London Lace, #2 by Martine Catou

Author:Martine, Catou [Martine, Catou]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: ORLY Press
Published: 2012-12-03T22:00:00+00:00

They agreed to meet for dinner the next evening. Eliza had a whole day of work to catch up on. But when the afternoon rolled around, Todd phoned to cancel.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve got to get back to Devon for foaling. It looks like my dam Jezebel is going to deliver early. I’ll be back in a few days. A week at the most.”

Eliza hid her disappointment as best she could. She could throw herself into her work—she’d better, she had new contracts and long standing ones to fill now that spring was making its appearance in London.

“Let me know when you’re back. No, call me the day before,” she said. “I will be aching with anticipation.”

Todd sighed into the phone. “I have never in my life wanted to miss a foal’s birth until this moment.”

“Don’t you dare,” said Eliza, though she was secretly very flattered that he was tempted to drop everything for her.

“This is your life, your work, what you love. I’ll be here when you get back. I promise. I will be wet with relief to see you again.” She couldn’t help teasing him.

He growled through the receiver. “Miss Keating, play fair.”

“Fantasize about me,” she whispered. “Just like you showed me in the stables.”

“Just like that?...” he whispered back.

“Exactly like that…”

“These are going to be the longest days of my life,” he said.

“Mine, too” said Eliza.

She worked obsessively on freeform hat blocking to keep her mind off of Todd.

At the end of the day, Carmen poked her head into the back room. “Do you need any help?”

The look on Carmen’s face told Eliza that she ought to say no. It had already been a long day. “Go home to your hubby. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Thanks.”

As soon as Carmen had gone, Eliza’s mobile rang. She took the pins out of her mouth and answered.

“I bet you’re ready for a martini,” said Stella.

“Oh, I don’t know. It’s been a long day. I’ve got a ton of work to do tomorrow.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

“Stella, are you still there?”

“Yeah. Um… I guess you didn’t see it?”

“See what?”

“Oh boy. I’m on my way over.”

Stella hung up before Eliza could interrogate her about her strange tone of voice.

Thirty minutes later, Stella arrived at the flat with a bottle of merlot and a copy of the Daily Mirror.

“Page three,” she said as she twisted the corkscrew into the cork.

On page three Eliza saw a photo of herself kissing Todd at the table at The Brasserie. Her hat was askew, her cheeks were flushed, splotchy even, and she remembered suddenly what had been going on under the table.

“If I didn’t know you better I’d swear that’s a piece of hay behind your ear,” said Stella.

“This is awful.” Eliza glanced at the article below the unflattering photo while holding out her hand for a desperately needed glass of wine. The wine-filled sphere was delivered to her palm and she took a gulp.

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