Page 35 of Tis The Season for Secrets
“I didn’t catch that?” Margot got up to put the mug in the sink and came back.
“Nothing. I’m sure you’ll decide what’s more important when it comes to Mr Bryce, business or pleasure. No matter what you decide, you win.” Juliet wrapped her arm around her friend’s shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I’m going to bed before my eyes fall out of my head.”
“You’re right, and it’s not like I have to decide right away,” Margot said, almost to herself.
“Ever the victor.” Juliet chuckled. “Before I forget, I’ve got to go to the Frost estate for a couple of days. Victor is picking me up tomorrow – well, technically in a few hours.” She didn’t want Margot to think she’d pulled another vanishing act.
Margot followed Juliet to her bedroom, where she quickly tucked the Yule papers under her pillow.
“The Frost estate? Are you sure you’re okay? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you go back to that place willingly.” Margot used some of Juliet’s face wipes to remove her makeup at the dresser while Juliet finished packing a bag. “You can tell me if something happened with Will. Is your dad mad at you for leaving the gala?”
“Nothing happened. It’s just getting close to the holidays, and I want to spend some time with Beth while she’s on winter break.” Juliet shrugged. It was only half a lie; shedidwant to see her sister, who was home as much as Juliet was thanks to the expensive boarding school she attended.
“Doesn’t she usually go skiing with her friends?” Margot frowned. Juliet wished her friend didn’t know every detail about her life.
“The last time we spoke, she said not this year. Maybe she’s going later in the season. Either way, she’s home now,” she mumbled, tucking some final sweaters into her suitcase. They concealed the small chest that took up most of the space.
“Okay, give Beth my love and remind her she’s always welcome to visit.” Margot hesitated in the doorway. “Are yousureeverything’s okay? I’m worried you’re not telling me something. I don’t mean to bring it up again, but leaving the gala like that without a word isn’t like you. You can tell me anything, you know.” She’d always been able to see right through Juliet. Being raised with secrets and society tended to make one more attune to sniffing out secrecy.
“Thanks. I guess I just got caught off-guard seeing Will again and wanted to get away from my dad and Fiona. I promise I won’t disappear again.” Zipping her suitcase shut, Juliet placed her favourite Rudolph scarf on top and wheeled it through the apartment to the front door, ready for the morning.
“I’ll stop nagging, but I’m here if you need me.”
Every fibre of Juliet’s being longed for her best friend’s opinion on the real situation. Maybe in time she would be able to reveal everything, but for now it was best to do what Will had asked.
Margot’s phone buzzed in her pocket, breaking the tense moment. She smiled down at the screen. Harvey must be good with his words; Juliet had never seen her roommate grin like that so late at night.
“Now, go to bed and take your smiles with you,” Juliet teased, and Margot scrunched her nose at her.
“Okay, last question. How good was last night?” Margot winked.
Juliet didn’t answer. If she knew the whole situation, she wouldn’t be encouraging her to think about Will, let alone reminding her of how he’d made her toes curl.
“That good, huh? I don’t think a guy has ever made you silent before,” Margot giggled. “Aaaand I’m going to bed.”
“I won’t wake you when I leave, so please let me know if there are any further developments with Harvey. I want updates!” Juliet headed back to her room, ready to snuggle under her duvet and catch a few hours of sleep before having to face going home.
Margot rolled her eyes. “Text me if you need some back-up, okay? I can be down there in an hour.”
She closed the door behind her, and Juliet let her smile slip. She thought about reaching out to Will, staring at his number in her phone, to tell him about going home. To tell him about the letter, and to ask him about the guardian connection between him and her mom.
Deciding she needed sleep over answers, she set her phone down on the nightstand and turned off her light, hoping she hadn’t made a mistake trusting him.
“Juliet?” Victor said softly. “We’re here.”
Lifting her head from the black leather backseat, Juliet squinted in the sunlight flooding through the tinted windows. When he’d picked her up outside her apartment building, it had still been dark. The pothole-free streets had made for a smooth ride and her nerves had settled after some sleep, but her body ached from curling up in an uncomfortable position.
It was too quiet this far from the city; the small, exclusive town of Hartdale might only be an hour away from the bustle of New York, but it felt like another world of perfectly manicured trees and litter-free sidewalks. Not even animals dared to make a mess on these streets. The Frost estate was vast, but just one of many in the area. The bigger the estate, the more privacy– not that there was such a thing in a small town of busy-bodies with too much money and time on their hands.
“Stop the car!” she blurted out.
Puzzled, Victor braked, and Juliet scrambled out before he’d come to a full stop outside the large gates of the Frost estate. She nearly slipped on the path up to the gate – trainers and ice werenever a good combination. However, all she could focus on was the sigil, half concealed by snowy vines, that she’d never taken the time to notice before in the metal. Like a woman possessed, she ripped away the greenery to reveal delicate iron snowflakes around the centralF. Wide-eyed, she clenched her fists to prevent an outburst. The sigil on the chest, the sigil on the gate– they were the same. Her gut twisted at yet another confirmation.
“What are you doing?” Victor snapped, climbing out the car. He grabbed her wrists to make sure she wasn’t injured. “You’re lucky you didn’t cut yourself; that gate is old and rusty!” He sighed, releasing her once he saw that she was unharmed.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Juliet said meekly.
He watched her with troubled eyes. “Is there something going on I need to know about? You aren’t yourself, and it’s not like you to come home early for Christmas. Your dad’s not coming home until Monday,” he told her, his brows pulled tight together. She was almost disappointed her dad wouldn’t be home to confront, but him not being home gave her two days to discover what secrets he was hiding in the expensively decorated rooms.
