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Chapter one
Prologue
Eleven Years Ago
Owen
“ToToby.”Iraisemy glass of scotch and toast one of my best friends. He’s graduating high school in a couple of weeks, and he’s been accepted to Cambridge on a full scholarship. Not that his acceptance was ever a question. Not only is he a genius and a nerd, he’s part of a powerful family that could get him into any school he wanted to attend. My family is equally powerful, and I’ll be heading off to Yale next year.
“My visits to London won’t be the same,” Bellamy says from her spot on a lounge chair next to me. We’re in my parents’ pool house drinking my father’s expensive alcohol, while the adults meet and presumably plan our futures. That’s life in families like ours. You attend the school you’re told to attend; you marry the girl they pick out for you. And you take your place in the family business when the time is right.
Not me. I’ve never wanted that life, and I’m going to escape. Step one was convincing my father to let me attend a university in the states. I’m still a little fuzzy on the details of step two.
Bellamy leans over and takes Toby’s glass from him and sips the high-dollar booze. The face she makes has us both laughing until she fixes us with a glare.
The three of us have been inseparable since we met at another meeting of our families seven or eight summers ago, so Tobias—aka Toby—heading for college and leaving us behind is strange. We might not see him again for a while.
“I’m diving in,” Toby says as he stands and strips off his shirt. Bellamy follows him, but I stay back. She confided in me that she has a crush on him. Not going to lie, that stings. But she’s one of my closest mates, and so is he, so I won’t cause drama over it. They would be a good match.
Toby cannonballs into the pool, splashing us and the expensive scotch we’ve been drinking. Bellamy squeals as the water hits her skin, but she doesn’t miss a beat slipping out of her dress to reveal the swimsuit underneath. She dives in after Toby with grace, her dark curly hair fanning out behind her.
I set down my glass and fold my arms across my chest, watching them chase each other around the water. Their laughter echoes off the stone walls of the pool house. Despite my plan to escape, I’m going to miss this. Our friendship has been steadfast, and we’ve spent our summers getting into trouble and telling each other our deepest secrets. I hope we can remain close when I break free.
“Come on, Owen!” Bellamy calls from the pool. “The water’s perfect.”
I shake my head. “One of us has to man the scotch in case the parents come looking for us.”
“They’re too busy scheming to care what we’re up to,” Toby says. He jumps up to sit on the edge of the pool, rivulets of water running down his face. At eighteen, he looks every bit the wealthy young man he’s being groomed to become. “Forget them for once. I’m starting school soon. Who knows when I’m going to see you two again?”
He has a point. I shed my shirt and shoes and cannonball in after them. For now, the pressures of family and responsibility can wait. Tonight is for the three of us.
We’re in the middle of a splash fight when Julian Harper, Bellamy’s father, steps outside and scowls at all of us.
“Bellamy, I need to speak to you inside, immediately.”
The smile slides off Bellamy’s face as she swims to the side of the pool, and I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
***
Bellamy
There’s something about the look on my father’s face that makes me climb out of the pool without hesitation. He’s always been easygoing, but lately he’s been gruff and very no-nonsense. And today’s meeting of our three families is important. I’m in the dark as to why, but it’s been on his mind for months.
“Coming, Daddy,” I say as I pull a towel around myself and search for my wrap dress. Tobias stands from his spot on the steps of the pool and hands it to me with a wink. I pull it on and secure the belt as I step into my sandals. Walking into the Thorne’s home feels unusually awkward today. I’ve spent many summers in this beast of a mansion. In some ways, it’s like a second home. Today there’s a sense of doom as I trail behind my father through the kitchen.
Daddy leads me into a study, but we’re not alone. Mr. Thorne and Mr. Hunt stand, and both of them approach me, kissing my cheek before they leave.
“What’s going on, Daddy?” I ask when we’re alone.
He motions for me to sit. I’d prefer to stand, but his no-nonsense face has me lowering myself onto the leather sofa near the door.
“We’ve reached an agreement about your marriage,” he says, without warning.
Marriage? I’m not even seventeen. I keep that to myself. Arranged marriages are not uncommon in families like ours. My mother tells me they keep us safe, but I’m not sure I buy it. And I thought I had at least until I graduated college to worry about it.
“Who?” I ask when he stays silent.
“You’ll marry Tobias when he finishes college and is ready to take a wife.”
