The Bad Boy Wants Me(161)

‘Of course not,’ I said with a smile.

He called and told her that we had met in Harrods, and that he would be a bit late. He listened, then looking at me apologetically, said, ‘No, Martha. It wouldn’t be appropriate.’

‘What wouldn’t be appropriate?’ I asked.

He took the phone away from his ear. ‘Martha wants me to bring you home for tea. She’s always been dying to meet you.’

‘Oh,’ I said. I remembered then that James had mentioned her before. Not only that, once she had even baked some cookies for me, and I had gone out and bought her a beautiful designer handbag as a gift.

He put the phone back to his ear. ‘Maybe another time, Martha. Lady Greystoke is busy.’

‘Wait,’ I said. ‘Where do you live?’

‘We live in West Kensington. It’s just up the road. We’d love you to come, but I realize you’re probably too busy. Just say no if you can’t. You can come another time.’

‘No, no,’ I said with a smile. ‘I’ll come today. I’d love to meet your wife.’

‘Are you sure?’ James asked, his eyes bright.

‘Of course, I’m sure.’ The truth was, bumping into him couldn’t have come at a better time. I needed to not be alone. I needed to talk to people from my old life, from before Ivan came into it.

James ended his call and beamed at me. ‘My car is parked one street away from here. I can bring it around or we can walk. I know you enjoy a good walk.’

It was good to be with someone who knew me so well. ‘Let’s walk, James. As you said, I’ve always enjoyed a good walk.’

We walked to his car. Like a true gentleman, he held open the passenger door while I got in. He closed the door before going around to the driver’s side. He started the ignition and was about to drive away when the back door opened suddenly. I twisted my head around in surprise and stared into Dr. Spencer’s pale blue eyes.

Oh, dear God!

‘Hello, Lady Greystoke,’ he said, and slipped a needle into my arm.

I barely heard him. I looked at my arm in frozen shock. In a flash all the missing pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fell into place. James had spiked my drink. They were all in this together. The picture was now complete. Ivan was talking to the doctor yesterday. Of course, the good doctor always hated me. Oh no, I was beginning to feel disorientated. I was going to black out.

Then everything went black.





Chapter 34


Tawny Greystoke

“I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you!”

- Samwise Gamgee

(A Hobbit & the real hero)

Dr. Spencer was holding smelling salts under my nose when I came to. My head lolled about but my seated body was totally immobile. I tried to speak and realized that my mouth taped shut.

I coughed and blearily tried to make sense of my surroundings. I was immobile because from my shoulder to my ankles I was tightly mummified in Clingfilm.

One look at the ceiling and I knew that I was in Barrington Manor. I swiveled my eyes around and saw there were other people in the room. My vision was still fuzzy and they appeared as blurred shapes. I blinked to clear my vision.

‘Can you hear me Mrs. Maxwell?’ Dr. Spencer asked calmly.

I pulled my eyes back to him and focused on his face. There was no expression at all on his thin, sallow face, but he was wearing what appeared to be a white boiler suit.

I nodded.

‘She’s fine. She’s was always as fit as a horse,’ a woman’s voice dismissed rudely, and Rosalind came into my sight. She was wearing a similar white boiler suit. ‘Anyway, it doesn’t matter if she’s not. She’ll be dead soon.’

My blood ran cold at her words.

‘I can’t have any chemicals found in her system,’ Dr. Spencer explained patiently. ‘It has to look like an accident or we’ll all be going to prison.’

‘Look, can we get this over with. This place is giving me the creeps. All these fucking sheets over the furniture look like ghosts, Bianca said with a shudder. She too was dressed the same way.

‘Don’t be such baby. We have to wait for Ivan,’ Rosalind scolded her sister.

‘And me,’ an amused man’s voice said.

Dorian came into view. He was not wearing a white suit.

‘For heaven’s sake. I thought I told you stay away. What are you doing here? And why are you not wearing one of these.’

‘Ivan asked me to come and why should I wear those ridiculous things. It’s not like I’ll be the one who’s going to do the deed.’

The mention of Ivan’s name hurt me more than I cared to admit.

‘Why did Ivan ask you to come’ Rosalind asked suspiciously.