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Which is why I’m keeping Lulu close. Our interests align, and one of these days, we’ll be very useful to each other.
“So, tell me, where have you been?” Lulu asks, as we stroll around the party. “I left you a bunch of messages!”
I wince. “I know, I’m so sorry!” I can’t exactly tell her that my phone was taken away while I was locked up in Larkspur, so I tell an easy lie. “I was at this amazing retreat for the past couple of weeks,” I lie, “They do the whole ‘reconnecting with your inner self’ thing, and part of that is no cell phones.”
“That sounds awesome.” Lulu sighs. “You’re so lucky.”
I think of the hell of Larkspur and give a wry laugh. Sure, lucky.“Anyway, I actually missed the real world,” I say. “It’s good to be back!”
“Well, it’s good to have you.” Lulu grins. “Let’s get lunch soon.”
“Absolutely,” I agree.
She finishes her champagne. “Well, I guess I better walk around and get all the hot gossip. How would our readers cope if they didn’t hear about Rachel Featherington-Stone’s new line of vegan leather handbags? Or Imogen Hawthorne’s charity luncheon to raise funds for impoverished Chihuahua dogs?”
I laugh. “Still looking for your big scoop to get promoted?” I ask.
“Yup. So if you catch someone doing something naughty behind the rosebushes…”
I chuckle. “I promise, you’ll be the first to know.”
Lulu disappears into the crowd, but our short conversation has helped me relax, and I grab another champagne flute from the tray of a passing waiter before making my way further into the courtyard.
There’s a jazz band set up on the cobblestones off to the side, and the music adds an extra layer of excitement to the party. Not that it needs it. I was right; everyone is dressed up in designer dresses and tailored suits with expensive jewelry, greeting each other with thrilled exclamations. Their conversation drifts over to me: talk of yacht trips, and boarding schools, and skiing in the Alps…
It’s another world here, for sure.
A hand sliding across my bare back makes me jump. I whirl around to find Sebastian’s uncle, Richard, giving me a smarmy grin. “Avery, you look stunning,” he says, and it’s not just a general compliment. The words are accompanied by a lingering gaze on my chest that makes my skin crawl.
“Thank you,” I say lightly, stepping back, out of his reach. “And congratulations. On the anniversary.”
To your dead brother’s wife.
Richard glances around. “And where’s my nephew?”
“He supposed to meet me here, but I don’t think he’s arrived yet.”
“Of course.” Richard smarms. “That boy always did have a tendency to be careless about other people’s time.”
“I’m sure he’s busy with something important,” I reply, not to defend Sebastian, but to see if I can get under Richard’s skin. There’s definitely friction between them, and I want to play it up. “He does such a good job at the company,” I add, sunny. “It’s no wonder everyone there worships him.”
Richard’s smile turns brittle. “What an interesting way of putting it. Then again, it’s a thin line between respect and fear.”
“Really?” I ask, sounding innocent. “And which one do you feel towards Seb?”
Richard blinks, surprised at the question. Then the smarmy smirk returns. “Well, I certainly have nothing to fear from that man…”
Interesting. From what I’ve seen, there’s not a man in London who doesn’t quake in his boots at the thought of Sebastian’s wrath, so what makes Richard so confident?
I feel an awareness rush over my skin, and I know I’m being watched. Turning, I see Sebastian making his way through to crowd toward us, his eyes flickering between me and Richard.
“There you are,” I greet him brightly. “We were just talking about you.”
When Sebastian reaches us, he slips an arm around my waist and pulls me as close as possible. It feels like he’s staking a claim on me. “Is that so?” he asks, giving Richard a cool, assessing look.
“All good things,” I add, amused. “Did you get everything settled at work?”
He gives a brisk nod.
