Page 108 of The Grosvenor's Ghost
“Oh, yeah, jokes are so not funny when you have to explain them,” Athena chimes in with an enthusiastic nod of her head. “And those two,” she wags her fork between me and Connie. “Have tons of little secret jokes.”
Digby nods, turns to me with a plastic smile. “Care to share any of them?”
I shake my head, feeling rather small and insignificant. Everyone else is paying attention to their drinks and food.
“Does everyone sitting at this table know?” Digby whispers into my ear.
With my shoulders slumped, I frown. “Know what?”
“That you fucked Arthur?”
My stomach dips, I close my eyes for a second, swallow.
“You know I didn’t.”
He pulls back, sits up straighter, looks around the table. “You sure about that, Phoebs?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why? Is that what Arthur calls you in bed?” He says just loud enough for George and Charlie to look our way.
“You’re making a scene,” I tell him.
“Oh,” he nods like the penny has just dropped. “Was that what you two were laughing about?” He points at Connie then back to me. “Sleep with him as well, Phoebe?”
For some reason that snaps me out of the tiny hole I crawled into. I stare at him, mouth opened.
“What the fuck did you just say?” Connie laughs with a frown.
“Well,” Digby leans back into his chair, shrugs. “She does have a tendency to drop her knic—”
George stands up. “Go on,” he nods at him. “Finish that.”
“Yeah,” I nod, feeling sick. “What were you going to say?”
I look at his face, beg, plead—whatever—for him to just stop.
“Come on.” George shrugs. “We’re all on the edge of our seats, big man.”
I look around at everyone at the table, we’ve all kind of just sunken into our seats.
“Well,” Digby lifts a shoulder. “With her past with Arthur, wouldn’t surprise me is all.”
I blink a couple times. “And what does that mean?”
He turns to me. “You know what that means.”
Connie pipes up, “Are we just going to skim over the fact he thought Phoebe was sleeping with me?!”
Digby looks at him, then to me. “Did you?”
“Is he on drugs?” I hear George mutter.
“What’s your fucking problem, mate?” Charlie butts in. Digby swings his head around to him. “I mean, this is the first time I’ve met you and all I’m gonna say is that you’ve made a lasting impression.”
Digby gives him a dirty look. “What’s this fucking chav doing here?”
That’s all it takes. I grab my champagne flute, throw it in his face and walk out.
