crybaby ghost writer
one
Tara had spent hours sitting in front of the mirror to get her hair and makeup flawless, but it didn't matter in the end. It didn't matter that she had comissioned a lovely gown for the evening either, made of a red satin with matching white gloves and a crystal headband nestled in her auburn hair. Not a single person would be looking at her. She was still William's mousey little sister, who wasn't good enough to be a wife and wasn't fun enough to be a mistress.
As she pinned one last ringlet in place, William came strutting into the hotel room she was staying in and sat on the edge of her bed. He flipped absentmindedly through the book they were hosting a release event for, then glanced up at Tara.
"Did you read it?" Tara asked.
"More or less," William shrugged. "I got the gist."
"William," Tara frowned, turning around in her chair to look at him. "You're the supposed author of this book. I think you should know what's in it."
"No one is going to ask me about the book once they have a little liquor in their system," he snorted. "My speech will be enough, and I have notecards for that. Speaking of..."
Tara sighed and opened the vanity drawer to take out the notecards she had prepared for William. She hated that she had to go through such lengths because he was so lazy, but it was necessary to keep up their secret. Everyone thought that William was the one who had written a series of history books dedicated to the ancient civilization of Kerelia, which was yet to be completely discovered. While it was known in historical records and relics had been found, the city of Kerelia had never been studied in depth enough to warrant more than a brief mention in other books. These books were the first of their kind, dedicated solely to Kerelian history. While William took the credit as author, it was Tara who had really written them under his name.
Coming from a family with no money or status, a history book written by a woman with no university education would never have been taken seriously. Tara had dedicated her life to Kerelia since she was sixteen and came across a relic being sold for pennies at a church auction. When she wrote her first book, she published it under William's name, knowing her brother was the only one she could trust with her work.
When the book became a huge hit, they were suddenly faced with more money, fame, and success that they knew what to do with. That is, William was. He was all for the big parties and attention, but considered it unimportant to actually read the books he supposedly wrote. Instead, Tara gave him notes from the shadows and watched as everyone congratulated him on his hard work.
She glanced down at the notecards she had written for William, then sighed and handed them to him. He snatched them out of her hand and tucked them into his jacket pocket without looking at them.
"Right then," William said. "I just have to get through this speech, and then I can work on getting up pretty Patty Carmichael's skirt. She's stiff, but I'm almost through that wall."
"Patty is a nice girl," Tara said. "I don't think she's going to be another one of your cheap one night stands."
"Don't talk to me like I'm below you," William snapped. "You wouldn't be wearing all that nice stuff if I wasn't out there showing face and making money. Anyways, get out there soon. And your hair looks ridiculous, tone it down. People are going to think you're an attention seeker."
Tara was used to William berating her and considered herself mostly desensitized to it, but glanced once more in the mirror and wondered if he was right. William was always the tall and handsome one. She wasn't ugly, but she wasn't particularly pretty either. Maybe if she had William's peircing green eyes she'd be a little prettier, but she was born with a dark brown that her grandmother always called "the eyes of a changeling". She sighed softly. It was too late to change it now. She tucked an auburn ringlet behind her ear and picked up her purse to go down to the banquet hall.
Pinehaven was the last city on their book tour, before she and William would be returning home. She wished she could keep exploring the world, but she would just enjoy her last evening in Pinehaven. The party was already bustling when she arrived, and William was surrounded by wealthy men and women congratulating him on his new release. A couple people gave Tara a polite nod hello, but she wasn't sure any of them knew who she was. William was the one to see, anyways.
She stayed off to the side as William stepped up to a podium on a platform to give his speech. He flashed a dazzling smile as everyone quieted down to listen. Tara noticed him briefly glance down at the notecards before speaking. She had to hand it to him. He may have been abrasive in private, but he was good at being charming and acting like he knew what he was talking about.
"I'd like to thank you all for coming to celebrate the release of my third book," William began, holding up a copy of the book. "When I first sat down to write about Kerelia, I had no idea where it would go. Four years later, I have support from all of you wonderful people. A History of Kerelia, Volume III is dedicated to all of my wonderful supporters. And there is one more person I would like to thank."
Tara perked up a bit. Was William going to mention her?"
"I'd like to thank the angels who have bestowed so many blessings upon me and helped me along the way," William said.
Tara sighed. She was asking too much of William to let anyone share his spotlight. She nursed a glass of champagne for the rest of William's speech. He was only skimming through the notecards she had given him, but everyone was too dazzled by him to notice.
She finished off her glass of champagne and picked up another, which would have been her third for the night. Maybe she should have slowed down, but what did it matter? No one was looking at her, anyways.
As she pinned one last ringlet in place, William came strutting into the hotel room she was staying in and sat on the edge of her bed. He flipped absentmindedly through the book they were hosting a release event for, then glanced up at Tara.
"Did you read it?" Tara asked.
"More or less," William shrugged. "I got the gist."
"William," Tara frowned, turning around in her chair to look at him. "You're the supposed author of this book. I think you should know what's in it."
"No one is going to ask me about the book once they have a little liquor in their system," he snorted. "My speech will be enough, and I have notecards for that. Speaking of..."
Tara sighed and opened the vanity drawer to take out the notecards she had prepared for William. She hated that she had to go through such lengths because he was so lazy, but it was necessary to keep up their secret. Everyone thought that William was the one who had written a series of history books dedicated to the ancient civilization of Kerelia, which was yet to be completely discovered. While it was known in historical records and relics had been found, the city of Kerelia had never been studied in depth enough to warrant more than a brief mention in other books. These books were the first of their kind, dedicated solely to Kerelian history. While William took the credit as author, it was Tara who had really written them under his name.
Coming from a family with no money or status, a history book written by a woman with no university education would never have been taken seriously. Tara had dedicated her life to Kerelia since she was sixteen and came across a relic being sold for pennies at a church auction. When she wrote her first book, she published it under William's name, knowing her brother was the only one she could trust with her work.
When the book became a huge hit, they were suddenly faced with more money, fame, and success that they knew what to do with. That is, William was. He was all for the big parties and attention, but considered it unimportant to actually read the books he supposedly wrote. Instead, Tara gave him notes from the shadows and watched as everyone congratulated him on his hard work.
She glanced down at the notecards she had written for William, then sighed and handed them to him. He snatched them out of her hand and tucked them into his jacket pocket without looking at them.
"Right then," William said. "I just have to get through this speech, and then I can work on getting up pretty Patty Carmichael's skirt. She's stiff, but I'm almost through that wall."
"Patty is a nice girl," Tara said. "I don't think she's going to be another one of your cheap one night stands."
"Don't talk to me like I'm below you," William snapped. "You wouldn't be wearing all that nice stuff if I wasn't out there showing face and making money. Anyways, get out there soon. And your hair looks ridiculous, tone it down. People are going to think you're an attention seeker."
Tara was used to William berating her and considered herself mostly desensitized to it, but glanced once more in the mirror and wondered if he was right. William was always the tall and handsome one. She wasn't ugly, but she wasn't particularly pretty either. Maybe if she had William's peircing green eyes she'd be a little prettier, but she was born with a dark brown that her grandmother always called "the eyes of a changeling". She sighed softly. It was too late to change it now. She tucked an auburn ringlet behind her ear and picked up her purse to go down to the banquet hall.
Pinehaven was the last city on their book tour, before she and William would be returning home. She wished she could keep exploring the world, but she would just enjoy her last evening in Pinehaven. The party was already bustling when she arrived, and William was surrounded by wealthy men and women congratulating him on his new release. A couple people gave Tara a polite nod hello, but she wasn't sure any of them knew who she was. William was the one to see, anyways.
She stayed off to the side as William stepped up to a podium on a platform to give his speech. He flashed a dazzling smile as everyone quieted down to listen. Tara noticed him briefly glance down at the notecards before speaking. She had to hand it to him. He may have been abrasive in private, but he was good at being charming and acting like he knew what he was talking about.
"I'd like to thank you all for coming to celebrate the release of my third book," William began, holding up a copy of the book. "When I first sat down to write about Kerelia, I had no idea where it would go. Four years later, I have support from all of you wonderful people. A History of Kerelia, Volume III is dedicated to all of my wonderful supporters. And there is one more person I would like to thank."
Tara perked up a bit. Was William going to mention her?"
"I'd like to thank the angels who have bestowed so many blessings upon me and helped me along the way," William said.
Tara sighed. She was asking too much of William to let anyone share his spotlight. She nursed a glass of champagne for the rest of William's speech. He was only skimming through the notecards she had given him, but everyone was too dazzled by him to notice.
She finished off her glass of champagne and picked up another, which would have been her third for the night. Maybe she should have slowed down, but what did it matter? No one was looking at her, anyways.