✔ Mrs Mandray

48. Murder

Isabella

She paced the length of the room, fury shaking through her veins. Isabella couldn't think beyond what Nesta had told. What she had been ignorant of. And what– what Nesta speculates. No.No,she couldn't think of it. Not yet. Not when she had tears streaming down her face when she should have been packing.

"You can watch Oliver." It wasn't a question.

"Elain can," Isabella nodded mutely, gnawing at her lip as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm coming with you."

Nesta watched her like a hawk. That defensive mask replacing fear and guilt. Her twin had been more closed off ever since Isabella had stated her intentions to leave. She understood it was her way to cope but Isabella still hated that distance.

The distance that will have grown entire leagues by sunrise tomorrow.

"I'll send word when we're settled." She whispers but Nesta shakes her head.

"Focus on leaving. We need to get you packed and away before they come back from the festivities." Isabella roughly wipes the tears from her face, listening to her sister's hasty plan as she strides out of the room still speaking."Rhys will no doubt have left by now so we'll wait till the midnight check in and if that goes wrong then we have tomorrow's midday check in as well."

Isabella follows, feeling the cloud of horror and shame slowly lift as her sister grabs their cloaks. There's hasty words to the housemaid before Nesta is turning to her once more.

"The pyres have just been lit so we have a few hours at least, not enough to waste." Her voice is firm and Isabella is grateful for her taking command in this moment. "Elain should be–"

"Here," They're cut off by their younger sister's troubled voice. "The maid said you needed to speak with me."

Elain turns to Isabella, something sad flickering in her eyes before she announces that Oliver had settled easily and that Isabella's fae had left some 15 minutes ago.

It had something in her stomach churning. She could have done with Rhys being here to help her. Stupid of her to not ask for a different way to communicate with the fae. Except– except one of her bats had left a piece of enchanted parchment for her. A way to communicate privately. She had hidden it away in a small chest under her bed that was filled with mementos of Oliver's childhood, travel clothes, money and whatever else she had stored away 4 years ago when she had first attempted to leave her husband.

Not that she had done.

"Can you watch Oliver for me?" Isabella tugs on her cloak. "I'll only be gone an hour at most."

"Where are you going?" Elain nervously trills, concern bright in her eyes as she glances between us. "I thought you were just going to take Ollie home, or spend the night here?"

"We're getting some things for them." Nesta interrupts before Isabella can say a word. "Things are a little tense with the family so Isabella is going to spend the night."

She fights the urge to frown at her twin, keeping her face carefully blank of any plans to bolt in the middle of the night. It's a bit harder to pull on the naive scared little girl act, especially since her little sister isn't as gullible as Tomas.

Except she is.

Because Elain coos her pitiful remarks and words of support that fall on deaf ears as Isabella begins to worry about leaving her son behind. She's grateful that Rhys took him to his room because if she were to hold him right now she would never let him go.

The walk back to the Mandray homes passes in cold blur as the longest night of the year descends upon them. Her friends would no doubt be celebrating in Velaris right about now. The dances and partying till dawn that she was told about feels like a fanciful dream.