Tis The Season for Secrets (Village of Yule #2)

29. Will

I n the Hall of Guardians, Will wasn’t surprised to find the corridors empty at this hour – the perfect time for sneaking around with suspicious luggage. Many of the boarders would be in bed by now, if they hadn’t returned home for the holidays.

Heading to the vault, he opened the door with his key and only turned on one of the lamps; he didn’t want anyone to know he was there. When he removed the chest from his suitcase, he opened it to see that Juliet had returned the bell necklace. He wondered if he should leave it there, but just in case, he slipped the velvet box into his pocket. If Juliet needed it, he wanted her to have an escape. He was also troubled by the idea that the Frosts might have eyes in the Hall of Guardians; this way, he could keep it safe.

Cranking the lever, Will placed the chest back in its rightful place. You’d never even know it’d been missing. The shelves reshuffled themselves back to their original state, erasing any trace of tampering.

Will turned to leave – and Eloise stepped out of the shadows, nearly frightening the life out of him.

“How’d you know I was here?” he hissed.

“Phyllis told me you came by the other day. I was finishing up my rounds, checking on the boarders, when I saw you head in this direction,” Eloise said, standing by the desk with the lit lamp. Her dark hair was slicked back in her signature low bun, exposing the strands of grey. She eyed the wall behind him. “You were returning the chest?”

“Yes. Juliet wanted me to.” He could see that she took it as a rejection. He didn’t know how to tell her that the man she’d once loved was threatening her daughter.

“Why? Has she changed her mind?” Eloise’s brows creased. “Does she not intend to return? To meet me?” She sat on the study desk as though to steady herself from the blow.

“It’s not that she doesn’t want to meet you,” Will said quickly. “Juliet wanted me to return the chest to protect us and Yule.”

“Protect us from what?” Mason walked through the door.

Will groaned internally. He’d thought his night couldn’t get worse; now he had to make sure the leader of Yule didn’t find out that they were at risk of exposure.

“Eloise called me when you arrived,” Mason said before Will could ask why he was here. “Protect us from…?”

“From our own laws,” he said carefully. “This might not be the right time, is all.”

“I’ve already started the paperwork for the petition, as we discussed. What could’ve possibly changed so quickly? Has Juliet had a change of heart?”

“It’s nothing like that.” Will struggled not to tell his friend about the threat, but he didn’t want to put any more weight on his shoulders.

“Juliet’s case is important to Yule. It’s the perfect example of how we need to evolve from the past and make allowances for those stuck in the crossfire of our strict laws,” Mason argued. “I’ve already talked with the council about the Frost banishment, and they’ve no interest in lifting the familial ban.”

“Even for Juliet?” Eloise asked, her words laced with defeat.

“No, but there is one way around the banishment. However, Juliet will have to drop the Frost name and take yours,” Mason told her.

Will grimaced. “Juliet has a sister– Beth. I don’t think she’d cut ties completely, even if she wanted to cut her dad out of her life.” There was no way she’d give up Beth. Nor should she have to.

Mason shook his head. “She wouldn’t have to cut off her sister. Changing her name and filing for citizenship as a legacy of the Heart family would be a show of good faith to the council.” He turned to Eloise. “Do you think your family would be willing to accept her as a legacy? They would need to sign the paperwork for it to work.”

Will couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of the solution before. Then again, it involved the Heart family opening themselves up to gossip and the scars of the past.

“Yes. I’d considered it as an option if you were willing to agree, so I’ve already spoken with my sister and parents. It took some convincing, but it’s understandable, considering they come from an older generation. They’re happy to accept Juliet and leave the past behind, so long as everything is legal,” Eloise said, looking between them excitedly. Will had never seen his superior so excited before. She looked like she’d lost ten years of stress. “But the decision is down to Juliet. If she wants to wait, then we can’t force her.”

Will hesitated, thinking it over. There was no way he could make this decision without her. “I’ll talk it over with her. If she can still keep in contact with her sister, I don’t think she’d have an issue with it, but I don’t want to speak for her.” He knew how much she hadn’t wanted to hand over the chest, but she’d done so to protect Yule and those she’d come to care for. It made sense for someone with such a big heart to bear the name Heart.

“I should be the one to talk it over with her,” Eloise interjected. “This all started with me.”

“No, it’s too risky.” Will couldn’t bring himself to lie to them any longer– not when Mason had done so much to help. “Frost is blackmailing Juliet into giving him the bell.”

Mason ran his hands over his stubbled jaw. “Merry fucking Christmas to us.”

“What Frost does shouldn’t matter now. He only knew Juliet had the chest, and we’ve returned it. He has no proof that we broke the law,” Will said, not wanting them to lose faith.

“We’ll have to figure out another way to get the two of you to meet,” Mason said. “I don’t want Frost getting wind of this, and if he knows how the chest left the hall… I don’t want to go against the council; I still need their support, now more than ever.”

“It’ll be handled with discretion,” Eloise promised him.

“You’ve my word that we’ll lay low for the rest of the season. I won’t put you in a position where you have to pick between the council and our friendship,” Will told him. He was itching to leave. The last thing they needed was to be overheard, and it felt like the walls themselves might be listening.

Mason let out a long sigh. “Good. I’ll get started on the legacy paperwork and get it over to you as soon as I can, Eloise.”

“Now that we’re all in agreement, I need to get some sleep,” she yawned. “The graduation ceremony for this year’s guardians still needs organising. We have to continue on as normal.”

Will nodded. Once Eloise had the legacy paperwork signed and sealed, Mason would just have to convince the council to approve it. It felt good to have a plan.