Page 6 of The Grand Duel
“Luna. Luna doesn’t stop,” Ed says, filling up our glasses. “She’s out of control.”
“Maybe she just hates being cooped up in here. She seems to want out.”
“They’re walked four times a day. They have a dog walker who comes in and this room to run free, and they have me. I spend half my day with them.”
My lips purse in amusement.
She drops her head back against the wall. “It’s like having kids, but I’m nearing bloody sixty, and I can’t keep up.”
“They’re cute kids.” The serotonin boost I got when they first rushed me in that room is unmatched.
Fuck the flowers.
“He came in one morning with them—Mr Aldridge—said he was talked into having the two of them by his friends’ wives.” She stares at Luna, who’s now rummaging around in a box of files she’s pawed over and across the rug. “I didn’t have the heart to tell him what a terrible idea it was. They’re part of the furniture now, of the team. I sort of love the little shits.”
I smile. “So, it was Daisy and Luna who stole the job position out from under me?”
Edna laughs. “I wish that was the reason. But no. That’s down to a man who’s as stuck in his ways as the wind. There’s no telling him. He came in this morning and asked me to cancel all interviews. I’m sorry again that I missed you off the list.”
I wave her off. “It’s fine. He sounds stubborn.”
I can think of harsher words, but I get the sense Edna actually likes the man she calls her boss.
“Stubborn. Selfless. Busy—he really is busy right now with this case, and it’s a heavy time of year for him on top of everything else he tries to spin. He’s currently at a prison inThameside waiting on a man who hasn’t accepted visitation for the two years he’s been incarnated, but will he listen to me and stop going…” Edna’s face grows sad, and I frown, watching her. “He doesn’t mean to be such a bastard about it. And we do need an assistant, he knows that, but I think I may have collared him at the wrong time.” She looks across at me, guiltily, her eyes glassy from the champagne. “Do you have other interviews lined up?”
I shake my head. “But I will.”
“I feel awful. I’ve wasted your entire afternoon.”
She hasn’t wasted my entire afternoon. Mr Aldridge has.Dickhead. Valuable time I could have spent searching for more jobs, or even squeezing in another interview before the week’s end, but I don’t tell Edna that. I peer down into my glass, to the sweet puppy in my lap, then take a sip of champagne instead. “It’s really not wasted.”
Luna canters towards us, catching us both off guard and knocking Edna’s glass, sending the contents into her lap and up my arm. “Jesus, dog.”
I laugh, grabbing Luna’s collar and pulling her close to scratch her chest. She sits, her head dropping to my lap next to her sister’s.
“You’re good with them. Maybe I can talk Mr Aldridge into hiring you as the dog whisperer instead.”
After the day I’ve had, Mr Aldridge can kiss my ass if he ever thinks of trying to hire me again.
I spot a piece of card stuck on the bottom of Luna’s paw and reach for it, the emerald green catching my eye. A business card. Unsticking it, I flip it over, pushing Luna away with the back of my hand when she tries to eat it.
I frown.
“The Nightingale?” I trace the gold-foiled letters with the pad of my thumb and turn my head towards Edna when she starts laughing.
“Would you believe me if I told you we’re never this unprofessional? This day…” She reaches over and swipes the card from me.
Her laugh is reminiscent, infectious—or maybe it’s the champagne. “What?” I ask.
“This—” She holds up the card. “This is amembers-onlyclub down on Ganton Street.” She puts emphasis on the words, letting me know exactly the type of club it is.
My brows rise. “Why’s it in here?” I ask incredulously.
She gives me a look, her cheeks flushing pink.
“Oh.” Wait, is it hers?
“Yeah,” Edna mutters, done. She’s so done. “You know, Lissie, this club is currently looking for fresh faces, and they pay…very well. Even for bar work.” She shrugs, reaching back over with the card. “If you want to keep hold of it.”