Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
“That isn’t my perspective, and you know it.”
Okay, okay, okay.
I liked this guy.
He was complicated. He was smart. He was funny. He was gallant. He was handsome as all hell. He was a ludicrously good brother. He respected women. He was protective. He was generous. He was an amazing flirt. He thought I was beautiful. He was interested in what I did. He’d read my books. He was honest. He was frank.
I could fall for this guy.
Hard.
And for forever.
Was he saying he felt the same way about me?
“Now, if you haven’t come to your senses by tomorrow, we’ll revisit this subject then,” he said into my fevered reverie.
Oh shit.
“Come to my senses?” I asked dangerously.
He sighed heavily.
“Fine. Tomorrow,” I snapped.
“Until then, darling.”
I was never, ever, ever going to tell him this.
But I was pretty sure I’d let him get away with anything as long as he called me darling.
“By the way, I might have uncovered bribes in your butler’s ledgers for 1946. I think shit went down in that house, and two footmen were dragged into it, or they witnessed it and were paid to be silent. See you tomorrow,” I bid.
And then I disconnected.
“So there,” I said to my phone.
Snowball, who was snoozing in a combined circle of white and ginger fur in front of the stove (meaning Gingerface was the orange Yang to Snowball’s Yin), lifted her head to look at me.
“Men suck,” I told her.
She blinked.
“What sucks more is, I want to fall on his dick so bad, I’m probably going to stay here another two months…at least.”
Snowball laid her head back down and returned to snoozing.
Bah!
Because I had no choice (and for other reasons I absolutely refused to consider in that moment), I called Mr. Atkins back and requested he share the status of the cleanup, but not to worry, in the interim, I was good.
The bright side of that, Mr. Atkins was blatantly relieved.
After hanging up with him, feeling the cozy warmth of the stove, the crates right there for me to access, the colorful chaos and fertile green beyond the windows, understanding I’d be on a train tomorrow, heading to Battle, I was relieved too.
Argh.
I went back to work.
CHAPTER 14
THE TRIP
I was fuming.
I really didn’t want to fume in front of Battle’s sisters.
But damn, I was fuming.
It was the next morning, and it started with Tempie loading us up into the first-class (oh yes, I said first class) carriage of the train, and then we were off.
Although first class was only slightly posher than what the common people had to use, it was a lot quieter (there was only one other person in our carriage). And once we got rolling, they almost immediately came out with the snack cart, which was nicer (when, sometimes, you never got a snack cart offering in the regular class at all).
Within five minutes of embarking on our journey, I asked Tempie how much I owed them for the tickets.
“Oh, you can take that up with Battle,” she replied.
Did I decide in that moment to wait until I saw Battle that evening?
No, I did not.
I texted him, We’re away. How much do I owe you for the train tickets?
To which, immediately, he texted back, We’re not having this discussion.
Which of course made me text, Fine, then I’m buying dinner tonight.
To which, of course, he replied, Absolutely not.
To which, of course, I replied, Brace Mr. 1933. The little woman is buying dinner!
To which, of course, he replied, If you even look at your bag during dinner, you’ll beg me to end the tease.
To which…you get the gist, Are you sexually blackmailing me?
And I got, Not if not forced to do so. The decision is yours. I suggest you make the right one, darling.
Yes!
He pulled The Darling!
Which started me fuming.
“Is everything okay, Vivi?” Chassie whisper-asked.
I stopped glaring out the window at the beautiful English countryside and looked to her.
“Yes, I’m fine,” I lied.
“You don’t seem fine,” Prue noted, regarding me with worry.
She and Chassie were sitting opposite Tempie and me.
“Okay, well, forewarning you, Battle and I are in a fight,” I admitted.
Prue’s mouth dropped open.
Chassie’s eyes got big.
“It’s not a huge deal,” I assured. “It’s just, the cottage I was going to go to has black mold so I can’t go. I told Battle. He told me I’m staying at The Downs. Told me.”
Not a one of them had any reaction to this.
So I went on, “I tried to compromise by offering him the rent I would—”
I stopped when all three of them hissed breath in between their teeth.
Even Tempie!
I looked among them. “What?”
“You offered Battie rent?” Chassie whisper-whispered, in total shock.
“It’s rude to overstay your welcome,” I told her.
She seemed flummoxed. “But…you’re not.”
Man, I was falling in love with all of these people.
“That’s sweet, Chassie, but I kinda am,” I said gently.