The suspension from Saint Jude’s meant Leo was confined to the estate for three days. Lady Beatrice, trying to fulfill her new role as the benevolent great-grandmother, found him in the solarium.
“Your father tells me you enjoy chess,” Beatrice said, sitting opposite the twelve-year-old. “Alistair taught me a few things. Care for a game?”
Leo didn’t speak. He simply reset the board, turning the white pieces toward her. “You move first, Great-Grandmother.”
Beatrice opened with a standard King’s Pawn. Leo countered instantly. The game moved with a speed that unnerved her. She expected him to be defensive, careful. Instead, he was aggressive.
On the fourth move, Beatrice smiled. “You’ve left your Queen exposed, Leo. That’s a mistake.”
She took his Queen.
Leo didn’t flinch. He moved his Knight. “Checkmate.”
Beatrice froze. She stared at the board. By taking his Queen, she had opened a diagonal line for his Bishop and Knight to trap her King. He had sacrificed his most powerful piece just to lure her into a trap.
“You… you sacrificed the Queen,” Beatrice whispered, looking up at him.
Leo’s face was impassive. His eyes were dark, devoid of the childish triumph she expected. “The Queen is a distraction,” Leo said calmly. “The goal is the King.”
A chill ran down Beatrice’s spine. It wasn’t William she was looking at. It was Alistair.