Chapter Sixty-seven

Jalal was silent for a long moment, studied their faces.

Rome said, "You left so quickly when we came yesterday because you were afraid Elizabeth might remember your voice."

Jalal finally spoke, yelling at him, "You fool, shut up!"

"I'm not a fool! Elizabeth, I know nothing about what these people did, and Adara—it must have been her idea. She wanted to marry me, have all the inheritance. It was my fault. I thought Adara loved me. I wouldn't have married her, ever; she's not of our class. She's not English. This is all on her. You must believe me, I would never agree to killing you. Never. You took care of me for years. I always knew how much you loved me. I've always looked up to you. You know that."

"Yes, Tommy, I know exactly who and what you are now."

His eyes narrowed on her face. He laughed. "Look at you, all sad, tears in your eyes. All an act. You've always resented me, haven't you? You kept me in cocaine for years, and why? You knew I'd be the next Earl of Camden, knew Father would beggar me and you'd get it all. But that wasn't enough, you wanted control over me, didn't you? While you, the upstanding daughter, showed our parents you were the only child they could trust, the only one worthy of their love. And you managed that, didn't you?"

Jalal said, "Well, Tommy, you assured us no one would ever suspect you, the grateful little brother, so brave to stop his addiction without anyone's help. But they figured it out, didn't they? And now Adara will go to prison. My fiery Adara, who hated all things English, wanted to be an English aristocrat maybe more than she wanted your fortune. But most of all, she wanted to prove to her parents she was better than her brother, the imam. She would be the Countess of Camden." Jalal laughed. "She had dreams of what she'd do with your money. Maybe she would have killed you—after, of course, you or she, or both of you, dispensed with your parents."

Tommy said quietly, "You called me tedious, you think I'm arrogant. Well, it was your people who were incompetent, you included, Jalal. You can't pretend otherwise. You tried three times to kill her, but you failed. And you can't put the blame for that on that undercover officer. Those first three attempts were on you alone."

Elizabeth dropped to her knees beside her brother, pulled him up in her arms, rocked him. "Tommy, no, no, please—"