Leo looked up at me, his eyes wide with a silent plea.
“Go with your grandmother, Leo,” I said. “I will be up in a minute to tuck you in.”
The door clicked shut behind Martha and Leo, leaving me alone in the warm library with the two Sterling men. Raymond walked over to the sideboard and poured two fingers of amber liquid into a crystal glass. He did not offer me one.
“You lied to me,” I said, looking directly at Arthur.
Arthur did not flinch. He drummed his fingers on his cane, the silver head catching the orange glow of the embers. “A slight exaggeration, Elena. My heart is not what it was, but a man has a right to see his grandson before the end.”
“You said he was on life support,” I said.
“We needed you to understand the urgency,” Raymond said, taking a slow sip from his glass. He leaned against the heavy oak desk, his gold watch slipping out from beneath his cuff. “With Julian gone, the family has decisions to make. We could not wait for you to find a convenient weekend.”
