Page 49 of Forsaking All Others

“No,” Lynx goes on. “Eleanor wouldn’t go that far. I don’t think she could reveal the subterfuge with the children without incriminating herself, and one more slip-up on her behalf will definitely see her head roll. Personally I don’t see why Sparrow can’t know she’s not a bastard. That would stop her running around doing stupid shit with people beneath her station.”

“The only thing protecting her is her belief and the world’s belief that she is a bastard, Lynx.”

“She’s smarter than you know,” he says quietly, “she’s remarkable.”

“And if you want to keep her that way, keep your mouth shut and keep her as far away from Eleanor as you can. In the meantime, I’ll consider how to mitigate her threat; it’ll give me something other than this disgusting game to consider.”

“You sound troubled, brother,” he says quietly, “more than troubled. Did you lose your sense of joy and humour while you were off doing whatever these past thirty years or more?”

“No, brother,” I sigh. “I lost nothing. I’m exactly as I was the day I left. More’s the pity.”

37

We’re as prepared as we can be, and now as we head to the challenge, I just hope it’s enough.

All week, following Miranda’s attempt to get us to join forces with her, we’d shared information about ourselves. It went against all my gut instincts, but I couldn’t see any other way forward.

After our agreement that there would be no leader, we’d set about learning details about each other’s lives that we swore we’d reveal to no other competitor — on pain of death.

My assertion that I would happily kill them all without batting an eyelid was taken at face value, but there were still some things I’d only shared with Thorun. Somehow, I’d found it easier talking to her than to anyone else. My whole life, well, since I was twelve, I’d kept my thoughts, feelings, likes and dislikes to myself. I shared only what I had to in order to keep my plans hidden and make it look like I was playing along at being a dutiful daughter. If I hadn’t been that way my father never would have imparted the business secrets and dealings with me that he had. It was imperative that he believed I was going to be his puppet and could be used as a honeypot to force Valentino’s family into our way of doing things once we were married.

The necessity for hiding my true feelings soon became habit, and then just the way it was. Second nature. To try and change my personality now, to try and open up to another person, even a little, is excruciating. But Thorun’s a patient confidante. The girl is weak, true, but she’s honest. If it comes down to it and I have to work with one particular roommate above the others, it will be her. Conversely, if I have to sacrifice the weakest, it will also be her. As far as I can tell, her only real strengths are in running and swimming. She knows a great deal about nature and is good at accounting too, but I can’t see any possible future in this game where either of those things will be useful.

Sona has a few more tricks up her sleeve. She’s good at puzzles, for instance, and obviously has a high tolerance for pain and an insatiable sex drive. But hiding during every challenge is her game plan for the rest of the show, which, to be fair, has worked for other competitors in the past, so can’t truly be faulted as a strategy — providing no one kills her in the mansion.

Evelyn is the most knowledgeable of them all in terms of game plan. She’s been groomed since infancy to take part in these games. Her mother, acting as her manager, guide and life coach, had ensured she had no other focus in life and nothing to distract her from that goal. Alliances are Evelyn’s speciality, which I have to acknowledge she has succeeded at where I’ve failed at this point.

At least the others agreed that I have strategy and violence as my personal strengths, although I secretly believe I have a great deal more than that.

I look now at the other teams in our bus. Each room’s competitors are dressed in different coloured skin-tight catsuits, another new Game twist. Beneath the zip-up suits are G-string bathing suits equally as tight and revealing. The suits are designed to show off our bodies, but they won’t be helpful if it comes to fighting or running; they’re just too constrictive. I imagine that’s why the bikinis were included, but there’s no chance in hell I’ll be stripping down. The only small mercy is that our team’s suits are khaki. Some teams, like the French, German and Scottish trio, minus their Brazilian roommate who died during the first challenge, are dressed in black. Others are in bright orange. I don’t know if camouflage is a necessity for this contest, but either way, wearing a bright colour does put you easily on the radar for other teams.

Still, the only colour I’m focusing on right now is worn by a team on another bus following ours, the blue team containing the Mongolian contestant Khutulun. After much deliberation, hers was the team we’d all agreed we’d like to see eliminated and would do our best to ensure was taken out. Her team members had all rubbed one or the other of us up the wrong way here or there, and that room held none of Evelyn’s not-so-secret alliance members. It contained Khutulun, who I hadn’t forgiven for throwing rocks at me during the first contest, the Kenyan, Luo, and the Portugese, Daniela, who claimed the Viscount liked kissing her ‘above all others.’ Their last roommate was the Georgian, Natia, with whom I personally still wouldn’t mind an alliance. There were several other rooms with people Evelyn and I wouldn’t mind seeing eliminated, but Thorun and Sona liked some of the contestants in them, so in the end the consensus was the blue room.

Now, as we pull up to the river fronting what looks to be the entry to the old Inquisition dungeons, we’re confronted with Clyde Starlen standing surrounded by huge lights on towers. There’s also a range of paraphernalia that I surmise must be going to be put into use during the challenge.

‘Merda, so much for this being inquisition-style court trials, not physical trials. I should have known we’d be wrong.’

The bachelor towers beside Starlen, his expression dark, and I catch his eye as I descend the bus stairs. I’m wearing the black ribbon he gave me last time we met, and his eyes flick from that to mine before he looks away, his jaw clenched.

I probably don’t need to wear it, but I’m doing it as a reminder to him of our conversation. I hadn’t told the other girls that he doesn’t plan to kill anyone this season. If he tells them that, all well and good, but I hadn’t heard it from anyone’s lips over the past week — and I’d been listening for it.

I have a feeling only he, I, and the director are privy to that information.

I’d worked out the director must have known because it explained his shocked expression the night the Viscount seemed like he was going to devour me. I’d guessed, too, that the crew must know, because they would surely have noted that no one had yet been eliminated by the bachelor. It’s a huge advantage knowing this because it means all I need to work on are other competitors and my own strategy, rather than trying to make the bachelor fall in love with me. It also means I don’t need to worry about any potential death bites. Right now all I’m concerned about are the ropes and weights the crew are rushing to hand to team members.

I stiffen as our team is handed two sets of ropes and heavy weights and ordered to stand on spots spray-painted on the ground with big red X’s.

When we’re all arranged as ordered, Starlen clears his throat and nods to the director.

‘And…Action!’

“Welcome, welcome, beautiful competitors,” he gives a Broadway smile to us. Some of the contestants simper their greetings, but her barely acknowledges them before turning his back on us to face the cameras. “And here we are, Bachelor Universe, ready to witness the first-ever Bedroom Challenge! Now,” he laughs and holds up his hand, “I know what you’re thinking, but get those dirty thoughts out of your minds! The Bachelor will not be participating today,” he holds his hand to the side of his mouth and whispers to the camera, “more’s the pity, hey ladies?”

The Viscount takes a deep breath and continues to stare at Starlen as though he’s a cockroach, but the presenter pays no mind and keeps talking.

“Tonight history will be made. This is sure to be a challenge you will all want repeated next season, I promise you, because tonight our competitors will be forced to work in teams. Not teams they chose, not alliances they prefer, no.” He shakes his head and wags his finger at the cameras. “These teams are made up of the rooms they sleep in. Their bedfellows, so to speak,” he laughs and shudders dramatically before lowering his voice conspiratorially. “Some of these ladies are mortal enemies, and yet tonight they must work together because…” He pauses and hangs his head before slowly looking up at the cameras with sorrowful eyes as he moans, “if they lose, they’ll be eliminated as a team.”

“Cut!”