“Dear, lower your voice. You don’t want our guests to hear you.”

“Our guests, the people who we’re rudely ignoring. Are those the guests you’re referring to?”

“She’s right, Laide,” Alton said. “You and Suzanna go back out to the guests. Let them know that Alexandria will be out shortly, and we have an announcement.”

Like dutiful Southern women, they both stood.

“Alton,” Suzanna said, “I think it would be better for Laide and I to talk to Alex.” She smiled my direction, as if using my preferred name won her points. “Woman to woman.”

This is absolutely unbelievable.

I stood. “I tell you what. I’ll go out to the guests. I only know about two-thirds of them,” I said, shrugging. “But that’s all right. Supposedly, they’re here to wish me well. The only announcement we’ll be making is that I’ll be leaving Savannah on Monday and currently have no plans to return.”

I turned toward the door and was halfway there when Alton’s command reverberated through the paneled room.

“Stop.”

Though my feet obeyed, I kept my eyes fixed on the door, refusing to turn back around.

“Bryce,” Alton said. “Your mother is probably right. Let’s give the ladies a few minutes. I’m sure Alexandria will make the best decision for her family, for Montague.”

I spun toward them all. “What in the hell decision do you think I’ll make? What exactly are you asking?”

“I told you that I had a ring—”

“No!” I cut Bryce off. “Hell no.”

“We can start slowly. We’ll just mention how we never really lost contact. We agreed to an open relationship, one where we could both mature.”

Open relationship. Nox’s confident demeanor as he offered to tell Max we had an open marriage came to mind. My attention went back to Bryce and I raised my eyebrows. “So we could mature? Is that code for something, because as I recall as soon as I was out of the picture—no, before I was out of the picture—you were maturing with Millie.”

“Those were only rumors, ones that she started because she was jealous.”

We were all now standing, and Suzanna reached for Bryce’s arm. “Dear, go with Alton. You two have clients out there. Let Laide and I have a moment with Alex. It seems like it wouldn’t hurt.”

When she looked back at me, I shrugged. What the hell? This whole messed-up family wanted to gang up on me; they wanted to betray me.

Let them give it their best shot.

ONCE THE MEN were gone, I gave my mother and godmother my best have-at-it look.

Suzanna began on the offensive. “Dear, men have needs. Did you really expect my son to remain celibate if you weren’t willing to help him out?”

“Help him out?” I asked incredulously. “Are you saying that if I wanted to keep your son, which I didn’t nor do I now, I should’ve helped out or put out at fourteen? Or maybe I should have waited until I was fifteen?”

“No,” Mother replied, her hand fluttering near her neck like it did when she was upset and it was missing its customary glass. “There are two sides to this. On the first side, the most important side,” she emphasized, “is that you are a woman of breeding. You did the right thing by abstaining. It’s just another reason I’m proud of you. But dear, one day you’ll need to help a man out, as Suzy said.”

I sat back down and crossed my arms over my chest. This was priceless. My mother decided to have the sex talk with me when I was twenty-three, in front of her best friend. After my high-school boyfriend forced the issue in front of all of our parents. Oh how rich. Adelaide always did have impeccable timing.

“Yes,” Suzanna agreed. “How do you think grandchildren are made?”

I shook my head. “You two are unbelievable. I’m not a virgin. I know how babies are made, and I know how to help a man out. What I don’t know is why you think I want that with Bryce.”

“You two were close.”

Were.

“And,” Suzanna went on, “this will benefit everyone. Once the press learns that Bryce has been in a long-term relationship, they’ll be less likely to assume he’s the man in that article.”

“But he is the man in the article,” I pointed out the obvious. “And we haven’t been in contact. If anyone digs, we’ll both look like we cheated on one another. And that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the absurdity of this whole thing. Whether he raped her or not, he had sex with a child.”

“She was of legal age,” Suzanna defended.

“He also screwed around on me with my best friend. It’s great you two have this lifelong friendship, but I have limits. My best friend screwing my boyfriend is one of them. Cheating is another. As far as I’m concerned Bryce and Millie can spend the rest of their lives sneaking quickies on the side. I don’t care. They just need to do it without me in the equation.”

My mother took my hand. “You’re not a virgin, but that doesn’t mean you understand the things that some men… need. They aren’t all proper.”

“Momma, don’t.” I was certain I’d vomit what little bit of food I’d eaten if she started to give me examples.

She shook her head. “It’s true. Isn’t it, Suzy?”

Suzanna nodded.

“Dear, if Bryce can get what he needs with Millie Ashmore or any other willing whore on the side, it will make your life better.”

I threw my hands in the air. “I just can’t.”

“Yes, you can. I’m not saying you need to marry him… yet. We’ll work our way up to that. For right now, the two of you can just be… what is it?… going steady?”

“You’re certifiable, both of you. I’m leaving in two days.”

“And you’ll be concentrating on your studies,” Suzanna said. “What harm is there in pretending?”

“Don’t you see,” Mother asked, “why attending Savannah Law would be better?”

No. I didn’t see that.

LEAVING ALTON’S OFFICE a few minutes later, flanked on either side by the women who were supposed to be my biggest advocates, felt more like being led to a firing squad. I hadn’t agreed to do anything except to decline to dispute the assertion that Bryce and I had been in contact over the last four years. Essentially what I agreed to was letting others make assumptions, not to perpetuating them myself. A cold chill ran through me as we entered the grand hall. This really was a dog and pony show and I was the one being led around by a lead.

As we mingled and passed the groupings of people, it was clear that the party had progressed without us. I ventured that most of the guests never realized we were missing. They probably assumed we were in one room or the other. Since night had fallen and Georgia’s summer heat had lost the glare of sun, guests socialized both inside and outside on the rear stone terraces.

Keeping my Montague mask in check, I moved from room to room until I spied him near the bar in the den. Each room had its own bartender and selection of food. From the strong aroma of Cajun spices, the den seemed to have a New Orleans theme. Earlier I’d eaten a little of the hors d’oeuvres in the parlor. Unfortunately, the tempura-battered oysters and blue crab beignets were probably all I’d be able to stomach tonight. My appetite was gone.

It wasn’t Bryce I had looked for; it was Alton. He was conversing with the same man Bryce had been speaking with earlier. Instead of interrupting, I stood behind the man, and with my lips pressed into a straight line made eye contact with my stepfather.

“Excuse me, Severus. My daughter needs me.”

I grimaced at both the label and sweaty grasp as he took my elbow and led me away. It took all of my self-control to remain composed until we reached a secluded corner of the room. Once we were there, the first thing I did was free my arm.