Nocturne in Black and Gold

Chapter 27: Girls Club

By the time Sara arrived, the conspirators were already at the table, undoubtedly hatching their plot. She assumed June and Elizabeth were the principal matchmakers. Coaxing Diana into writing about Arkham Neal's love life must have been a challenge. Whenever Sara discussed the tales with her, Diana was far more interested in the adventure aspect.

The first order of business, though, wasn't romance. Diana summarized the principal themes of the next story. Neal hadn't been told the details yet, and when Sara heard what they were planning, she understood the reason why. Tricia was convinced that the path they'd chosen was correct but Peter had yet to sign off on it.

They asked her not to divulge anything, and Sara agreed. She resisted pointing out that they were sounding like one of their characters—Lavinia, the intimidating librarian. She refused to reveal anything to Arkham Neal, and now they were doing the same. Was that partly why New York Neal was so frustrated? The Arkham Round Table liked to think they were pulling the strings of their characters as if they were marionettes. She and Neal intended to snip those links and attach new ones.

It was only after she'd finished her first cup of coffee and one of those delectable scones—how did they know she had a weakness for scones?—that they got down to the heart of the matter. Another double entendre. Between plum, scarlet, clues, and mockingbirds, her life would be spinning around them.

"Do you like the storyline I wrote for you and Neal?" Diana asked in her usual blunt way.

They'd anticipated the question, and Neal urged her to give an enthusiastic thumbs up. "You've injected just the right amount of humor and teasing. I've become quite fond of Arkham Sara."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Elizabeth said. "We wouldn't want to do anything that might adversely affect your relationship. That is to say ..." Her words trailed off as she fumbled for words.

"Elizabeth's right," June added quickly. "We want you to feel completely comfortable with the direction the stories are headed. It's a minor thread and could be adjusted. For instance, if you felt any interest in Neal yourself ..." Her words also died in her throat.

Sara assumed a guileless, confused expression. "What do you mean?"

Diana exhaled noisily. "Are you interested in Neal romantically? Because if for some unfathomable reason you are, we could tweak the stories in that direction."

Sara laughed, not overplaying it, but just enough to show how absurd the notion was. "Neal? We made a stab at that last summer and quickly realized it would never work." She shook her head emphatically. "He's a great friend but I'm quite content to leave it that way. He's as much as said the same thing to me." She paused as if reflecting on the idea. "If we were to date, it would be a guaranteed catastrophe. We'd wind up hating each other." She stopped to consider them. "Surely you're not trying to fix him up?"

"Of course not," Elizabeth said hurriedly.

"Good," Sara said. "Because with his looks, I'm sure he has no trouble in finding any number of women who'd love to go out with him. Just don't add me to the list." She stopped to take a sip of her coffee. "Besides, I'm dating someone else now."

"I'm happy to hear that, dear," June said. "It's time to move on."

"Exactly," Sara agreed happily. "I wasn't looking for anyone, but they say that's usually the time someone finds you." She paused for a small, heartfelt sigh. "Matthew's so charming ... I think I may have finally found the man of my dreams."

"Did you meet him in England?" Elizabeth asked.

"That's right." Not a lie. She and Neal had met in England, just not for the first time.