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J, I can’t do this. I’ve been trying, I swear I have, but I need you. Please, come back to me.
JK shoved her phone back into her pocket, because she knew that if she didn’t, she would break and respond, telling Tabitha that she was coming and Tabitha didn’t need to hurt anymore.
But if she did that, it would be just the beginning of Tabitha’s hurting, so JK had to resist, no matter how much she wanted to fix Tabitha’s pain.
Movement caught JK’s eye. She quickly stepped back between the branches of two trees, observing without being seen. It was Peter—about time he went on a patrol!
He didn’t seem to be patrolling, though. He had his phone out and came to a stop a short distance from JK before placing a call.
“Hi, it’s Peter Langton, for Queen Mary’s chief of staff. Yes, thank you. Hello. No, nothing new to report. She still hasn’t left her bed. Dan has been bringing her meals in her room, but she has mostly refuses them. Yes, I’ve tried to convince her to go out, but she screamed at me to leave her alone. Thank you, sir, much appreciated. Tomorrow at the usual time? Perfect. Goodbye.”
Anger swelled up in JK’s chest, so quickly she felt like she might explode. She clenched her hands into fists, resisting with all her might the urge to punch Peter.
So, this was why he hadn’t been patrolling. He wasn’t really interested in protecting Tabitha; that’s not what he had been hired for. He had been hired to spy on her.
Perhaps her mother thought she was safe enough in her anonymity here, or maybe she presumed Peter could spy and guard at the same time, but Peter clearly had his priorities set.
Well, JK wasn’t going to let Tabitha’s safety slide just because her mother seemed to think that was acceptable. She would do Peter’s job for him if she must.
Tabitha’s presence in the U.S. had already been unmasked once. Word could get out, and if word got out, that could be dangerous for Tabitha.
JK’s phone chimed again.
JK, I can see you read my message. Please respond. I need to know that you are ok.
JK sighed. She couldn’t let Tabitha think something had happened to her; that would just be cruel.
Tabitha, I’m fine. Sweetheart, I know it hurts, but you need to stop contacting me. A clean break will be better for both of us. You know it can’t happen. Our worlds were never going to mix. Please don’t make me explain this again; it was hard enough the first time. I’ll always care for you, but we have to say goodbye now.
“I’m fine.” Ha! The biggest lie she’d ever told. But she wasn’t injured or sick or anything, so it would do.
I’m willing to fight for us. Why aren’t you?
JK shoved her phone into her pocket once more. She’d been through all this with Tabitha already. Rehashing it wouldn’t do either of them any good. Shewasfighting for Tabitha in the best way she knew how, but if Tabitha didn’t see it that way, then JK was unlikely to be able to change her mind.
JK didn’t respond to the message and Tabitha didn’t message again. It was better that way.
JK didn’t consider blocking Tabitha. If Tabitha ever really was in trouble—in physical danger—JK wanted to be contactable, just in case Peter’s skills weren’t up to scratch, which the evidence so far suggested was the case.
She went home after a long day of skulking outside the mansion and forced herself into the shower before falling onto the couch and turning on the TV. JK didn’t really focus on the show she was meant to be watching. Instead, she was thinking of Tabitha, worrying about her.
How long would Tabitha stay in her room, refusing meals? She sounded depressed. Surely, her family would get her professional help if it came to that? The idea that she had caused Tabitha to become ill made JK want to shrivel into a ball and die.
She couldn’t stand the thought, but she had to face the fact that it might be true. If it was, there wasn’t anything she could do about it except stay far away from Tabitha and give her time and space to heal.
JK would have to be sure not to let Tabitha catch so much as a glimpse of her while she was doing her self-imposed guard duties around the mansion. Soon enough—probably sooner rather than later now that there was nothing holding her here anymore—Tabitha would go back to England and JK would go back to her old life.
The thought was not an appealing one. For now, JK would focus on what she could do—keeping Tabitha safe.
JK skulked around the mansion for another week before there was any movement. She practically jumped for joy when she saw Tabithafinallyleaving the house… that was, until she really looked at her.
JK only caught a glimpse of Tabitha through the car window at a distance, but she looked pale, drawn and miserable. There were bags under her eyes that belied the fact she had been spending most of her time in bed. She certainly looked like she’d lost weight.
JK reminded herself that it was good Tabitha was leaving the house at all. It had to show that she was moving on.
JK did her usual thing, following from a distance. Unsurprisingly, Tabitha went to a mall. It was one of the ones she and JK had been to together. JK remembered this one—it was the one where Tabitha had seduced her in that lingerie store.
Peter was paying more attention to Tabitha than the people around her, so it was left to JK to survey the crowd and make sure that no one was paying Tabitha too much attention. A few words to Peter from Tabitha convinced him to wait for her outside the lingerie store—a bad move on Peter’s part. What if something happened inside the store?
