Sage had finished the signing and was packing up her things when she spied Gail and approached her.
“Gail?”
“The great author speaks. Should I be flattered?”
“Gail, please don’t be that way. I thought maybe you’d let me buy you dinner at the Savoy Grill.”
Gail looked her up and down as if assessing if she’d put on weight.
“Regardless of what you want to do in the future, you have a contract with my firm for your current Roark Samuels’ novel. You have a deadline. You don’t have time to have dinner with me… or anyone else.”
Sage rocked back as if Gail had struck her. She could understand Gail being upset, but the thought they might be able to find a way to work together was squelched—once and for all.
“You were nothing before I found you on that silly fanfic page, and without me, you’ll be nothing again. No one will want to read your books, and I’ll blacklist you with every decent publisher, editor, and cover designer I know. You’ll rue the day you crossed me,” Gail hissed.
“No, but I do regret having thought so highly of you in the past. Obviously, I was mistaken. Take care, Gail.”
Sage turned her back and returned to her table to finish packing away her things. While she waited for Gabe, she called the airline and was able to change her ticket to one with an open return, so she and Gail wouldn’t have to fly seated next to each other. After some thought, Sage decided to stay a bit longer in London. She then spoke with Felix at the Savoy, who was happy to extend her stay at the hotel.
She slid into the SUV next to Gabe.
“I understand from Felix you’ll be staying with us a while longer.”
“Yes. I think I’d like to do some sightseeing and absorb some atmosphere. Don’t worry, I’m not expecting you to be my personal chauffeur.”
“It’s not the worst duty I could pull. It would probably be safest if you used cabs as opposed to the bus or the tube.”
“I thought, given the location of the Savoy, I’d do a lot of walking.”
“Do me a favor and don’t go out after dark without an escort. London is a beautiful city and for the most part, pretty safe, but we still have no idea who sent that envelope to you.”
“True, but nothing else has happened.”
“I know, but still better safe than sorry.”
Chapter 5
Sage spent the next few days taking private car tours, arranged by Felix, and walking the immediate area of the Savoy. While at the Tower of London, she struck up a conversation with one of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary, commonly called Beefeaters. He had offered her a personal tour in the name of research, so she dismissed the driver, tipping him for his service. She was allowed to stay within the Tower walls as they closed down for the evening.
“Shall I call you a cab, Miss?”
“No, thank you. I’m going to grab something to eat, then head back to the hotel. Thank you again for the time you spent with me. I love having these kinds of details; it makes the setting so much richer and more detailed.”
“Have a good evening, Miss.”
Sage found a local pub and had dinner before heading back to the Savoy. Walking out into the evening, she didn’t see any cabs but did see the Tower Hill tube station. More detail for her books. She headed to the station and jogged down the steps. The first thing that struck her was how much cleaner it was than the subways she’d been in before. She stood in the middle of the station, observing everything and taking notes. The crowd was bustling, but no one seemed to jostle anyone else. The smell of coffee and baked goodies permeated the space, punctuated by the swoosh of the trains as they arrived and departed.
One of the ticket sellers was kind enough to tell her which train and platform she would need to use. The train was pulling into the station when she was shoved violently, stumbling toward the edge of the landing, only barely catching herself before falling. A train station guard grabbed her and pulled her back.
“Careful, Miss. You need to watch where you’re going. If you’d fallen, you could have been badly hurt if not outright killed.”
Sage looked behind her but could only see the milling throng of people trying to get to their own destinations.
“I was pushed.”
“I very much doubt that. Probably just someone not watching where they were going.”
Not wanting to belabor the point and sound like a crazy American, Sage just nodded, then hopped on the next train heading her way.
“Ms. Matthews,” Felix hailed as she entered the Savoy.
“Felix, I thought you agreed to call me Sage… especially since I’m staying here for a while.”
“Yes, ma’am, but not in the lobby. It would be unseemly. I’m off duty but was glad to see you come in. We do worry about you. Gabe asked that you give him a call in the morning.”
“Will do. Thanks, Felix.”
She headed up to her room, took a shower, then settled down to write. Normally, the Roark Samuels novels practically wrote themselves. She had a plot—more of a formula—and could churn out a new book in less than three weeks, but this one just wouldn’t come. She’d been trying to get into it for the past week. She had hired a writing coach who had been brutally frank that she needed to take Roark in a different direction—give him more depth and dimension. The coach was insistent that she needed to get at least three or four chapters done.
Watching her struggle, he could feel the barrier that divided them weakening and his strength increasing. In the past, when he’d been able to slip his bonds, it had felt as though the veil was filled with holes, and he’d oozed
