Page 55 of Mercy (The Sins Trilogy 3)
It sounds stifling. And unhealthy for Margot to be so obsessed with Katherine. Tony said Margot thought of me as her daughter. Did some of the fixation transfer to me? Is that why she’s insisting she wants to play my mom for the wedding? As tragic as the circumstances are, I’m not at all comfortable with being a stand-in for the object of someone’s obsession.
“Mom even made Katherine’s clothes herself. The blouse and pants she was wearing when she died… Those were Mom’s. Mom thought Katherine looked so pretty. And she did. Like Bambi in fawn-colored outfit.”
I clench and unclench my suddenly damp hands. Harry brought up her death. Maybe I can probe the circumstances surrounding it. “How did she die?”
Harry swallows once, then nods. Reaches for his glass of water and drains it.
“Dad took my brothers hunting, and Katherine went with them. Tony shot her by mistake. It was so chaotic. She was already gone, but Mom insisted paramedics and doctors do something to save her. And Tony was just…standing there, covered in blood. Her blood.”
My heart breaks. Although Harry is speaking haltingly, like he’s reciting an old poem, I can feel the tragedy of the past. The pain of it. I can picture the younger Tony…just twelve years old…soaked in the still-warm blood of the sister he shot.
“Mom was inconsolable. When one of the staff defended Tony, she fired her. I was sad because the lady was really nice, always sneaking an extra cookie for me if I was feeling low. Tony’s dog was next. Gone a day later.”
My insides freeze. Did Margot have the dog killed?
“Mom wanted the dog tossed out, but Jonas—that’s our butler—found him a home without her knowing. But we never had another dog afterward.”
Our server refills Harry’s glass. I take the moment to process what I’ve just learned. This is a thousand times worse than I thought. I feel bad for Margot, but I also hate her for being so cruel. How can she still blame Tony for a mistake he made when he was twelve?
But something else strikes me as well. “How come nobody has any mention of Katherine’s death? I looked Tony up before. There was nothing about it.” This is the kind of tragedy the media loves to fling at the public. People eat it up.
“Dad had the sheriff change the report so it wasn’t Tony, but some hunter from out of town who shot Katherine. Dad didn’t want the incident to be a source of gossip about the family. Thought it’d hurt Mom too much. A lot of people in Tempérane knew what happened, but they wouldn’t go to the media because Blackwood Energy is the biggest company in the area. And the local papers reported what Dad wanted. Same reason. Mom went along with it because she didn’t want to be the topic of some family scandal. It was beneath her.”
My fury blazes at Tony’s parents. Not a shred of consideration for Tony weighed in their decision. It was all about them—their image, them not wanting to be talked about, protecting their feelings.
“Then what happened?”
“We had the funeral, and then Tony was sent away. To Europe.”
Margot raged that Tony didn’t cry at Katherine’s funeral, as though it was some irrefutable proof he’s a heartless monster. But I’m not sure if he would have been able to. The trauma must have been unbelievable. Numbing.
“Was I there when all this happened?” I ask.
“No. Your parents died a year later. I was aware we had an uncle, but I’d never met him…or you. I was surprised when Mom brought you home. She loved you, though. Like a daughter, even though she’d changed a lot by then.”
Not like a daughter, I think. “She didn’t approve of me and Tony, did she?”
Harry shakes his head. “She was furious. I knew what was going on, but pretended not to because Tony never wanted me to do anything to defend him. He was afraid anyone who came to his aid was going to get hurt.”
Just like his dog. Just like the household staff. It explains so much about why he rarely justifies what he’s done or tries to excuse his behavior or motive. My heart aches for him. He always looks so strong and unshakable, I didn’t realize he’s carrying so much pain inside.
“I’ll regret that for the rest of my life,” Harry says. “I should’ve said something to Mom when he came home after graduating from Princeton. After all, I became her new favorite son once Tony was shipped off to Europe.”
The revelation surprises me. Not that I think Harry isn’t lovable, but what about Edgar?
“Edgar never had a chance,” Harry adds as though he’s sensed my question. “He spoke up for Tony, you see. Me? I became Mom’s ‘precious Harry.’ Until then I was just Harcourt to her, a son she was stuck with when she’d rather have had a daughter. Everyone knew she didn’t want to go through it four times for the child she really wanted.”
Harry gives me a smile that’s more than a little bitter. I don’t know if he realizes it.
Anger at Margot and sympathy for Harry rush through me. I never suspected he carried such pain behind the cheery, charming façade.
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugs. “I got over it.”
I don’t think so. I want to say more, but decide not to, since he’s obviously uncomfortable.
“She still hates Tony, doesn’t she?” I ask after a moment.
