The Tales and Tellings of Hallows' Grove (MLM)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

                When Mary Jones opened the door to Cathern Manor, she must've expected Henry to be on the other side because her greeting consisted of the words, "I knew you cared."

Henry was not in the mood for greetings either. "What does Vera Pinchin have to do with you and your brother?"

This, it seemed, had been enough to startle Mary. "How did you . . ." she shook her head. "He said . . . he said you would know . . ."

"Enough is enough, Mary or whatever your name is," Henry pushed past her inside. "Who's he? I know you're not talking about Simon. I've had a long drive this morning and I will ask you one more time, just one more time, what does this have anything to do with Vera?" He stepped forward, his voice dark to his own ears. "If you've threatened her in any way—"

"Threaten her?" Mary's eyes were wide. "No, no, you've got it all wrong! It's not us who's threatening her!"

"It's her who's threatening us," a voice said behind them. They whipped around to see Simon had materialized in the doorway. And for the first time since seeing him, he wasn't wearing his sunglasses.

"Henry," Edward gripped his arm. His voice sounded strange, constricted, his eyes narrowed at Simon with a newfound emotion.

"What is it?" Henry murmured, but he soon saw what Edward did. Simon's almond eyes, he saw, were familiar, with a same deep emerald green he'd so been used to. For the second time that day, realization struck and Henry was overcome with a throbbing in his temples that forced him to press a hand to his head.

"Y-You're—"

"You see now," said Simon quietly, "why I couldn't show you my eyes. Not when it was clear you'd been spending time with my brother. Or, should I say, half-brother."

Henry looked between Mary and Simon. "You're Edward's half-brother?"

Mary made a quiet sob. "It's true. You do know him, don't you? Is he here with you now?"

"Henry," Edward clutched Henry's arm and clung close to him.

Simon seemed to realize Henry wouldn't just tell them. He sighed, folding his sunglasses and putting them in his pocket. "My name is Simon Wright." He looked to Mary then with curious eyes, as though asking her a silent question. She nodded her assent, and he said, "And this is Adele Wells. We're the only family Edward had left before he died."

Half an hour later, Edward was still shocked and looking more lost than ever. Henry took his hand in his own, Simon and Adele seated across from them. Adele's eyes flickered to Henry's hand, as though she could see Edward, and her eyes filled with tears again before she quickly wiped them with her sleeves.

Looking at her now, Henry could see the slight resemblance to Edward in her jaw, her nose. Her hair was only a shade lighter than Edward's and she had the same almond-shaped eyes.

"You never actually suspected your brother was going to kill anyone," said Henry. "Did you?"

Adele shook her head. "I was afraid of telling you what was going on outright," she said. "I worried she was watching. She's always watching. I thought telling you that Simon was going to kill someone would make you look into things, discover what was happening."

"The police reports say you're dead," Henry told her. "Died in a car crash."

Adele shook her head vehemently. "No, it's not true, none of it's true! It was . . . it was my mother." She looked down at her trembling fists with bitterness. "She was . . . not all right. She used to beat me and my brother when our father wasn't home. She would scream for the smallest things and she . . . she terrified us . . .