falteringly.
Iris’s mouth got small and hard. “My portion of the inheritance is protected. However, the rest of the terms are contingent on you. If you refuse, it all goes away. The house is sold. The remainder of the estate is distributed among any number of worthy and unworthy causes. You, your aunts, your uncles, your cousins, your mother—all receive nothing.”
Mom shook her head. “You can’t put this on her.”
“I didn’t,” Iris said. “Your father’s decisions are what led us here.”
“Please,” Caleb said. He stepped toward me and took my hands, holding them gently, and looked into my eyes. “I know this is strange and overwhelming. My father was a deeply flawed man. But this house has been in our family for nearly two hundred years. Please don’t let this take Harrow from us.”
I could barely breathe. The walls seemed to seethe closer every time I inhaled. I yanked my hands free of his. “I—I can’t—” I said.
Mom grabbed my hand. “We’re leaving,” she snarled. She strode out, dragging me with her. Her face was pale with fury. “I am not letting them—I am not lettinghimdrag you into this. That bastard. That rotten-hearted scum-sucking bastard.”
She marched us through the foyer. Where was everyone? The whole house seemed empty, our footsteps echoing loudly. We reached the front door and stepped out into the gray light, and the openness made me stumble. Mom turned to me and pulled me into a tight embrace.
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” I whispered.
“This is what they do, Helen. They’ll do anything to control you. And you can’t let them.” She brushed her thumb across my cheek, and I realized that, at some point, I’d started crying.
The car was already waiting out front, Simon standing beside it. “I had them pull it around,” he said. “Thought you might need a quick getaway.”
“Oh god, how do you always know exactly the right thing to do?” Mom said. She got into the driver’s seat, and I had just opened the back door when I heard Caleb calling.
“Helen. Your bag,” he said. He was holding the backpack I’d somehow left behind.
“Thanks,” I said automatically as he trotted over to me. I folded my arms over the bag.
“Helen—I’m sorry,” he said. “That wasn’t the way I meant things to go. I want you to know—whatever you decide, you belong at Harrow.” His voice was kind and sincere, and in his eyes, I saw nothing but hope.
“It was nice to meet you,” I said. “Goodbye, Uncle Caleb.”
I fled.
4
MOM DROVE SLOWLYdown the lane as deepening shadows dappled the road. I watched the light play across the car window, trailing my fingertip down the cold glass.
“Why don’t we ever talk to them?” I asked as car tires crunched on gravel. “Caleb and Victoria and the rest. I’ve never even met them before.”
“Leaving Harrow and leaving the family was the same thing, as far as my father was concerned,” Mom said. “He made that clear, and I took it to heart. They felt like I’d abandoned them, and I felt like they’d abandoned me. I guess none of us was ready to be the first to forgive and reach out.”
“Mom. The reason we left. Do you think...” My voice broke. “Was it something that happened to me, or was it something that I did? Was it like...”
She looked back at me sharply. “No. It wasn’t like what happened at school.”
“How can you be sure?” I asked miserably.
