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“Ladies! Come now, it is already nearly seven o’clock! Make haste!”
I released a sharp breath, gasping a bit as my aunt’s voice came from the hallway, reverberating down the long corridor with what sounded like all the urgency she could muster.
“I will not have us arrive late again! You must make haste!”
I was about to respond that making any more haste would have me tripping out the door in my undergarments, when my eldest cousin’s voice came from the next room.
“Mother, it will not serve us to be on time if we arrive in a state of disarray!”
“Felicity, if you had started preparing for the evening two hours ago, when I had suggested, instead of sitting around reading that godawful gossip rag, there would be no disarray. Come now, where is your sister?”
“Here, mother!”
“Oh, Elizabeth! Darling, you look a dream! Go on down now, the carriage is waiting. Rita?”
There came a knock at my door.
“Rita, are you in there? Are you presentable?”
An exasperated sigh escaped my mouth then. If only I had a Sickle for every time I’d heard similar words.
“Rita, I swear, if you are not-“
“One minute, Aunt Priscilla!”
I grabbed my quill and notebook, stuffing both down my front as my maid servant gave my corset a final tug, causing me to let out an unintentional oof.
“Sorry, is that alright, miss?”
“Lovely, Ellie, just lovely.”
“Too tight?”
“No, no, by all means, please continue cutting off what remains of my circulation.”
“I could try to loosen it a bit-”
“Rita! For heaven’s sake, I won’t tell you again! Make haste!”
“No, Ellie, it’s alright,” I said, giving my curls a shake and reaching for my dress. “Here. Help me into this before she breaks down the door.”
“Rita!”
“Coming!”
My aunt was nothing if not persistent.
The moment I was decent, I hurried past Ellie and yanked open the door.
Aunt Priscilla gave me a long look. “Oh, Rita, did you have to wear the red one again?”
“If you would like me to change-”
“No, no, there isn’t time! Come along!”
She took me by the shoulders and led me briskly toward the stairs.
“The carriage is waiting. Your cousins are already on board.”
They were, I saw, as we walked through the foyer and out the front door. They were sitting across from each other inside the cabin, whispering and giggling about something, dressed in their finest gowns with their long hair done up in elegant ringlets.
I walked past our footman and climbed up into the carriage, pulling the billows of my dress in behind me and giving my cousins a conspiratorial grin.
“What are you two laughing about?”
Felicity pulled me into the seat next to her and handed me a familiar pamphlet.
“Page three! You must read it!”
My aunt frowned as she sat down across from us. “Felicity, I thought I told you-”
“Oh, mother, don’t pretend I didn’t find you at the table this morning, nose deep in your own copy.”
Elizabeth leaned forward, pointing to the words her sister had placed before me, absolutely giddy with delight.
“Read it, Rita! Read it aloud!”
“Yes, do!” said Felicity. “You’ve always had the best voice!”
I was still grinning. After all, she was right.
I straightened my spectacles, raised the pamphlet, and read,
“And now, Dear Reader, I must tell you of a different scandal. But, before I do, let me ask you this: how many times have we all heard that those who serve in the employ of the royal palace have only the most noble of intentions? Of course, as we all know, there is little, if any, truth to such statements. On the contrary, those who find themselves in positions of power are often the first to take advantage of their stations. Such can now most definitely be said of Vice Counselor Pius Thicknesse, who was seen a few nights ago, making his way to the bedroom window of one Madam Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the King’s court, who seemed to have left the curtains open just for the occasion. I don’t think even I can tell you, Dear Reader, about the sounds that came from just beyond those curtains after the Vice Counselor climbed through the window, but I will say that both parties seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely.”
Felicity let out a loud laugh. Elizabeth was giggling, trying in vain to hold a hand over her mouth to stifle the noise.
My aunt shook her head. “Ladies, hush now. I am sure these stories are no more than elaborate fictions that have been constructed for our entertainment. Do try to remember that.”
“Oh, mother, honestly. Who could ever forget the mental image of Dolores Umbridge and Pius Thicknesse?”
Elizabeth snorted.
“For Godric’s sake,” my aunt said, “would you compose yourselves?”
Felicity ignored her mother and took the pamphlet from me. She turned it over and studied the back, as if looking for a signature.
“Entertainment or not,” she said, “I think Lady Carrion’s Society Papers are absolutely brilliant.”
“Who writes them, do you think?” Elizabeth asked me.
“Lady Carrion, obviously.”
“Yes, but who is she?”
I smiled, and pushed my spectacles up the bridge of my nose. “Unfortunately, dear cousin, we may never know.”
We were all still giggling when we arrived at Ravenwood, stepping out of our carriage beneath the glow of the lights that came from the large manor house. As we walked inside, I could hear music, laughter, and the sounds of excited voices. It was not yet seven-thirty, but it seemed the dancing had already begun.
After we had entered the main hall, and been properly announced, I paused in the doorway of the elegant ballroom, surveying the sight before me. There they were, ladies and gentlemen of all ages, done up in their finest, twirling around and making eyes at each other as they glided across the dance floor, floating as though in a dream.
Unfortunately, it was a dream that was not meant to last. I knew it, and so did everyone else in that room, whether they wanted to admit it or not.
Soon, none of this would matter. Not the dancing or the smiles or the attempts to meet the gaze of a potential suitor across the room in hopes of ensuring a long and prosperous union.
The world, as we knew it, was about to change, and nothing thereafter would be the same.
“Rita!”
My aunt’s voice startled me. I jumped as she placed a hand on my shoulder.
“For heaven’s sake, stop standing around spying on everyone and go join your cousins!”
They were standing by the punch bowl with a group of our peers, talking excitedly about something. I rolled my eyes, cast off Aunt Priscilla’s hand, and walked over to them, dodging my way across the dance floor.
I had not gotten far when Mary MacDonald reached out, and took me by the arm.
“You’ve really gone and done it now, you know that?”
“Done what?” I asked, feigning innocence behind a proud smile.
“Went and wrote about Umbridge and Thicknesse!”
“Shhhhh! Mary!”
I shot her a glance laced with warning, though it was obvious that no one could hear us over the music.
“They’ll come after you, Rita.”
“Come after Lady Carrion, you mean, and good luck to them! If they ever come close to unmasking me, I’ll just publish something even more incriminating.”
Mary laughed, linking her arm with mine. “Oh, you naughty little minx! Godric help me if I ever get on the wrong side of your pen!”
We were almost to the punch bowl when Andromeda Black looked our way.
“What are you two cackling about?”
“Never you mind!” Mary said, still giggling.
She took two glasses off a passing tray and handed one to me. I took a drink, enjoying the way the bubbles went right to my nose.
“Well, tell me next time, so I can join in the fun instead of pretending to be interested in whatever it is Thorfinn Rowle keeps trying to say to me.”
Mary raised an eyebrow. “Is he still attempting to show you his private chambers?”
“Something like that.”
“Why don’t you oblige him? He’s handsome enough.”
“I am not so inclined.”
“It might get your mother off your back.”
“If I get on mine for any arrogant fool who comes along?” Andromeda rolled her eyes at Mary, hiding a coy smile with her glass. “Not everything can be solved your way. I assure you, I have plenty of my own schemes in the works.”
Felicity came up then, as Andromeda walked away, almost walking right into me. It seemed my cousin had already had a few glasses of champagne. She was nearly breathless, glowing and radiant, telling me all about the dance she had just shared with Stanley Shunpike, but my eyes had begun to wander.
A young man stood alone by the piano, gazing at it longingly, showing it more attention than any of the ladies in the room. I watched as he lifted the cover and ran his fingers over the keys, pressing just enough to displace each one without releasing any of their tones.
To my surprise, I realized I did not know him.
“Mary?”
“Hmmm?”
“Who is that?”
She squinted a bit, trying to follow my gaze. “Who?”
“That man over there, by the piano.”
She stared over the top of her glass for a moment. “I’ve no idea. I’ve never seen him before.”
I kept my eyes on the stranger a moment longer, as if daring him to look up and meet my gaze, but his focus stayed on the piano, like there was nothing else in the world. It looked as though he was about to sit down and play, when a loud voice called to him from nearly right where I was standing.
“Reggie! You made it!”
I almost jumped as Sirius Black shouldered his way past me, trotting right up to the mysterious young man and the piano.
But he was no longer a stranger. For now, I knew exactly who he was.
The young man was Regulus Black.
I took another drink of my champagne, unable to stop myself from staring at him. I had not seen Regulus since we were children, when we had been no more than six years old. We had spent so many summers running through the orchard that had once separated our families’ estates, playing games and laughing as we ran between the trees without a care in the world, before the war and the blight that followed had destroyed the land; before Regulus had disappeared.
I had never found out what had happened to him. Even Andromeda had never spoken of it.
But now, here he was, standing there before me like nothing had ever happened. Like he had never even been gone.
I watched as his brother looked around the room, whispering to him before taking his arm and guiding him toward the doors that led out to the garden.
I had to get to the bottom of this. I upended my glass, draining it quickly and setting it down by the punch bowl, dodging around Felicity and heading for the side door so as not to draw attention to myself, but Mary stopped me.
“And where, may I ask, are you going?”
“Oh, just to get some air.”
Mary grinned. “No, you are not.”
I smiled, giving her a soft peck on the cheek as I stepped around her.
“No. I am not.”
***
When I was clear of the light coming from the manor, I changed my course and set off for the garden, walking quickly and keeping to the shadows, trying my best not to trip in the dark. The brothers Black were just ahead, standing near the entrance to the hedge maze, speaking in voices that were too low for me to hear.
I walked faster. I had to get closer.
As I approached them, I stepped off the main path and cut through the rose bushes, coming toward them from the other side, moving as fast as I dared until, at last, I could make out their words.
“Things are different now, Reggie. You must be more careful. What you’re playing at could get you into trouble.”
“But this isn’t right, Sirius. Not any of it. Who else will fight this law if we do nothing?”
I inched closer to them, moving deeper into the bushes, careful not to make a sound.
Sirius Black ran a hand through his long locks. I could just barely see his face in the dark.
“I know. But it’s dangerous. You must understand that.”
“Would you rather see all of us lose our free will? I don’t intend to be told what to do with my life, or who to love.”
They were talking about the King’s proclamation, I realized; about the marriage law that was to change all of our lives.
Reaching carefully into my dress, I took out my notebook and pen.
“If we want to stop this law from becoming a reality, we need support,” Regulus said. “We need people to get angry. We need them to fight. I will not stand idly by, not when I am in a position to do what others cannot.“
“I understand, but you are playing with fire. Persist at this foolish task, and, I assure you, you will get burned.”
“I have already been burned,” Regulus said, lowering his gaze and rubbing at his forearm, looking suddenly deep in thought. “I am not afraid.”
“You say that now, but as soon as the King finds out you’re trying to meddle in his affairs, he will have your head, Reggie. I promise you that.”
“And what of you?”
“Me?”
“Don’t play coy, Sirius. I saw you last night, behind the carriage house, with him. If you want to talk about playing with fire-“
“What I do in the evenings is none of your concern.”
My pen was flying now, moving across the open page of my notebook with all the speed I could manage.
Regulus’s voice hardened. “Is that so? And pray tell, dear brother, what am I supposed to do when they come for you in the middle of the night and haul you off to prison for sodomy?”
At these words, I nearly gasped. Now, here was a story. My hand shook, with excitement or nerves, I could not tell. I had to concentrate to keep my words from running into each other on the paper.
Sirius Black smiled. “Why, defend my honor, of course.”
The only response his brother gave was a long, exasperated sigh.
Sirius placed a hand on Regulus’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful, and, unlike you, I don’t intend to…“
The words he spoke trailed off, growing dimmer and dimmer; fading into the night as they walked away from my hiding place, heading toward the back terrace and back into the light.
I tried to follow, stepping carefully through the rose bushes, trying not to get pricked by the thorns, but, suddenly, I was caught. Something had snagged on the hem of my petticoat.
I swore under my breath, trying to pull myself free without alerting them to my presence, but my efforts were in vain, for the rose bushes held me firm. Somehow, my curls had also managed to become entangled now, pulling hard at my scalp. I bent down and yanked at the skirt of my petticoat, cursing in my struggle, uttering awful words under my breath that my aunt would never approve of.
It was then I realized that the only way out of my unfortunate predicament would be to rid myself of the offending garment entirely.
I began pulling, reaching up under my dress and cursing all the while.
Sirius’ voice made me jump.
“Did you-“
“Yes, I heard it too.”
“Hello? Is someone there?”
They were coming, but my petticoat skirt was nearly off. There was still time to run. I gave it another fierce tug, preparing myself to dash away the moment I was free… Pulling and yanking until suddenly…
With a loud gasp, I fell right out of the rose bushes, landing on the ground with my petticoat skirt twisted around my ankles and the Black brothers staring down at me, mouths agape.
I cursed again, letting out a choked gasp, trying to get back on my feet and failing miserably.
They were still standing there, looking unsure as to if they should help me in my struggle or run away. I made the decision for them.
“For Godric’s sake, don’t just stand there, help me up!”
They nearly tripped over each other then in their hurry to offer me their hands. I took one from each of them, kicking off the remains of my torn underskirt as they got me back on my feet.
Sirius spoke first. “Rita? What on earth were you doing in there?”
“That is none of your concern!”
He looked back at the bushes and raised an eyebrow. “Were you… Was someone in there with you?”
“What? Oh! No, you idiot! I wasn’t-”
“Are you certain?” he asked, looking down at my torn petticoat. “Because that tells a much different story.”
“I assure you, Black, I was quite alone.”
Regulus was still standing there, in the light coming from his family’s manor house, staring at me intently, like he was seeing a ghost. I was about to say something about it, when Sirius said, “What’s this?”
I looked back at him. To my horror, he reached down, and picked up my notebook.
In my hurry to snatch it from him, I almost fell back on the ground. “Give it here! It is mine!”
He raised an eyebrow again, grinning at me. “Is it now?”
He flipped through it. “Interesting… Very interesting… Perhaps now I shall finally know what it is you and Andromeda and the others get up to when you are all sitting around, giggling like school girls…“
“Sirius, give it here!”
“Dear Diary,” he began in a mocking voice, “today I went off on the grounds of Ravenwood beneath the cover of night and had myself a rendezvous with the stable boy…“
I swiped at him, trying to tear my notebook free of his grasp, but he just backed away from me, laughing.
“When I first laid eyes upon the front of his mud-flecked trousers, I knew then that everything I had ever wanted was waiting for me just beneath those few layers of-”
Without a word, Regulus snatched my notebook out of his brother’s hands, closed it gently, and handed it to me.
I took it quickly, stuffing it back down my dress and glaring at Sirius. “You… You lousy-!”
Unfortunately, I was too upset to even finish the thought.
Regulus said something to me then, but I didn’t hear it. I had already stormed off, cursing all the while, not even bothering to collect my torn petticoat skirt from the ground.
Damn you, Sirius Black, I thought, all the way back to the manor. He had made a fool of me, and I had failed to gain any insights concerning what had happened to the boy I had once known as Reggie.
But then, as I approached the house, I smiled, for suddenly I remembered the rest. I had my story.
Oh, Sirius, it seems, after all, it is you who are the fool.
***
It was several nights later when I snuck out the back door of my aunt’s house, pulling up the hood of my cloak and heading quickly to the stables. Jane, my fair chestnut beauty, was in the last stall, right where I had left her earlier that day, munching quietly on what was left of her dinner.
“See you can’t sleep either,” I said, reaching for her bridle. “That’s alright. We’ve got work to do.”
Once I had her saddled up, I mounted and rode out of the stables with haste, cantering off into the moonlight.
The print shop on the corner at the edge of town was dark when I arrived. I dismounted and took Jane around to the back, tying her to a post and taking out a sugar cube for her to nibble on.
“That’s a good girl. You wait here. I’ll be right back.”
I kept my hood up, making my way to the back door, slowing my pace only long enough to peer through one of the dingy windows before raising my hand to knock.
I had only rapped a few times when a lamp came on inside.
I took a step back as the door opened. Ted Tonks, the print master’s apprentice, stood on the other side, wearing a bulky coat over what must have been the clothes he usually wore to bed, looking half asleep.
“Rita, it’s nearly midnight. You shouldn’t be here.”
“I know. This won’t take but a minute,” I assured him, stepping inside and pulling the door shut behind me.
Once I was out of the entryway, I lowered my hood and had a look around. The back room of the print shop was crowded, filled with crates and barrels, containing I knew not what. The entire place smelled strongly of ink and whatever oil it was that was used to grease the presses.
Ted rubbed at his eyes. “Right, well then, what have you got this time?”
I reached into the satchel I had brought along, taking out a few folded pieces of parchment and handing them to him.
He took them over to the light, studying them carefully for awhile before looking back at me. “Is this all true?”
“Every word, but Ted, you cannot-“
He smiled, folding the pieces of parchment and tucking them into his coat. “I know. As always, I will not tell a soul. Not even my own mother. Would you like them done in the usual format? Another two hundred copies or so?”
I nodded. “When can you have them finished?”
He let out a long breath. “The way things are going now, it will probably take me about two weeks.”
“Two weeks?”
“Unfortunately, yes, unless Lady Carrion would prefer to take her business elsewhere.”
“I can’t do that. You know I can’t do that. Is there nothing you can do to get them done sooner?”
He shook his head. “I can’t, no, not now that Cuffe has returned. I’ll have to do them all at night. He’d have my neck if he knew I was using his presses to print your drivel, no offense.”
“I shall take none.”
I sighed then, leaning back against one of the crates and weighing my options; knowing full well I didn’t have many. A fortnight would have to do.
I reached back into my satchel, taking out a purse filled with coins and setting it down on one of the barrels between us.
“Very well. Do what you can. There’s enough in there to cover the material cost, and your time, along with some extra for the risk.”
“Thank you, Rita. I promise you I will get them printed as soon as possible.”
“Be careful, Ted.”
He smiled, grabbing his lantern and the coin purse and heading back toward his quarters. “Aren’t I always?”
He was, but, maybe not careful enough, for, as I turned to leave, something on the floor caught my eye; something that should not have been there.
I bent down slowly, reaching for it in the dim light. It was a ladies kerchief, made of the finest silk. On its corner, someone had stitched an elegant letter A.
Well well, what have we here?
I looked back at Ted. It seemed I wasn’t the only one with secrets.
Before he could notice, I pocketed the kerchief, and let myself out the door.
***
It was late when at last I arrived home. I had expected to find the house dark and quiet, but such was not the case. A light was on in the drawing room. It was there I found my aunt, sitting alone by the fireplace, wrapped in one of her old shawls. For a moment, I thought she had been waiting up for me, and felt myself go cold, but then, I saw the tears in her eyes, and realized something else was wrong.
“Aunt Priscilla?”
My voice startled her. She turned to face me, wet cheeks gleaming in the dim light.
“Rita? Is that you?”
“It is, sorry. I was-”
“Out riding again,” she said, looking down at my mud covered boots. But, to my surprise, she didn’t scold me. “You have always been so much like your father.”
I stepped closer, worried now. She looked so sad, and a bit afraid. I had never seen my aunt afraid.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, coming to stand between her and the fireplace.
She wiped her eyes and handed me a letter. My heart fell as I read the words.
By the authority of the royal court, as sanctioned and declared by the order of King Thomas Riddle, the first of his name, it is hereby decreed that Miss Felicity Skeeter and Mister Edward Mulciber Junior are to be joined in the sacred bonds of matrimony…
My hand went to my mouth, which had fallen open agape.
“No, wait, it is too soon. They weren’t supposed to start pairing anyone off until-”
“No, they were not,” my aunt said, “but they have.”
I made myself read on, horrified by what came next.
In the same manner, Miss Elizabeth Skeeter is hereby ordered to wed Lord Walden Macnair…
I let out a gasp. “No, Godric’s heart, no! This isn’t right. Lord Macnair is ancient! He is nearly forty years Elizabeth’s senior! We cannot allow this to happen.”
“I’m afraid we don’t have a choice. The King is-”
“No, we can fight this!” I said, shaking my head. “There must be a way. Elizabeth is little more than a child! She can’t be expected to-”
It was then I saw that there was more.
I reached for the mantel, trying to steady myself as I read the next words.
Miss Rita Skeeter is hereby ordered to wed Lord Rufus Scrimgeour...
My stomach leapt into my throat. Surely, this couldn’t be happening. I had thought there would be more time.
But it was happening. It was happening now. Any illusion of choice my cousins and I had ever hoped to have concerning our futures was gone.
I dropped the letter.
My aunt called after me, but I was no longer listening.
I pulled up the hood of my cloak and ran back out into the night.
***
I rode for a long time, heading, at first, I knew not where, pushing Jane faster and faster until the beat of her hoofs matched that of my heart. I didn’t stop until I reached the lake and the shelter of the wooded bank beyond.
Once the trees surrounded me, I slowed Jane’s pace and dismounted, breathing hard and facing the dark waters, wiping at my eyes and trying to calm myself down.
It wasn’t fair. Not any of it. I felt like running; like running far away and never looking back.
I was still standing there, holding on tightly to Jane’s reins, when I heard a noise behind me in the dark.
I turned fast, wishing I had brought a lantern.
“Hello? Is someone there?”
There was no reply, but something in the forest moved.
I tied Jane quickly to the nearest tree and reached for a branch that was lying on the ground, raising it high above my head.
“Show yourself!” I commanded, swinging the branch. “Do it now, or I swear to Godric I will-“
“Rita? Is that you?”
The voice was familiar. I was still trying to make sense of where I had heard it before, when Regulus Black stepped out of the trees, leading a horse of his own.
I dropped the branch. “Dear lord, you gave me a fright! What the hell are you doing out here?”
“I could ask you the same question, seeing as we are within the bounds of my family’s estate.”
“Actually, we are not. The grounds of Ravenwood end just before the forest these days. We are both trespassing on the King’s land now.”
Regulus let out a long breath.
“Just what I needed,” he muttered, turning around to tie up his horse.
The stallion had been ridden hard. Its flanks and shoulders were covered with sweat.
“You ran off so fast the other evening,” Regulus said, looking back at me. “I feel I must apologize again.”
“Apologize?”
“For what happened in our garden. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, and I-”
“Sirius is the one who owes me an apology, not you.”
“No, but I should have made him-”
“I don’t expect you to be your brother’s keeper. Attempting such would be a most foolish errand.”
Regulus smiled. “Of that, we can both agree.”
I saw him properly then. Traces of the boy he had once been were scattered all across his face. He was tall now, and his eyes were much darker. I had barely noticed them when we had been children. I had never paid attention to the way, even in the shadows, they managed to catch the light. But there was something else in his gaze now, too, something that had never been there when we had been younger, a sadness that was buried deep beneath his smile.
Where were you, Reggie?, I wondered. Whatever was it that happened to you?
I wanted so badly to ask these questions, but the words faded on my tongue. Instead, I said, “What brings you out here, Black? Surely I can’t be the only one running from something.”
At my words, the expression on Regulus’s face changed. It was then I noticed how distraught he was, the way his shoulders seemed set against some unseen danger.
“The King’s proclamation,” I said, knowingly. “You received a letter, too.”
He shook his head. “There was no letter. The Grand Duchess Lestrange herself paid my family a visit tonight. She informed me, in no uncertain terms, that I am to marry Eleanor Rowle in three weeks time.”
I gasped. I could not help it. “Eleanor?”
The girl of whom he spoke was Thorfinn Rowle’s younger sister. To my knowledge, she was no more than two and ten.
Regulus nodded, a grim look set upon his face. “It is even worse for my brother. The Grand Duchess has told him that he is to wed our cousin, Andromeda.”
“But… But Andromeda is the Grand Duchess’ sister! Surely she should have been spared from-”
“It does not seem to matter.”
I shook my head, holding back a cry. “No, no, Andromeda will never-”
“She will not be given a choice. Neither will Sirius.”
“You can’t know that.”
“I do.”
Regulus hesitated, looking back at me in the moonlight and studying me for what felt like a long time, as if deciding whether or not I could be trusted, if the bonds we had formed in childhood still held true.
Finally, he said, “I work for him, Rita.”
“For the King?”
He nodded, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a symbol that looked as though it had been burned into his flesh. I recognized it immediately as the King’s crest. In this context, however, the sight of it was ghastly.
“I was indentured to him, made to do his bidding until I reached the age of eighteen. Even now, the leash he keeps me on is tight.”
I was still staring at the brand, horrified by what it meant. “All this time, when you disappeared, you were-”
“I was with him. I was forced to stay with him.”
“I… I don’t understand. Why?”
“After the war… After my mother died… My father couldn’t stand the sight of me. He said I reminded him too much of her. As it turned out, he was also in debt to the King, so he made a deal, and sent me away.”
“Oh, Reggie. I'm so sorry.”
He turned his eyes back to the lake and pulled down his sleeve.
“I know how the King thinks, Rita. I know how all of them think. None of us will be given a choice. The only way out of this will be for us to find a way to put an end to this horrible law.”
For a moment, I said nothing. It was treason he spoke of. We both knew it.
“You intend to defy the King,” I said. It was not a question.
Regulus set his jaw, and looked back at me. “I intend to do more than that. I intend to fight.”
***
Almost a week passed before I again heard from Regulus Black. When I did, it was in the form of a note that had been left tied to Jane’s bridle. It said only, Meet me in the orchard at sundown. Come alone.
I saddled up Jane just after dinner, and rode toward the destination Regulus had chosen, wondering if he knew what he would find there, if his sleep these past few nights had been as restless as mine.
I saw him as soon as I arrived at the end of the orchard. He did not turn to face me, even as I dismounted, but instead kept his gaze on the devastation before him, on the charred and blackened remains of the trees that had once been our playground as children.
“What happened here?” he asked, his words coming quietly as I tied Jane to the dead branch of what had once been a pear tree.
“The blight,” I told him. “It ravaged the land during the war.”
“I didn’t know. I was-“
“Away, with the King, doing his bidding.”
Regulus nodded.
He was still staring off, gazing upon the ruined land surrounding us, when he said, “It is happening, Rita. They will come for Elizabeth at the end of the week. Her wedding shall be one of the first.”
My heart dropped. I reached for the trunk of the dead pear tree, trying to steady myself. “No, no, this cannot happen-“
“It can and it will. It will happen to her and to you and to me and to countless others unless we find a way to fight.”
To fight the King, he meant, and all he stood for. In the moment, doing so seemed impossible. It would have been easier to try to stop the blight.
“How, Regulus? You told me you know them, that you know how they think, so, tell me, how do we fight? How do we stop this from becoming our future, this awful world where we have no choice?”
“From the inside. I can-“
I shook my head. “It’s not enough. Don’t you see that? It’s not enough.”
“Then take Elizabeth, and run. Leave this place. Go somewhere they won’t be able to-“
“You want me to leave my home? To leave others to suffer the same fate? We can’t all run, Reggie. We can’t all disappear.”
I realized then how close we were standing, how he had taken my hand in his; how his other hand was on my face, wiping at my tears.
Before I could stop myself, I pulled him toward me, and kissed him. In that moment, as he kissed me back, it was as though the orchard had never died, as though the trees around us were in full bloom; as though he had never been gone and we were still children, chasing one another until we fell down, wrapped tightly in each other’s arms.
***
A sound from outside woke me from a restless sleep later that night. I wrapped myself in my cloak and went to my window, opening it carefully and staring out into the darkness beyond. A boy, no more than ten, stood in the shadows between my aunt’s lavender bushes, waving at me; beckoning me to come down.
I pulled on my boots and hurried downstairs, leaving the house through the servants’ door in the kitchen. The boy walked up to me as I came around to the front.
“Excuse me, miss, but I’ve got a message.”
“What is it?” I asked him. He looked distraught.
“Ted says you must come. He says, if you want what he promised you, you must come now.”
“Is he in danger?”
The boy looked nervous. I knew then that I must hurry. I took the boy with me to the stables and, together, we mounted Jane and rode for town.
The print shop was dark. All of the curtains had been pulled closed. As soon as I had brought us around to the back, the boy jumped from my saddle and ran off into the night.
I didn’t bother calling after him. I dismounted quickly, tied up Jane, and knocked on the back door. No sooner had I done so than Ted yanked it open, and hurried me inside.
Only when the door was closed did he say, “I’m sorry, Rita. I would have come myself, but I couldn’t risk-“
“Ted, wait, what’s going on?”
In response, he picked up a stack of pamphlets, tied carefully with string, and set it down on the barrel between us.
“I’m sorry, Rita,” he said. “That’s all I could manage. I have to go.”
My eyes scanned the printed words and the familiar wax seals at the top of the pages, each one emblazoned with the symbol of a beetle I had once spent so many nights drawing by hand. It felt so strange to be staring at them now, after everything that had happened. So much had changed since I had written the words before me; so many of them no longer seemed to matter.
“Darling, come on,” Ted said suddenly, breaking me out of my trance. “We have to go.”
I looked up, confused. “We?”
I didn’t understand. But then, the door to his quarters opened, and out stepped Andromeda.
Of course, I thought. The kerchief.
It had belonged to her.
“So, it’s you,” Andromeda said, staring at me across the room. “You’re Lady Carrion.”
“Andy, wait, I can explain-“
But she didn’t give me the opportunity. Instead, she smiled, hurrying over and pulling me into a hug. “Oh, Rita! How thankful I am that it is you; that I got to see you one last time.”
Tears came to my eyes then, as I hugged her back. “No, no, don’t say that. We will find a way to fight this awful law. We will-“
I jumped as the back door swung open. When I turned around, there stood Regulus Black.
He looked from me to his cousin. “Andy, quick! It must be now. They are coming for you! Take my horse, you and Ted. You must go now!”
Andromeda hurried past me, reaching for Ted’s hand, and a bag that sat by the back door. It was all happening so fast.
They had scarcely headed out into the night when Regulus’ voice came from behind me.
“Rita? Did... Did you write this?”
I turned around, feeling myself go cold. In his hand, he held one of my pamphlets. He was staring at the front page.
“Regulus-“
I stopped. I could see my own words now, reflected in the emotions in his eyes.
“Did you? About Sirius?”
But he already knew the truth.
“Of course you did,” he said. “You were in the garden that night. You heard every word we said.“
“Regulus, wait-“
He took a step forward, shaking the pamphlet at me. “Is this all you want? To write nothing but gossip for the rest of your life? To tarnish people’s names and tear them down?”
“No, Reggie, I-“
“Rita, you could do so much more. Don’t you understand? You could use this! You could use your words to change things. Don’t you want that? To write something that matters? To print something that would do more than just ruin people’s lives?”
“Reggie-“
“People listen to you, Rita. Your words are dangerous, and yet, here you are, wasting your time, using them to-“
There was a sudden commotion outside then; the sounds of horses and shouting. The King’s men were coming.
I didn’t think. I grabbed the candle Ted had left burning by the printing press and held it to the stack of pamphlets, watching my words go up in flames.
I faced Regulus, snatching away the pamphlet he held and adding it to the blaze.
“You’re right,” I told him, as it burned. “This isn’t what I want anymore.”
The shouts from outside grew louder.
I dropped the candle and took Regulus’ hand in mine. “I want this. I want to fight.”
In the chaos that followed, as the front door was kicked down and the fire continued to blaze, we ran. Out the back door, through town upon Jane’s back, until the day began to break, we ran.
Regulus was right. My words were dangerous. And I intended to use them.
***
And now, Dear Reader, it seems I have one last story to tell you. I'm sure you have all wondered what has happened to me, why I have remained silent these past few weeks. I think it would please many of you to know I have been busy, even in my absence.
The times we live in now are hard, and everything has changed, but I must ask you all to hold firm, and not to give into despair, for we no longer struggle in vain. There are those of us who have started to rise up against the King and his unfair laws. I do not know where you stand, with him, or with the rebellion, but I will tell you this:
Lady Carrion has joined the fight.
