Penmort Castle (Ghosts and Reincarnation #1)(140)

Abby closed her eyes and looked away.

She could try to fool herself that his behaviour meant they were developing something deeper.

What she couldn’t do was ignore the fact that Cash told her best friend of all people that their relationship was finite.

He would never do that.

Unless it was.

Even though she knew she was living on borrowed time, she’d been unconsciously holding onto that hope in her heart, wanting more, wishing the magic was real.

Instead of yet another path that led to heart wrenching despair.

But Abby knew better than that. She’d been taught that lesson time and again.

And every time Jenny had picked up the pieces.

She squeezed her eyes tight and clenched her teeth tighter as the pain of the dying dream of years filled with anguish ending in a life filled with magic seared through her soul.

She opened her eyes and looked at her friend’s concerned face.

“He told me earlier tonight we had to talk about our future,” she confided, her voice aching, her throat burning. “He’s very astute. I’m guessing he’s cottoned on to how I feel and wants to remind me where we stand.”

“Abby –” Jenny started but Abby kept talking as she squeezed their hands.

“Don’t worry Jenny,” she whispered. “Please, don’t worry.” Then she said out loud what she knew she had to do to guard her heart before, as Jenny surmised correctly, it was too late. “After tonight, it’s over.”

The word “over” came out in a croak as tears clawed their way up her throat and Jenny let go of their hands and got even closer.

Her friend put her cheek to Abby’s and in her ear, she murmured, “I’m sorry, Abby, so sorry. I started this and now here you are. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Abby replied, gulping back tears, succeeding, in an extreme effort of will, at fighting them back before a single one was shed.

Jenny leaned back and her fingers curled around Abby’s upper arm. “It is but we won’t argue that.” Her hand tightened and she looked deep into Abby’s eyes. “You’ll get through this, girlfriend. You always do. I don’t know anyone on this planet who’s stronger than you.”

At that Abby laughed but there was not even a hint of humour in it.

Before more could be said Mrs. Truman descended on their tête-à-tête.

“What are you two whispering about?” she demanded to know.

Jenny turned to Mrs. Truman but caught Abby’s hand. “Nothing.”

Mrs. Truman eyed Jenny then she looked at Abby assessingly. “It doesn’t look like nothing to me.”

“It’s nothing,” Abby lied.

“Well,” she said on an angry-to-be-left-out humph, “you two were so absorbed, you haven’t noticed that something’s happening.”

Abby and Jenny looked into the room to see people were coming from all corners of the house, squeezing into the large space, making it small.

As she looked, Abby saw Cash arrive. His eyes scanned the room and for the first time in her life Abby wished both that she wasn’t so tall and that she wasn’t wearing a pair of elegant, expensive high-heeled shoes when Cash’s eyes easily found her.

She watched as his powerful body wended its way through the crush toward them and he arrived at the same time as Kieran.

Jenny dropped her hand as Cash got close, his arm moving along her waist, his chin dipped and she saw his brows draw together as he examined her face.

Then he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Abby swallowed then lied, forcing her voice to sound cheerful, “Nothing.”

His eyes shifted to Jenny for a mere moment then came back to her. They narrowed, his fingers dug into her waist and he started, “Abby –” but people were tinkling their champagne glasses and Abby tore her gaze from him to glance over the crowd.

They were all looking in one direction and she could see Nicola and Alistair standing in front of the fireplace, a small pocket of space in front of them.

Honor, Fenella and Suzanne were at the edge of the crowd closest to Nicola and Alistair.

As Alistair lifted his hand for silence, conversation in the room died away.

“Thank you, thank you,” Alistair’s voice boomed pompously from his position as lord of the manor, the smile on his face even at Abby’s distance not only looked false, it did not reach his eyes. He went on, “We, Nicola and I, thank you for coming. We thank you for being here to celebrate this, our special anniversary.”

“Hear, hear,” someone shouted and Alistair bowed his head in a farcical attempt at noble.

Abby turned her attention to Nicola who didn’t look thankful in the slightest. She looked pale, she looked tense and she looked weirdly expectant.

Alistair continued, lifting his glass. “Now, everyone, I hope you’ve charged your glasses so you can join us in toasting twenty-five years of –”

“One second,” Nicola’s voice cut in. It was pleasant as usual however it was also raised and it carried across the expanse.

Alistair hesitated and looked down at his wife who did not meet his eyes.

“I would also like to thank you for coming,” Nicola declared, “for it is, indeed, a special day.”

There was shifting of feet and smiles but something about the way Nicola looked, her tone, put Abby on edge.