Chapter 10: White Roses

Ellery's POV

Four days after I landed, I was explaining a map of cholera deaths to six new students.

Tristan walked into the department's common room in the middle of it.

I had a pointer in my hand. Piers stood at the back with a mug.

The door opened, and every head turned.

Tristan wore the same good coat. He had not shaved.

He held white roses in one hand and a long envelope in the other.

"Ellery," he said.

The room went quiet.

"This is a closed seminar," Piers said, mildly. "Are you lost?"

"I'm looking for her."

"I can see that."

I put down the pointer.

"It's all right," I said. "Everyone, we'll take ten minutes."

Nobody moved.

"Please," I said, and the six of them filed out.

The last one looked back at me over her shoulder.

Piers stayed where he was.

Tristan crossed the room in three steps and stopped an arm's length away.

There were dark circles under his eyes.

"I called the hospital," he said.

I didn't answer.

"I talked to the nurse. She told me what happened."

His voice cracked. "I didn't know, Ellery. I swear to God I didn't know."

"You told me you did."

"I thought it was a test."

"Whose test?"

He opened his mouth. Nothing came out.

"I brought these," he said at last, and held out the roses.

I looked at them.

They were real. They smelled of rain.

"Why?"

"Because the last ones weren't."

"Tristan." My voice was very even. "You ordered the plastic ones on purpose."

His face went still.

Keep reading free with an account. Start He Bet I Wanted Nothing, So I Left Him Nothing from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.