The chiffon had been her masterpiece, a rare beautiful fabric. All of it now fit for nothing more than handkerchiefs, maybe tea towels, or cloths to wipe down kitchen counters. She bent double, buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
For a long time.
“Laura?” a gentle voice called her name.
“Laura?” Another voice. Unexpectedly male in this female place.
She looked up. Millie and Adam crouched down on either side of her.
Behind them was Pierre and then behind her…
Nicole.
There were others too, Emmett and Evans the driver and all the women from the Casemate still clustered around.
Ignoring the soothing, caring hands rubbing her arms and shoulders, ignoring the bride who was – insanely – comforting her instead of the other way around. Ignoring the man who knew nothing about clothes but was here because clearly Rovena had been busy on the phone, and he had cared enough to run to her.
Ignoring them all, she stood up and faced Nicole.
“Even if I didn’t know deep in my heart this is your handiwork, I would know it from the look on your face.”
Nicole’s face was the picture of innocence, but the gleam in her eyes was triumphant. “Don’t be stupid. It’s no good blaming me for your negligence, leaving all this dangerous stuff where it could spill.” She swept a hand around the room. “Now you’re looking for someone to blame…Unless you have witnesses” — She crossed her arms and actually squared up to Laura — “you’d better zip it or I’ll have to sue you for defamation.”
“Of course I don’t have witnesses. You made sure of that. This wasn’t the first time you used your boyfriend and his camera as decoys, to distract people while you stole into my workroom.”
“You’re out of your mind. Why would I do that?”
“Because you have been trying to sabotage me from the start. Because I’m unknown and you pretended you’re close to famous designers. You were nothing before this, a small-time event organizer. You’re a fake, Nicole, a phony. You pretend to be a rare pink flamingo but in reality, you’re just a farmyard chicken.”
She could see that her words hit home because Nicole flinched.
“You’ve gone too far. I’ll have to speak to his lordship to have you removed from the island—”
Millie came forward. “This is not helping. Let’s all take a step back and calm down.”
“I’m not the one throwing crazy accusations.” Nicole turned to Millie and an aggrieved note came into her voice, but it couldn’t disguise the glee. “I warned you weeks ago. I warned you it was dangerous to work with amateurs. Did you know she was just a junior in her last job? If she’d been any good, she would have been promoted instead of being sacked.”
“That’s enough,” Adam spoke firmly from behind. “Be quiet.”
He said somethingsotto voceto Millie, who nodded.
“Adam will take you home.” Millie hugged Laura. “We’ll talk then. Try not to worry. Everything will get sorted out.”
She and Pierre started to walk out but Nicole was still there, glaring at Laura.
“Emmett?” Adam asked the other man. “Can you take her out of here.” Contempt laced his voice. “And keep her away.”
Nicole rounded on Adam. “Aren’t you the knight in shining armour?” She threw him a filthy look. Then it faded to be replaced by a slow smile like a shining blade. “So, Doctor Mortimer. Have you told her about your wife?”
Millie, still within earshot, froze. Then she slowly turned back to look at Nicole, horrified.
Not shocked, just horrified. The way someone looks when their mother gets drunk again at the dinner table.
Emmett too looked embarrassed. “Nicole, this is none of our business.”
“It is when his private life keeps calling on the phone.” She smirked.
No.
