“Think we can lose them? I asked the conductor a moment ago—about thirty minutes until the next station. Let’s get off there. We’ll send those fellows packing on this train, far away.”I stared at Jerome, then asked again, “Who are they?”Jerome sighed as if helpless. “Friends hired by the family.”“The royal family? Why would the royals be tailing you?”“They’re watching to make sure I don’t do anything foolish. And if the chance arises, they’ll kill me too.”He took a sip of tea, frowned at the taste, and I studied that perfect face. Stella had hinted at Jerome’s ties to the royals, but I hadn’t realized they wanted him dead. He added two spoonfuls of sugar and then spoke.“Why are they so hostile?” I asked.“Not every family is the same, even royal ones.”Finally satisfied, Jerome sipped his tea and said, “I hear you’re not on good terms with your mother either.”I didn’t want to bring up Julia, so I stayed silent. Jerome gave a teasing smile. It made my skin crawl, so I snapped, “So you’ve been clinging to Timothy all this time? Stella says you owe your life to him.”“Well, if he kept me alive, he’s responsible.” Jerome replied vaguely, then added, “That’s old news. Now I’ll either die at the hands of the family or at the hands of the elder sir. If you don’t want to lose your chance with either of them, you’d better pick a side quickly.”I watched Jerome wink. He ate and drank only with his uninjured arm, carefully ignoring the wounded one.“Your injury is Timothy’s fault too?” I asked.“The elder sir is to blame, but Christopher was the one who stabbed me.”I blinked in surprise. Weren’t Christopher and Jerome allied? Jerome seemed unfazed.“Christopher was on edge. As Stella must’ve told you, he’s exhausted, carrying the elder sir’s wrath all alone. He’s not entirely sane right now.”“What happened?”“What? You have to ask, Raymond.” Jerome teased.“Did something happen to Christopher?”“You can’t be unaware—he gave you a taste of it, and it was worse for me. The elder sir was furious.”“……”“Why the long face? No need to feel guilty. It’s nothing to do with you.”Anger flared, and I glared at Jerome. He set down his cup, donning his overcoat on the chair back, then leaned close, as if to kiss me.“I’ll open the left door and go out. The moment I’m through, you open the right door and go. Better to cover both exits.”“And if they chase us both?”“They won’t. Don’t forget to get off at the next station.”He rose without kissing me and strolled away. I watched the empty cup, then turned my head. Jerome ambled to the left-hand door of the dining car and pulled it open. Seizing the moment, I sprang up and flung open the right-hand door. Only one pursuer emerged behind me.I stood in the vestibule, not rushing to a compartment. When the hooded man lunged through, I swung with all my strength. He dodged as much as he could—clearly not an amateur—but my fist grazed his nose. Blood spurted, yet he charged without hesitation. Before he could strike, I drew my gun.“Turn around.”“……”“Now.”As he ground his teeth and began to turn, I struck him on the back of the head with the butt of the pistol. He crumpled instantly. I dragged him into a restroom, shoved him inside, and kept watch until the train stopped. At the station, I gave him another blow, then disembarked. In the distance I saw Jerome, calmly gathering his backpack, stepping off the train.I stood frozen as he approached. Never before had I watched Jerome come toward me so quietly. He glanced at my face, gave a small smile, and we walked side by side into the station. A battered timetable on the wall showed the next train wouldn’t arrive for five hours.“We should forget the train—rent a car or something,” I said, “they might follow us immediately.”“I saw something outside the window,” Jerome interrupted, eyes fixed on the schedule. “There’s a ranch nearby. Want to visit? We’ve got plenty of time.”He strode off before I could reply. I sighed, followed him, lacking the energy to protest. Jerome walked ahead with a light step.The air was cold but still. Two blocks out of town, fields spread before us. Jerome lit a cigarette; I breathed in the bitter smoke and fell silently in step behind him. We passed a sparse fence and entered a field of dry grass. Jerome paused then waited for me. When I caught up, he resumed walking at my pace.“There they are,” he said suddenly. I looked where he was gazing: horses grazed lazily in the distance. A low laugh escaped Jerome’s lips, and I turned to study him.“Even in winter, there’s grass to eat,” he murmured. The pale winter sun rimmed his ear; I watched his skin glow faintly. He met my eyes, and I witnessed the flicker of shifting light in his pupils—my heart ached with longing. How lonely I’d been all this time…“I’m going to lock you up,” I whispered, breathless. “This time I’ll imprison you—just like you locked me on the top floor… in that damned cabin….”I fought back the words I couldn’t utter, panting. Then Jerome gripped my wrist so hard I feared he’d break it. I saw the fire burning in his eyes, the madness still alive, and recoiled. Abruptly he released me, stepping back a few paces, and asked, “If you could forget everything?”“What?”“All that’s happened to you. If you could forget it as if it never happened—what would you do?”I panted and glared in silence. Jerome, uncharacteristically serious, continued, “Forget it all—Bluebell, Leverham, that last ordeal with the Club—it could all be undone, become as though it never existed. If no one remembers, it’s not real. Pain and contradiction vanish when you forget. Then you could reclaim your life… truly live again….”“……”“Raymond. If you want, I can make you forget. Me, Bluebell, everything on the top floor.”“I won’t forget a thing!” I shouted, hatred blazing. I wouldn’t free Jerome by forgetting—none of them deserved mercy. I lunged, grabbing his collar with both hands as though throttling him.“Even if you forget, it’s the same. I’ll remind you of every insult and hatred you’ve wiped from your mind, every one you ignored, until the day you die. None of you can escape—no one.”As I spoke, Jerome’s hardened expression melted into the most tender smile. In a small but clear voice he whispered,“It’s a promise.”His single word drained my strength, and I shoved him hard. I couldn’t fathom his thoughts—his riddles exhausted me. I turned and strode away.Heat boiled through me. Compelled by raw impulse, I broke into a run across the field. The cold winter air stung my eyes, cheeks, ears. I ran until my lungs felt like they would tear. I squeezed my eyes shut. No matter how far I ran, the fire inside me wouldn’t cool. At last I halted and looked back: Jerome was following slowly. The relief that sight brought disgusted me, so I turned away.Jerome caught up and passed me, heading toward the grazing horses. He approached a chestnut mare, scratched its nose, and playfully nuzzled its face. The gentle creature followed him. Off in the distance, a man in work clothes—presumably the rancher—called out to us. I remained seated, but Jerome took the mare’s reins and walked to the man. They spoke quietly, then Jerome mounted the horse bareback.He sat tall and rode off, effortlessly commanding the animal. So much time had passed that I could watch him unafraid. The boy I’d known on the top floor, twisted by time’s stain, galloped across the pale /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ winter field. I sensed the end of our escape—even if it wasn’t a lovers’ flight.Dusk fell as we crossed the field together. At the station, an iron stove bore a kettle steaming atop it. We sipped the bitter tea the attendant brewed while waiting for the train. I bought a postcard, hunched over and wrote a short note to Fay and Alan:“If you hadn’t helped me, I never would’ve regained my health. Thank you. Good luck.”Jerome peered over my shoulder and read it aloud, “So Fay wasn’t your lover after all.” I smacked his injured arm, then dropped the card in the mailbox. He winced but said nothing more.The train roared into the dark station, its lights glowing like yellow eyes. Jerome yawned and boarded first, waving casually to the stationmaster through the window; the older woman waved back. The train pulled away, leaving the unfamiliar town behind at speed. I stared out, but the ranch we’d visited had already vanished into darkness.The train raced on toward Releium.

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