Page 147 of The Grosvenor's Ghost
“We kind of guessed something was wrong when Bliss and I snooped through your room and found condoms and Agent Provocateur.”
Her head snaps up, she frowns, pulls back. “You did what?!”
I nod, a bit sheepishly. Sort of wish Bliss was here.
“Well,” she says then, all airily. “Since we’re sharing secrets, Connie was the one I lost my virginity to.”
My mouth drops open. “You slut! You said it was some rando from Eaton!”
“I know,” she winces. “But I was ashamed. I mean, how many girls can say they lost their virginity to Connie? I didn’t want to become another statistic."
“Apparently it’s one in five.”
She hits me.
“No, seriously, though,” I say. “I don’t think half of what he says is true. He gives it all the big one but really, he probably hasn’t even slept with that many girls. He paid a prostitute in Prague to cuddle once, so…”
“That’s ridiculous!” She howls. “Who—”
“Phoebe?”
Digby’s standing in the doorframe and I almost forgot he was here for a moment. I don’t know—being with Spencer and Connie and talking about things that happened in school makes me all twisted up inside. Reminds me of when Digby wasn’t even in my train of thought. Staring at him now, makes me think it’s all wrong.
It was never meant to go like this.
Arthur was going to go away, come back and then we’d be together again.
Anyway, I smile up at him.
“You in the mood to get dressed up for dinner?” He asks, cheeks red, almost flushed.
“Always.”
Spencer gives me a sly nudge.
Digby nods, smiles, walks into the room, gives me a kiss on the head. “Great. Be ready for eight.”
“He’s proposing,” Spencer whispers the second he leaves.
I stare at her, slowly shaking my head.
Spencer sits up on her knees, pins me with a look. “You said you ransacked my room in school?”
“Yes?”
“So…”
I blink. “So what?”
She rolls her eyes, drags me off her bed. “Let’s find the ring.”
“What?”
She turns around to face me, outside of my bedroom door. Both hands on my shoulders. “He’s proposing, Phoebe.”
We go into my bedroom, start opening drawers and cabinets. I unfold each and every one of his socks but come up empty.
“Where would someone even hide a ring?” I ask Spence who’s rummaging through the bedside tables.
