Mathilda, SuperWitch (Mathilda's Book of Shadows #1)(34)

Hmm.

“I hate to interrupt you but our party is here,” Darling said impatiently.

She nodded to a table across the restaurant that was filled with three suited men.

“Yes, yes, of course,” Addison replied, distracted. “I’m in Bristol for an important meeting…” he told Aidan and then went on about getting together for a drink, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I looked at the men.

I looked at Darling.

I looked back at the men.

I looked at Addison.

Shit.

Addison was the devil that Darling had made the deal with. They were in cahoots.

I looked at him, at his supposed genuine friendship with Aidan and his quick, polite glances at me.

What a poser.

I felt cheated.

I felt betrayed.

Why all of this emotion in the expanse of two minutes of knowing the guy?

Yikes!

He left saying something about hoping to see me again and took off for his table.

I felt like I was having a heart attack.

“How do you know him?” I asked Aidan once we were seated again.

“Long time family acquaintance. We go skiing together at Gstaad at Christmas, have for years.”

Ack!

“But, he’s…” I started then stopped.

“Yes?” Aidan prompted.

“He’s, a…” I started again and stopped again.

“Yes?” Aidan prompted again.

“He’s a Republican!”

Aidan stared at me and made no reply.

I excused myself after the starters and ran to the bathroom and called Ash.

This was our conversation:

“Yes?” (Ash answering the phone.)

(Who answers the phone like that?)

“It’s me.” (Me)

(I think I detected a sigh over the line.)

“Mathilda!” (Me)

“I know.” (Ash)

“Agatha Darling is here!” (Me)

Silence.

“With Douglas Addison!” (Me again)

More silence.

“Well?” (Me)

“Yes?” (Ash)

“Here, now, in the restaurant.” (Me)

Silence.

“Well!?” (Me, getting impatient)

“And?”

“And what? She’s the bad guy! Aren’t you going to do something?”

“Did she cast an evil spell on you?”

“No.”

“Shoot at you with a gun?”

“No.”

“Throw food at you in a menacing way?”

“You aren’t taking me seriously,” I noted irritably.

No answer.

“Ash?” I called.

“It’s very American of you to ask for a pre-emptive strike.”

Ack! How mean!

“Keep an eye on her and get back to me,” he ordered and then he hung up.

Can you believe?

I went back to dinner.

“You okay with Darling being here?” Aidan asked.

“Sure, yeah, no problem,” I lied.

No way was I okay.

I was freaking out.

Not freaking out enough not to enjoy my fab halibut.

But still freaking.

Freaking so much I didn’t even process it when Aidan told me his family held a title (Earl of something-or-other, it’ll go to his older brother).

Freaking so much I didn’t react at all when he told me about the house he’ll inherit from his mother and how, “We let the National Trust open it to the public but… ”

Freaking so much I didn’t pay a lot of attention when he mentioned Eton, as in, “My years at…”

Too preoccupied to grill Aidan about The Prophesies.

Too preoccupied to think about what came next.

So when he walked me to the door of The Gables and we stopped and, with a gentle hand, he lifted up my chin, just like they do in the movies, I blinked.

“Hi,” he said quietly.

It all came rushing back to me. It was end-of-date-would-you-like-to-come-up-for-a-drink-time.

“Hi,” I said back.

And I knew he was going to kiss me.

Yay!

As his head descended, I whispered, “About those Prophesies and you and me and…” (I was teasing, I am Glamour Girl and we’re allowed to be a little coquettish).

Then his lips hit mine and I leaned forward while Aidan leaned into me, putting one arm around me to pull me closer and the other out bracing us against the doorjamb.

It was a nice kiss, a professorial kiss, a kiss one might expect from, say, Stephen Hawkings (before he got really sick, of course).

I was standing there, slightly disappointed, expecting something more…

Then his lips opened, my lips opened, his tongue touched mine and…

Yowza!

Super-shivers!

Yay!

Then he really leaned into me and…

Yayayayayay!

Yay!

“Wow,” I breathed after he lifted his head.

He grinned.

“Wow,” I breathed, this time for the sexy grin.

Then the door opened.

It was, of course, Ash.

Aidan didn’t move, didn’t let me go, just looked over his shoulder at Ash.

I didn’t move either, just peeked over Aidan’s arm at Ash.