“When did you get in last night?” she asked.
“Late. I was being careful not to wake you. I ended up running into an old friend and we lost track of time.”
“An old friend, was it?” she asked, scrutinizing me with her gray eyes. My body betrayed me, reacting to the memories of last night. I felt my cheeks heat up and an ache start between my legs. “Oh my gosh, it was a man.”
I shrugged and tried to brush it off. “Yes. It was a man. What of it?”
“I know he has to be more than a friend if he has you blushing like that. What happened last night? Did you get laid?”
“You don't have to say it like that,” I said.
“My God,” she said, “you did. You left me hanging last night to go and have sex.”
My blush burned hotter.
“I didn't leave you hanging. I came to London because I had things to do. I just happened to run into him. It was a total surprise. I didn't even call ahead to see whether he was going to be in the city.”
“But he was, and something happened between you two. Who is he? Tell me what happened, tell me everything.”
I giggled nervously. Living far away from Missy, we always talked, but it was different when we got to be in the same room together. And again, with all the money issues, I didn't really get to have fun like this anymore. Missy was my closest friend, I told her everything. Leaving out the bit about the betting and the watch, I told her about Niall. She squealed, clapping her hands.
“My God, it's about time you got back in the game.”
“Russell has only been dead a couple of months.”
“But he's dead,” she said. “That makes you single.”
“That makes me his grieving widow.”
“Oh please. You may be a widow, but you're hardly grieving.”
“Hey, I take offense to that.”
“Why? It wasn't like you actually loved him. It wasn't like he was being faithful to you anyway. Who cares if you’re getting some now that he's dead? In fact, you deserve it. I said it once before and I'll say it again, marrying Russell wasn't right for you. It was a mistake, and staying married to him for as long as you did was an even bigger mistake.”
Missy could be blunt, almost to the point of cruelty, but what were friends for if they couldn't tell you the cold, sometimes difficult truth? I agreed with her. I had been under pressure to get married to Russell, but once the marriage was done, I could have gotten out. I could have gathered my things and plucked up the bravery to leave, but I never did. I always knew that he was unfaithful, but not even that was a good enough reason for me to get out of it. I didn't want to talk about it now. It was all in the past. He was dead now and I had to deal with his mess, but I wasn't dead. I was still alive, I still had a future, and I had to make sure I was going to be secure.
“Well, I'm not married anymore and I don't miss him. It was a mistake, you're right, but I'm not getting those years back. I am choosing to focus on the future and what's to come.”
“Bravo. That's the way to do it. In fact, you and that friend of yours should arrange another date.”
I shook my head. “I'm heading back to Belshire today. Last night was the full extent of our reunion.”
“What? Already”
“Missy, I told you I was only staying one night. Don't act shocked.”
“But it's not fair. We were supposed to spend last night together, but you ended up leaving and coming back at God knows what time. We’ve hardly spent any time together.”
“You know I have responsibilities back home.”
“Surely, they can wait just one more night.” I cringed. “Please, just one, just one more night.”
“No, Missy.”
“Come on. What do you even do out there all on your own? You need some excitement before you go back to that stodgy, old place.”
“I said no.”
“There's a party tonight,” she said, not missing a beat. “We can even leave early if you want to, but you have to come. Just spend some time around people your own age and have some semblance of a social life for one night of your life before going back to the estate. Come on, it'll be fun. You need it.”
I sighed. Missy had both determination and time on her side. She would wear me down, whether it took ten minutes or an hour. I gave in telling her I would go.
“One night,” I said. Missy smiled and clapped.
“You're going to love it.” That was probably true. Once I got over the fact that I was supposed to be at home and finally loosened up a bit, I probably would manage to have a good time. I barely knew what that was anymore, which was probably a sign that I needed more of it. It was just difficult to let go these days. I guess that was what Missy was for.
One night. I’d forget about everything for one night and then tomorrow when I went back to the country, back to the estate, everything would be back to normal.
That evening, after spending the day together shopping, seeing a matinee and going out to eat, we got ready for the party. Missy’s closet was completely out of this world. The items inside it must have been valued in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. Dresses, bags, shoes, any beautiful luxury items you could think of was beautifully stored and displayed in her opulent walk-in wardrobe. I knew
