Evil might have been too strong a word, but Bethany’s obvious malice left me cold.
We settled down at a table and, after our drinks were delivered, I started the conversation by asking, “So you’re to be married?”
Will poured a sachet of sugar into his tea, then slowly stirred his tea, taking his time to answer. The gap of time seemed to stretch while he sipped tea in his typical unhurried fashion before nodding with loving eyes at his bride-to-be.
“That was quick,” Declan said. “Unless…” His eyes slid over to me, and my spine stiffened. Had they met before her employment at Merivale?
“We go back.” Bethany’s self-satisfied smirk was like that of a cat rolling on her back after devouring some endangered bird or two.
“How far back are we talking?” My arm tendons tightened.
“Fifteen years.” Will didn’t even blink as he took Bethany’s hand.
He was clearly besotted. Whereas the only vibe I got from Bethany sat in the realm of sinister and conniving. I couldn’t imagine her capable of loving anyone.
“You worked with our father for—what? Twenty years?” Declan asked.
He nodded. “I met Beth afterwards.”
“I found him.” She twisted her red-painted lips, the same lipstick shade as our mother’s.
“You can imagine my shock when I met her. I was staring at a younger version of your mother.” He sniffed.
That chuckle went straight to my clenching fists, and I shot up from my chair. Declan pushed me down gently and gave me a subtle shake of his head.
Grappling with a sudden itch to knock out Will’s recently whitened teeth, I had to suck back a breath.
“I tracked him down, and we connected.” Bethany’s unsatisfying abridged account unleashed a barrage of questions.
“Why did you track him down?” I already sensed the answer.
“Because I knew he was affiliated with your family.” She tapped her long fingernails together, just like our mother. “When I discovered Will andmymother were conducting a clandestine affair, I decided to unleash my revenge by taking what was hers. I would have seduced your dad, but he was a raging poof, so I went for the next best thing.”
I rose sharply. “Now look, you. Don’t speak disrespectfully of our father.”
Declan touched my shoulder, and I sat down again, fuming.
“Continue.” Despite his frosty tone, Declan remained calm and collected. Maybe the army had trained that into him, even when faced with scheming monsters like our half-sister and two-faced Will.
Bethany took Will’s hand. “It helps that he’s also easy on the eye.”
I turned to him. “You knew of her plot to get back at our mother?”
“Not initially. I was just smitten.” He smiled at Bethany.
“I convinced him. And look how well it’s turned out.” She paused to scan our faces. I’d decided to take Declan’s lead and remain cold and detached.
“Now that my witch of a mother’s broken-hearted, she might understand what it’s like to be abandoned. Although she’ll never know what being sent from one house to another—to fucked-up foster parents only after government handouts—was like. Not to mention paedophile scum parading as foster fathers.” Her dark, haunted eyes slid from mine to Declan’s. “Yep, you can look shocked. But I’ve had a fucking rough ride. Caroline turned her back on me. Didn’t want to even fucking know me. So now I’ve come for what’s rightfully mine.”
“Money, you mean?” Declan asked, his voice shaky. There was this sudden recurring theme in our lives, recalling how our mother had suffered at the hands of an evil foster father.
“What else matters?” Her mouth curved into a dark smile.
“Well, love, for one. I can see that Will seems to be in love,” Declan added.
She stroked Will’s cheek. “He’s been a nice surprise.” Bethany’s tenderness faded within a breath, and her face hardened again. “I would’ve done this even if he was ugly and decrepit. Just to get back ather.”
The poisonous ‘her’ exited her lips like an evil spell.