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)
“Okay, let me rephrase. None of it is really bad news, as such.”
“Let’s start with that, then.”
“This morning, I called the local paper and asked if they were publishing in 1946. They were. I then asked if they would be all right with me perusing their stacks. When I told them who I was and what I was working on, they said they’d pull all the digital files for the dates I was looking for. So I went into town after lunch and had a good gander at everything two weeks before the date Marie recorded in her journal, and two months after.”
“Let me guess. Nothing,” he deduced.
“There was a national preoccupation with some viscount from Northumberland going missing. But considering Northumberland isn’t super close to Devon, and he was last seen in his club in Newcastle the day before Marie’s entry, no. Nada.”
“I’m sorry, darling.”
“You want the good news?”
“Absolutely.”
“I asked Prue to come with to help look, and she did. I also asked Chassie, and without that first hesitation, she agreed to go too.”
I could hear the happy in his voice when he said, “Excellent.”
“Not even a little hesitation, honey,” I reiterated.
“I think you’re having a positive effect on her.”
I was stunned.
“Me?”
“You have been key in urging her out of her shell.”
“I appreciate you wanting to hand me so much credit, but I just gave her the opportunities, as have Prue and Tempie, because another stroke of good news is that we’re all going to meet Ravenna on Wednesday. Even Tempie.”
“And even more excellent.”
“But none of us should forget it’s Chassie who’s doing the heavy lifting. None of us are forcing her into cars or trains. She’s taking those steps herself. These are her victories.”
For a second, he said nothing.
And then he said, “You know how very fond of you I am.”
Fond wouldn’t be the word I’d use.
But the way he used it, I was totally down with it.
“I know.”
“I hope so, because I am very fond of you, Vivienne.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“And I’m very fond of you too, honey,” I replied just as something at the windows caught my attention.
Christian was walking through the garden again.
“I’ve spoken with Janelle,” Battle said in my ear while Christian passed. “Alas, she’s not very fond of me right now, but I’ll be home Thursday evening this week and working there from Wednesday on, for the most part, for at least the next six weeks.”
“That’s awesome, baby,” I said distractedly as I slowly got out of my chair and surreptitiously moved to the windows to see if I could get an angle toward the house and gardens to see if Chastity was on Christian’s trajectory.
It wasn’t a good angle. I was very much secluded by plants and shrubs and trees. I could see a hint of the caps of the north and south wings, but not much more.
And no Chastity.
“Did I lose you?” Battle said in my ear.
I turned away from the windows to give him my attention, but as I did, I saw something on the other side.
I focused on it.
Chastity was standing, wearing a pretty yellow sundress, and since the day was warm, no cardie. She had garden gloves on her hands, clippers in her fingers, her hair was a chaotic glory…
And she was gazing after Christian with…
Holy shit!
Longing.
“Vivi?”
I stared at her.
“Vivienne,” Battle growled in my ear. “Are you there?”
I twirled from the window and moved back to my desk chair, saying, “Sorry, yes. I’m here. I got distracted by some photos.”
Lie!
“Photos?”
“Would you be averse, if my publishers wish to print them, to me publishing some photos in the book?”
“No. Though I’ll add a caveat it depends which ones. Then again, I can’t imagine there would be anything in them I’d have concerns about sharing publicly.”
“I’m flagging them. I can show you when you get home.”
“That works.”
“It’s a plan.”
“Am I still in you?”
His words gave me a full body shudder.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Brilliant, darling,” he purred. “Now I must go. I’ll text a goodnight.”
“I will too.”
“Speak soon.”
“I hope so.”
“Goodbye, sweetheart.”
“Bye, Battle.”
We disconnected.
I tapped my phone on my smiling lips.
Then I got up and went back to the windows.
Chastity had moved further into the garden in the direction Christian went. However, now I could only see her frizzy hair.
It was like she was following him.
“Seems the tables have turned,” I said to the cats (Gingerface had claimed a precarious perch on the top of a crate). “Or maybe Christian’s playing a clever game. Hmm.”
Since I had a book to write, I had no choice but to let that go and get down to it.
That evening after dinner, Prue and I were in the smoking room, which had been turned into the television room.
It wasn’t until then that I noted The Downs had an underabundance of TVs. I didn’t have one in my room. Battle didn’t have one in his either. The only rooms I’d seen them in was this one, the games room (where the TV was ginormous, like lowkey home theater ginormous), and the study.