Page 117 of Tears of Ink

Faith Hitchin: I didn’t want to be presumptuous.

Eli Jones: Please always be presumptuous.

Faith Hitchin: How about a date?

Eli Jones: Meet me in half an hour.

I’m grinning like a buffoon when I turn to face Saskia. “I need to get out of this dress.” She gives a small smile.

“Are we buying this one?” She fishes into her bag for her Hermes purse.

Nodding, I flash her a smile. “I’m buying this one. Connie Fairclough isn’t touching my visit to the ball.”

“I’m feeling like a fairy godmother right now.”

“Do you turn pumpkins into black cabs, because I’ve got to get to Kensington?”

Saskia puts her fingers in her ears. “Don’t tell me anything, it’s better I don’t know.”

I pass her the dress as I step out of it. “Deal.”

In the end, I manage to get to Kensington in twenty minutes. I’m paying the taxi driver and battling my bags when I see Eli’s door open. My heart hammers, my palms slicking against the handles of the bags. It’s been less than twenty-four hours, but I’m hungry for him again. What happens next week when I don’t get to see him anymore? I shove the thought to the back of my mind. It’s not worth wasting time on right now.

I’m stepping forward when I see the fact it’s not him walking out of his door. A woman with dark hair and olive skin is coming out. She’s smiling. She’s beautiful—so beautiful I can’t believe it’s possible for someone to look like that in the flesh. And I know who she is. I know who she is because I’ve seen her before when I first Googled Elijah Fairclough and found out he was engaged to a socialite.

She stops and reaches onto her tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek. He smiles at her and gives a small wave as she steps down onto the pathway.

What am I going to do?

Inside my stomach a knife is twisting.

I’m frozen to the spot.

Does it matter he’s been with her? Is it any of my business? Well no and yes, but then also yes and no. For a moment, I hesitate, but then swallowing my pride I step forward and make my presence known. He gives me a genuine warm smile, like he truly is pleased to see me. He’s casual, wearing those grey tracksuit pants he makes look so damn sexy, and his feet are bare again. God, he’s gorgeous, and he’s been with her who’s also gorgeous. “Faith, you’re here already?” he says. I wait to see if he will lean in and kiss me or hug me, but he doesn’t.

“Sorry, I’m early.” It sounds like a question and I want to bitch slap myself. What happened to the girl who used to fuck for fun? Who had one-night-stands on a regular basis just to scratch an itch.

I know what happened to her. Elijah Fairclough.

A pulse of anger spears me.

“Sienna, this is Faith. She’s been helping me with the art project.”

Sienna smiles warmly. Fuck, she looks like she should be on TV. Maybe even the big screen. Her eyes are a warm chocolate brown and there isn’t a single thing about her which isn’t painfully perfect. And here I am in ripped jeans and an old V-neck vest showing all my many, many mistakes.

I know it shouldn’t, but Eli introducing me as the help stings deep and hard. He’s watching me though with an amused smile teasing the edge of his lips.

“Nice to meet you, Faith.” She turns for Eli and places her hand on his arm. “Elijah, I hope the files are what you wanted. If you need anything, let me know.” With a smile at us both she steps away. “I’ll see you at the ball next week.”

She’s attending the ball? Well, fuck me.

Still, she doesn’t know what I have planned—no one does.

She steps down off his front doorstep and beeps the key fob in her hand, a small silver Mercedes lighting up at her touch. Even her car is beautiful.

When she’s gone, and he’s given her a small wave goodbye, he turns to me expectantly and nods at the bags in my hand. “Been shopping?”

I’m stuck. Torn. I’m as jealous as hell to have found her here, and I want to ask him why she was there, in his home. In the space I had magnificent sex with him in just last night. But, then it’s not my business.