Vicky had dropped my hand to put both of hers on her hips, and her eyes were narrowed. I’d grown up with a sister—I knew the warning signs. But just as I was about to try and claw things back, the event organiser’s voice filled the space.
“So, if we’re all ready, it’s that part of the evening where you can start oohing and aahing as we light up this entire county!”
Vicky blinked before her eyes went wide, a look of sheer panic flashing across her features.
What was going on?
Then the first bang shook the room, and her hands flew to her ears.
The sky outside transformed with multi-coloured sparkles, and the floor trembled with the force of the explosions. Then oneof the rockets that must have been set off too close to the open double doors suddenly misfired.
Sparks flew across the ballroom floor, and the crowd surged back amidst squeals of slightly panicky excitement.
Meanwhile, as the bangs from outside escalated, I realised that something was wrong with Vicky. She’d started shaking like a cornered animal.
I uncrossed my arms and started toward her, but she flinched back. I felt completely helpless as her hands at her ears started flapping. Then my heart stopped with her first awful scream.
She dropped into a half-crouch, hands still flapping at her ears, completely lost in her world of fear.
“Hold her!” I heard Ollie shout and glanced over to see him and Lottie trying to get to us through the crowd. “Mike, hold her! Do it,now.”
It has to be a tight hug.
That’s what Vicky had said in the Orangery. That’s what calmed her down. Before I could doubt myself, I strode forward and pulled her small body into my arms.
The screaming stopped just as Lottie and Ollie made it to us, but Vicky was still shaking.
Lottie bent down to scoop up Vicky’s bag, which had fallen to the floor, and pulled out noise-cancelling headphones.
“Keep firm pressure,” Lottie told me as she put the headphones over Vicky’s ears. “Don’t stroke to soothe her. Just use the pressure. You can sway her very slightly from side to side. Butnolight touch. She can’tstandlight touch.”
I gave a sharp nod as Vicky burrowed further into my chest.
Ollie’s heavy hand fell on my shoulder when he arrived next to us. “Give her to me,” he snapped, all ducal authority, which just pissed me off.
Where was he when his sister was being grabbed by some random bloke?
“I’ve got her,” I said firmly, glaring at Ollie. Then in a much lower voice, I asked, “Why’s she reacting like this?”
“She’s Autistic,” Ollie said, and suddenly, the puzzle pieces all seemed to fall into place.
“Why has nobody bothered to tell me that?”
Lottie shook her head. “She doesn’t want people treating her differently.” Then she bit her lip as if deciding whether or not to continue. When she spoke again, I could only just hear her above the fireworks. “Especiallyyou.”
I shook my head at the level of fuckwittery happening here.
So Vicky’s mind worked differently. There was no shame in that. What’s with all the secrecy? Christ, when I thought about all the jacked-up crap I’d said to her when I thought she was just a cold, stuck-up lady of the manor wanting to get her end away with a bit of rough, I felt ill.
But I didn’t have all the information, did I?
“Well, how the fuck did you let this happen?” I said, furious with myself, but even more angry with her useless fucking brother. “You must have known how this was going to go down. Why is she even here?”
Vicky whimpered, and I felt my heart break right then and there, in the middle of this poncy bloody party.
I shifted her to encase her further into my arms, and she burrowed into me again.
“Lottie wassupposedto make sure she left,” Ollie said through gritted teeth.
