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)
“Your usual clothes will work as wardrobe to your pining.”
“I suppose,” I fake groused.
“You do need to go shopping though, love. Rally and Court’s wedding, according to their invitation, is ‘spring formal.’ I don’t know what that means, but since I’m in the wedding party, my wardrobe is set. Perhaps ask Tempie if your last gown is appropriate, because I fear the two I’ve seen may not be.”
Considering the fact I was saving two, maybe three months’ rent, I could spring for another fancy dress.
And maybe a few sexy nighties.
And a few other things.
I’d packed three huge suitcases, and since I sometimes never even got out of my pajamas when writing, I thought I’d be covered.
I had no idea I’d be courted by a duke.
“I’ll ask her.”
“Good, darling. Now I’ll let you go.”
“See you tomorrow night.”
“You absolutely will. Sleep well.”
“You too, Battle.”
We hung up.
I didn’t grab my laptop at once to dig into my outline.
I held my phone to my chest and cast my gaze to three cats, all of whom had claimed their own papers to lie on.
“He’s so dreamy,” I told them.
Only Baby Blue lifted her head.
She looked at me and blinked.
She did not lie.
And she knew what she was talking about.
He was.
So dreamy.
CHAPTER 21
THE RETURN
I was sitting cross-legged outside the threshold to the ballroom, staring into it.
I was terrified of going in after what happened the first, and frankly, only time I ever wanted to walk in that room, so I stayed out.
I should be upstairs, freshening up, because my man was going to be home any minute, but even if not, it was almost time for cocktails, one of my favorite parts of the day at The Downs.
I’d showered after my riding lesson with Scotty that morning, and because Battle was going to be home, I took special care with my makeup and hair, so it wasn’t like I was gross.
But still.
My man was coming home.
However, for some reason, the ballroom called me.
No, I knew the reason.
Scotty and Harry had helped Prue drag a bunch of stuff out of the attics to line the upper hall so she could get around better in the space, and even if she’d unearthed an ancient filing cabinet that could prove useful in authenticating some of the pieces up there, still no letters.
I had the book totally outlined. I’d been through all papers, journals, letters, ledgers, notes, and nothing more on Harmony and Charlie, or Marie’s cryptic journal entry.
I was raring to dive in.
But it stunk that it seemed that mystery was to go unsolved, and I was going to have to make it up, augmenting what I had only from Harmony.
I felt movement at my side, startled, and looked up to see Chastity folding down beside me.
“Hey,” I greeted.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Trying to get the dead to speak to me.”
She started and looked at me. “What?”
I tipped my head to the ballroom. “Harmony and Charlie fell in love in there. I’m going to start my book on Monday, but I only have half the story.”
“Yuck,” she replied.
“Yup,” I agreed.
She turned to the room. “Are they talking?”
“No.”
“Ulk,” she replied.
“Yup,” I agreed.
We sat there, both looking into the room.
“Can I tell you something?” she asked the room.
Oh shit.
I wasn’t a huge fan of her tone.
Even so.
“Anything, honey,” I answered.
“Something really bad happened to me a while ago.”
Yeah.
Shit.
“I guessed that,” I said gently.
She looked at me. “I got raped at my flower shop.”
I closed my eyes, opened them, there were tears I would not shed, but they were there, and I whispered, “Chassie, baby.”
“After, I did something really stupid.”
Three years of healing.
“Nothing is stupid.”
“After it happened, I went to Battie.”
My body wound up so tight, I thought it would snap.
“I was…in bad shape,” she continued. “Bleeding and stuff.”
Battle didn’t tell me that.
“I refused to go to hospital,” she carried on. “He and Mrs. Pattinson cleaned me up. I closed my shop. Battie had to pay back a ton of money because I pulled out of contracts for events I agreed to do. I stayed in London for a long time with Battie. Then Tempie came to get me and brought me home. And I’ve been here since. I haven’t left…until Glastonbury.”
I nodded, fighting very hard to tamp down my response to Battle opening the door to his bloody, violated, beautiful, dainty, frizzy-haired sister who he adored (rightfully so) beyond reason.
God, it was testimony to how much he loved her that he didn’t leave her to Mrs. Pattinson in order to go out and commit murder.
But what he eventually did was even further explained.
I also had to hold my tongue, because, if she drove from Bath to London in that state, she could have further harmed herself. It was a miracle she made it.
However, this wasn’t the time for admonishments (far from it).