Penmort Castle (Ghosts and Reincarnation #1)(166)

James followed her looking peeved.

Mrs. Truman glanced at them, her eyes turned to Cash and they shared a smile.

Suzanne and James had met during the planning of Abby and Cash’s small, but elaborate (the latter, at Cash’s command), family-and-close-friends-only wedding.

Suzanne had found a way to leave the bitch behind.

She had, however, retained a certain coolness and cynicism which was not in the least unattractive.

His friend James immediately found this intriguing and had begun his pursuit just as immediately.

James was used to success, rapid success.

Therefore James was surprised then frustrated then annoyed, albeit not deterred, when his aims had not been achieved after months of concentrated effort.

Cash knew, because Suzanne had confided in Abby who had confided in him, that Suzanne was in love with his best friend.

He did not share this with James, however.

He didn’t because he didn’t want to break Suzanne’s confidence with Abby.

He also didn’t because Suzanne’s reasons for keeping her love from James were a test James would have to pass unaided.

Suzanne had been cruelly abused and mishandled for twenty-five years by Alistair, something else she confided in Abby who then told Cash, sharing that Alistair had been verbally abusive to all the Fitzhugh women but for some reason he saved his worst for Suzanne and dished it out with heartbreaking regularity.

Therefore James would have to win her trust on his own.

Cash had no doubt this would happen.

Suzanne who, to Cash’s surprise, had formed the closest of the three sisters’ very close bonds with his wife, took one look at Abby and her face grew pale. Then her eyes moved to Cash.

They were soft and filled with concern and Cash thought, not for the first time since that night at Penmort, that he was quite happy Alistair was in prison for being behind the now proven murder of his father (the investigation was again opened) and his attempt on Cash’s life. Suzanne had confessed her love to him but had been unable to share her true self when he’d entered her life. If she had he might have been tempted.

Then again, that would have meant he wouldn’t have met Abby.

As lovely and interesting as Suzanne was now, Cash knew without a doubt he’d still have a hole in his life if Abby wasn’t in it even if he’d never met her.

They were simply meant to be.

He understood this was a ludicrously romantic notion.

And he didn’t give a f**k.

“Please don’t ask how things are going,” Abby, standing with her arm around Nicola as well as in the curve of Nicola’s arm, begged Suzanne.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, love,” Suzanne murmured, took off her coat and threw it on a chair. She sat beside Mrs. Truman and mumbled under her breath, “Abby’s obviously in a state. I sincerely hope you’re behaving yourself.”

Mrs. Truman’s eyebrows shot up, her hand came to her chest and she mouthed the word, “Me?” as if she was at all times the soul of kindness, affection and love.

It took a great effort of will for Cash not to burst out laughing.

“Yes, you,” Suzanne returned.

Mrs. Truman made a “pah” noise but said no more and Suzanne rolled her eyes at Cash.

With great energy and dedication, Mrs. Truman had insinuated herself in the lives of all of Cash and Abby’s family.

With alarming frequency, she was domineering, cantankerous and interfering.

With complete consistency, she was also unwaveringly loyal.

James threw his overcoat on a chair and sat beside Cash.

Cash turned his head to his friend and took off his reading glasses.

“How are things?” he asked.

James knew to what, or more precisely, to whom he was referring.

“Last night, I made progress,” James answered.

“Good,” Cash murmured.

“This morning, I lost it,” James went on.

Cash chuckled.

James’s voice dropped low. “Last night she told me some of what Alistair did to her. I’m guessing not all. Do you know what he did? The things he said?”

Cash regarded his friend and remained silent. James accurately read and deferred to Cash’s unspoken demonstration of loyalty to Suzanne.

“I’d like to know how, exactly, you stopped yourself from hunting that bastard down and committing murder,” James enquired, his voice still low and quiet but now it was vibrating with a barely controlled but understandable fury.

“His punishment is longer this way,” Cash replied.

James nodded though, Cash guessed, he didn’t entirely agree.

Cash had to admit he often wondered what the use was of Alistair’s continued existence on the planet. However he usually had these thoughts late at night while listening to Abby breathing in sleep at his side and Zee’s purring as Cash stroked him at his other and found he didn’t often dwell on them long enough to come to any conclusion.

Suddenly Cash’s gaze sliced to Abby, his senses so attuned to her that he didn’t need to see her to know her change in mood.

She was smiling tentatively at something as she called, “Well?”

Cash’s eyes moved to the door and he saw Cassandra, dressed somewhat normally for once, strolling in.

Although no longer having to work her questionable talents on their behalf, Cassandra had also become a fixture in their lives. Mostly at the many dinner parties Abby and Nicola, Jenny or Mrs. Truman held but often simply coming ‘round to the castle to drink herbal tea or, before Abby’s pregnancy, margaritas with Abby where they would cackle loudly about whatever-it-was women found to cackle about.