Clementine bobbed, alternately like a hissy cat slapping a larger dog or a King Cobra menacing its prey.
While I was walking over, Clementine turned and glared at me.“No.No, you willnot.Do you hear me? You willnot.”
“You’re absolutely right. I won’t.”
I had no frickin’ clue what she was talking about.
Clementine turned back to Nicolai. “You married her in your weird medieval church, so it’spermanent.”
“It can be annulled,” he said. “I have three strikes before the patriarch casts me out.”
“Aren’t you Russian Orthodox, too?” I asked Clementine. She was his cousin. Their family probably attended the same church.
Clementine’s light blue eyes fractionally increased in size, and she swiveled back and forth between Nicolai and me, her long blond hair swinging behind her thin shoulders like a beaded curtain. “Nico,whatdid she say to me?”
“Clemmy is a member of the Church of Sweden, which is Evangelical Lutheran,” Nicolai told me. “She is not Russian Orthodox.”
“I think I’m insulted,” Clementine huffed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you.” My mouth was too full of words to speak. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way.I’m sorry.”
“She’s not insulted,” Nicolai said. “Clemmy, reassure her.”
Clementine rolled her eyes, though the rest of her face still didn’t move. “You’re forgiven. I’m his cousin onhis mother’sside. We’reProtestants, as one should be,not whateverthisbarbarian thing is.” She glared at him and fluttered her hand at Nicolai like his DNA vexed her. “And youarea barbarian, changing your mind about Lexi for no apparent reason.”
“It’s a personal matter,” he said.
“Yeah, personal,” I agreed.
“Nope,”she piped at me. “I can see you’ve been crying. Of course, you’re devastated. He’s a catch, my idiot cousin, but you are, too. You twofit.”
“Clemmy, I don’t need you to interfere in my love life. Interference is what started this mess.”
“Yes, yes, Lexi told me last night about Volkov’s intentions. Nevertheless, you somehow managed to trip and fall into the correct solution, meaningLexi.”
“It won’t work, Clemmy,” he warned.
“It will ifIsay it will.”
Their banter was like watching a flock of birds darting between trees, too much chaotic motion to single out any one meaning.
“This is beyond even your influence,” Nico told her.
“Lexi is not like us, Nico. You’re finallywithsomeone who’s not either using you for your stupid defunct title that is more bother than it is worth or because they’re dickmatized, andthisis what you do? You can’t just—just—bump and dump her like she’s a penny stock! Now, stop it.Stop.”
Nicolai sighed and ran his hand over the side of his head, his fingers threading through his hair, but he might have been covering his nearer ear. “Clemmy,please.”
Rage had overtaken Clementine so thoroughly that she’d stopped speaking in words. She chirped like an increasingly incensed creamy-pale parakeet, hopping on its perch and ready to attack with its tiny needle-claws.“Nope. Stop. Zip it. Nope.”
“It’s okay. We’ll work it out,” I assured her.
“I shouldhopeso.” She rounded on me. “It’simperativeyou do. And Lexi, I have a few things for you for John’s reception tonight.”
Trepidation at making the situation worse made my voice shake. “I’m not sure we’re going anywhere tonight?” Nicolaiwas ruefully shaking his head beyond Clementine’s shoulder. “I mean, maybe, I guess?”
“Youaregoing tonight. You’rebothgoing, and youwillbehave like brainless besotted lovey-doves, or I swear to God, Nicolai, Iwilldrown you in the punch bowl,” she announced, then glared at him until he shrugged and turned away.
Out of the corner of my eye, the lawyers were muttering to each other, and some were packing their briefcases. Victoria was standing with her hands on her hips, watching us like she might be called to testify about who said what.
