“She
said she had proof Vale was tracking the trains. I believed her.”
“Did she betray you?”
Ethan watched the rain.
“I think she panicked. She sent me toward the mountain road, then tried to warn me after she discovered Vale had hired someone to follow the car.”
“Do you forgive her?”
His fingers rested against the blanket over his knees.
“I don’t know yet.”
It was the most honest answer he could have given.
He looked at me.
“Do you forgive your father?”
“Not all at once.”
“That sounds wise.”
“It feels messy.”
“Most wise things do.”
I smiled.
Then the question I had been avoiding rose between us.
“Why did you name me in the marriage arrangement?”
He looked away.
For the first time, Ethan Thornton appeared nervous.
“The letter was only supposed to be delivered if I remained incapacitated near my thirtieth birthday.”
“That does not answer the
