“Is he.” Wesley had a wine-stained glass in his hand, empty now. He raised it sardonically. “To talented men, then.”
Talented, stubborn men he’d rather be with. Arthur tried to keep his tone polite. “If I could impose and make another call?”
“Of course, why should you talk to any of us?” Wesley said, with an edge. “We’ve only come all the way from England today.”
“One more call,” Arthur promised.
“One.”
Arthur gave him a flat look, because Wesley deciding how many phone calls he made was surely more than Arthur owed John. Wesley ignored his look and turned away to head back to his friends. Arthur barely managed to not roll his eyes as he rang up the Magnolia and got Jade on the line.
“Still with Lord Fine, then.”
It wasn’t a question. She wasn’t surprised. “My evening isn’t going according to plan,” Arthur muttered.
“Hmm.” Jade must have covered the phone then, because all he heard were whispers, perhaps Benson’s muffled voice.
Wesley poked his head around the doorframe again. Arthur smiled politely and turned toward the wall.
Jade was suddenly back. “Put Fine on.”
Arthur’s eyebrows flew up. “I thought you didn’t like him.”
“I didn’t like him with you because he made you unhappy,” she said bluntly. “But I have no objection to the man himself now that you’ve split. Let me talk to him.”
Arthur shrugged and turned to where Wesley was unsubtly leaning against the wall. He held out the phone. “For you.”
Wesley’s eyebrows went up, but he took the phone. “This is Lord Fine, who is—oh, Miss Robbins!”
No question he remembered Jade, but then, people tended to. Arthur was never sure if that was because of her genuine warmth and friendliness or because even those ignorant of magic somehow instinctively knew she could kill them with her mind.
Wesley paused for a moment, listening. “Well, that sounds very exciting. But what about the risks—he does?” Wesley looked over at Arthur. “One of your litter of siblings is a barrister? A good one, who can get anyone out of the dock?”
“Yes,” Arthur said slowly, drawing the word out. What on earth was Jade up to?
“I’ll rally the troops, then,” Wesley said into the phone, before passing it back to Arthur. He clapped his hands together. “Gents, get your hats—we’re going out.”
“Oh Christ.” Arthur put the phone to his lips. “You didn’t.”
“I absolutely did,” said Jade. “Bring them to the Magnolia. Give them the whole cloak-and-dagger experience—blindfold them, make them say the password, swear them to a secrecy they won’t keep, hence the blindfolds. They’ll eat it up.”
“But—”
“You have six bored Englishmen with deep pockets and no plans. I have a speakeasy with Canadian gin and Stella. Everyone wins.” She lowered her voice. “We’ll take good care of them, Ace. And you’ll be free to go.”
Jade was right; the men loved it, all of them cramming into Arthur’s Cadillac like excited schoolboys. Jade and Benson took the lot of them into the speakeasy, Jade promising once again that she’d take care of everyone.
So when Wesley was occupied at the bar, Arthur passed on getting his own glass of anything and slipped out the alley door instead. Perhaps Mr. Come On, Daddy, Buy Me a Drink would be at the Magnolia again tonight. Wesley would have more fun with him.
As he started his car, he glanced at his watch and sighed. He wasn’t going to bang on the door of Zhang’s teahouse at this hour, which meant he wasn’t going to see Rory tonight.
And he really, desperately wanted to see Rory.
About twenty minutes later, Arthur pulled up to his building and gave his keys to the valet. The main door opened as Arthur approached.
“Evening, Mr. Kenzie.” The doorman stood smartly upright. “A man came by earlier, claiming to have an appointment with you.” He snorted. “Said he was yourantiques dealer.”
Arthur’s heart leapt. “Blond curls, brown eyes, about this big?” He held a hand to his chin, and then, in fairness, lowered it an inch.
