Murmurs broke out.
Her voice swelled. “Instead, we will show the Luthers that we are one. That we are not shaken. That their vile actions in Sandstone have only brought us closer. Made us more determined. This week, we win by showing the Luthers we are united and strong.”
She beamed at the cheering audience, and I watched on, heart stuck in my throat.
Valerie and Nathan took her place on the stage to run through the final strategies, and I released a breath, forcing myself to remain relaxed under Wade’s rapt attention.
Bastard suspected a switch.
Behind Rhona, I strode back to the manor.
Closing the door, I turned to find her already stripping off. I tore off the red hat.
“You think they believed it?” she muttered.
I’d nearly believed her. “Yep, we’re good. Thanks.”
“You know that was a one-off?”
I nodded. Oddly, now she’d been me, my fear had dissipated. I was more than capable of addressing the stewards. “I just had a moment. It won’t happen again.”
Pulling up my jumpsuit, I waited for her to shove the cap on, and we exited the manor again.
Wade was there in an instant, taking my hand. He ran his hand over the pads of my palm again.
“Funny thing about you and Rhona,” he whispered. “Rhona has callouses, and you have wimpy musician hands.”
Dang it. “Yeah, I had a freak out. Keep it to yourself.”
“I’m just upset you didn’t get drunk and set the dummies up again.”
So was I, but leaders didn’t get the luxury of openly losing the plot.
Wade looped an arm around my neck. “Come on. The Freys are here to see you.”
Oh, shit. I forgot about them. “Right now?”
“Right meow, baby girl.”
What was I wearing? Why was I nervous? They weren’t my real family anymore.
For a split second I had a great grandmother, two aunties, another uncle, and a grandfather—when Murphy was still my father.
Wade planted me in front of a small group.
I recognised Margaret, but her son and grandchildren were easy to spot. All of them had her straight nose.
I stared at the youngest man. He had to be in his late forties, nearly identical to pictures I’d seen of Murphy. My mouth dried as silence fell.
I just couldn’t tear my gaze from the man.
All I’d discovered before the world imploded was that Murphy visited Deception Valley to face his demons. A week later, he’d died in a rock-climbing accident, and Mum let me believe he’d abandoned us.
Margaret limped forward, leaning heavily on her cane. “Andie. It’s lovely to see you again.”
I tore my gaze from her son. “Margaret. The same to you. I’m sorry we haven’t seen each other sooner.”
She rested a hand on my arm. “No apology needed. A horrible shock for you. For us too.”
Of course. They’d lost a relative, too—their last connection to Murphy.
The surrounding groups quietened, and I squared my shoulders. “Will you join me in the garden? I have some questions, and I’m sure you have some for me.”
The family exchanged a look, and Margaret’s white-haired son stepped forward, linking arms with his mother.
“We’d like that,” he told me softly.
Wade patted me on the shoulder. “Good luck.”
I led them behind the manor where Herc and I first met to talk about Mum. Perching on the border of the herb garden, I waited as they sat at the wrought iron table. Some sat on the edges of the garden beds like me.
“I’ve always believed Murphy was my father.” The words slipped from my mouth.
Margaret smiled sadly. “Since we learned of you, so have we. My granddaughter tells me you weren’t aware of the subterfuge.”
“As far as I was aware, Murphy left us when I was three and never returned.”
The youngest woman—Murphy’s youngest sister—cut in. “He’d never do that to Ragna.”
Protective. I felt the same way about Rhona. “I know. But his commitment to her was also news to me. Mum always let me believe that he chose to leave.”
Anger flooded the faces of his siblings, though his father and grandmother remained thoughtful.
They deserved to know everything. “I spoke with one of Mum’s old friends who said she’d received a call from Mum after Murphy’s death.”
His father leaned forward. “Did Ragna say anything?”
“Asked where he was. Said he was meant to be gone for a week. To me, she only said that Murphy left to face his demons. That he couldn’t ignore them. She hated talking about him, and always gave me that same answer.”
The sister yet to speak burst to her feet. “How could she do that to him? Betraying him like that. He loved her so much. I thought she loved him too.”
I lifted a shoulder. “It doesn’t make any sense. Everyone says they loved each other more than anything.”
Margaret looked up at the sky. “They did. I’d never seen love like it. From so young too. If your mother hated my grandson in the end, it was only because he left her alone when he died.”
“You think so?”
“We can’t truly despise someone without having loved them first. And the harder we love, the more we loathe. Hate is the food of broken dreams and betrayal, after all.”
I wasn’t sure I agreed.
The father said, “What I don’t understand are these demons Ragna referred to. Murphy stayed with us during that time and never mentioned any issues.”
My stomach plummeted. “I was really hoping he had mentioned something. I keep wondering why my mum left this place. But now I know she wasn’t my mother at all, I can’t stop thinking about what happened all those years ago.”
“Murphy would never steal a child,” the youngest sister spoke again. “He couldn’t take the guilt. My brother was a good, decent man.”
Was she implying Mum wasn’t?
I took in her flushed cheeks. She missed her brother. “I wish I’d known him.”
Margaret tapped her cane. “Perhaps that was the demon he’d come to face. Maybe he had to explain everything to Hercules.”
“Do you remember who he went to see?” I leaned forward.
The son replied, “He visited all his friends, and Hercules Thana.”
I didn’t miss the way he’d separated Herc from all his friends. “Did Murphy say anything about the meeting with Herc?”
“Never, but I could tell he was out of sorts after.”
“How many times did they see each other?”
“At least three occasions that I’m aware of.” He lowered his gaze. “Before the last time.”
Before Murphy died.
Margaret interrupted the heavy silence. “My grandson was an expert rock-climber.”
“Mum,” her son hissed.
She shot him a dry look. “I’m too old to not say what I want. Manners take time I don’t have.”
“What are you saying?” That sounded like an accusation.
Rhona walked into the garden. “Hey, I was looking for you. Everything okay?”
Wade said this family wasn’t fans of the Thanas, and that was obvious by the sudden stiffness in their postures.