Home

Chapter 4 - Truce

Two hours later, L and I were still sequestered in the airy sitting room surrounded by piles of notes and news reports as we developed our plan. I leaned back and tucked my pen behind my ear exhausted but relieved. "So this should work. He'll have no knowledge of this crime and no contact with anyone involved. If he pulls this off, there is no doubt that he's superior."

"Correct." L lifted his eyes from the computer printout in his hands. "And then we'll have a problem."

"Indeed." I sighed, stretching my arms. "Changing the order is sure to cause a riot."

The order was Wammy's list of L's successors. I was number two, Near and Mello were both placed side by side at number three and years down the road, Ella was a likely choice for number four. If Jude was better than all of us, all of the prepping the boys had had would be for naught. They wouldn't take it easily.

"Mello will hate him on sight." I noted as I shuffled the papers in my lap. "We know nothing about Jude, yet he could be the one taking over when -" My voice got caught in my throat and I stopped myself, embarrassed. Stupid, Grace, stupid.

"When I die." L finished without fear, reaching for another of my truffles. We had already polished off half of the box.

I shuddered. "I didn't mean to bring that up. That was thoughtless, and I apologize."

"Why?" he asked, chewing. "It's the truth."

While working toward a common goal, our ceasefire had become easier to handle. The increase of respect and the reduction in volume had been a pleasant change of pace and I knew I had destroyed it all by reminding him that no one would advance until he was dead. I wanted to kick myself.

I shifted in my seat, uncomfortably. "I don't know how you can be so accepting of that. Let's forget it was ever mentioned."

"No," he protested, starting to clear up the coffee table between us. "It's the order of the universe, and you can deny it all you want, but it's going to happen. I came to terms with it long ago. It's the same thing with Near and Mello not becoming L until you're gone, isn't it?

I dropped my eyes. "Wammy's always said that if I married I could pass the mantle on, so I guess it doesn't trouble me as much to think of successors."

The sheaf of papers L was collecting fluttered to the floor and I jumped up to help him gather them before they became hopelessly out of order. As I dropped to my hands and knees to hunt for a sheet that had slid under the sofa, I heard his languid voice ask, "Do you plan on marrying, Grace?"

I retrieved the last of our notes and sat back on my heels, amused. "Marrying who exactly? I think Wammy just told me that to get my hopes up."

L sprawled out on the floor across from me, resting one long wiry arm over his knee and furrowed his brow.

"Surely there are men who would suit. Lord Hargrove's son has dined here on numerous occasions. I can't think he comes for the stimulating conversation being that he can't string a sentence together."

I gave him a cold look and thumped the lid down on my remaining candy with a flourish. I'd had it with sharing. He could be so arrogant about his obvious gifts. It reminded me why I usually didn't like him.

L pressed the issue. "Am I wrong to think something else is attracting him here? I don't think I am."

I whirled on him fiercely. "Since when are you so invested in anything about me? Why do you care?"

He pursed his thin lips together and shrugged. "He would be the obvious choice for a ticket out of here, that's all."

I frowned and wondered why we were both still on the floor. "Just who do you want placed in my stead? I'm guessing it's Mello since you already have him doing your dirty work. Well, hard luck. I'm not going to marry Andrew Hargrove for the sake of escaping Wammy's and making things convenient for you. He's tiresome with all of his platitudes and misguided attempts at gallantry and I would never settle for that. I'd rather be Mrs. C yelling at boys to sit straight in their chairs for the rest of my life than ever be a bloody countess someday. I'd have less freedom than I do now. Perish the thought."