She did just as Selma had, and even copied her as she kicked off her slippers and tucked her feet up beneath her on the sofa. When in Rome…
After everyone had filled their plates and settled, Lamsley lifted his cup in a sort of toast. “To our health, to our happiness, to our home, and most importantly, to our family.” He nodded toward Madelene. The others raised their cups.
“Slàinte Mhath,” they both said, in unison.
“Slanjavar?” Madelene repeated.
Selma laughed. “It means cheers.”
“Cheers then.” She raised her cup with the others. Even the tea was something new, a whimsical medley of floral and spice that danced over her tongue.
Selma picked up a sausage with her fingers and took a bite. The others all followed her lead. Madelene had never before had bedtime sausages, but everything about the little gathering was wonderful. Perhaps, in time, she would find happiness here, after all.
Chapter
Sixteen
It was nighttime and Simon had nothing to do. No one left to track down from the fake marriage scheme, other than the vicar. No men left from the group who had hurt his sister. And no Madelene. So instead, he sat in his study, halfway through his third glass of whisky.
Perhaps he should pay another visit to his sister’s “husband” and see if he could beat any more names out of the man. Or at the very least, deliver some more pain to the monster. He dropped his forehead into his palms with a groan. What he needed was sleep, and if he drank any more whisky tonight, he’d have a hell of a time getting up for work in the morning. It was hard to imagine life just continuing as normal while his heart barely managed to beat through the pain.
Madelene. Sweet, kind, funny, soft, beautiful, enticing, incredible, Madelene.
Swallowing the remaining liquid in his glass, he pushed himself to his feet and went up to bed. She was where she needed to be, and wishing for anything different was selfish.
Even though he hadn’t had another glass, he still woke with a pounding headache the next morning. Perhaps it was the physical manifestation of the emotional turmoil that seemed to pulse through him with every breath he took.
He sat up on the side of the bed and breathed a cynical laugh. Simon had yet to meet a man who could best him in a fight. Even among the agents he worked with, it was known he could take any one of them down, with one arm tied behind his back. He’d worked hard for those skills, and was proud of his reputation. But here he sat, brought to his knees by a woman. By the loss of one, anyway.
He managed to dress, but couldn’t bring himself to enter the kitchen. He’d have to get some coffee from Suzy, instead.
There were only two other people in the tavern this early, and they paid him no heed, for which he was grateful. Suzy, on the other hand, looked on him with pity.
“Oh, Simon. Come here, my boy.” He laughed at being addressed as a boy, but then she wrapped her arms around him and surrounded him with her softness. He did have a mother of his own, but he didn’t speak to his parents. Not since they’d sold off his sister to that blackguard. And Suzy was happy to act as a surrogate, even if he was a grown man.
“Is it really so obvious?” he asked quietly into her ear.
She didn’t answer that question. After a moment, she let him go and looked up into his eyes, sadness filling her own. “What can I get for you?”
“Just coffee.”
Simon tried to mask his anguish as he entered the office for work, but Timms furrowed his brow when he saw him.
“Don’t ask,” Simon said, holding up his hands.
“I won’t.” Timms assessed him for a moment before continuing. “But we have some interviews today. Are you up to that?”
“Absolutely,” Simon said with a determined nod.
He was able to pull himself together well enough to perform his duties adequately. He used to love this part of his job. It was like a game. Ask the right questions, not only to get answers you’re looking for, but to set them off-balance just enough for their body language to tell you the real story, all the while masking your own emotions and thoughts.
He spent the whole day doing that. With each new interview, they took turns playing different roles. One of them would play the nice guy, offering comforting words and tea, while the other was aloof, stern, and down to business. Alternating kept the job from getting boring and allowed them to practice varying skills.
In truth, it was just what Simon needed to keep his mind off of Madelene and his own grief. He was tired of this, though. Tired of always having to hide himself. The people he worked with didn’t know who he really was. Not even Timms. But Madelene did. He didn’t have to wear his usual mask with her, or lie about the things he’d done. With her, he could just be himself.
But Madelene was gone, and he had to stop thinking of how much he wanted her back.
That night, rather than drinking himself to sleep, he paid a visit to her father. Unfortunately, he couldn’t kill the man, even if he did deserve it. He was still her father, after all, and Simon would never do anything that had the potential to hurt her… again. There were plenty of other ways to inflict misery on the man, though.
