Page 37 of Love, Magic and Misfortune
Jasper frowned at him. “Not like that.”
“And not from a lack of effort onmypart, mind you, dear Violet.” He shifted his evocative eyes to her, still grinning as he took a sip of his tea.
“Oh…” Violet blinked. Well, Ambrose was a beautiful, outwardly elegant and luxurious man—currently existing in direct conflict with his surroundings. A cluttered and dusty library within an old, run-down country chateau. He belonged in an expensive high-rise condo in the city. The ones with all the glass windows and no discernible privacy. She doubted many people ever refused his advances.
Jasper sighed and met Violet’s eyes. “Ambrose and I work together. Ambrose isn’t his real name. His real name is René. You know authors typically have a pseudonym?”
Violet nodded. “Yes, of course.”
“So, there you go.” Jasper sat back again, folding his arms and turning his body slightly away from them. End of conversation. Ambrose laughed, but the sound registered as disbelief rather than genuine amusement.
“That’s… pretty bare bones, my friend.”
“It adequately explains the situation while clarifying any misconceptions,” Jasper stated.
Violet looked at Ambrose. “What is he not telling me that lies beyond the bones?”
Now it was Ambrose’s turn to avoid Violet’s gaze. He brought his teacup to his mouth once more, tilted his head back and finished the contents before making a satisfied sound. He placed the cup back on the tray and stood. “Well, Violet, that puts me in a predicament. I think in this situation, any revealed truths should come from our forlorn prince here.”
Ambrose walked over to Jasper, reaching in his back pocket and pulling out his wallet. When he was standing over Jasper, he handed him something that looked like a check. “Your cut of the spoils from last month, kind sir.”
Jasper rolled his eyes, but took the check, then placed it in a desk drawer. “Thank you.”
Ambrose looked between them. “Well, Monsieur Laurent and Mademoiselle Ainsworth, I’m leaving. The tension in here is so thick that even saying it is redundant. Clearly, we need to do some talking?”
“I would love that,” Violet agreed. “But it seems I’ve made one too many mistakes, so I doubt that will happen.”
Jasper sighed, closing his eyes and massaging the center of his forehead with his long fingers. Not a word.
“We’ve had the pleasure of knowing each other for some time now, Jasper,” Ambrose said, his deep voice warm and unruffled. “I don’t know exactly what’s happening here, but… I do hope that you’ll try being open to it. This seemsverygood, for you—”
“I’ll walk you to the door.” Jasper flashed a tight grin as he stood and moved past Ambrose. When he was gone and out in the hallway, Ambrose breathed in a quiet laugh.
“I’ve upset the boss. Violet, it was wonderful meeting you. I hope we cross paths again, soon? Under less strained circumstances, of course.”
“Well, we’ll see. This may be my last time here, but it was very nice meeting you, too.”
“Pity. I certainly hope that isn’t the case. Shall we take control of our destinies instead of relying on chance? Here.” Ambrose reached for his wallet again as he went to her. This time, he pulled out a business card. “I’ll be in the city again next week for a book signing. Let’s have coffee? Here, in your charming village. I always come straight to Jasper’s home when handling our business, but I’d like to see how the town has changed. It has been a long while since I’ve looked around.”
Violet nodded, turning the card over in her hands. “Sure. I’d like that.”
Graceful, he took her hand, then kissed her knuckles before departing.
As Violet waited in the silence, she checked her watch: 9:25 a.m. She had plenty of time before she needed to start the drive into the city, but she didn’t want to stay where she wasn’t welcome.
When Jasper came back into the room, Violet stood and took a deep breath. “Listen, I get it. I’ve intruded on your space, I broke into your house, crashed your meeting with your colleague… I’m like the character I told you about that’s always in romance novels and making poor choices. You don’t want me here, so I’ll go.”
She paused, bringing her palm to her forehead and swallowing hard. “Maybe… maybe I was hoping to rekindle something that I thought was important between us—something that honestly meant a lot to me. But it’s not there anymore, right? I’m chasing a ghost. So I’ll stop. I won’t come here anymore.”
Jasper listened, watching her with his round eyes. Violet took a step forward to go and he finally spoke.
“Youdon’tget it. At all. Would you sit down, please?”
Surprised by the sudden shift in his attitude, Violet nodded once, then sat back down on the couch. Jasper went to the armchair that Ambrose had previously occupied. When he sat, she noticed again how utterly exhausted he looked—the dark heavy bags, the pale discoloration of his skin.
“Jasper, if you feel bad, can I drive you to the hospital? Or I can leave, and we can just try talking another time?”
He ran his palm down his face. “I’m fine. I just… this is normally my sleeping time, so I’ve been up for almost twenty-four hours. Will you listen to me?”
