“I know. But it makes me mad.” Jennifer huffed, a bit red in the face, the scent of her paints following she and Elizabeth wherever they went.
Halfheartedly, she called after them, “You better run, you little monsters. I’m giving your slice of pie to the dogs.”
The boys were wise enough to remain quiet.
As he rode out across the bridge, Christian thought of Winterforth filled with the sound of laughter, the loneliness banished for good. With one last look at Ravenskirk, he had the feeling the next time he was here, his life would be irrevocably changed.
CHAPTER 5
Careful not to bang intoanyone with her carry-on, the sight of slicked-back blond hair had Ashley searching for a way to cross the aisle to avoidhim.
“Tell me you’re not stuck in the back with the other cows?”
Nope. Too late.
“Of course you upgraded to first. I’m in business.”
Mitch looked like he’d gotten a good whiff of garbage on a hot summer day.
“Bad enough. Listen, Ash, I’ve already taken care of renting a car, so you can catch a ride with me when we land. We’ll need to get checked in at the hotel and changed for the costume party. It’s a bit of a drive out to the country. Some moldy old estate; probably reeks of dust and old rugs. We’re to arrive dressed.”
“What do you mean a costume party?” Her fingers and toes went numb. “You said it was a cocktail party. What kind of costume party?”
“Oh, didn’t you know? Guess Harry didn’t tell you. It’s a medieval costume party. Havers loves the era, and we’re to arrive dressed.” He looked her up and down. “My assistant called aheadto let them know we’re running late, but assured them we’d make it to the party by the end of cocktails at the latest. I don’t know why we couldn’t get dressed there, since we’re staying overnight. I hear our new boss is brilliant with numbers but crazy—oh, excuse me, eccentric.”
She pressed her lips together, rolling her shoulders to ease the knots. Now she knew why he’d offered to share his car: he’d sabotage her, make sure she didn’t have a costume, and put himself one step closer to winning.Payback’s a bitch, Mitch.
“No, Harry didn’t tell me. Appreciate the offer, but I’ll grab a cab, since now I need to find a costume.”
“Good luck.” He glanced at his watch. “We won’t land until one, and it’s at least a two-hour drive to the estate, so by my estimation, you’ll have a max of three hours to find a dress and change in order to leave on time…and we all know how important it is for you to be on time. I’ll be looking forward to seeing what you come up with, and don’t worry, I’ll let Havers know you’re running late.”
He flicked a glance behind her. “Better move on. You’re holding up the line.”
“See you there.” Ashley gritted her teeth and smiled so she wouldn’t smack him and get thrown off the plane. The suitcase banged into his seat, and he yelped as the drink splattered on his sleeve. Served him right.
“Cardiff,Wales. What do you mean we’re landing in Wales?”
The man seated next to her shrugged at the announcement from the cockpit. Ashley felt the hysteria rising, threatening to spill over and make her run screaming down the aisle.
A severe storm had shut down Heathrow, diverting them to Wales, where there was another storm, but apparently not so bad they couldn’t land. It was supposed to clear in a few hours. TheWi-Fi on the plane didn’t work, some kind of mechanical issue, so she had to wait until she landed to search out a dress for tonight.
By the number of people making use of the little bags behind their seats and the stench filling the cabin, she should have known there would be a problem. Only an iron will had kept her from barfing along with most of the passengers as the turbulence grew worse.
The man next to her closed his eyes, gripping the armrest, his lips moving over and over. Finally the announcement came they were landing. The passengers couldn’t get off the smelly plane fast enough. Stale air, vomit, and peanuts—it was revolting.
After she cleared customs, Ashley tried to call Mitch. It was time to put her dislike of him aside. They could ride together, and she’d call shops on the way for a costume to wear to the party. London would have lots of shops with dresses, right? Surely an hour would be enough time to find a dress? She’d wear it out of the store and make it in time for dinner. But he was nowhere to be found. Not at the rental counter, and definitely not answering his phone.
She spoke to the woman behind the rental counter.
“Wait, you don’t have any cars? I’ll take anything, except a motorcycle. Don’t know how to ride one of those.” When she leaned on the counter, her palms encountered something sticky. Gross. She rummaged in her bag for a tissue and discreetly wiped down the area.
The sound of the woman’s fingers on the keyboard were like tapping against a window. Each time she typed, Ashley swore she smelled apples. Was it hand lotion?
“No, I’m terribly sorry. With the storm and the additional passengers from London, we’ve had everyone wanting a car today.”
She tried Mitch again. No answer. Why did she have the feeling he’d done this on purpose? He must be laughing, knowing she would be stuck in Wales while he drove to London, probably hadhis assistant book the car as soon as they touched down while she’d been too busy thinking about the damn dress. By the time she arrived, Mitch would have already kissed up to Mr. Havers and would be the one taking home the promotion. She’d be the one packing up the sad little cardboard box while her coworkers whispered and wore sad fake smiles on their faces.
No. This was not happening. She’d worked too hard, sacrificed too much to give up now. A pit stop in the ladies’ room where she touched up her makeup and put her hair up in a ponytail, and Ashley was ready to do battle.
