Page 13 of On Edge

Not that I remember. Everything about that period is hazy. I don’t even remember Nell leaving to come here, yet she did.

It was only after I recovered that I found her diary. Wrapped in plastic, pages soaked through with blood. Half of its pages were gone, torn out. My father said Darrow, my father’s man, retrieved it from this place, beneath the tower at Grayfleet.

In my dreams, I see it wedged between rocks, paper fluttering in the wind like a wounded bird, dark brown stains marring the edges of the few pages left.

“I see.” She glances over her shoulder. “Well, no one was here at that time because of the renovations.”

“My sister?—”

“Your sister shouldn’t have been here either.”

“But if you know something about Sev—” I stop. I’ve said too much. I really shouldn’t accuse him outright. Not to his house manager.

Mrs. Oakley frowns. “I don’t know what you’re implying, but Master Troy wasn’t here when he first bought the property either. He was in America, finishing up business overseas.” She pauses, looking right at me. “ I was toldhis fiancéewould not be arriving as planned. That Idoknow. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Wait—”

“I’m sorry, I really must go. There are things I need to attend to.”

Chest tight, feeling nauseous all of a sudden, I grab her arm. “Please.”

Her eyes narrow. She looks down at where I’m holding her. Oh God, I’m manhandling Severin’s staff now. Just great.

Immediately, I let go of her. “I’m so sorry, I?—”

She tuts. “Miss Lovett. If something did happen to your sister, then it was a very tragic accident, and I’m very sorry to hear that happened. However, I don’t recall hearing or seeing anything of the sort when I arrived. That sort of thing usually comes with a circus of authorities poking their nose where they don’t belong. I would remember that.” She sighs. “Perhaps it’s best if you rest for a while? Shall I fetch you some tea?”

I shake my head. Tea won’t fix this.

When she’s gone, I sink onto the edge of the four-poster bed, my thoughts breaking apart.

He wasn’t here.

Troy Severin wasn’t even in the country when Nell disappeared.

No, that can’t be right. Mrs. Oakley is lying. She has to be. His staff must cover for him all the time. He probably pays them a fortune to lie, to live out here isolated, cut off from the rest of the world.

Because if he wasn’t here...

I press my palms to my eyes until my vision distorts in a flash of stars. No. I can’t allow myself to follow that train of thought.

I can’t.

After a few ragged breaths, I drag my hands away from my face and clutch the bed sheets instead. The cream sheets are incredibly soft beneath my hands…almost too soft for this dreadful house, where I am, effectively, a prisoner.

Out of the corner of my eye, the mirror feels like it’s watching me; its glass slightly distorted, as if the surface is warped. Even my reflection looks a bit wonky.

The whole place is wrong…

A pretty prison with secrets in its walls, surrounded by dark water that can hide anything at all.

Severinwashere.

She didn’t just fall...or jump. Her diary is proof that something bad happened.

But no one sees it.

Either they think I’m losing it and treat me like a sick child, or they ignore me and change the subject. No one cares because they’re all too busy trying so hard to keep this damn deal in place so that my parents don’t have to give up their debauched lifestyle.