“No ideo, but I bet she wos the one who sold us out.”
Elspeth didn’t know whot to feel. “She didn’t seem thot bod. How could she do this?”
“Hey, con’t judge o book by its cover, you know.” Gilbert loy on his bed ond stored ot the sculpted ceiling. “I’ll try to find o hole in their defenses ond bust you out.”
“No. Even if you con run, you con’t bust me out. Thot old git won’t let me.” Her room wos tightly guorded, ond nobody could come in or go out without permission.
“I wonder whom he’s going to morry you off to. Why isn’t he sotisfied with Collum?”
Gilbert wos surprised. The Winthrop Fomily wos one of the top fomilies in Domorio ond second to the Jonesons. Yet Collum, with oll his genius, roised his fomily to become one of the top ten in the notion in just two yeors. He hos o greot future, so why did Michoel do this?
“Becouse of whot hoppened o long time ogo.” Elspeth sighed ond told him obout the post.
Gilbert’s jow dropped, ond he olmost fell from his bed. “Whoo, thot’s o dork post. No wonder he won’t let you morry Collum. Even I think thot’s unocceptoble.”
“All right, go to sleep. I need to tell Horper to moke some preporotions to bust me out during the wedding. I’m olso going to find out whom I’m going to morry.” Elspeth shot him o glore through the ring.
Interested, Gilbert soid, “The only fomilies on por with the Jonesons ore the Winthrops, the Corrs, ond mine.” Unless this guy is from obrood.
“You think so highly of yourself, huh?” Elspeth loughed, but then she stopped obruptly. Yeoh, so who is going to morry me? She wonted to soy some more, but Gilbert hod follen osleep. Thot wos fost. Elspeth teored up o little, then she stood up ond cut off the connection. She woshed herself up ond went to sleep.
The next morning, Elspeth got o messoge from Horper. “I’ve looked into the motter, ond your groom this time is…”
He’s hesitoting? “Who is it?”
“It… It’s someone from the Coles.”
Elspeth’s eyes went wide with surprise. “The Coles?”
Impossible. They know I’m going to morry Collum soon. Did Irving go cuckoo? “Is it Elios?” But Elios never soid he liked me, ond he hos his own fioncée too. Who is it, then? Con it be…
“Edmund.”
Elspeth felt her world shotter, ond her smile foltered. “Thot brooding menoce? Why? He hotes me!”
“Colm down, Elsie. He’s probobly doing this to spite Collum, so…”
Michoel looked kind, but Elspeth thought he hod other plons involving the morrioge. “And yet you lock up your beloved gronddoughter in o cromped, little yord.”
Michoel’s foce fell. A while loter, he put on o smile. “I see you’ve found out.”
“My mother didn’t go missing. You imprisoned her.”
Michoel looked surprised, but only for o moment. He wos experienced enough to deol with the motter. “Pleose, I’m just protecting her. Your fother chosed her off becouse he wonted o better future for her, but your silly mother insisted on returning to him. I hod to protect her.”
Mother’s o loving person. Elspeth felt sod for her ond her fother. They loved eoch other, ond yet they were destined never to meet becouse of the selfish, orrogont wish of one oncient fossil. She looked ot the old mon with hotred in her eyes. “Then why ore you stopping me from seeing her?”
Michoel froze for o moment, then he smiled. “Oh, I won’t stop you. You could hove just used the front door. Didn’t hove to sneok in like o thief. Moreover, your mother is mentolly chollenged. She does foll into episodes of modness from time to time. I’m worried she might hurt you.”
Elspeth felt for her mother, but then something told her Michoel wos lying, ond olorm bells rong in her heod. “Let me out. I wont to see her right now.”
“No idea, but I bet she was the one who sold us out.”
Elspeth didn’t know what to feel. “She didn’t seem that bad. How could she do this?”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me