A Broken Inheritance

Chapter 77: With All Due Ceremony

Anastasia blinked. "You've seen it?"

"I glimpsed the fittings."

He reached for his tea, swirling it once before setting it back down untouched.

There was a pause. A long one.

"I've summoned them," he finally said.

Her eyes lifted.

Tom didn't elaborate right away. He watched her reaction with vague amusement, like one watches a spider test the edge of a glass.

"Lucius gave me the list," he continued. "The boys who were with Rosier that night."

The sunlight sharpened across the table.

Anastasia's fingers curled slightly around her teacup. "Why?"

Tom smiled. It wasn't kind.

"I thought you might like to say hello."

She went very still.

"You're asking me to speak to them?"

"I'm not asking," he said, gently. "You'll remind them who holds the leash. Who they answer to. Who they serve. And what they saw that night wasn't a mistake. It was a... blessing."

A pause.

"A lesson," he corrected himself. "From their future mistress."

Anastasia looked away. The sunlight had climbed her knuckles now, pale and stark.

"It's time. You've kept your claws hidden for too long. The house must learn who walks its halls."

A flicker passed through her chest, something between dread and detachment.

Tom tilted his head, eyes narrowing in mock thought.

"Unless," he said, "you're hesitant."

"I'm not." Anastasia's voice was steel. "I just find them... tedious to deal with."

Tom gave a soft hum, something between amusement and indulgence. He reached once more for his tea but didn't drink it.

"Of course you do," he said mildly. "Tedious, yes—but necessary. Even mongrels have their uses."

Anastasia didn't respond. Her fingers had gone still again, resting like porcelain against the fine china.

Tom leaned forward slightly, elbows on the table, the full weight of his gaze landing on her now. There was something in it that felt clinical. Not cruel. Not warm. Just... exact.

He went on. "At three o'clock, I'm hosting a gathering in the drawing room. Nothing dramatic. Just... presence. You'll stand beside me. You won't need to speak unless you wish to. But you'll be there."

He paused. Not for effect, he didn't need that. Just long enough to let the words settle like dust.

"It's only a drink," he added. "Not even strictly Inner Circle. Friends. Family. The ones that matter. Narcissa will accompany Lucius, of course. A few others of note."

He glanced at her now, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes. "And I've taken the liberty of inviting your family."

Her spine stiffened. It was subtle, but he noticed. He always noticed.

"Walburga, Orion, and... Regulus."

Her eyes snapped up, sharp and bright.

Tom smiled faintly, as if amused by a secret only he knew. "Relax," he said, cool and casual. "I haven't forgotten our little agreement. Regulus is untouched. Off-limits, as promised."