“Sometimes. He likes to fuck. He likes to watch me get fucked.”
“Who by?” I wasn’t above a little blackmail or feeding the media more about MacPherson.
There’s that shrug again and I wonder how long it’ll be before she needs a chiropractor.
“Whoever. Lila Blethin. Her husband Lewis. Lloyd went to school with them. And his best mate, Gerrard Herrera.”
Ged Herrera’s a name I haven’t heard for some time. A slimy dickhead who joined the army at the same time as me as an officer and lasted about three years until he was moved on. He’d made some acquaintances that weren’t too pleasant.
“Is there anything else you can think of?”
She shakes her head. “Can I take this now?”
I nod.
She picks up the bag and the blow and heads out of the room.
I don’t bother watching.
Chapter Nine
Elise is dressed in black and sitting on the sofa like a virgin waiting to see her priest. She pretends she hasn’t seen me, concentrating on something very intriguing on her nail or something and it’s amusing how much she’s desperately trying to avoid me.
“Are you here to see Blair?”
She looks up, pretending I’ve startled her.
“Yes. But don’t worry, I made an appointment through the appropriate channels.” Her eyes roll but there’s less dramatics than before.
“Must be tough. You spent a lot of time here.”
I’ve known her for almost as long as I’ve known Blair; seen a flirtatious manipulative girl turn into a flirtatious manipulative woman. Sometimes she was a good friend and Blair would crave her company and seek her out, but there were times when Elise was a user, and Blair had a lot to be used for.
“I did. Blair and Lennox. I miss him.”
I don’t doubt she does, for many reasons.
“I miss Blair too.”
The other door to the room opens and Blair enters. She’s wearing jeans and a sweater, her hair down and barely brushed, pretty much like when she first woke up this morning in my bed. She’s spent the morning with her council, discussing trying to make in roads with the start of a new trade agreement with England and she refused to wear anything that wasn’t comfortable.
“You don’t need to. I’m here.”
She hugs Elise; Elise just clings.
“I’m sorry I’ve not seen you earlier. I’ve had a ton to deal with.” Blair breaks apart and sits down in the green velvet chair that her mother refuses to have reupholstered.
“I know. I do understand. How are you doing.” Elise takes the chaise where I once saw her sprawl with Lennox.
“Okay. It’s still strange him not being here. But okay. I have enough to take my mind off things. How are you?” Blair looks relaxed, laid back but I’m pretty sure that she’s not feeling that way.
Elise is a problem. We both know it.
“As you’d expect.” She toys with the ring on her fourth finger, the ring Lennox gave her just before he died.
To be fair to Elise, she hasn’t been out or seen in public. The papers have tried to find her, but she’s been low key, issued a couple of statements through the families’ PR people and then gone to ground. The grieving fiancée.
“You must miss him.” Blair gives her a sympathetic smile.
