Page 11 of The Beast's Heart

I’m relieved he’s moved on from the subject of Mal’s meal.

“That doesn’t count,” Geoff says. Then, to me, “Yes, Teach, we’re isolated AF.”

Adam shrugs. “So’s the world right now. At least we have the house, the Highlands–”

“And each other,” Ray says. Geoff groans.

“'n' th' midges,” Angus remarks with a chortle. Lily-Iris nods solemnly.

“And the ghosts,” Geoff adds. Ben and Mal exchange a look. Lily-Iris nods even more solemnly. I feel Adam stiffen beside me.

6

JONATHAN

After dinner, Meredith takes me upstairs with the children. While they go to the playroom, Meredith gives me a more thorough tour and tells me about their routine.

“Dinner ran late tonight. Usually they’re ready for bed by eight.” She indicates the bathroom that Adam pointed out earlier. It has both a bath and a shower and is tiled in white. A picture of lilies hangs above the tub in a gilded frame that matches the light fixtures, but other than that, the bathroom is merely practical.

“Since Lily-Iris refuses to sleep in the house, you will be responsible for them between bedtime and sunrise. But they’re quite independent and they mostly see to themselves when it comes to ablutions. Lily-Iris will return at six to get them up and ready for the day ahead. Breakfast is at seven. We expect classes to start at eight.”

“What about the little one? Enrique?” He surely still needs a lot of care at that age.

“Oh, you needn’t worry. Alisha will look after him.”

She pushes open one of the bedroom doors. There’s no sign of the mysterious interior designer’s hand in this space. It’s neat and practical—whitewashed walls, a single bed covered in whitelinen. Sure, there’s a down duvet and a soft olive-colored rug and comforter, but this might as well be a single sleeper at a generic hotel, or a boarding house. Above the bed, inlaid shelves offer space for books or personal items (none) and there’s a chest of drawers at the foot of the bed for clothes.

It does not surprise me, although it does sadden me, that each of the other rooms is exactly alike. Enrique’s room is unique only in that there’s a railing on the side of his bed—likely to stop him rolling out. Although, my memory of my nieces and nephews at four is that they refused to sleep in their own beds most nights. Does Enrique actually sleep in here? I suspect, from what I’ve seen so far, that he likely bunks with Alisha.

“How old is Alisha?” I ask.

“Sixteen.”

Too young to be responsible for a four-year-old.

“Mal is eleven going on twelve,” she adds. “Benjamin is eight going on eighty.”

“Should I take them to say goodnight to, uh, Beast? Once they’re ready for bed?”

“No,” she says it as if I’ve suggested I take them dancing in the rain. “The west wing is off limits.”

“Oh, I know, I just meant… never mind.” Irritation rises in my chest. This may all be for publicity, but these arechildren, not hired actors. And this is their real life. Their only childhood. The house may be large and beautiful, and they clearly have nice clothes and good food, but that’s not enough. That’s not nearly enough.

I try to calm myself while Meredith talks me through the details of the rest of their routine, but every sentence winds my annoyance higher. Lessons start at eight and go on until five, with a break for lunch at 12.

“I’m sorry,” I interject, “but I don’t see how a four-year-old will focus for that long.”

I’m not even certain howI’llfocus for that long.

Meredith folds her arms. “Mister Belle, while I sympathize with your concerns, you need to understand that these children have had a difficult start. They’re likely far behind their peers. It is our expectation that they will be brought up to speed over the next few months.”

“Miss…” I fumble for a last name, realize I don’t know it, clear my throat. “Meredith, far beyond any ‘difficult start’, they’ve missed half of the school year. I don’t see how that’s possible.”

She frowns. “May I ask, what do you know of our foundation?”

“It’s a charity for children in need.”

“To be more specific, our focus is on reforming the foster system. There are currently over four hundred thousand children in foster care in the US. Over half will drop out of school. Twenty thousand will age out every year and find themselves on their own. There are good people in the system, people who want to create change—but it is drastically under-resourced.

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