the sort she could keep. She equally wasn’t sure why she was half considering it.
But his strange appearance and strange house and strange ways were beginning to make sense to her. She was a writer , after all. Just because she had an overactive imagination didn’t mean she hadn’t needed an escape, a vacation long before this. Whether it was in France or here didn’t matter.
He may be a few F rench fries short of a Happy Meal, but I have a real family again .
For the first time in ten years she didn’t feel quite so strange and alone. True, the twins had always been steadfast, but they had their own lives. Amie was not foolish enough to think they would be together forever. She would end up exactly like she’d known she would when they were kids: single, published, and a respectable hermit. It wasn’t a bad way to live really, so long as they were nearby.
But I have family.
Uncle Henry m ay be a loony, but he was blood, which was more than she had ever hoped to find again. Maybe it was because of their shared DNA, or mayb e because she’d been writing fair y tales long before she could pen them to paper, but Amie felt a connection. She wanted to understand him and the place Father had talked so often about. It was the shock and thrill of her life to suddenly realize at least part of his larger - than - life stories had been true .
To say no to such an offer would be crazy.
So she grinned and met his eye , and between bites of a purple and red fruit , said, “Okay.”
Chapter 10
Lasting Legacy
Henry Wenderdowne was not patient by nature. In fact, most of his childhood he had been infamous for his temper tantrums. But as he and Drustan aged and his brother became known for his recklessness, Henry felt the need to balance him. Someone had to, after all. Drustan was meant to lead, and Henry was supposed to be the irresponsible but loyal steward of his estate. It was a time honored tradition in their family, going back to the beginning of the oldest tales, that a child with emerald eyes must lead. This child was supposed to possess the greatest power and was to be guarded at all costs. Yet his brother never could stomach the responsibility that came with his inheritance and passed most of his duties along to Henry. There were times he came close to hating Drustan for putting him in this position, but over time he learned to be better than his brother at ruling.
In the years since his brother had abandoned them , as the estate slowly fell into decay, Henry cared less and less about much of anything. He was still secretly fascinated by the world outside but outwardly determined to preserve the old ways at all costs. All these years as he honored the memory of the dead, his spies were out there, looking for his brother.
To find him before they did .
Henry leaned back against the opposing wall he and his niece faced and shut his eyes briefly as he remembered the day he found them. He had all but given up hope, let alone trying to convince Drustan to come home and reclaim the birthright Henry didn’t want. Long past the days when he would have blamed his younger sibling for ruining his life, he pushed the temptation for bitterness away and focused on his prize. His heart ached when he opened his eyes to watch her take the endless hall of portraits in.
The Wenderdownes were the oldest family in the Vale, as it was commonly known. Every generation the ruling set were painted together, whether they were siblings, lovers or married pairs. He c ontinu ed in his lesson . “Two must always rule together, one for the night and one for day. This is the way it has always been done.”
Jessamiene laughed without turning around to face him . “ Rule ? Good grief, you sure are imperious CEO’s, aren’t you?” Her tone was teasing, as if she could hardly believe her uncle might be in charge of something so powerful or important.
His mouth pulled into a half smile as her fingertips hovered over the rich
But his strange appearance and strange house and strange ways were beginning to make sense to her. She was a writer , after all. Just because she had an overactive imagination didn’t mean she hadn’t needed an escape, a vacation long before this. Whether it was in France or here didn’t matter.
He may be a few F rench fries short of a Happy Meal, but I have a real family again .
For the first time in ten years she didn’t feel quite so strange and alone. True, the twins had always been steadfast, but they had their own lives. Amie was not foolish enough to think they would be together forever. She would end up exactly like she’d known she would when they were kids: single, published, and a respectable hermit. It wasn’t a bad way to live really, so long as they were nearby.
But I have family.
Uncle Henry m ay be a loony, but he was blood, which was more than she had ever hoped to find again. Maybe it was because of their shared DNA, or mayb e because she’d been writing fair y tales long before she could pen them to paper, but Amie felt a connection. She wanted to understand him and the place Father had talked so often about. It was the shock and thrill of her life to suddenly realize at least part of his larger - than - life stories had been true .
To say no to such an offer would be crazy.
So she grinned and met his eye , and between bites of a purple and red fruit , said, “Okay.”
Chapter 10
Lasting Legacy
Henry Wenderdowne was not patient by nature. In fact, most of his childhood he had been infamous for his temper tantrums. But as he and Drustan aged and his brother became known for his recklessness, Henry felt the need to balance him. Someone had to, after all. Drustan was meant to lead, and Henry was supposed to be the irresponsible but loyal steward of his estate. It was a time honored tradition in their family, going back to the beginning of the oldest tales, that a child with emerald eyes must lead. This child was supposed to possess the greatest power and was to be guarded at all costs. Yet his brother never could stomach the responsibility that came with his inheritance and passed most of his duties along to Henry. There were times he came close to hating Drustan for putting him in this position, but over time he learned to be better than his brother at ruling.
In the years since his brother had abandoned them , as the estate slowly fell into decay, Henry cared less and less about much of anything. He was still secretly fascinated by the world outside but outwardly determined to preserve the old ways at all costs. All these years as he honored the memory of the dead, his spies were out there, looking for his brother.
To find him before they did .
Henry leaned back against the opposing wall he and his niece faced and shut his eyes briefly as he remembered the day he found them. He had all but given up hope, let alone trying to convince Drustan to come home and reclaim the birthright Henry didn’t want. Long past the days when he would have blamed his younger sibling for ruining his life, he pushed the temptation for bitterness away and focused on his prize. His heart ached when he opened his eyes to watch her take the endless hall of portraits in.
The Wenderdownes were the oldest family in the Vale, as it was commonly known. Every generation the ruling set were painted together, whether they were siblings, lovers or married pairs. He c ontinu ed in his lesson . “Two must always rule together, one for the night and one for day. This is the way it has always been done.”
Jessamiene laughed without turning around to face him . “ Rule ? Good grief, you sure are imperious CEO’s, aren’t you?” Her tone was teasing, as if she could hardly believe her uncle might be in charge of something so powerful or important.
His mouth pulled into a half smile as her fingertips hovered over the rich
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