Timothy fucking Hargreaves.
Of all the men in this room she could be having a drink with, it was that bastard.
Not that it was any of my business. Adelaide was here as nothing more than my friend, and she was at perfect liberty to have a drink with whomever she pleased.
I just hated that it was that rotten bastard.
My stomach tightened as I watched them walk away together. Her in that bloody dress that had me thinking things I shouldn’t be thinking about was bad enough without watching Tim put his hands on her.
All he was doing was pressing his hand to her back to guide her to the bar, but I wanted to rip his fingers off one by one and throw them at him.
“Alexander, you’re drooling.”
I jerked my head around to see Gabriella pull a strawberry out of a fresh glass of champagne.
“You can see it from the other side of the room,” Eva noted, tilting her to the side and staring at me curiously. “I can’t decide if he’s drooling or frothing with anger.”
“What on Earth are you talking about?” I said, grabbing my glass. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“I don’t know, mate,” Matt said, staring after Adelaide and Tim. “You do look like you want to throw something at him.”
“Can’t stand the man,” I replied. “Never have been able to, not since that rugby game in year ten.”
Gabi frowned. “The one where you broke your arm?”
“He broke my arm.”
“You have a grudge on him because he broke your arm?”
“You wouldn’t hold a grudge if someone did?” I queried.
Eva grinned, leaning back in her chair. “I don’t think it’s about the broken arm. I think it’s about who is on his arm.”
I shot her a look. “I don’t know where you’re going with this, but I daresay you’re going to find yourself at a dead end.”
“You do know you’ve been staring at her all night, don’t you?” Eva continued. “And when we came down and found you in the lobby, I thought we were interrupting something quite private.”
“Stop causing trouble.”
“Absolutely not. It’s in my nature. But I hardly think this is causing trouble—trouble would be me convincing my sister Tim is the perfect guy for her, and I think he’s about as interesting as a bag of wet sand on a beach.”
“He’s a nice guy,” Gabi said slowly.
“So was Ted Bundy.”
Matt choked on his drink. “Did you just compare him to a serial killer?”
Eva looked up innocently. “I was merely making a point that people liked Ted Bundy, too. Being a nice guy doesn’t mean anything, does it?”
Gabi shook her head slowly. “I think I’m going to get another drink.”
“I just brought you one.”
“Yes, but Alex looks like his head is going to explode, so I think I’ll take him with me.” She got up and tapped me on the shoulder, so I finished the rest of the red wine I’d been drinking and left the empty glass on the table.
I was going to need something stronger right now.
I’d known all along that bringing Adelaide here would be a terrible idea. I was used to seeing her in leggings and oversized t-shirts, everyday summer dresses, and usually her pyjamas, especially first thing on a morning.
Seeing her dressed up like this… With that dress and red lips and a more carefree demeanour than usual?
No.
This had been a terrible mistake.
I didn’t need to think of her in the way that I currently was. These visions of her naked on a bed and the dress on the floor were completely unwelcome, especially since we had to share a bed tonight.
Unless she didn’t leave with me.
Shit.
Fuck, no. I wasn’t going to think that. I couldn’t think of her with Tim in that way—this night was borderline intolerable as it was.
I deliberately didn’t look for them when we reached the bar, and Gabi took one look at me before she ordered whiskey for me.
She was my cousin, but she may as well have been my sister for how well she knew me.
The whiskey and a glass of white wine were put on the bar in front of us and she handed him money and told him to keep the change.
“Drink this.” She slid the whiskey to me. “And start talking.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” I sipped. “Truly, there isn’t.”
“Really? Because you’ve been giving her ‘fuck me’ eyes all night, and don’t think I haven’t noticed that she’s doing the same thing right back. What’s going on there?”
“Nothing.” I put the glass down and looked at her. “And I am being completely honest with you when I say that. Nothing is going on between me and Adelaide.”
Gabi stared at me.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m trying to figure out how stupid you think I am,” she mused. “You clearly feel something more than friendship for her.”
I grabbed her elbow and dragged her away from the bar, barely giving her enough time to pick up her glass. I found a quiet corner of the room and pulled her there, positioning myself so I could see if anyone would approach us.
“Look. It’s all irrelevant. She’s living with me right now as Olympia’s tutor. It would be completely inappropriate to pursue anything with her.” I straightened. “Besides, she’s clearly interested in Tim.”
Gabi made a noise that was halfway between a grunt and a squeal. “I’m not so sure. I only passed on his number to be polite, but she was shellshocked when I brought it up. So… no, Alexander, I’m not sure she is clearly interested in him.”
I rolled my shoulders and glanced around, catching sight of them together at a table where they were laughing. “Yes. It looks like she’s having the worst time.”
Gabi slid her gaze in their direction. “Oh, come on. Stop being like this. Yes, she’s Olympia’s tutor, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you were honest about how you feel.”
“Everyone is putting words into my mouth. First Ma did, now you.”
“Alex—”
I turned back to her with my jaw clenched. “Yes, I find her very attractive. Yes, I do find myself having feelings stronger than friendship for her, but it’s all a moot point. I won’t be acting on it, and I’d prefer if we didn’t discuss it any further.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. Let’s go back to the table before Eva and Matthew eat each other alive.”
I snorted. “I think that’s exactly what they both intend to happen.”
***
“I’m done.” Gabi finished her wine and grabbed her clutch. “I’m going to call Miles and see how his magpie stakeout went.”
“You know he wasn’t staking out magpies,” Adelaide said dryly.
“I know, but I’m going to play along and pretend like he was. It’s a small concession to make.” She looked around. “It was the right choice. He’d have hated this.”
I fought back a smile. He absolutely would have. I’d already texted him a photo and he’d replied that it looked bloody awful.
I wasn’t going to disagree with him.
“Goodnight.” Gabi kissed me on the cheek and squeezed Adelaide’s shoulder, then disappeared.
Adelaide turned to me. “Just us left, then.”
“Just us.” I nodded slowly. “I’m surprised I’m not alone. Your mini date with Tim not go well?”
She side-eyed me. “I’m hungry.”
“We can order room service.”
“No. I’ve had too much wine for that fancy crap. You know what I need?”
“I can guess.”
“A huge pizza, a kebab, and chips.”
I dropped my head and pinched the bridge of my nose. “You want me to go and find all that for you? Don’t we have apps for that now?”
She laughed and stood up. “No, don’t be daft. We’ll go together and you can tell me why you hate Tim so much.”
I followed after her. “I do not hate him.”
“Every time you looked at him tonight, you had a face like you’d just swallowed a quart of vinegar.” She led me out into the lobby and peered over her shoulder. “And I want to know why.”
“There’s a sofa there, Addy.”
“Oops. Thank you.” She made a swift diversion to avoid the sofa.
“Perhaps you should consider watching where you’re going?”
“Valid advice.” She got to the doors before me and waited. “Come on. I’m starving.”
“Aren’t you going to be cold out there? It’s past eleven. It’s not going to be as warm as you think it is.”
She waved her hand and grabbed my arm. “It’ll be fine. Come on.”
The doorman who’d been here all night stepped forward and opened the door for us.
Adelaide beamed at him. “Thank you, George.”
“You’re quite welcome, Miss Astley. Lord Bentley.” He nodded to me and closed the door after us.
“Ooh.” Addy stopped right in front of me. “Maybe I should go and get a jacket.”
“Absolutely not. I’m not waiting out here for twenty minutes while you get lost.” I unbuttoned my suit jacket and slipped it off. “Here.”
“That’s yours. You’ll get cold.”
“Excellent. Then I can guilt trip you about it later.” I draped it over her shoulders.
She smiled up at me. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.” I put my hand on her back and guided her down the pavement. “Do you even know anywhere around here to get the food you want?”
“Actually, I do. I’ve stayed here before and there’s a place right around the corner. Turn right.”
We turned right.
“Of course you have. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’m bloody hungry, too.”
“That’ll be the whiskey. Oh, explains why you’re not cold.” She laughed and slipped her arms into my jacket so she was wearing it properly. “Help. This road has some cobbles.”
“You’re in heels!”
“Well observed. That’s why I said help.” She grabbed my arm and hung off it, carefully navigating the cobbles.
“Isn’t there another route to this place? Or another place?”
“Yes, but this is a shortcut.”
I watched as she balanced on one large stone before hopping onto the flat pavement again.
“That was fun.” She grinned, still holding onto my arm. “Thanks for the jacket. It is cold out here. Oh, look, we’re here!”
All right.
She was a cute drunk.
“Let’s get you some food.” I held open the door for her and we stepped into the takeaway shop. Adelaide placed her order while I added something on for me, and then I paid for it, much to her chagrin. She insisted she’d get it next time, but I wasn’t entirely sure there would be a next time.
It was only four weeks until she was supposed to go home, and we didn’t have a takeaway like this in Whitborough.
We headed back to the hotel when our food was ready, and Adelaide once again attached herself to my arm to walk over the cobbles. Again, she didn’t let go when we were clear of the other side, and I didn’t mind.
She was a cute drunk, but also a bit of a clumsy one.
A flash caught my attention outside the hotel, and I stopped us short of turning the corner.
“Hold on,” I said quietly, extracting my arm from her and peering around.
Someone had called the media, and in the fifteen minutes since we’d gone, a small group of photographers had assembled behind a rope fence. The fence hadn’t been there before, and I was thankful for the fast decision making the hotel security had clearly made.
As aristocrats, we weren’t celebrities by any means. Unfortunately, we were still a point of interest, especially the younger crowd, and the line between celebrity and nobility was slowly blurring.
I also knew exactly who’d called the media.
Charlotte.