Tide - By Daniela Sacerdoti Page 0,8
it was full of cotton wool – a little black ghost with a white paw crossed the room, as quick as lightning, and jumped onto her lap.
“Shadow, my sweetie.” The cat purred and burrowed into Sarah’s neck. Since the whole Cathy business, she had become very clingy, especially when Nicholas was around. She liked Nicholas even less than she liked Sean, who had sent her to sleep when he’d first arrived at the house. He had touched her between her eyes and put her out cold. Shadow had never forgotten that, let alone forgiven it.
Sarah cuddled the cat for a bit, placing little kisses all over her fur under Nicholas’s impatient gaze. He didn’t like Sarah giving attention to anything else but him. Finally she let Shadow go, and put the kettle on. A cup of tea with lots of sugar was the safest option.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” asked Nicholas as Sarah wiped away stains only she could see.
She took a deep breath. “My parents’ will.” She moved on to polishing her already spotless kitchen table. “You see, I am not allowed to live in this house on my own. Not until I’m eighteen.” Her hands were shaking with nerves and hunger.
“I don’t understand. What happens if you live here on your own?”
“I’d have to renounce everything, including this house. The condition for me to inherit is that I don’t live alone. And I can’t lose this place. I just can’t.”
“Are you asking me to move in, Sarah?” Nicholas touched her arm.
“No, no way!” she said vehemently, and then blushed when she saw his stricken face. “We’ve been together a month!”
“Yes. But one day …”
Sarah blushed even more, her cheeks and neck blotched red in a way he found impossibly cute. Suddenly he remembered someone else – someone else he had loved who blushed just like that, red roses on her amber cheeks.
He swallowed. “Sorry, I don’t mean to put you under pressure,” he said. “It’s just that with my parents being abroad so much, and your parents … gone, and the dangers that surround us, we might as well stick together.”
I need sugar now. The room was spinning again. Sarah assembled her cup of tea quickly – teabag, sugar, milk – before Nicholas could interrupt her, before her thoughts could go adrift again. She took a sip of it at once, scalding her lips.
“I told Aunt Juliet that Harry is in London for business.”
“Right.” Nicholas nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off her.
“That he’ll be back after Christmas.”
“And it’s a lie.”
Sarah nodded, looking away.
“The guy is crazy, Sarah. Who in their right mind would pretend to be your cousin?”
“Cathy said … She said Sean killed Harry to steal his identity.”
Nicholas shrugged. “Does it matter at this stage? The point is that he lied to you. You can’t trust him.”
“No. No, I can’t. I know that.”
“You’re with me now. Don’t forget that.”
“No, of course.”
“So what are you going to do? About the house, I mean?”
“I have no idea. I’ll be eighteen next October. If I manage to throw Juliet off the scent until then …”
“Why don’t we …pretend? Why don’t we tell her I moved in? I’ll still be sleeping in my house – mostly …” Sarah looked away. The mention of “sleeping” made her heart beat faster. “But we tell her I’m staying here. That we’re serious.”
“That would freak her out!”
“Yes, but better than you moving in with them and bringing who knows what to their doorstep! And anyway, we are serious, aren’t we?”
“Yes. We are.” Sarah drew a breath. He was right. That was the worst-case scenario, but a possible one. Not only having to leave her home and all that it contained, but also putting Aunt Juliet and her family in danger. That couldn’t happen.
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Settled, then. Don’t worry, I’m a good liar.” He laughed.
“So am I,” she replied seriously.
Nicholas took her face in his hands, and kissed her – so gently, so slowly, that she forgot all about her sugary tea. When he let her go, she was too dazed to swallow anything. Her hunger was gone. Again. She felt she might faint. I know that love is supposed to make you lose your appetite, but this is a bit much.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Don’t go,” she heard herself pleading. A knot of unease settled in her stomach. This wasn’t like her. She was turning into someone else, someone she didn’t know.
“I’ll be back tomorrow!” he reassured her, smiling.
Sarah followed him