Chapter 273

‘You’ve really changed,’ Lea said, turning to look at me. ‘When you said you wanted to go on a cruise, I thought you were joking.’ ‘Yet here we are.’ I stood at the railing, gazing out at the Mediterranean. September dusk had painted the sea in shifting shades of violet and gold, the horizon glowing as the sun sank lower. Not everyone had gone to the ball. Out on deck, clusters of young passengers mingled and laughed. Some were taking selfies against the pink sky, others pointed excitedly as dolphins arced from the water. Music drifted faintly from the ballroom doors, but out here the sound was mostly laughter, the slap of waves and the click of cameras. Lea inhaled deeply. ‘It’s beautiful. Thanks for bringing me out here.’ I said nothing. ‘We should have stayed and said hello to Mirabelle,’ she added, testing me. ‘I will,’ I said. ‘Just not now.’ I would speak to Mira once I had dealt with Lea. The thought of Mira’s face propelled me away from the railing. ‘You need to get changed.’ S