✓ | Hushed Whispers ⋆ Will Herondale [2]

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: FREE

"Charlotte, I am the one who named you as Head of the Institute and the Enclave," he explained. "I did it not just because I was fond of Granville Fairchild and knew he wanted his daughter to succeed him, but because I thought you would accomplish the job well."

"You named Henry, too," Charlotte argued. "And you even told us when you did it that it was because the Enclave would accept a married couple as their leader, but not a woman alone."

"Well, congratulations, Charlotte. I do not think any members of the London Enclave are under impression that they are in any way being led by Henry."

"It's true," Henry diverted his gaze to his shoes. He almost looked ashamed. "They all know I'm rather useless. It's my fault all this happened, Consul-"

"No, Henry," Marie outstripped her father. "This is neither your nor Charlotte's fault. He only treated you this way because it made him look good. It gave him a moment where he could dwell on the power he doesn't have."

"I am glad you think so," Josiah muttered. "But I was going to say that it is a combination of a generalized complacency on the part of the Clave, bad luck and bad timing, and some poor decisions on your part, Charlotte. Yes, I am holding you accountable for them-"

"Then you're no better than Benedict Lightwood," Marie argued.

"Benedict Lightwood is a blackguard and a hypocrite," he said. "Everyone knows that. But he is politically powerful, and it is better to placate him with this show than it would be to antagonize him further by ignoring him."

"Is that why you promised me to his son?" Marie added. "Because of his power? We are not your puppets, Consul!"

"A show? Is that what you call this?" Charlotte's voice broke. "You have set me an impossible task."

"I have set you the task of locating the Magister," Josiah stated. "The man who broke into the Institute, killed your servants, took your Pyxis, and plans to build an army of clockwork monsters to destroy us all - in short, a man who must be stopped. As head of the Enclave, Charlotte, stopping him is your task. If you consider it impossible, then perhaps you should ask yourself why you want the job so badly in the first place."

Charlotte swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. No matter how much it hurt her to hear, Consul had been right. She had wanted the job terribly. She had believed that she was capable and deserving of running London Institute.

"Marie, may I speak to you before I leave?"

All eyes were on the younger Wayland now. After everything they've witnessed in the Council chamber, there was no way that they were going to leave her alone with Josiah.

"You may speak to me now," the girl replied. "Whatever you have to say to me, my family can hear as well."

"Alone, Marie."

A swift moment passed and the brunette might have tried thinking about Josiah's order, but as soon as she felt Will's hand resting on her upper arm, the idea died. Don't be stupid, Marie.

"We are not leaving you," he said.

Will might have been distancing himself from the Wayland girl, but he was willing to forget it all. He had known how much Marie had hated her father for everything he had done to her, and he had a hunch that he might not even be aware of the whole story. That's why he was ready to overcome whatever barrier he had built between the two of them; he was ready to protect Marie from Josiah's cruel intentions.

"Thank you, Will," Marie met his eyes after what seemed to be forever. She was once again reminded that, no matter how much the pair had avoided each other, they couldn't dismiss their true feelings. There was no way of tucking love away from the world. There was no way of extinguishing the flickers that could be seen in their eyes.