Belladonna

Signa and Elijah meet to discuss Marjorie and their theories about how she couldn’t have acted alone. Byron enters furiously as he learns that Elijah has started the process of selling Grey’s, and he offers to purchase it himself. Elijah asks his brother if he was working with Marjorie and if he knew what happened to Percy, and Signa is surprised that Byron is genuinely confused. While Byron admits that he loved Lillian and wants Grey’s, he says he loves Percy and Blythe and would never hurt them.

Signa thinks about what Marjorie wrote in her journal and realizes that, though she spoke about loving and wanting to protect a man, she never named him as Elijah. Elijah tells Signa that Marjorie had a child with him, and she realizes that the child is Percy.

Elijah tells Byron and Signa that he wants to give away Grey’s as he does not want Byron or Percy to be ruined by the business as he has, as Elijah has come to recognize that being too involved in the business kept him from his family. Signa thinks more about Marjorie’s involvement in the poisonings and wonders why she would have poisoned her own son, just before Death arrives and tells Signa something is happening with Percy.

In Percy’s room, they find him standing by the window claiming to have seen the ghost of Lillian. Elijah believes Percy and storms out of the room, leaving Signa to chastise Death for taking Elijah along with Lillian. Death tells her that he does not feel guilty for people like Elijah, knowing that he only grieves so much because he has loved so much.

Blythe refuses to see anyone but her father, Elijah begins to drink heavily again, and Percy sneaks out at night on horseback. Signa follows Percy one night to the stables, where Sylas worries about her. Despite her dalliance with Death, Signa still wonders about what her life could have been like with Sylas, and wonders who the woman he cares for is. The two ride off to try and find Percy, but when Signa sees footprints in the snow, she wants to follow them while Sylas follows her cousin.

Signa runs into Charlotte, whom Blythe had mentioned lived near the woods—Charlotte had been foraging and both women were surprised to see each other. Charlotte admits that she has been avoiding Signa because she knows of the scandal that surrounded her mother, but that she too is sad about the shattered bond between them. Charlotte mentions that she saw Percy, who was going to see his mother’s grave, and that Lillian used to be escorted there by a stable boy.

Suddenly Signa begins to find Sylas’s behavior suspicious. When she rushes back to find him, she and Charlotte see a fire at the garden, and Signa tells Charlotte to get Elijah.

Sylas tells Signa that the fire started before he arrived and that he hadn’t seen Percy. She asks him if he was the one who set the fire in the library and asks exactly who he is, but he denies everything and Signa wants to believe him. She feels Lillian nearby and knows the spirit wants her to stay. Signa sees Percy with a tinderbox, and he suspiciously claims he needs to take care of something. Percy has burned Lillian’s body to stop seeing her ghost, and he admits that he knows Marjorie is his mother.

Signa realizes that Percy had poisoned himself, and he admits he did so to get rid of the last dose of the antidote so no one else could have it. Though she had come to love him, Signa starts to see Percy for the murderer he is. Signa feels Lillian’s rage as she begs Signa to let her possess her and Signa accepts it. Through Signa, Lillian demands to know why Percy killed her, calling herself his mother. Percy admits that she was not the one who was supposed to die.

Percy confesses that he meant to kill Marjorie, though Lillian tells him Marjorie only wanted the best for Percy. Percy was ashamed of his birth and wanted all traces of his past erased once he learned that Marjorie wanted a relationship with him. Signa feels that Lillian wants to forgive Percy as she possesses her, but Signa makes Lillian think about Percy’s actions. Lillian had taken the tea that was meant for Marjorie, and by the time Percy noticed her growing ill, it was too late to save her. Percy admits that he did everything to make his father love him, including poisoning himself to make Elijah worry about him and to get rid of the last of the antidote.

Signa sees that Percy has a knife, and Sylas pushes her to safety as Percy lunges at her. Lillian’s soul gives way, and she allows Signa to do what she has to with Percy. Percy goes to stab Sylas next, but the blade does not enter him when Sylas stops it with his hand. Signa hears the familiar voice of Death and is stunned as she watches Sylas take his form. Signa thinks of the ways both men have helped her and realizes that Death has been masquerading as Sylas this whole time.

Death tells Signa that she has to make a choice—either let Percy go where he will be publicly tried in court and hanged, or let him die now and give the remaining years of his life to Blythe. Signa realizes that Death has been selfish in protecting her and that she would do the same for the Hawthornes. Signa uses her power to trap Percy in the burning garden, making the choice she has as a reaper to give his remaining years to Blythe.

Signa does not want to know what happens to Percy after she leaves him, and the spirit of Lillian comes to find her and thank her. Death comes to take Lillian, but Elijah suddenly arrives to see the burnt garden. When Lillian goes to touch him, Elijah feels his wife’s presence. She tells him to remember her through Blythe as she goes to the afterlife with Death. As Death leads her away, he promises Signa he will return soon and explain everything.

Death comes to Signa’s room the following morning and offers to answer her questions. He tells her that to everyone but her at Thorn Grove, he was invisible as Sylas, and Signa thinks about all the times he did not interact with others. Though Signa is grateful for him, she is not entirely grateful for his lies and wonders if Death knew the truth the whole time, but he promises he didn’t. She wants to feel guilty for Percy’s death, but cannot.

Death admits that he only took a human form to get to know her after she asked for his help, and continued as Sylas as he knew she would not accept his help otherwise. Though Signa is mad about his lies, she is glad Death stayed with her and helped her save Blythe. Knowing who she is now, Signa knows neither she nor Death will ever be alone again as they will always have each other.

Blythe revives slowly and Signa refuses to leave her side, even though she has gained her inheritance and is waiting for her home at Foxglove Manor to be made ready for her. Signa does not tell the Hawthornes what happened to Percy, saying she never saw him and that he had fled when he found out his father was selling Grey’s.

When Marjorie returns one day, Signa cannot tell her either but offers an apology for accusing her of murder. Marjorie admits that she found the belladonna in Percy’s room just before Signa accused her, and Signa tells her that she has not and will not tell the Hawthornes that Percy was a murderer. When Signa tells Marjorie that Percy will never return to Thorn Grove, Marjorie goes to leave, and Signa decides it’s best not to tell her about Percy’s feelings about her.

Death comes to Signa and tells her that it will be harder for them to see each other from now on, as the veil is not so thin because no one at Thorn Grove is dying. Signa wants to take belladonna to see him, but Death wants her to live her life, knowing he will be there for her when she dies. Though Signa understands his point, she wants to try to see him, as she does not intend to lose another person she cares about.

Signa continues to search for Death as she settles into a happy life at Thorn Grove. Though he never comes, they are still able to speak to one another in their minds. At a ball after her debut, Signa runs into Everett, who introduces her to his father Julius, the new part owner of Grey’s. Everett still tries to flirt with Signa, who does not know how to turn him down gently, when they see Blythe enter the ballroom looking healthier than ever. Signa is thrilled to see Blythe so well, but a little worried to see Charlotte, who saw her the night of the fire and so might know something about Percy’s disappearance. Charlotte asks Blythe about Percy, but no one has heard from him since the fire.

Elijah makes a toast to his new partnership with Julius, yet as the group drinks their champagne, Julius immediately collapses. Signa feels the cool presence of Death as people rush to help Julius. Signa sees a man with golden eyes beside her as Death examines Julius’s glass and they see it has been poisoned. When the mysterious man turns to her and tells Signa that she has another murder to solve, she recognizes that the man is Fate, ending the novel on a cliffhanger.