“Mr. Grimm?”
On the other side of the nook curtain, Nigel listened to the sound of Ward’s departure and released a long exhale of relief.
Gods! If he never had to watch Luna kissing that man again, it would be too soon!
He forced himself to inhale for a slow count of six, hold it, then breathe out for another count of six.
This is good, he told himself, even as he sought to steady his pounding heart.
You were worried for her safety. Well, tonight, at least, she should be safe.
After all, no members of the Brotherhood would dare approach her while she was literally on the arm of an SSSD wardsman.
If there was anywhere other than here, with him and Garden, where Luna could breathe easy, it was at the Governor’s Ball tonight. With her handsome paramour.
Nigel jerked his head up to see the curtain ripple.
Her delicate white fingers appeared, gripping the edge, then pulled it back slightly so that Luna’s dark eyes could peer into the gloomy space behind.
She looked at him, standing there awkwardly, and blinked a few times.
“Um, Mr. Grimm. Is it all right with you if I step across the alley to Mrs. Goddard’s? I, um, need to use her telephone.”
“Of course.” Nigel’s hands jerked in a gesture that didn’t quite mean anything. “Yes, take your time, Miss Talbot.”
Her brows puckered slightly. “I won’t be long. The, um, the first pickup should be here soon.”
So saying, she slipped away, allowing the curtain to close once more.
Nigel listened to the sounds of her retreating footsteps before sinking into the cane chair.
He blew out a blustering sigh and scrubbed his fingers along his scalp in an attempt to reorient his brain.
A storm of conflicting thoughts and ideas collided, each one vying for dominance.
She kissed you last night.
Well, actually, he’d kissed her.
She didn’t push you away!
But that didn’t mean anything. He was her boss. She might have felt obliged to kiss him. He’d taken advantage of her, even as he’d sworn he would never do.
She didn’t respond like a woman being taken advantage of . . .
Or had he simply refused to acknowledge her subtle cues?
After all, he’d seen her kissing Ward earlier that same day.
It wasn’t as though he was ignorant as to her feelings for the wardsman.
He’d simply let himself forget for a little while.
But later, after all the excitement of the evening was over, he’d heard her declare her feelings for Ward in no uncertain terms. “Oh, Ward. How’s a girl supposed to stop herself from falling for you? ” she’d gasped all breathily.
Yes, there was the reality. Reality Nigel had sought to ignore during those heated moments on the turret and later in his kitchen.
But a reality which remained true nonetheless.
Luna was Ward’s girl. Had been ever since that first day, when he’d barged into The Arcane Bouquet searching for fayfane blossoms and stopped to buy the shop assistant a handful of carnations.
Nigel would never forget the pretty flush which had stained her cheeks when the dashing officer had winked at her the first time.
Even as these thoughts tumbled through his brain, Nigel heard the shop bells ring.
Footsteps sounded down the aisle, and he pulled up straight in the cane chair, breathing out hard.
He must compose himself. He must get through today.
Finish up these orders, close up the shop, send Luna on her way for her magical night with her chosen lover.
Then he would set out hunting down the Brotherhood. Before the night was through, he’d see to it that Luna was free to live the life of her choosing with the man of her dreams. No more fear. No more looking over her shoulder. Just Happily Ever After till the end of her days.
And if Nigel perished in the attempt, well, that might be all right too. Because, though he would move heaven and earth to give Luna the Happily Ever After she deserved . . . he wasn’t certain he could bear to stand by and watch it take place.
“Excuse me?” an impatient voice sounded from the other side of the curtain. The little counter bell dinged several times. “Some service, please!”
Nigel rose, smoothed back his hair, straightened the front of his apron. Then he pushed aside the curtain. “Welcome to The Arcane Bouquet,” he spoke in smooth, professional tones. “How may I help you today?”
Luna returned from Mrs. Goddard’s not long after and went back to work making the corsages and nosegays.
Maids and footmen arrived in a steady stream throughout the afternoon to pick up the commissioned pieces, which Nigel handed over.
In this way, time passed rather quickly, and he and Luna managed to navigate the hours while exchanging no more than a handful of words.
It was the same, cool, near-silence which had existed between them these last four weeks.
That silence which had been momentarily broken yesterday, allowing Nigel to hope . . .
But he shouldn’t hope. He’d learned long ago that hope wasn’t for the likes of him. He didn’t deserve it.
When 2 o’clock rolled around, Nigel glanced at the clock and halfway considered asking Luna to put on the kettle for their once-habitual tea break.
It had been such a nice little tradition, fallen by the wayside in the last month.
He tossed a surreptitious gaze her way. Luna seemed to be sternly focused on getting a bit of emerald ribbon shaped the way she wanted.
Something in the tension of her cheek told him she was aware of his scrutiny, however.
To hells with it, he thought suddenly. I’ll put the damned kettle on myself and bring her a tea. She can’t refuse once it’s right in front of her, can she?
“I’ll be back in a moment, Miss Talbot,” he murmured.
Before she could look up or ask a question, he slipped out from behind the counter.
He was just stepping into the back passage when the shop bells sang out again.
He turned, expecting to see another customer arriving for a pickup.
Instead, he was met with the sight of brilliant magenta curls, an enormous, lipstick-framed smile, and a figure so sultry, even layers of winter coat and scarf couldn’t disguise it.
“I’m here, Lunaloo!” Bryony Braithwait called out brightly, hauling a garment bag over her shoulder.
She caught sight of Nigel, and her mascara-rimmed eyes narrowed ever-so slightly.
Nigel flushed. He’d not so much as glimpsed this woman since the night she and he had tangled tongues and limbs in the back of the Rowdy House.
The whole experience was a bit surreal in his memory, and he could not think of it without shame.
Swallowing hard, he tried to offer a smile, but suspected it came across as more of a wince. He softened it with a bow, that made her roll her eyes. “Oh, hullo, Mr. Grimm,” she said coldly. “Is Luna around?”
“I’m here, Bryony,” Luna said quickly, stepping out from behind the counter. “Thanks for coming all this way.”
“Oh, that’s all right, sweetie. You can make it up to me one of these days.”
“And Myrna didn’t mind loaning me her gown?”
“No, she says it looks better on you anyway. Here.” Bryony held out the garment bag for Luna to take.
“You might want to air it out a bit, though. Myrna wore it to the Carousel Club the other night, and she says it got a bit smokey. Also, I brought you this.” She handed a ratty old carpetbag over.
“I saw you had it packed up and figured you must have meant to stay overnight.”
“What?”
Nigel, who had realized he probably ought not to be listening in and ducked into the back passage, froze. He shouldn’t stay. He should continue on to the kitchen, make himself busy. But one hand came to rest against the wall, and he leaned heavily, ears straining.
“Oh, you know!” Bryony giggled. “If things go well with that handsome wardsman of yours.”
A long silence followed. Then Luna spoke, all in a rush: “Bryony, I’m not going home with Officer Ward after the ball tonight.”
“Sure you’re not.” Bryony laughed outright, a deep, throaty sort of sound. “Honestly, Lunaloo, the guy gets you tickets to the absolute hottest shindig in this whole blasted-blazes city! What do you think he’s going to be expecting afterwards?”
Luna didn’t answer. Nigel counted off his heartbeats, one after another.
“Come on, it’s not a bad thing!” Bryony continued encouragingly.
“Ward’s a real sweetheart, and he’s that gone on you.
I know you’re the kind of girl who likes things a bit more permanent before having your fun, but .
. . you play your cards right, you could probably get that squared away too, if it’s what you really want.
Ward strikes me as the settling-down sort, once he’s had a good time. ”
“I . . . Oh, Bryony, I really don’t think . . .” Luna’s voice jumped in, then faded out, before ending all in a near-whispered rush, “Oh gods, maybe I should cancel?”
“Cancel?” Bryony barked. “Luna, if you cancel on that hunk, I swear, the girls at Mrs. Boggs’s will skin you alive! Why, they’re all positively seething with jealousy, and I’m seething right along with them. Seriously, girl, you go live it up tonight for all of us, or so help me!”
“It’s not like it’s even really a ballgown, Bryony.”
“Pshhh. Men don’t care about that kind of thing. You just hoist up what you’ve got, add a bit of shadow where it counts, make sure you bend over at every opportunity, and he’ll never notice any different.”
About that time, Nigel felt he’d had enough.
Staggering into the kitchen, he shut the door firmly behind him and stood leaning against it for some minutes.
His mind seemed to be simultaneously whirling and screeching to a complete halt, a strange state of duality of being, on the very edge of madness.