“I didn’t see it to be your business.” Jack clasps my hand a little tighter, and despite its comfort, I also want to slap his face again.
Where was the negotiation on me becoming his fake fiancée?
“Jack, I am the lady of this house; everything is my business.” Celilia reminds him under her breath. I don’t know the woman, but I’m finding her unravelling quite entertaining.
“Well, now you’ve met the new one. I’m sure the two of you will get on like a house on fire. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’ve promised Gracie that I’d introduce her to the commissioner.” Leaving her standing in shock, he moves us both forward.
“Fiancée? Jack…what the fu–”
“Swearing is quite unbecoming for a young lady of your new stature,” he tells me, acting as if all this is perfectly normal.
“Jack, I swear…”
“Graci—”
“Don’t call me that! My name is Grace. Gracie sounds precious and juvenile. I am neither of those things.”
“I think Gracie is cute. It suits you.” It’s obvious this man is on a mission to aggravate me. I guess it’s no less than what I deserve, considering I came here to steal from him.
“Well, I think you're an ass.”
“Commissioner Harvey, I’m so pleased you and your wife could make it.” Jack shakes the man who wears an impressive row of medals on the breast of his jacket, and I smile nervously at the man and his wife, who are wearing matching masks.
“Allow me to introduce my fiancée,Gracie. She’s been really looking forward to meeting you. You have an extensive interest in crime and punishment, don’t you, sweetheart?” I manage a smile, all while trying to simmer the urge I have to kick the sarcastic bastard in the balls.
“You know, Harold has worked there for over thirty-five years,” his wife tells me proudly.
“What an achievement.” I make polite conversation and try to hold my nerve.
“I’ll bet you’ve caught your fair share of criminals in that time, hey Harold?” Jack looks me directly in the eye as he pats the old man on the back.
“There have been plenty, but I won’t take all the credit; we at Scotland Yard are all part of a team.”
“It’s good to see modesty in a man.” Jack looks to his wife. “I’m sure there’ll be many more pesky criminals he’ll catch before he retires.” Jack reaches his arm around and rests his hand on my ass, and despite the glare I give him, he gives it a gentle squeeze.
“We must move on. I’m determined to introduce my beautiful fiancée to everyone in the room before the night is over.”
“And so you should.” Mrs. Harvey smiles fondly. “She is very beautiful.”
I smile awkwardly as Jack whisks me away to meet more of his guests.
“I need to make a call,” I whisper as we move across the floor.
“Who to, your getaway driver?” he speaks from the corner of his mouth, rigidly.
“Actually, yes. Me and my girls, we care about each other; they’ll be worried about me. If I don’t let them know that I’m going along with this through my own free will, they will be staging a plot to get me out of here,” I warn him, trying to keep my voice as low as possible.
“Andareyou here of your own free will?” Jack looks at me seriously, and when I see a glimmer of hope in his handsome blue eyes, everything suddenly seems very intense.
“Darling…” I place my hand on the lapels of his jacket, leaning closer and teasing him in the same way he did to me upstairs. “If I wasn’t, I’d have gotten away from you by now.” I place a kiss on his cheek and hope he realises that he’s gottenway more than he bargained for when he chose to enter me into his game.
JACK
Ifinish seeing off the last of my guests, and now that we’re alone, the girl is standing by the staircase, not really sure what to do with herself. It’s obvious she’s a flight risk. I won’t be able to let her out of my sight. Especially considering that she has exactly what she came here for, draped around her dainty little neck.
“Is that the last of them?” she asks as I start slowly making my way towards her from the door I’ve just closed.
“It is. I think Cecelia’s gone to bed; the revelations of the evening must have been too much for her.” We both laugh; strangely, that seems to have happened a lot over the past couple of hours. I’ll give the girl her due; she’s slipped into playing her role seamlessly, which gives me even more reason to be cautious of her.
