Page 140 of The Grosvenor's Ghost
“Out where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Out with Astrid? Because you can tell me.”
“I don’t know, Phoebs,” he smiles. “He might still be here.”
“Does Arthur tell you everything?”
“Most things, yeah.”
“Did he tell you that he slept with Astrid?”
“Yeah,” he nods slowly, blowing out smoke and looking away from me.
“When?”
“This morning. It was only that one time.”
I nod. “I know. Do you think he enjoyed it?”
“Nah,” he says quickly, too quickly.
“How do you know for certain?”
“Because if he did, he wouldn’t have told me. When boys have a quick one night stand, they brag, yeah? It’s all they fucking talk about. But when it’s just a meaningless shag, there’s no point in banging on about it. He only told me because I saw the guilt written across his face. He probably wouldn’t have said anything, otherwise. Trust me,” he gives me a stern look. “It meant shit to him, as it probably did for her, too.”
“It’s easy with boys,” he says, leaning against the stone wall. “You can just tell, you know? Especially with Arthur. He never spoke about you two and what you both got up to. I guess with girls, it’s different, you don’t really talk about that kind of stuff.”
“Yes we do,” I say, offended.
“Yeah?” He grins, nudges me. “What do you talk about?”
“You’re sick in the head, Constance Holland. A true pervert.”
He laughs, I stub out the end of my cigarette in the ashtray balancing on the edge of the wall and then go in search of Arthur.
I don’t know why.
I don’t know what to say to him.
Just kind of want to crumble in his arms and let him piece me together, really.
I don’t find him or the twins anywhere. Can’t find Spencer, either but she’s probably having a nap—can’t deal when the weather is over ten degrees. I look everywhere for him.
The only place I haven’t looked is my dads office but why on earth would he be in there?
I check anyway.
“Get out!” George shouts the second the door cracks open but I opened it just enough to see four people in there. One of them being Sullivan Stratton.
Why Sullivan Stratton is in my home, I have no idea but why Arthur is in there with them, is something I find even more concerning. Been spending a lot of time with the Stratton’s recently, I realise.
And then my mother calls me for the first time in weeks and asks how am I doing.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Prince Arthur
