Betrayal (The Diamond Dynasty #2)
Chapter 1
ALICE
Tiffany is my main concern right now. She isn’t saying much, but the tension building between us is at breaking point.
“You’ll be fine.” I attempt to reassure her, but her ashen skin and dull smile tell a different story to her words.
“Of course, we knew this was coming.”
My heart is beating with anticipation, and I’m trying hard to conceal my excitement because today has been a long time coming, and I’m eager to get started.
The battered suitcase resting by the door will be couriered to my destination, and the documents I require in the interim are firmly placed in my purse that is currently hidden beneath my habit.
“I hope Rose is okay.”
Tiffany bites her bottom lip, a nervous trait we all share, and yet I have no nerves at all. Nervous anticipation perhaps, but definitely no nerves in leaving the sanctuary of the convent.
The clock chimes and my heart beats a steady rhythm as I take Tiffany’s hands in mine and reassure her with a smile.
“I’m the strong one—remember.” A firm smile accompanies my words as I seek to placate my more nervous sister.
“One year.” I remind her, and she nods miserably.
“It’s too long.”
I must agree with her, but rather than throw shade on the situation, I shrug.
“It will pass. We have faced worse, remember.”
She sighs and squeezes my hands tightly.
“Stay safe.”
“You too.”
I’m aware that Tiffany’s exit from the convent is planned for tomorrow, and so she will only have one night to worry about me before she is caught up in her own adventure.
With a tentative smile, I pull her in for a hug and whisper, “You’ve got this. We all have. Make the year count.”
“What if—”
I shake my head. “No Tiffany. There will be no what-ifs or maybes. This will be the adventure of our lives, and we will speak of it often. Make yours count for something because I will.”
“In New York?” Her smile wobbles along with a lone tear that escapes, and I shrug. “Of course.”
It’s probably best that I don’t let on I have no intention of arriving in New York or any other American city. I am heading somewhere else entirely and in just a few short hours I should be well on my way before anyone realizes I’m not where I’m supposed to be.
We pull apart and I cast a glance at the suitcase, grateful there is nothing in there I wanted, anyway. I have everything I require on my person, and what I don’t have I’ll pick up later.
Tiffany walks beside me toward Sister Agatha Maria’s office, much like we did with Rose before she left The Order of the Holy Mother of God.
Rose is our sister, and we are all extremely close. Not anymore though—physically, anyway. Mentally we will never be divided, and as we reach the wooden door, I waste no time in knocking sharply.
“Enter.”
The soft, serene voice of the woman who has been more like a mother to us always brings a smile to my face.
My stomach is churning with anticipation, and I am fighting hard to conceal my happy smile and sigh sadly in the hope of disguising it.
If anyone in this room discovers my plan, it’s doubtful, I would make it out at all.
“Alice. Tiffany.”
Sister Agatha’s smile is a genuine one.
“Do you have everything you need?”
Her concern isn’t lost on me, and I seek to reassure her.
“I have it all, thank you, Sister Agatha.”
A moment’s doubt creeps into her smile before she says with a lighter tone.
“So, today is the day you spread your wings and fly. Remember, this year will be the most important one of your life, Alice, and you must embrace it. If at the end of the year your wish is to return to the Order of the Holy Mother of God, I will be waiting with open arms. In the meantime, know that we will all be praying for you—for all of you.”
Her smile encompasses us both, and as Tiffany casts her eyes down, I detect her heavy sigh.
“You should leave at once, Alice. The bus is waiting, and the other sisters are on board already.”
“So, this is really goodbye.”
“Merely au revoir, darling.”
Sister Agatha blinks away her tears, and it almost casts a chink in my armor.
Almost.
She hugs me and whispers, “May God be with you, Alice.”
“Thank you, Sister Agatha and not just for the prayer but for, well, everything.”
She smiles, but I note the resignation already dawning in her eyes because I’m guessing of all of us, she realizes that I am the one most likely to choose life outside of the convent. What can I say? I’ve always been a free spirit, and that won’t ever change.
She steps back and I turn to my sister and hug her hard, her sad sobs muffled by my habit.
With a soft kiss on her cheek, I whisper, “Don’t cry for me, Tiffany. Be happy for me, Rose, and for you. We have a huge adventure ahead and you must face it with confidence, or I doubt you are really my blood at all.”
Her small sniff catches a jagged edge of my heart, and I take a deep breath and force a bright smile on my face.
“I can’t keep the others waiting. Wish me luck.”
They say nothing, and as I turn and walk out of the door, I don’t look back, and I always knew I never would.
The bus is waiting, and there must be at least eight of my fellow nuns on board, ready for their weekly journey into town.
I slide into the seat beside Sister Charlotte, and she smiles serenely.
“We will miss you, Alice.”
“And I’ll miss you too.”
I reach for her hand and squeeze it because I will.
I love the other sisters, there really is nothing not to love and as the bus pulls away from the safety of the convent, I swallow the lump in my throat as excitement is replaced with nerves because now I must rely on somebody else to do their part and I hope to God he does not let me down.