Her Dark Artifice | tom riddle

Chapter 21: The Letter

Chapter 21: The Letter

"Rose."

"Evadne!"

Tom glanced up. A small, pale girl with a head of long, strawberry-blonde hair came rushing into the drawing-room and practically threw herself into Evadne's arms. After a long and strong embrace, they withdrew with Evadne's hands still sturdy upon Rose's shoulders. 

"You told me you'd write to me every week," Rose said with a half-frown.

"I know, sweetheart. I'm really sorry. I forgot-"

Tom stood up. "That would be my fault," he said with a small, charming smile. "Don't be cross with your friend."

Rose's eyes widened, flickering back and forth between Tom and Evadne. She fought a grin as she fixed Evadne with a fleeting suggestive glance.

"This is my friend, Tom. Tom, this is my friend Rose whom I was telling you about..."

"Nice to meet you," she said with a crooked grin. Tom uttered a polite "likewise." "Oh - Tom Riddle!" Evadne's eyes widened. "I've heard a lot about you." She winked, and Evadne's throat all of a sudden felt extremely dry. 

"Tom this, Tom that... blah blah blah... Typical girly-stuff."

Tom raised a dubious brow. "Oh really? And what were the topics of conversation?"

He seemed far too pleased by this information. So much so that Evadne felt annoyed and anxious at the same time. He side-eyed Evadne and she wanted to kill him then and there.

"Well nothing particularly interesting-"

Evadne clapped her hands together. "Rose I need a favour from you please."

"Of course! What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to keep the matrons busy for a few minutes so i can gain access to the main office. I need my file, and then I have to leave. I can't stay here for long. Tom and I need to go back to school otherwise we'll get into trouble with our teachers."

Rose didn't protest. She immediately did as she was told. Evadne and Tom snuck their way into the main office when the coast was clear and Tom quickly performed a concealment charm to stop anyone from entering. 

Evadne pointed her wand at the desk in front of the large, stained-glass window. She waved her wand gently. "Accio, my records."

No later than a split second after the encantation did a bundle of papers concealed in a brown envelope float from the desk through  the air and into Evadne's hands. 

"This is my first time holding them," she said. 

Tom glared on from across the room, eager to know what was concealed inside. 

Evadne had to find out the truth for herself - after all,  it was not his tale to tell.

*

She did not have a Mother.

But she liked to think that she did, somewhere out there in the world.

Even if the woman had abandoned her at an orphanage, Evadne liked to think that she had her sound reasonings for doing so.

Somewhere, she had a family – a definite father, a definite mother, perhaps even a sister or a brother, or an uncle or a grandmother.