Page 19 of Riding A Cock-Horse
“I literally never know what you are going to say.”
“That makes two of us,” I joke. “I've just never seen anything like this. It's beautiful here.”
Jack looks around him.
“Yeah, it is. Did you travel much outside of Oxford?”
“No, I found I got myself into a lot of trouble with the locals.”
Jack rolls his eyes.
“Considering how you don't understand a lick of what we're saying, I can see that. Well, when we get everything resolved, I'll have to take you home and show you around. Arthur isn't the only one who has beautiful things to show you.”
My breath catches in my throat. I don't know what excites me more—that he wants to introduce me to his family, or that he definitely thinks we're going to get this resolved because that really just makes one of us who thinks that. I'll be honest, my current situation seems, well, insurmountable. But if Jack thinks that we can take down the bad guys, find an antidote to what's happened to me, and we’ll all end up living in connubial bliss; then I am happy to follow in his footsteps because what I'm thinking is going to happen isway more depressing.
I think that the bad guys are going to start a war, have way too many people fighting on their side, and I'm going to die trying to fight them—except, I die because my ass bit me.
And by ass, I mean my tail that's a snake.
I hope everyone mourns me properly and sticks a dildo in my casket for me to use in the afterlife, just like the Egyptians did with their Pharaohs.
With this plan of attack, dying doesn't sound so bad now.
Jack tugs on my hair.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Death. I've got it covered.” Jack just rolls his eyes. I nudge him with my shoulder. “And what about you? You made me talk all aboutme.”
Jack scoffs.
“I barely got anything out of you!"
“Bull! It's your turn to tell me about you.”
“Brat. Fine. I'm from London, actually. My dad's a plumber and my mum's a schoolmarm—oh, and we're arses.”
I giggle.
“Your dad's a plumberandan ass? Does he always have his sticking out?”
“Har, har,” Jack says, “like we haven't heard that one before.”
“Go on,” I prompt, but Jack quirks a brow at me.
“I basically gave you the same amount of information that you told me about you.”
“Nuh uh! I told you I didn't have any brothers or sisters.” At this Jack winces. “Oh, what's wrong?”
“I had a wee sister…” Jack trails off.
“A little sister?”
“Yes, when I was younger.”
“What happened?”
Jack looks significantly pained; so, I quickly back off and tell him that he doesn't need to share with me if he doesn't want to. But his face takes on a brave, stoic look, and he takes a shuddering breath before starting.
