12. Chapter Twelve #2
Colin shrugged. “They’ll come around.”
She tried to look as if she believed him. “They’d better.” She suddenly remembered Ted and Gavin. “Where are your guests?”
“Arguing over the age and state of decay of the main staircase.” He grimaced. “Apparently, it should have fallen down by now. I suggested that the magnificent Victorian carpet was holding it together and neither or them disagreed with me. They’ll be here in a minute.”
The blast of a horn brought their attention to the archway that led out onto the main drive. Freddy strolled over to see who it was and looked back over his shoulder at Colin with a grin. “It’s Bumpy and Frizzy.”
Colin looked at Mabel. “Were we expecting them?”
Mabel instinctively checked her phone. “They’re not on my schedule. How about yours?”
“Nope.”
Ted and Gavin came into the courtyard still talking at ninety miles an hour just as Freddy came in with the Haywicks.
“What ho, Gavin!” Bumpy bellowed across the space. “Frizzy thought you might fancy a spot of lunch when you’re done here, so we’ve come to take you out.”
Mabel had never heard anyone use the expression “what ho” in real life and was suitably impressed by the loudness of Bumpy’s voice. Frizzy walked over to Mabel. She wore brown pants tucked into green wellies, a waxed jacket and tweed cap, and looked like an adorable Victorian urchin.
“Isn’t Gavin wonderful?” Frizzy asked.
“He’s certainly been helpful,” Mabel agreed. “Unfortunately, before Colin can use his expertise, he needs to deal with infrastructure.”
Frizzy looked around the barren space with a practiced air. “It’s a good size for a café. Are you planning on using the coach house for the indoor part?”
“The coach house will probably be fixed up and rented out. The main carriage house will be used for the café.”
“I think it will work very well, although you’ll need to screen the back door of the house from view. You don’t want anyone wandering in for a nose around the private areas.”
“That’s a good point.”
“May I see inside the carriage house?”
“Of course!” Mabel took her in through the coachman’s entrance.
“It looks a lot better than ours did and it’s loads bigger.” Frizzy looked up at the ceiling. “No leaks and mould.”
“That’s definitely a good start.”
Frizzy cleared her throat. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure! Go ahead.”
“Are you planning on sticking around for Colin?” Mabel opened her mouth to answer but Frizzy rushed on.
“I know that’s terribly rude, but I used to go out with Colin’s brother, Eric.
” A shadow crossed her face. “I had a lucky escape from that one, but I do know how awful he was to poor Colin, and I always felt terrible for Colin.”
“Eric doesn’t sound like a good person,” Mabel said.
“He wasn’t,” Frizzy said bluntly. “When I dumped him, he wouldn’t accept it and made my life a misery for months before Colin stepped in and helped me.” She paused. “I don’t think Eric ever forgave Colin for that.”
“It’s awesome that Colin was supportive of you. It sounds very like him.”
Frizzy nodded. “When Eric died, they all tried to blame Colin for not watching out for his older brother, but I would have none of it. Eric was quite capable of destroying himself without anyone’s help, and even if Colin had tried to stop him, and I bet he did, Eric wouldn’t have listened.”
“I’m glad Colin’s always had you in his corner.”
There was a lot more that Mabel wanted to say but she didn’t want Frizzy to know this was all news to her. Who on earth had the nerve to blame Colin for Eric’s death and whom could she discreetly ask about it without it getting back to Colin?
“And Bumpy. He knows what Eric did to me.” Frizzy half-turned back toward the door. “I just want Colin to be happy.”
“I promise that for as long as I’m around, I’ll do my best to make sure he is,” Mabel said and held Frizzy’s gaze. “I’d never want to hurt him.”
“Good.” Frizzy said. “Because he’s my friend and he deserves the best.” She headed toward the door. “Shall we go and join the boys?”
Later that night as they were going to bed, Colin replaced the top on his toothpaste and moved over so that Mabel could access the mirror. She had her hair in two high pigtails, wore fluffy green pajamas, and was busy putting extra cream under her eyes.
“What was Frizzy chatting to you about so intently?” Colin asked.
“You.” Mabel gently patted her skin with her fingertip.
“Don’t tell me, she’s leaving Bumpy and wants to be a viscountess?”
“Not quite.” Mabel did the other eye and put the tiny pot of cream away in the drawer.
“She offered to put you in touch with one of her father’s football players who would treat you like a queen?”
She raised her eyebrows. “You already do that.”
“But you could roll around naked in his money.”
“I’d much rather roll around naked with you.” She opened another tube and put something on her lips. “Money isn’t everything.”
“Can’t argue with that.” He came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder. “What did she say about me?”
“That you’ve always been a good friend to her.”
“That’s easy to do.” Colin kissed her throat. “She’s a good person.”
“She said she went out with Eric.”
“She did.”
“And that he was horrible to her.”
Colin avoided her gaze in the mirror, moved away, and fussed around with his shaving gear. “Eric could be quite possessive. When Frizzy ended it, he took offense.”
“So, I heard.” Mabel washed and dried her hands and walked over to the bed. “Are you coming?”
He offered her a lascivious wink. “I’m planning on it.”
She rolled her eyes as she climbed into bed, and he was momentarily fixated on her glorious bum as the fabric of her pajamas stretched tight.
He noticed her fingertips brush her laptop before she moved it over to her bedside table and plugged it in.
There was something going on and he wasn’t sure how to ask her about it.
“Work still busy?” he asked casually as he joined her in the large bed.
“The work is fine. It’s the people who are giving me headaches.”
“How so?”
She sighed and he drew her down beside him and put his arm around her shoulders.
“Just… inter-team dynamics.”
“You mean Joss is acting up again?”
“His girlfriend.”
He rubbed his thumb along the tense line of her neck. “She works with you?”
“She’s one of our contractors and was a friend of mine. I introduced her to the team, and Joss soon decided he liked her way better than me.”
“What a wanker.” Colin shook his head. “No one is better than you.”
He was disturbed when his comment barely raised a smile.
“She asked me to tell Joss to stop obsessing over me.”
Colin took a moment to digest that before asking carefully, “Is Joss still obsessed with you?”
“No. He’s just mad because I won’t come back and work myself into the grave just so he can be a tech billionaire.” She rested her cheek against his shoulder. “I told Sammy to sort out her own love life and to stop blaming me for Joss’s issues.”
“How did she take that?”
“She suggested I was jealous because Joss went out with her behind my back, which, by the way, was news to me.”
He winced. “You should tell her that you don’t need Joss because you have a future peer of the realm on the hook.”
She eased out of his embrace and looked at him, her hazel eyes serious. “I wouldn’t use you as some kind of one upmanship.”
“Upwomanship?” Colin suggested. “Have you told Joss you’re going out with someone else?”
“No, because I wanted Joss to leave me alone without having to use another man to get him to take me seriously.”
“Ah…” Colin nodded, not sure whether the fact that she was still keeping him a secret was a good thing or a bad thing. “I see.”
She cupped his chin. “And you’re… too precious to share with anyone yet.” She made a face. “I haven’t even told my mom.”
“I’m your little British love secret?” Colin asked, as a warm feeling surrounded his heart. “How thrilling.”
She winked at him. “Not so little.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist, drew her beneath him, and kissed her until she stopped laughing and kissed him back.