'Katie' Ben said 'May I have another dance?' Before I could speak, my grandmother cut him off

'Katherine isn't feeling ready to dance right now, perhaps another time' Ben gave me a concerned look before dutifully leaving.

'You had to corrupt them both, didn't you?' She muttered

'Corrupt?' I raised my eyebrow

'Both Benjamin and James would have made excellent husbands, it's a shame you had to tarnish their records'

'It wasn't my fault that Jamie got caught' I shrugged. My grandmother gave me a look that told me to not push my luck, even though at this point I've probably pushed my luck over a cliff.

'Excuse me madam' A waiter carrying a silver tray with a small note came over 'A gentleman has sent this for you' He offered the tray to me. Now get this, my grandmother isn't old, but somehow her reflexes were 100 times quicker than mine. She snatched the note and sent the waiter away before I got a chance to blink. She examined the note.

'The Earl of Montreux has requested a private word with you'

'Oh?' I said surprised

'Indeed' She signalled to one of the guards 'Accompany Katherine to the flower room, and make sure there is no funny business'

'Of course ma'am' He nodded and led me out of the room. I followed him along the corridor, the crowd were thinning out and the security camera were becoming less frequent. The guard opened the door, I walked inside and he shut it behind me.

The conservatory is also known as the flower room, it was my grandfather's pride and joy, the servant's maintain it now. It's a shame, the flowers never bloomed the same after he died. It's almost as if they weep along with everyone else. The room was lit by the moon, the glass shards that surrounded the building made this my favourite part. It was as close to the outside world as I could get when I was here...and probably for a while now.

'Earl of Montreux?' I called into the distance

'Not quite' My father stepped out of the shadows

'What are you - Hale called you, didn't he?'

'He was worried about you Katerina, as am I' He grabbed my hand 'We are leaving'

'No' I snatched my hand out of his grip 'Not without answers'

'What do you want to know?' My father sat down on one of the stone benches, he sat to familiar to how he did when he was here. Robotic.

'Why did mom want to steal the necklace?'

'To prove her worth to my mother' He shrugged 'My mother was a bitter woman believing that no one could get the better of her. Your mother saw that as a challenge, and a challenge she was too glad to accept'

'So how do the magicians come into this?' I sat alongside him

'She was desperate. Eddie was in jail, the rest of the family wouldn't touch it and...she wanted to do it for you Katarina'

'Me?'

'You were young. She loved you and wanted what was best for you' He chuckled 'If she could have stolen the world and all the stars just to make you smile, then she would have done'

'She went rogue?'

'She left the job. She went without another word and then she ended up dead. No one really knows what happened' He placed his hand on mine

'Is that why everyone freaked out when I left? They were worried I'd be like mom?'

'We all feared the worst' He sighed. We didn't speak for a moment, we just stared at the sky, the moon a constant orb, reminding me that the dark isn't as scary as I used to believe.

'I can't do it dad' I admitted 'This is the one heist I can't do'

'It's okay' He soothed

'The magicians are after me'

'I know. I've spoken to Romani-'

'You spoke to him? How? When?'

'His bodyguard approached me, saying that you needed me on the heist'

'Wait' I stood up and faced him 'You did Budapest '95?'

'Yes' He shrugged

'You're the friend Romani was talking about'

'Friend?' He stood up 'Katherina, I don't know who Romani is. And if I did, I would have told you'

'So if Romani sent you here to help me, what do you know about the magicians?'

'Kathari-'

'No' I shouted 'Tell me the truth! Romani said that his friend knows the way the magicians have worked for a long time. So what are you?'

'How do you think I got into the business Kat?' His voice boomed around the vast room 'I wasn't plucked from this life solely on love.' He began to pace 'I was already in the business and your mother was excited by it' He stopped and looked at me 'The magicians are never found because of how well they are hidden. We are hidden in plain sight' He chuckled 'Half of them are out there dancing right now!' He exclaimed

'I don't understand' I whispered backing away

'The Lords and Ladies of the old world grew tired of the facade they had to put up. Their children developed a game to try and steal from one another, this ended in not so subtle battles where artwork was lost and traded. Even now there is still deception going on. The magicians are a secret society and only accept those who are noble. Your mother was married to me and was your guardian. She charmed her way in and they all loved her. She was blinded by power'

'Don't you dare speak about my mother in that way' I snapped

'She died because we wanted out. She tried to tell them that she wanted to leave, you were never going to be a part of it. They killed her as a warning. You were going to join them one way or another'

'So Romani? Do you know who he is?'

'He's most likely a lord or Earl, your grandmother may know him'

'Was Grandma involved with the magicians?'

'I don't know Katherina, I honestly don't'

'Did mom have any enemies here, besides Grandma?'

'She never really got on with Ben or Jamie's mother, that was before she disappeared'

'Do you know what happened to her?' I asked

'She vanished. After her husband died and your mother did as well, Ben's mother just vanished'

'I need to go' I speed off back towards the ballroom not listening to my father shouting after me.

I glided back into the room and straight to my Grandmother.

'I think we need to have a little chat'