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“Nonsense. You’re coming too.” I hold up a piece of moldavite. “We wouldn’t dare go to London without our prince showing us all the sights.”
Edward sniffs. “I didn’t frequent areas of ill-repute such as Whitechapel.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Edward. You were a notorious rake.”
He gives a broad, sinister smile that melts my insides. “If you insist, Brianna. From the moment my feet touch London soil once more, my nose for debauchery will hunt out every purveyor of sinful delights and den of iniquity in the fair city.”
“I’ll give you a den of iniquity right now,” I grin as I lean in and cup his cheek, bringing my face down to kiss him.
“If my lady insists,” Edward drawls as we fall back into the bed.
20
Bree
“That’s it. You’re getting the hang of it!”
I crawl out of bed and head to the window, drawn by my father’s excited cries. I bolt up in bed, momentarily panicking when I don’t see Pax at his usual spot standing guard at the window, before I remember that he had to stop doing that when he: 1. Realised that he needed to sleep now that he’s Living, 2. He got kicked out of the house because of the sale and, 3. He can’t exactly act like a savage Roman warrior now that my parents are home.
My parents.Dad.
I run to the window and gaze down. Dad stands astride his lime-green bicycle, shouting encouragement as Pax wobbles in a slow circle around and around the zodiac mosaic on another bike. On the edge of the lawn, as far as they can possibly get from the flailing limbs of a precarious centurion, are Mina and Oscar, Quoth in human form, and Ambrose.
And Dani.
She smiles shyly and waves. I wave back. I don’t quite know where we stand after she helped us find a place to bury Father Bryne, but she’s here and I am so happy she’s here.
“What is this racket that wakes me from slumber?” Edward wafts through the wall and peers down his nose out the window. “Ah, the Roman is doing something absurd again. I should have known.”
“Bree, look!” Pax cries as he circles the driveway, his bulk wobbling atop the bike. “I am riding a horseless chariot.”
“His ‘horseless carriage’ is bright pink,” Edward says.
“Is that a problem?” Pax glowers up at us. “I like pink. Pink is the colour of Mars, God of war. What do you say is wrong with pink? Why don’t you come down here and say it to my face.”
“There is nothing wrong with pink,” Dad winks at me. “I’m surprised you’re being so sexist, Bree-bug. Pink is a very manly colour, isn’t it, Pax?”
“It sure is,” Pax declares.
“Really, Bree,” Dani says with a smile, realising that my dad must’ve heard Edward speak and assumed it was me. “I’ve never known you to discriminate against pink bikes. I think you’ll have to hand in your intersectional feminist badge over this.”
Okay, so I think Dani’s forgiven me.
I glare at Edward. “See the trouble you cause?”
“How is this my fault? I tire of this nonsense,” Edward sighs. “I’m returning to my room to work on my poems. Call me when something interesting happens.”
I sit in the window and watch as Pax and Dad circle around the driveway. Pax rings the pink bell on his bicycle as if he’s declaring time at a Roman orgy.
Quoth helps Mina and Ambrose navigate through the chaos. Dani follows, carrying an object under her arm. Reluctantly, I scramble into some clothes and head downstairs to join them.
“Look what Mina gave me!” Ambrose declares, holding up a contraption that looks a bit like a cross between a typewriter and a loaf of bread. “She signed me up for the Royal National Institute of Blind People, and they sent me a resource pack so I can learn to read and write Braille. What a delightful invention!”
“That’s wonderful. Good morning.” I kiss his cheek. His skin flushes with colour. I will never get over how deeply joyful it makes me to see him alive, enjoying life.
“You missed a great night last night,” Mina says cheerfully. “We stayed up late playing poker with Morrie and Heathcliff, and Ambrose wiped the floor with them. He also had his first ever takeaway curry.”
“What did you think?”
