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Chapter 41
Theadora
Thename“Jasmine”made my ears burn. What had happened between her and Declan?
When I brought up this topic with Lucy, she sensibly reminded me that given Declan was thirty-two, he probably had a long romantic history. I understood that well enough, but Jasmine kept coming up in conversations.
Thanks to the excellent champagne, anxiety soon dissolved with each mouthful. I walked, or I should say, crept along as gracefully as those ridiculous shoes would allow and bumped into Amy, who was working that night.
“Holy shit, it’s you,” she said.
“Yep, it’s me, the former maid. I’m not a figment of your imagination.” I chuckled, feeling tipsy after just one drink.
She played with the fabric of my princess gown, which had cost the equivalent of Amy’s annual wage. Forty thousand pounds to be exact.
Of course, I’d gone for the most expensive, which was a tendency of mine. Perhaps an instinct from growing up with a mother who wouldn’t be seen dead in a shopping mall, opting for Bond Street boutiques instead.
I felt sick using Declan’s credit card, despite his insistence I spend up big. An afternoon that had seen me buying Lucy enough new clothes to fill a wardrobe as we giggled like a pair of kids high on sugar at a free-for-all candy store.
Amy touched my earrings and shook her head in disbelief. “Are those real?”
I smiled. “It’s terribly surreal for me too.”
“You look so beautiful. And all those rumours about you in those porno shots. Wow. Like lots of celebrities who get caught, they did you a favour.”
How the fuck did she know about those? I took a deep breath. Amy had supersonic ears when it came to anything to do with that family.
“They weren’t of me.” I kept my tone cool and unaffected. “I guess that vital detail hasn’t quite made the rounds yet.”
Ignoring that comment, she leaned in and whispered, “Hey, I heard Reynard talking to Mrs. Lovechilde the other day.”
I was about to walk off. But I couldn’t resist. “What did you hear?”
“They’re planning to develop the land, and she told him he’d get what she’d promised.”
I nodded. “That’s interesting. Hey, if you hear anything else, be sure to tell me. I’m at Declan’s. I’ll make it worth your while.”
Was I turning Amy into my own personal spy?
“Are you really living together?”
“We are.”
“Are you going to get married?”
I shrugged. “Let’s see. One day at a time.” I was about to walk off, when I asked, “Hey, what do you know about Declan and a girl named Jasmine.”
Her hazel eyes held mine, and I saw that same cagey expression I’d seen before. She wanted something. “I might do.”
“How much?” I asked.
“Mm… I don’t know. Maybe we can catch up for coffee sometime. I could use a friend.”
That took me aback. I studied her face for a hint of a smile or her characteristic cheeky smirk. Instead I noticed a fragile glint in her eyes. After a lifetime of also feeling like an outsider, I felt for her, despite Amy’s wagging tongue.
“Sure. Let’s do that,” I replied before leaving her to join the party.
I found Declan with his mother and Cleo, and on my approach, the women’s attention diverted to me, frowning at me like I’d arrived to stir trouble.
