“Because that is what you do when you’re falling in love. All the books say so.”
“Oh, Jo,” her sister said in quiet dismay. “You’re not, are you? Falling in love with him, that is.”
“Well notanymore.” Even as she spoke the denial out loud, Joanna knew it wasn’t true. Love wasn’t a faucet to be turned off and on. Even when you shoved the handle down as hard as you could (and she was really putting all her weight into it), water continued to drip.
Kincaid may have walked away, but her heart hadn’t gone with him.
It was still inside her chest.
A little cracked. A little bloody. But still beating.
Forhim.
A man with the emotional range of a turnip.
Why couldn’t she have felt this way for Charles? Or any of her other suitors who, in Evie’s words, would have been “perfectly practical in every single way”? At the very least, they had never made her tremble with fury. But they’d never made her tremble with desire, either.
“Ouch,” she exclaimed when her sister tugged on a snarl a little too hard.
“Sorry.” Putting the brush down, Evie began to attack the knot with her fingers. “I can see that you’re upset. Which you have every reason to be. But…”
“But?” Joanna asked.
“Maybe this is for the best. You know it never would have worked. You and the detective. A bit of flirtation is all well and good. I could have done with a harmless dalliance myself during our time here. But it wasn’t ever going to go any further. There.” Holding up the lock of hair she’d been untangling for inspection, Evie gave a satisfied nod and let it fall before moving on to the next. “Mrs. Benedict has invited us to join her for dinner at the Claridge Hotel. Apparently it istheplace to meet—”
“Wait,” Joanna interrupted. “What do you mean Kincaid and I weren’t ever going to go any further?”
“Exactly what I said. Tilt you head forward. No, too far. There. Perfect.” She began brushing again. Long, slow strokes of the comb that would have felt wonderful if Joanna’ stomach wasn’t twisted in knots. “From what you’ve described, Kincaid appears like a nice enough fellow. His boorish behavior notwithstanding, hedidsave your life. He also agreed to find the ring without requiring so much as a pittance. A good thing, as we’re nearly out of money as it is. How is that going, by the by?”
“Finding the ring?”
“Yes.”
“I…I don’t know.” Joanna touched her bandage, her fingers absently tracing across the smooth satin ribbon. “Kincaid has not brought it up lately, and I have not asked.”
“You haven’tasked? That ring is the entire reason we’re here!”
“I understand that,” she said defensively. “I’m sure he is working on it.”
“He had better work fast. We haven’t an infinite amount of time and resources to spend here, Jo. Wewillhave to return home eventually. Which is another reason why you and Kincaid would never suit. You live an ocean away from each other. Would you stay in London, or would he return with us to Boston?”
“Iamhalf-British.” It was the first time she had acknowledged her heritage out loud. Surprisingly, it did not feel nearly as strange as she had been expecting. “We could remain here, at least for a while. It is where Kincaid has made a name for himself, and I’ve always wanted to travel. To see new sights. To get out of Somerville. This could be the chance I’ve been waiting for.”
If only Kincaid had the ability to see what was right in front of him, she added silently.
How could adetectivemiss something so obvious?
If her heart didn’t still hurt, it would have been comical.
Instead, it was just wrenchingly ironic.
Evie tapped the comb against her palm. “You’d never see Grandmother, or Claire, again.”
“Therearethese things called ships. Surely you’ve heard of them.”
“Don’t be difficult. And move your head back.”
Joanna complied, then felt a gentle tugging on her scalp as Evie twisted her unruly mane into a long braid. “Regardless, it is a moot point,” she said, staring at the ceiling. “Kincaid has made it clear he wants nothing to do with me outside of a professional capacity, and I can hardly force him.”
