The Heiresses by Allison Rushby

Author:Allison Rushby
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Mistresses and Mayhem

“So, that’s that, then,” Thalia said as she slowly and methodically tore up her half brother’s letter into small pieces, scattering them about her feet on the floor.

Ro’s gaze moved from Thalia’s to Clio’s. Surely this couldn’t be all she had to say on learning both her sisters had visited Charles of their own accord to ask for at least part of their inheritance. The inheritance that should rightfully be theirs and not his, and the one it felt as if they would be fighting over forever—clashing with both Charles and each other. Didn’t Thalia want an explanation from each of them? To fly into a rage?

Clio stood up from her seat. “Well, I’m not ashamed to admit that I went to Charles. I asked him for money. For my mother’s health.”

Thalia gave her a shrewd look. “Oh? You’re not ashamed to say it now? After someone else has divulged the information?”

Clio blushed. “And what about you? Do you have an excuse?”

Thalia paused for a moment. “I visited Charles just yesterday afternoon. I was running out of money and my previous donor didn’t care to give me any more.”

“That’s not true,” Clio blurted out, after Thalia’s admission. “I think you visited him before that. When I saw him, which was some time ago, he made some comments. Cryptic comments, which only make sense now that I know someone was there before me. He seemed to think we had left the city. That’s where you got the money from, isn’t it? For the car and the clothes and so on? From Charles. There was no other relative, admirer, or donor, or anyone else.”

“But why would Charles give Thalia anything?” Ro looked at Clio, not understanding.

Clio knew exactly why, now that she recalled Charles’s comments. “Because she told him we were leaving the city. He seemed confused that we hadn’t left when I showed up.”

Slowly, Ro stood up also. “Thalia, is that true?”

Thalia simply sighed.

“So it is true!” Ro said, shocked. She took a step forward. “But how did you—”

“It wasn’t much,” Thalia said, interrupting her. “I told him we were moving to the country for a short while. To see how we liked it.”

“I can’t believe you—” Ro continued.

But Clio cut her off with a gasp. “Ro! Your arm!”

Which was when Ro looked down to see the blood seeping through her blouse.

* * *

“Here, sit down and use this.” Clio passed Ro a clean handkerchief and led her to the sofa, where she rolled up Ro’s sleeve to reveal three long scratch marks, one of them particularly vicious.

“I must have bumped it, making it bleed again,” Ro said, as Thalia also came over to inspect her wounds.

“What happened to you?” Clio frowned.

“It was after I saw Charles last night.” Ro paused and decided to bend the truth a little to save herself the embarrassment. “I went to see Charles to ask him for money to attend the university. You see, my Uncle Henry has lost all his money in an investment scheme.

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