Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
“You did!” I cried, beginning to freak. “The donation.”
“Of course. I mean three,” she amended.
I collapsed back in my chair.
Tempie delicately bit into her scone, chewed, swallowed and remarked, “I did not promise discretion. He knows we won’t go to the papers. He also knows I will tell every fucking person who has the ability of hearing, and I will learn goddamned sign language to share it with anyone who doesn’t, what a daft nutter his fucking daughter is.”
At this speech, Hamish had lost interest in his food and was gazing at his woman with open adoration.
“You, of course, can decline his offer. I only brokered it,” she concluded.
“He can—” Battle started heatedly.
“We’re taking it,” I said.
He snapped his head toward me.
“Somehow, honey,” I began, “no matter how totally gorgeous all of you are, how rich, how interesting and how titled, you’ve managed the miracle of pretty much keeping yourselves out of the limelight. But if you let that light in, you know it will never let up. Don’t let her do that to you. Even if it means she won’t be publicly scorned, I’ll bet Tempie has some pull in your circles, and she’ll be shunned. That’ll hurt worse. I guarantee it.”
“And she’ll be in Australia, Battie,” Prue chimed in. “Far away from you and Vivi.”
“I’ll add that Newton did not hide he’s done with her shenanigans,” Tempie said. “I do believe he used the term ‘very short leash.’”
She grinned malevolently.
I so understood Hamish.
I simply adored this woman.
Prue clapped. “And Vivi and the animals each get a million pounds!”
“What am I going to do with a million pounds?” I asked.
Again, Battle looked at me like I’d gone ’round the bend.
Tempie had an answer for me. “Obviously, that means shopping trip to Paris, and perhaps Milan. Equally obviously, I’m going with.”
Hmm.
I’d never had anything designer that wasn’t pre-loved.
No, strike that.
Both my wedding outfits had been found by Tempie, and as such, they’d both been designer.
Fortunately, there wasn’t a quota on that.
“I’ve never been to Milan,” I said. “After I finish my book, we can go there, and Paris, and then I’ll go home for however long I have to go home before I can get another visa to come back and stay for a spell.” I missed the shift of the vibe of the room and started talking to myself. “I need to make a note to look into the rules about that.”
“Go home?” Battle asked.
I turned to him.
And…
Whoops!
“Honey—”
“Go home?” he repeated.
“My visa is only good for”—I did a mental calculation—“less than four more months. I have to leave. I’ll figure out when I can come back and maybe you can come out and visit while I’m in The States.”
Bartholomew’s head shot up because, immediately when I was done talking, Battle pushed back his chair, got up and strode out.
I stared at the door.
Then I looked between Prue, Tempie and Hamish, mumbling, “Okay, I probably should have finessed that better.”
Prue and Hamish kept their silence.
Tempie said, “Dear.”
Eep!
I started to get up. “I’ll go talk to him.”
“Think you should give him a bit, lass,” Hamish advised.
I sat back down and bit my lip.
His bright blue eyes shifted to Tempie, making his point eloquently, and then he said, “Just a bit. Aye?”
I nodded but said, “It isn’t like I told him I was going to go home forever. I said I’d come back.”
“Do you want to go home?” Prue asked quietly.
“No. Yes,” I answered. “No, not without Battle. But yes, for a visit. I want him to meet my grandparents. And just see where I lived before I came here. But I don’t have a choice. I don’t have leave to remain here.”
“The law can be rather inconvenient at times,” Tempie remarked in her cool tone that was meant to be soothing.
It usually worked.
Now it didn’t.
I pushed my food around on my plate, gave up, and went after my coffee.
When I was putting the cup back in the saucer, Battle returned.
And he was carrying two thin…
Drawers?
He balanced one on the other, shoved my plate aside, his, then he upended both drawers on the table.
Tinkering flashes of precious jewels scattered all over the surface in a manner both Prue and I had to act fast so none fell to the floor.
“Looks like someone has been to the vault,” Tempie murmured.
“Pick one,” Battle ordered after he set the now-empty drawers on the sideboard.
Tempie chuckled deeply.
I stared in shock at the plethora of rings all over the table.
I took too long doing this, because Battle sat beside me, grabbed a random ring, then grabbed my left wrist.
Carefully, he put it on my ring finger.
Oh my God.
It didn’t go over my knuckle (which was good, it was a huge ruby in a not-very-attractive setting).
“Not that one,” he murmured.
Tossing it aside like it was plastic, not gold and a big-ass ruby, he grabbed another one at random.