Sebastian pressed the tip of his tongue against the inside of his cheek.

Sarah nearly choked on her own breath, thinking, Bold of you, sister. To say something like that.

But it unsettled her too. "How much truth hides under the guise of a joke," she mused. Madeline must have been harboring that question for a long time.

Sebastian fixed his gaze on Madeline. It wasn’t possible to decipher if there was kindness or cruelty in his look; it was simply ...