Page 9 of Save Us
“What’s going on?” I hear Wren mutter.
It’s only then that I notice the boot standing open and Percy heaving in some large cases.
I gulp. Something’s not right here.
Wren parks the car, and we get out. At that moment, Lydia appears in the doorway. She has her face in her hands, and her shoulders are shaking. James is standing next to her, ashen faced, his arm around her shoulders. He whispers something in her ear, and Lydia nods. The sight reminds me of the photos from the funeral, and my blood runs cold.
Wren and I exchange uneasy glances, then start walking. We’ve just reached the front steps when Mortimer Beaufort emerges. His steely glare hits me full force, but he can’t stop me going up the steps to Lydia.
James’s eyes widen at the sight of me. “Ruby,” he whispers, “what’s—”
I just shake my head and gently touch Lydia’s arm. “Lydia,” I whisper.
She lowers her hands. There are tears running down her cheeks, but that’s not the worst thing. Half her face is red and starting to bruise. My heart jolts painfully, and without even thinking, I look up at Mr. Beaufort.
His face is impassive. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible to hate that man more than I already did, but at that moment I want to go for him, to make him feel the pain he causes James and Lydia.
“What’s happened?” Wren asks behind me, looking from James to Lydia and back again. “What are the cases for?”
The twins look like they’re in shock.
“Lydia, time to go,” Mr. Beaufort’s imperious voice declares. He walks past us and down the steps to the car, where he pointedly opens the door.
“Dad knows I’m pregnant. I…have to leave here,” Lydia manages. “I’m going to my aunt’s.”
“Pregnant?” Wren repeats with a frown.
James’s grip on Lydia’s shoulder tightens.
“Yes, I’m pregnant,” Lydia whispers. “By Graham Sutton.”
Wren stares at Lydia and opens his mouth to say something, then shuts it again. Apparently, he’s lost for words.
“Lydia!” thunders Mr. Beaufort.
Panic surges through me, and I look over my shoulder, back to the car. “Can I do anything to help?” I ask. There’s a feeling of finality in the air, and I can’t deal with that. Least of all when it’s so out of the blue.
“Isn’t there anything I can do?” I ask again, anxiously.
She just shakes her head and wipes her cheeks. “No. I…I’ll message you as soon as I’ve got a new phone.”
“OK,” I croak.
She slowly moves away from James and down the steps. I’ve never felt so powerless in all my life.
“Ruby,” James says quietly, and our eyes meet. He reaches tentatively for my hand and runs his thumb over the back of it. “I swear to you that I didn’t send those photos to Lexington.”
A whole mishmash of thoughts is whirling through my head, and I don’t know what to focus on first. James seems to feel the same.
“I really, really want to explain everything, but I can’t leave Lydia to go to Beckdale on her own with Dad.” He presses my cold hand. “Please believe me.”
I think about what James and I have built over the last few months. About our promise to always be open with each other, to be there for each other and never to let anything come between us ever again.
Now isn’t the time for a conversation. And even though only a few hours ago I thought that I’d never be able to even look at James again, I now know that I’m ready to hear his explanation.
“I can’t wait forever,” I say. “You really hurt me today.”
“I know. I’m so sorry. But I’m begging you—this one last time,” he says quietly.
