Mother and father stare at me once my brothers are gone. My father doesn’t look angry, but he’s not smiling either. Mother just looks tired.
“You’re not a child anymore,” father says finally. “You’re becoming an adult, slowly but surely, no matter what we want. And I understand you’re going to want some measure of freedom.”
I narrow my eyes at my father. “This isn’t about that.”
“Let your father finish,” mother steps in suddenly, sounding angry.
Father frowns. “Listen, Sadie. I’m not an unreasonable man. I understand you want to live your life and enjoy yourself. But honestly, Gavin Waller is an embarrassment.”
“He isn’t,” I say.
“Watch it,” mother says.
“Sadie,” father cuts in. “I’m offering you a chance here. A clean slate. No punishments for sneaking off with that low-class man last night, but in exchange, you’ll do something for me.”
I pause, a little surprised. I expected him to lose his temper and to yell at me, but he’s being surprisingly calm about this, almost reasonable.
“What?” I ask him, skeptical.
“Go out on a date with a proper match,” he says. “Milo’s parents have already agreed. He’ll meet with you tomorrow night for dinner.”
My eyes widen slightly. I know my parents want me to marry Milo and unite our families, but I had no clue they’d take it this far.
“I can’t,” I say.
“You will,” mother says, leaning toward me. “I’m so tired of you being such a little brat—“
“Regina,” my father says, stopping her. “Please.” He turns to me again, his face passive. “If you refuse to see Milo, that’s your choice, but we will no longer support you.”
I gape at him. “What does that mean?”
“Banishment,” mother says angrily.
Father sighs. “Nothing so dramatic. We’ll send you to your cousin’s in upstate New York where you’ll meet with tutors for a few months. You’ll be comfortable there.”
“And far away from that man,” mother says.
I stare at the two of them. “I’m not a child,” I say softly.
“You’re right,” father agrees. “You’re not. But you rely on us for everything you have. And if you want to continue living your accustomed lifestyle, you will obey.”
I frown down at my plate, not able to meet my father’s gaze.
I don’t want to go out with Milo. He’s not the worst person in the world, but I’m just not interested in him. Frankly, he’s boring, and I know I’ll never marry him. Or at least I don’t want to ever marry him. Milo doesn’t make me feel even half as good as Gavin does.
But I know that my parents can banish me to New York if they want. They can take everything I have away and make my life very, very difficult. Nobody will help me, either, because of how powerful my father is. I know he’s going easy on me right now, but things can be very, very bad.
When I was a little girl, I snuck into my father’s office. It was off-limits back then, for good reason. I was stupid and silly, and I ended up breaking an antique model ship, one of my father’s favorites. He locked me in the basement for a week, feeding me once a day, before letting me out. Nobody said a word, but everyone knew what he had done. The staff all knew, my brothers both knew, and my mother knew. But nobody stopped him and nobody said a word.
My brothers have gotten it just as bad in the past. My father beat my brother Peter bloody once. Michael was forced to stand out on the roof in the rain for three hours in nothing but his underwear. I can only guess what my mother has been through.
So when my father threatens me, I take him seriously. The money and the clothes and the comfort, that stuff doesn’t really motivate me. Of course, I like that stuff, and I want to be comfortable, but I don’t need that stuff. I want to get out from under my father’s control.
But I can’t. Although he threatened to take things away from me, I know he’ll do worse.
“Yes, father,” I whisper, and I hate myself for it.
He smiles and my mother nods, looking smug. “Very good,” he says. “Tomorrow night. Until then, Thomas will be taking your laptop and your cellphone.”
I don’t protest, I simply nod my head and accept it.
“May I be excused?” I ask him.
“Yes,” he says. “Thomas is already in your room, cleaning it out.”
I stand and leave without another word. I hurry back to my room, heart beating fast in my chest.
Thomas gives me a sad look as I come into my room. He has a small box, and in it he has piled every device I could possibly use to contact the outside world. He leaves my room wordlessly, and doesn’t meet my gaze.