“Let’s have a glass of wine,” she drawls.
My whole body rejects the offer. I shake my head politely. “Thank you, but I’m not in the mood today. I should go up and be with Rocco. Perhaps another day.”
“Oh, please say yes,” she pleads, suddenly leaning forward eagerly. “Rocco is asleep. He won’t mind you having a drink with me.”
There is something desperate about her invitation. As if me agreeing to have a drink with her is very important to her.
“It’s from our family’s vineyard in France,” she adds anxiously.
I’m about to refuse again, when something crazy happens. I look into her beautiful, dreadful blue eyes and can’t look away. To my surprise, I find myself saying, “All right.”
“Wonderful,” she gushes.
Her eyes are shining with an unholy light. It is as if I have not just assented to a glass of wine together, but something far, far more important. In a daze, I watch as she picks up the bottle and pours the red liquid into the two glasses. Part of me regrets agreeing, but I tell myself what harm can one glass do?
She holds out a glass to me and I take it from her. I am careful not to touch her skin. She lifts the glass jubilantly for a toast.
“To you and Rocco,” she sings.
I find it impossible to repeat her words. There is something false about her toast. Instead, I simply lift the glass to my lips. It happens so swiftly, everything is a blur. One moment I’m about to take a sip and the next the glass has been knocked out of my hand and is on the ground. The red liquid seeping into the pale carpet.
In total shock, I whirl my head around and see Rocco standing behind me.
Even though he is holding onto the back of the sofa, he is swaying with the effort of being upright. His face appears even more bloodless than it was before, sweat gleams on his forehead, and his face drawn and pinched as if he is in intense pain, but his eyes blaze with terrible fury. I turn my head to look at his sister. There is absolutely no expression on her face. She is sitting on the sofa as still as a statue.
“Sorry, if I startled you. That wine is corked,” Rocco mutters, as he drags his gaze to me.
I can’t say a word. I’m too shocked. I just stare at him stupidly.
“William,” he calls, wincing with pain.
William appears almost immediately.
“Please arrange a ride for Miss Delaney immediately.”
“Yes, my Lord,” William says, and nods towards me. “If you’d like to follow me, Miss. Delaney.”
For a second, I think about refusing, but one look at Rocco’s tight, pain-filled face tells me not to argue. Wordlessly, I follow William out of the room. Raoul is already waiting for me in the foyer. We go out into the night silently. There is a cold wind blowing outside and the moon is very full. As I get into the car, I look back at the house. Through one of the windows I can see Rocco and his sister. She is standing opposite him, facing him.
And it is clear she is just as furious as he is.
Chapter 30
Rocco
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snarl.
“Believe it or not, I was in the area and William told me you were poorly.”
I ignore the blatant lie. “What were you trying to do?”
Her eyes flash. “For heaven’s sake. Anybody would think I was trying to poison her or something. I just wanted to get to know her. She seems… nice.”
My back hurts so much I feel dizzy, but I know I have to have it out with her. I have to somehow stop her from doing something stupid. “Don’t be a bitch, Isadora.”
She smiles condescendingly. “You must have it really bad for her, little brother.”
“Back off, Isadora,” I growl.
“Back off? I haven’t done anything.”
“I know exactly what you were trying to do. If you make her do anything she doesn’t want, all of us will lose.”
“Then stop wasting time and do what you are supposed to do. It’s not only you who is suffering you know.” She tugs at her hair and it comes off. Her thick lustrous hair is a wig!
I stare at her in horror. On her almost bald head are patches of red skin and several thin strands of hair.
“That’s right. You’re not the only one. Something is happening to mother too. She is losing her teeth. They are just dropping out of her mouth for no reason and her breath is putrid as if she is rotting inside. As for father, you should see what he looks like now. Old beyond his years.”
I take a step back from her. The pain in my back is now so strong, I feel faint.
“We all need her, Rocco. It’s for the common good of all of us,” she cries.