Chapter thirty-one
Ed
DearBess,thisisa letter you may never see, but I'm writing it anyway, because there may be a time when it's necessary and I don't imagine me ever being brave enough to tell you this to your face. Everything that matters I've already put in letter form anyway, so this seems appropriate if I am, as I suspect I will be, to remain a complete coward.
First, let me make one thing clear. I never wanted any of this to happen. Please believe me when I write that all I've ever wanted was for you to be the woman you have set out to be. Fierce. Fiercely independent.
But I made the glorious mistake of writing my feelings for you down in a letter resembling that first one of the soldier in the African desert. I did it for two reasons.
One: For my writing ego. I wanted to see if I had the skill to convincingly continue his journey as a soldier and a person in love.
Two: Because in the year and a bit we have known each other, I've never allowed myself the opportunity to express how I feel about you.
The letter was discovered and things got out of hand from there.
I had plenty of opportunities to put a stop to it and didn't take any of them. Why? There are no excuses. Not really. It was because I didn't want that twonk, Theodore Pinkerton, to win. Nobody deserves to be held over a barrel. Least of all you, brilliant, clever, fearless Bess. I should have known you didn't need someone to rescue you, but it's so hard to resist the desire to fight for you.
There's nothing left to say except how sorry I am, but I think you know that already.
Yours,
Ed
Chapter thirty-two
Ed
BessislatetoTuesday Night Art Fight, which gives me the opportunity to break my news to the rest of the group.
"My plan didn't work."
"What was your plan?" Lutek looks up from sketching. It’s of a kestrel he’s been fabricating into a metal sculpture for the auction.
"Dissuasion."
Elly puts her hands on her hips. "We didn't agree on that. Two of us voted for not telling her and rolling with it. And as you and Jeanette were undecided, that made a majority."
I hold up my hands. "It's moot anyway. We have to tell her. She's going to invite whoever's sending the letters to come forward so they can claim their share of the profit from the auction."
"Okay," says Elly. "So really you onlypersuadedher to halve the money she's going to make."
There's no point denying it. I pretty much did exactly that. "Yes."
"Except there is nobody," continues Elly.
Jeanette says, "Elly, sweetheart. Someone discarded the first letter, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember. But they aren't aware or interested in what's going on. Otherwise they would have come forward by now."
"They might if they know how much money's on offer," says Lutek.
Beneath her frown, Elly's eyes ping pong between me and Lutek. "I just don't get the concern. If Bess is okay with handing over a share of the profit, then what's the problem?"
"They could expose us, or threaten to," I answer. "They could demand the whole lot as hush money."
Elly's features slacken momentarily, then she gathers herself and gets back on the contrary horse. "They might not."
"But they might. They're a total liability."
