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His smile faded. “I . . . I can’t go with you. I wish I could, but there’s just no way.”
The confidence that had built up inside me began to unravel.
“But don’t you see how important this is? If you don’t come, think how many people will die. They depend on you.Idepend on you!”
He pushed his fingers through his hair, then buried his face in his hands. “My father also depends on me, and if I leave”—he dropped his hands and shook his head—“I’d never forgive myself if the last thing he knew of me was that I’d deserted Cambria. It would only confirm his doubts.”
I couldn’t bring myself to argue. This was a subject I knew all too well. I could never let my father down, especially if he were dying. I sank into a chair across from Graham. “I’m sorry about your father.”
Three fast knocks sounded at the door.
We both jumped to our feet.
“Hide,” he whispered, but I was already on my way.
The knocking came again, louder. I grabbed my things and ducked into the closet, hardly daring to breathe.
Graham closed the door softly behind me.
“Open the door. It’s time to start speaking to me again!” Maeve Brennin’s commanding voice was hardly muffled, even with two heavy doors between us.
ChapterTwenty-One
I heardthe spring of the knob, high-heeled shoes clicking across the wood floor, and the door slamming.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” said Maeve.
“Hello, Mother,” said Graham in a monotone.
“Is that the tone with which you should greet the queen?” Her voice dripped with condescending sweetness.
He mumbled an apology.
“I hear you disappeared for a few hours today, abandoning your responsibilities at home.” Maeve’s tone lost its honey all at once. “How dare you? When will you start acting like a king?”
“When will youletme? When will you allow me to accept responsibility without swooping down and ripping it out of my hands?”
“Oh,dear,” said Maeve. Although I couldn’t see her, I was sure she was rolling her eyes.
“When will you stop acting like a queen and start acting like a mother?” He said, his anger apparent even in the quiet tone.
I didn’t expect him to say something so personal with me hiding in his closet. My embarrassment tempted me to cover my ears to block out their argument, but my curiosity overrode it.
“Stop this ridiculous behavior,” she said. “I didn’t come here to listen to unfounded accusations. I came to tell you to stay put and stop leaving this house without—”
“Unfounded?” he asked. “Do you know what’s unfounded, Mother? Announcing to the entire city that I have character issues because—” he paused and dropped his voice lower “—because of Ewan’s death!”
“You can’t deny that. It would traumatize any child to witness his brother’s death, especially—”
“Stop!” Graham’s voice was hoarse and full of passion. “I have suffered for it every day of my life. Please don’t try to make me feel any worse than I already do, because I assure you, it’s not possible.”
I stayed as silent as I could in the closet, not just to remain unheard, but to catch every bit of emotion in his voice so I could understand what he’d done to make his mother detest him so passionately.
“If I had ever felt as if your heart were truly repentant, I could have forgiven you.” The queen’s voice was mild on the surface, but a razor-sharp edge lurked beneath the calm. “That’s all I ever asked of you—just that one thing.”
“How could you know my heart when you haven’t even taken the time to look at me?” he asked.
“Thank you for so thoroughly demonstrating the immaturity to which I was referring.” The queen’s shoes tapped the floor again. “I was hoping to give you another chance to prove that you might be ready for responsibility, but instead, you’ve shown me you’re as unprepared as ever. Now, stay here and don’t dare leave this house unattended again!”
