Page 45 of The Grand Duel

Nina, Luce, and Scar think I should tell her it was me.

I can’t help but think it’s terrible advice.

Right now, it’s awkward for one person. Me. Why tell Lissie and make her feel uncomfortable?

I sit and stew on it for over an hour, going back and forth over the fact it’s better for Lissie this way, our working relationship, and that I shouldn’t tell her.

But then there’s the other fact. That morally, it’s wrong to keep it from her.

I can’t help but think about the girls—my younger sister, too—if it was any one of the women in my life in Lissie’s shoes, I’d skin the bastard who lied to them alive.

She was in a vulnerable situation that night, thinking she was safe with the anonymity the club and blindfold gave her.

Only she wasn’t.

I don’t fucking want to tell her. It’ll bruise my pride and leave me wide open for her to get a good look at the parts of my life I rarely share with anyone. Questions I don’t want to answer.

I scrub at my face.

But that would make me a version of myself I’d not like very much.

“I have to tell her, Dais.”

Lissie

I found a flat. It’s small. One bedroom, one bathroom, with a compelling little living space I can relax in with a nice bottle of wine after a long day.

The price is extortionate being so central in the city, but so is everything in life right now.

The owner listed the property yesterday morning, and it was Jovie who sent the information to me. I managed to get a viewing before my shift at The Nightingale last night (even though I had to beg Dan to let me work the bar regardless of my very slight sniffly nose), and I’ll be able to move in tonight.

The idea of having my own space puts a spring in my step, and I leave the hotel feeling proud and a whole lot better than when I left the office yesterday.

I don’t tend to let myself get too comfortable or reliant on any situation, but I feel like things are genuinely settling down. If I can keep up with both jobs, support Jove and Willow, and keep a hold of the new flat for longer than six months, I’ll have not only turned everything around for all three of us, but I’ll have made a statement to my parents, too.

I’ve just got to find a way to put up with my new boss.

I ended up falling asleep quickly when I got in last night, but Edna insisted I start late on the mornings after a shift. So here I am, feeling fresh as a daisy at ten thirty on a Wednesday morning, stood at the curb searching for my lift, pretending I’m not riddled with anxiety over the fact Mr Aldridge could ignore me for the entire day again.

I spot the sleek black Land Rover weaving its way through traffic and step off the pavement, slipping between waiting cars to meet them.

I wave at Scott in the driver’s seat and quickly slip into the back of the car. Mr Aldridge is already inside and ready for the day. His deep blue business suit sharp.

“Good morning,” I say with a smile.

He gives me a little nod, which I take as a small win before averting my eyes.

“Thank you, Miss Elton,” Scott says, nodding at me in the rearview mirror. “It wasn’t likely anyone would have let me back out again this morning.”

I pull off my coat and sit back in the seat. “The traffic is terrible, isn’t it,” I tell him. “It’s why I live and breathe the tube. And it’s Lissie. Just Lissie, please.”

He smiles at me.

The feel of eyes burning into me has my gaze falling on the heavy presence at my side, only when I turn, he’s looking out of the window.

I watch him, the stubble on his jaw new and something I think he should sport every day. “Did Edna pass on my notes from yesterday, Mr Aldridge?”

He glances at me quickly before looking away, his brows rising in surprise. Did he expect me to ignore him today, too? Is that what he wants?