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“Here we are.” He pushed against a door and held it as I walked through. I knew better now than to argue with his chivalry.
“Vivi!” My heart expanded at the sight of Minty rushing round an oval table towards me. We wrapped our arms round each other tightly. “I’ve been so worried about you,” she whispered and I squeezed her hard.
“I’m fine,” I smiled.
She held me at arm’s length, dragging her gaze over my face and body. I hadn’t showered since I’d left Minty’s flat.
“Just don’t take a whiff,” I added. “I’ll wash your clothes.”
She wrapped an arm around me and tugged me to the table. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve been through hell these last few days. Washing clothes should be the last thing on your mind. Are you really okay? I mean, after seeing… Ossian?” She baulked as she said his name.
“I can’t say I revelled in seeing him die but I feel a lot better now that he’s gone.”
Minty sat beside me and held my hands. “And Sinclair?”
“I passed out,” I told her, with a guilty smile.
“Yeah, Hector might have mentioned something about that.”
I turned and clashed eyes with Rupert. He was trailing me like a marksman but his black eyes still made my stomach flip over. I had to force my gaze back to Minty’s.
“It wasn’t my finest hour.”
“Can you believe they’ve gone?” she said quietly.
“No.” I looked across the table and caught Hector watching Minty with complete rapture. He didn’t have to hide anymore and it was beautiful to see. Minty followed my gaze and reached across the table taking his hand. Rupert arrived at his side.
“This is big,” she said, gliding her eyes across each of us. “This is a new beginning for us all, but it isn’t going to be easy.” She paused, letting the statement sink in. “The Consortium are going to suspect us of murder. They won’t accept me or you, Vivian; we don’t have the right blood.”
“Neither do we,” Hector said with a snort. “And they know it. They will throw us out.”
“No, they won’t,” Rupert said, whipping all our heads towards him. “Not while they think we still Thorns.”
“So, what now?” Minty asked.
Rupert opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a whirlwind clattering into the room wearing five inch heels and a Burberry trench.
“Well, isn’t this a happy family.” Elspeth strode to the opposite end of the table and sat at the head. Her blonde hair was curled around her heart-shaped jawline, her skin smooth and flawless. And a diamond the size of Everest glittered on her wedding finger. It didn’t matter that Rupert had made love to me twice that morning and promised I’d be his forever. Elspeth looked the billion dollars she was worth, and she was still his wife. A jealous monster I never knew I possessed raised its ugly head and I felt suddenly nauseous.
“And you as well?” she said to Hector before flicking her eyes disdainfully towards Minty. “If I wasn’t already aware neither of you are Consortium blood, the scene in here would have given me pause.”
“Why are you still here?” Hector snapped, showing a side I’d never seen before. And neither had Elspeth it seemed.
“Well, don’t let your charm go up in the same puff of smoke as your breeding.” She glared half-lidded at him while I was stunned into silence by her snobbery. “I’m not still here,” she said in an exasperated tone. “I did leave. I went to change, obviously. But I wanted to come because I want to help.”
Minty and I stayed silent while Hector glanced at Rupert.
“Is Sinclair dead?” she asked, rendering most of us momentarily speechless.
Rupert sauntered around the table and helped himself to a piece of sourdough toast. “Yes,” he replied. “Heart attack.”
“Of course,” Elspeth said, in a clipped tone. “Does Iris know yet?”
“I told her this morning,” Hector said, then he glanced up at Rupert. “She’s on her way home now.”
She flicked her eyes towards me. “And does she know the tour guide is back?”
“Not yet, no,” Rupert replied before taking a large bite of toast.
