The Inheritance Games, #4
The Brothers Hawthorne
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Contents
CHAPTER 8: JAMESON
Overview
Jameson tries to walk away from Ian Johnstone-Jameson's request, but the challenge and Ian's insight into Jameson's hunger to play and win continue to pull at him. On a rooftop, Jameson confides in Avery about meeting his father, the Devil's Mercy, and the estate Ian lost.
Avery recognizes that Jameson's father matters more than Jameson wants to admit, while Jameson realizes the secret gambling club tempts him on its own terms. The chapter shifts Jameson from refusal to commitment as he decides that he and Avery will take on the Devil's Mercy together.
Summary
After telling Ian Johnstone-Jameson no and leaving, Jameson remains unsettled by Ian's claim that Jameson loves to play, loves to win, and always needs more. Hours later, Jameson stands alone on a London rooftop, drawn to the height, the danger, and the isolation.
Avery finds Jameson on the roof and jokes about trespassing, but she quickly realizes something is wrong. Jameson tells Avery that he met his father, Ian Johnstone-Jameson, describing him as a professional poker player and the black sheep of a wealthy family. Jameson asks Avery not to research Ian, showing that he is trying to control how much Ian matters.
Avery reminds Jameson that his unknown father mattered to him before and still matters now. Jameson admits that after Grayson met his dangerous father, Jameson had told himself he never wanted to meet his own. When Avery asks what Ian was like, Jameson deflects with a comparison to Grayson's father, then admits the real problem: Ian wants something from him.
Avery immediately rejects Ian's right to ask Jameson for anything, but she also reads Jameson's expression and realizes there is a complication. Jameson admits he does not owe Ian and does not care what Ian thinks, yet Ian's words continue to affect him. Jameson then tells Avery about the Devil's Mercy, the secret London gambling establishment, Ian's lost estate Vantage, and the favor Ian wants.
As Jameson describes the Devil's Mercy, the forbidden club and its high-stakes games excite him. Avery sees that Jameson wants to accept the challenge despite having refused Ian. Jameson reframes the choice as being about the game rather than his father, then reveals his decision: he will pursue the Devil's Mercy challenge, and Avery will do it with him.
Who Appears
- Jameson HawthorneConflicted after meeting Ian; drawn to the Devil’s Mercy challenge despite initially refusing.
- Avery GrambsFinds Jameson on the roof, challenges his defenses, and becomes his partner in the plan.
- Ian Johnstone-JamesonJameson’s father; absent but central, having asked Jameson to win back Vantage.
- Grayson HawthorneMentioned as a painful comparison because of his own dangerous father.