43. Vaughn
Vaughn
“You’re looking so much better.” Penelope grabbed Theodore’s hand from across our table at the Great Hall. “You have your color back. You’re smiling. You look back to normal.”
“I feel better. I actually went to the office earlier. With an escort,” he rushed out. “But it was good to be back out and moving around again. I missed the sun. What little of it we had anyway.”
Penelope smiled, still holding to his hand.
“I’m glad you came back for dinner.”
“I can’t stay out there.” His eyes dropped. “Not yet.”
“Soon,” I assured. “We’re getting close to finding out who did this.”
Theodore nodded, and Penelope drew back her hand, using her other to tap against my thigh. I looked over at her, following her stare as she took in Mr. Prescott coming through the entrance.
“Well, this can’t be good,” I mumbled.
“I’m joining. After tomorrow, I might possibly be running this place. It’s time he and I meet.”
I stiffened the smallest amount. Just hearing the words sent my anxiety skyrocketing again. But she was right. I loved her, and this was her role, not mine.
“Let’s go.”
I stood, taking Penelope’s hand, leaving the table as Mr. Prescott approached. Turning, I didn’t lead us towards my study. I kept it business, leading us to the Gathering Room.
The moment we were inside, I gestured for the table, watching as he walked around and took his seat.
“Penelope will attend our meetings from now on. Her first trial is tomorrow. We have faith she’ll pass.”
“Of course.”
He nodded and Penelope and I took our seat across from him.
“What happened?”
His face hardened. He took out his phone sliding it to the middle of the table.
“Penelope must call King Lawrence.”
I grabbed the phone, pushing it back in his direction.
“She will not.”
He looked at her.
“You must call. And it has to be on my phone so that it is recorded and patched into The Council in real time.”
“Wait.” I looked between them. “What the hell is happening?”
“It’s just for precautionary measures. Some discrepancies have come up. We’re covering all bases.”
Penelope’s head tilted down, only to come back up as she took in Mr. Prescott.
“I will call.” She paused, glancing at me. “His behavior is getting out of hand. They have to at least hear how bad it’s getting.”
My jaw set, but I nodded as she picked up Mr. Prescott’s phone. She hit his number, putting it on speakerphone and placing it on the table between us.
Only one ring sounded before King Lawrence’s voice growled through.
“What?”
Penelope’s eyes were round as she jerked her gaze to mine.
“It’s me.”
A pause.
“Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize the number. It says ‘Unknown’.”
She shifted in her chair. “It’s a private phone.”
“I see.” He let out a deep breath, but his anger didn’t lessen. “You hung up on me. You turned off your phone.”
“You asked me to kill someone so you could watch. That is not a normal question for someone to ask. I needed time to adjust. Besides, I didn’t like your repeated messages. What you said isn’t true about me and Vaughn. I love him. I’ve told you that. You don’t listen.”
“Because I see what you can’t. You don’t love him—”
“I do. I keep telling you that.”
“If you loved him—” He stopped. “Let’s not argue. I really don’t want to fight with you. I’m sorry. I… I am sorry. Let’s talk.”
“Lawrence—”
“I’ll be at Rosemoor tomorrow. You should come.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
Anger again leaked into his words. Penelope glanced at me and I gave a nod for her to tell him.
“I undertake The Trials tomorrow.”
Silence. It lasted so long that we all moved in to see if the call was still connected.
“Can’t you die from those?”
Penelope’s breathing came out broken up, and I quickly took her hand.
“It’s possible.”
“No. …Bullshit. Don’t you dare do it. Marry me. Be with me. You don’t need to do some stupid trial. You’re worthy. You don’t have to prove that to me or anyone else. What sort of man would let you do that? No one that loves you.”
The beast inside me slammed through. I opened my mouth, but Penelope’s hand came out, pressing into my chest as she shook her head.
“Vaughn doesn’t want me to do the trials any more than you do, but it is a requirement, so I will do it.”
“A requirement for marriage… to him.”
“Yes.”
He made a throaty sound—a denial. “Marry me. Did you not hear that I asked you?”
“I did, and I thank you for the offer, Your Majesty—”
“Lawrence.”
Her lids closed.
“Lawrence. Thank you for the offer, but I will undergo the trials tomorrow. I will pass them, and then I will pursue a future with Vaughn. I ask that you please respect my decision as I would like to stay on good terms with you. I’m truly sorry—”
“Good terms? If you want to be on good terms, you will pack your things and let me come get you.”
“Don’t give me that ultimatum.”
“I’m giving it. You don’t belong there. You will come here. You will be with me until I fix you. Until I can get you better and make you see.”
“I see fine right now.” She let out a long exhale. “Lawrence, you have to stop this. I don’t want to keep having this conversation with you. I am in love with—”
“That is not love.” He paused. “You’re going to pack.”
“I said no. I’m doing the trials tomorrow.”
“Dammit, Penelope. Alright… You’re not hearing me clearly. Your mind is… altered.”
“Your mind is altered.” Her fingers pressed into the table. “I’ve had enough. I refuse to keep sounding like a broken record. You are not respecting my decision.”
“Because it’s the wrong one. Pack. Your. Things.”
“No.”
“Pack.”
“I said no.”
‘Then you leave me no choice.”
The line went dead, and Penelope’s worried stare went between me and Mr. Prescott.
“Alright, what the hell is really going on?” I pointed at the phone. “You didn’t have her make that call for nothing. Did you hear him?”
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.
“I heard him. I see The Sultan wasn’t exaggerating.” He glanced at Penelope, shaking his head as he lowered his stare back to the phone.
“I’m here because this evening King Lawrence made some very concerning threats. Ones The Sultan deemed legitimate enough to bring forward to the rest of us. That alone speaks volumes.”
“What did King Lawrence threaten?” Penelope tried to appear curious, but all I heard in her voice was a calm panic.
Mr. Prescott went between us, looking first at her but settling on me.
The words left me with a knowing that was ingrained. “He’s going to try to have me killed.”
“Yes. He’s said as much.”
“Not going to happen.” Penelope’s head shook. “What is being done about it?”
A frown came to Mr. Prescott’s face. “Nothing. He’s angry. That doesn’t mean he’ll go through with it.”
“So what about the ball?” Penelope grabbed Mr. Prescott’s phone again as she waited for his answer. “You can’t be serious about still having Vaughn attend.”
“The king is mad—”
“He’s fucking crazy. Hello, are we all forgetting how I was poisoned? How he…did things to me when I was half unconscious? How about how I lost my child? Are we really going to risk Vaughn’s life? A threat is a threat until someone is dead, Mr. Prescott. That will not be Vaughn.”
Penelope looked down, dialing.
“Who are you calling.”
Blue eyes shot to mine.
“King Lawrence.”
“For what?”
“For deescalation, of course. I’m going to the palace to see him.”
“No you’re fucking not.” I snatched the phone from her. “If you call him, it will make this worse.”
“If I leave things how they are, that’ll make it worse. I can at least buy us a few days.”
“Penelope, going to him is the stupidest—”
“Not necessarily,” Mr. Prescott said, holding up his hand. He turned his attention to Penelope. “The Council will not excuse Vaughn because of threats, and it’s mandatory he attends. What is your plan?”
Her stare jumped to mine, and my head wouldn’t stop shaking.
“I go to him and treat him as a dear friend I can’t bear to lose.”
“So you string him along,” I ground out. “You make him believe there’s hope. Isn’t that how we got here?”
“It buys us time and keeps our enemy closer.” She threw me an angry look. “Besides, all he wants is to see me kill. He wants to undergo this sick little fantasy in his head. If I can get him to take me under the palace where he has his evidence—”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“At least we’ll know where it is. Vaughn, if I don’t do this, he might try to kill you.”
“Let him.” The front of my body pitched towards her.
“If it stops him from hurting you, let him. Because if you go to him… and he catches on to what you’re doing…
” I reached, cupping her face. “He will not let you leave. He will hurt you again. And do you know what I will do? Because I’m at my end.
There is no more patience left in me. If you go, and he so much as touches you, I will bring The Order down on that palace and massacre everyone who gets in my way.
I’ve been tolerant. I’ve been supportive.
I’m done, Penelope. You’re done. You can’t fix this.
You can’t make it right. King Lawrence is a spoiled bastard who is used to getting what he wants.
He’s going to learn right now that he can’t have everything, and it’s going to start with you. ”
Her lids closed, and she turned into my hand, kissing my palm. She placed the phone down, reaching up to hold to my wrists as I still held to her face.
“Vaughn, I don’t want you to get hurt or killed.”
“He wouldn’t dare. The Council knows his plans. He’d never get away with it. I think deep down under all his anger, he knows that.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I hope you’re right, too.” Mr. Prescott took his phone. “I happen to agree with her. I think letting him stew in his anger until the ball is a huge mistake.”
My head shook. “Maybe it is, but I’m not letting her go.
He’s dangerous because he thinks he can get what he wants.
What he wants is her. She may be able to sweet talk him down, but that’ll only last for so long.
At some point, he’s going to cross the line, and once that happens, there’s no going back.
I’m not letting her get put in that position. ”