We left the breakfast room, walked down the hall, through the foyer and out the front door.
As expected, my Peugeot was there.
Not expected, Battle and Temperance were there too, with Bartholomew…and Chastity.
Whereas Prudence was in a gray number that looked like the sweater version of Princess Leia’s outfit on the Death Star (complete with full sleeves and dangling hood at the back), a pair of flowy white pants that had slits up the sides (even if her sweater went to her knees, so it could be a dress), and the big-toe-separated Mary Janes, Chastity was in a long, pale-pink pleated skirt and a punch-pink sweater set, complete with a strand pearls.
She had a cute pair of unblemished white Keds on her feet.
She was also wearing a beige, felt fedora pulled low over her brow with her splendiferous mass of blonde frizz poofing out from under it.
She did not look like she was going on a day jaunt to visit a spiritual mecca adjacent to where one of the biggest musical festivals in the world was held, doing this wearing a super cute outfit that, from what I could tell, was totally her.
She looked like she’d finally come to terms with her fate right before being led to the gallows.
I was uncertain about this, and when I say that, I mean…very.
But I wasn’t certain who to talk to about it.
Prudence seemed to be hanging in, but I didn’t want to give her any excuse to cry off.
Battle had decided I didn’t exist.
Chastity was out, for obvious reasons.
So it would have to be Temperance.
That decision was made for all of two seconds, even if I hadn’t quite decided how I’d pull off a chat with Temperance when everyone was hanging around, when Prudence and I hit the bottom of the steps and Battle prowled to me.
Yes.
Prowled.
He then took my hand and dragged (yes…dragged) me to the back of the Peugeot and then some.
When we stopped, he turned into me.
I’d just tipped back my head to look at him, and, I didn’t know, maybe ask him what the hell with the whole dragging me somewhere business, when he asked, “You’ll look after them?”
“Um…”
“You’ll look after them.” This time, it was a demand.
So I guessed I was going to be talking to Battle about this.
I set about doing that.
“Am I missing something here?”
A muscle ticked in his jaw before he lied, “No.”
A thought occurred to me.
“Do we need security or something?”
His brows shot down. “Definitely no. Why would you ask that?”
“Because you all are super, crazy, stupid rich?”
