A knot forms in the pit of my stomach. “Caleb?” I say softly. “That’s not true, is it?”
But he merely hangs his head, and I realize in an instant that Peregrine must be right. I can’t believe it didn’t occur to me before: If my mother’s dead, that means her protector— Caleb’s dad—didn’t do his job.
“So Caleb probably didn’t tell you that when your mother was being stabbed to death, his father was at home having a good ol’ time with his wife and son?” Peregrine says with a cold smile. “He sensed the danger, but by the time he got back to your house, your mom was already dead.”
“Peregrine!” Caleb says, his voice choked.
Peregrine ignores him. “He also probably didn’t mention that the guilt and shame drove his father out of town. And that his mother always blamed your family for destroying hers. So, you see, Caleb’s not just torn about his responsibilities as your protector. He’s torn because he was raised to hate everything Cheval. It all gets rather complicated, doesn’t it?”
“Caleb—” I whisper, turning to him.
Caleb doesn’t answer; he just stares. And so without another word, I turn to go. I’ve heard enough.
“Oh, Eveny, one more thing!” Peregrine calls out as I stride toward her front door.
I stop, because even though I can’t stand to hear another word, I know I have to. I need to understand everything.
“The thing about our protectors is that if they let you die, they’ll die within a year themselves. Our ancestors designed it that way to make sure they always stayed loyal.”
My breath catches in my throat as she goes on.
“So if Caleb doesn’t protect you, he’s dead, which is exactly what happened to his dad,” she says. “Now you can see why he’s so motivated to hang out with you. He’s confusing self-preservation with feelings. Or maybe it’s just that he wants you to believe he likes you, so that you care about keeping him alive too.”
“Eveny,” Caleb says, “that’s not true!” But I’m already walking away.
“Just let her go,” I hear Peregrine coo in her syrupy smooth voice. “She’ll be fine. Come here. I’ll make you feel better.”
I slam the door behind to shut their voices out. The whole way home, I try very hard not to think about the fact that the things I thought mattered were all in my head.
UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE
HarperCollins Publishers
..................................................................
28
Ilock myself in my room the next day and dodge five calls from Chloe and one from Caleb. Aunt Bea knocks on my door around seven to ask me to come down to dinner, but I tell her I’m not hungry. Finally, around eight she knocks again, and I open the door reluctantly.
“Did one of the Dolls do something to you?” she asks bluntly.
“Peregrine told me about Caleb Shaw and the fact that his survival is tied to mine.”
Her expression shows me she already knew, which makes me feel even more betrayed. “Oh.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demand.
“I don’t like to talk about the Shaws.”
“Because Caleb’s father let Mom get killed,” I guess in a flat voice.
Aunt Bea looks surprised. “No. I’ve never blamed him for that. Neither did Peregrine’s mother or Chloe’s mother. Whoever got to your mom got through every one of us.” She shakes her head. “That poor man always blamed himself. He felt he’d failed to uphold his family’s end of the pact. He left town soon after, and about a year later his body was found in Savannah.”
My blood runs cold. “What happened to him?”
“The police never solved the case. Rumor is that he was stabbed over a gambling debt. But of course his death was tied to the original pact,” she adds. “It was inevitable.”
It takes me a second to realize what she means. “He died within a year of Mom because he failed to protect her,” I say.
“I’m afraid so. I think Peregrine’s and Chloe’s moms felt guilty, like they’d driven him away. They gave Caleb and his mother some money to get back on their feet, and they continued paying Charles’s salary until Caleb was old enough to take over.”
I blink. “Charles’s salary?”
“Part of the deal the Shaws made with your great-greatgreat-grandmother was that they’d be rewarded financially for protecting Cheval queens, plus they would always be members of the sosyete and be provided with whatever they needed to live comfortably. Caleb’s mother should be a soyete member too, but after her husband’s death, she became a recluse. She didn’t want anything to do with zandara.”