Did you know?" Francis asks her quietly.
Mary shakes her head slightly, turning to Bash and then Francis again. "No, I-I found out recently-"
"You told her?" Bash asks Kenna, betrayed.
Kenna opens her mouth to speak and then clamps it shut, mutely taking Jean out of the room. She knows she's just left Mary to deal with whatever is going to happen, but she won't let her suffer that fate for long as she sees if she can take Jean's attention away onto his rabbit before she returns.
Mary swallows hard, going over to stand in front of Francis. "Francis...," she starts softly, turning to Bash with a wry smile. "Meet Sebastian, your-"
"Half-brother," Francis finishes quietly, his eyes on Bash in disbelief. "Mon Dieu..."
"I can't be here..." Bash says.
Mary tries to go over to Bash but he raises his hand to stop her before turning and leaving. "No," she says to herself. She has to be there for her friends. They've always come running for her, she needs to be there for them instead.
She leaves the room, heading to the foyer to see Bash putting his coat on as he looks up the stairs and tells Kenna to do the same.
"Bash, please," Mary begs him. "Just stay."
"And what?" He asks, turning to her angrily. "He's not my brother-"
"He is!"
"I came here with the intention of forgetting all of that," he says, gesturing to Francis who she realises is standing behind her. "Jesus, Mary, your boss is Henry Valois' son?"
Francis raises his brows. "You're Henry's son too."
"I wish I wasn't," Bash whispers, opening the front door and leaving.
Mary turns towards the stairs where Kenna stands, shocked. "Follow him."
"Yeah," Kenna mumbles, rushing to grab her coat before she leaves too, closing the door behind her.
"I'm sorry," Mary says, turning to Francis now. "I'm so sorry... I realised it last night. I was thinking about it, connecting all the dots... I was going to tell you when h-he came so you could meet. You said it yourself-"
"I want to know him," he finishes for her sadly. "He clearly doesn't want to know me..."
Mary sighs, wrapping her arms around his neck. "He's just caught off-guard. Bash is normally so resilient but his whole world has been turned upside down and... this was supposed to be a break from that and I should have controlled the situation better-"
Francis tightens his hold around her waist. "It's not your fault," he whispers. He sighs heavily. "Do you think he'd ever want to know me? That we could be... close one day? Like brothers are meant to be..."
Mary pulls away, cupping his cheeks. "Definitely. Just give him some time to cool off. He always comes around."
Francis's eyes water and he lets out a soft sob, bowing his head. "Growing up, I had a lot of pressure on me. Being the 'eldest'. God, Mary, what do I do?"
"You're asking me?" She asks in disbelief, shaking her head. "I don't have any answers. God, if you knew..."
"Knew what?"
Mary shakes her head. "Nothing," she says with a soft sigh. "I can offer you some food and tea with sugar for the shock. As for advice? I'm the worst person you should ask."
"I think," Francis starts, meeting her eyes. "You could offer me something more..."
Then he's coming closer and Mary feels as if all air has been sucked out of her lungs. Her hands come up and she stops him, gently pushing him back as she averts her gaze and blinks away her tears.
