Now let's get back to The Betrayal by R.L.Stine!
Chapter 21
Matthew tells Edward that the Fier brothers are saints among men. He then asks his nephew who told such obvious lies. Edward must think he is lying as he doesn't come out and say Jeremy told the truth about their time in Wickham.
Before Edward can say anything, Mary bursts into the room and starts to tell Matthew that she must tell him something. It's amusing that she bursts into the room as if she realized now would be the perfect dramatic moment to do so.
Matthew doesn't sit back in his chair, he falls into it. Because I guess he's trying to chew up scenery? What non-dramatic words does he say? He tells Mary that it's more than likely 'he' will try to kill her before all of this ends. Mary then asks Matthew to explain himself.
Something about Mary must have triggered honesty in Matthew as he admits Jeremy told the truth. Edward is shocked and asks for his uncle to continue lying. But the uncle says that there is a curse over the Fier family and he can't in good conscience continue to lie about Wickham. Mary doesn't know what Edward had been talking about before and so he explains. He says that Susannah Goode was innocent of witchcraft and he blamed her for a crime she didn't commit. He was okay with her being burned alive.
Matthew still defends Benjamin's choice to burn the Goode women as doing otherwise would have given Edward a less than worthy wife. Worthy in this case meaning rich. Edward blames Benjamin and Matthew for never giving him a choice. Dude, the signs were all there that the Goode women were falsely accused all so that you wouldn't marry Susannah. It's not your family's fault that you're an utter dumbass. Heck, you never questioned the events of Wickham until you heard Jeremy telling the truth. You had a choice if you only saw through the utter convenience of the woman you wanted to marry but your father didn't being accused of witchcraft.
Matthew admits that him and Benjamin went too far trying to control Edward's life. I'm totally sure Matthew will continue to be an utter angel for the remainder of this book.
Mary accuses Edward of listening in on a private conversation and he doesn't deny it. Instead he admits to asking his uncle questions to make sure Jeremy was telling the truth. She...has a shocked reaction. The classic voice rising really high and slapping her cheeks with her hands. It's hilarious!
Matthew appears to be sad and says that Jeremy wasn't lying. Edward is full of regret for the part he played in Susannah's death and Mary is shocked at the horrors of what happened in Wickham. Her shock is too much for her father and he looks away. Edward says that what happened in Wickham was horrible but, unlike his uncle, isn't angry at William for exacting justified revenge. This due to the fact he feels that the two families are even now and just need to find peace.
Mary makes Matthew's blood pressure rise even more by saying that she and Jeremy are in love. I thought he would have guessed that the simple farmhand was a Goode. But I guess he didn't. Matthew is adamant that Mary doesn't marry Jeremy while Edward has the opposite stance. The Fier brother says that he won't apologize to William since the man is a murderer. I would applaud this stance except Matthew's hands aren't exactly clean.
And it doesn't look like Matthew learned his lesson as he is again trying to stop a marriage from happening. But I'm sure the man will eventually come around to Jeremy and will be a great father-in-law.
Matthew takes his time replying when Mary points out that he is also a murderer. He says that he will do what his daughter and nephew want. Though...I highly doubt that someone like him will keep his word. And...he words some of his sentences very ominously. Such as he says that he will do what needs to be done. Sure it could be him saying he's going to make peace even though he doesn't want to. Or it could mean that he has figured something out, a spell to kill Jeremy or that William is Jeremy, and doesn't want to reveal his intentions just yet.
They all wait for a week of mourning to pass before inviting the Goode men over. Ezra keeps asking when his mom is coming back since he doesn't understand the permanence of death. He just thinks she can come back whenever. Edward is going over painful memories with the new revelation that he was a monster. Matthew remained alone from everyone as he seemed to be focused on something. Mary helped and spent the awkward dinners thinking of Jeremy.
The thing that helps Mary get through this dark time is the knowledge that when she marries Jeremy the feud between the families would stop. I'm wondering if the whole thing is mixing the bloodlines, couldn't they just do the nasty to break the curse? Since they're both in love that should break the curse. But since the book doesn't have steamy sex scenes, I guess that's not an option.
When the evening arrives the atmosphere in the Fier house is tense. Except for Ezra who is too young to understand exactly what is going on and why everyone is so tense.
Mary thinks about the fact that it will be more than difficult for Matthew and William to look at each other. Yet it's worth it since her and Jeremy's love for each other will be able to remove the curse. She also thinks it's sad that two people had to die before peace between the families could be achieved.
There is excitement in every inch of Mary when she opens the door for Jeremy. Not even the fact that William isn't there makes her any less happy. She asks him where he father is but the young man ignores the question. Not suspicious at all.
The chapter ends on a cliffhanger that hints something is about to go terribly wrong. Will Jeremy turn out to be William? Will Matthew attempt to cast a spell on Jeremy which will only infuriate William even more?
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