Silence. Longer this time.
"You're twenty-three years old," he said.
"I'm aware," I said.
"Your mother—"
"Will be told," I said. "By me. After this is resolved. I am not going to let you carry this as a secret for one more day beyond what's necessary. But the timing of when she finds out is mine to manage, not yours." I paused. "Do we have an agreement?"
A breath. Then: "Yes."
"I'll send you the documentation format by the end of the day," I said. "I need it back within forty-eight hours. Notarised."
"Forty-eight hours," he said.
"The clock on the manor is twenty-one days," I said. "I don't have the luxury of more."
A pause. Then, very quietly: "I'm sorry, Nova."
I looked at the chess board. At the bottle cap knight.
"I know," I said. "That helps less than you might think and mo
