An Unexpected Engagement

Chapter 33

Would I be a horrible person if I said I was enjoying the peaceful silence that Monday morning without Erin present?

Hell, I really wanted to feel guilty. In fact, I even felt some guilt when I saw her rolling down the stairs, and then a little pity when the paramedics took her gurney straight to the emergency room at the nearest hospital.

Her fall created a commotion and Steve felt obliged to accompany her to the hospital. And I couldn't do anything about it.

The next morning I found out that Steve had not only stayed in the hospital all night with Erin but had accompanied her to London when she was removed with a broken leg and arm and a massive head wound that needed stitches. This information was given to me by Scott, who had accompanied Steve.

“Poor thing…” I had muttered with true regret. She must have looked like Chuck the killer doll, with that red hair and her forehead all stitched up.

“Yeah, she's going to be resting for a long time, from what Steve said.

'And will he come back?' I asked, worried.

"No. He asked me to give you a ride to London, honey," Henry replied, his hair even more disheveled than yesterday.

And so I had to hitchhike back to London in Henry's old car with no last name (seriously, I asked, he dropped the conversation, as well as he didn't).
answered none of my questions about him. And he still called me a nosy. Gosh, I just wanted to bring it up!). And after two hours of travel, all I knew was that he was a photographer and lived in Notting Hill. And that he studied at Eton with Steve.

And I really worried about Erin all day until I found out, when Steve called me Sunday night, that she didn't do anything the entire time while she was sewn up other than blaming me for her fall.

"Are you sure she's accusing me of attempted murder?" I yelled into the phone.

— No, Natasha! Steve replied in a tired voice. “She just said she went to try to talk, that you refused, and when she grabbed her arm, you pushed her away.

"I didn't push her!" Did she tell you she was making ridiculous accusations against me? I bet not! And yes, I tried to get rid of her… I mean — I correct myself — I tried to walk away and told her to go away, she was holding me like a madwoman and I had to give her a jerk.

“And she fell,” Steve completes.

“Well, yes, but that doesn't make me a criminal!

My God, did he?

What if Erin made an assault complaint against me? Not only was she going to get me fired, I could be arrested!

What kind of delinquent was I becoming? First I almost poisoned Barbara Bailey and now I've broken some of Erin's bones!

“No one is accusing you of anything, Natasha. Steve snapped me out of my reverie.

“You just said that Erin is here!

“I can't believe she did it on purpose, okay?

I breathed a sigh of relief. If Steve believed me, that was fine.

And he has the money to pay the lawyers.

“And I think you're right, Erin might not be trusted to keep our secret.

Our secret. Wow!

Suddenly Steve and I look like two characters in a Sidney Sheldon book. I can already imagine the two of us running off with a bag of money to some island paradise, where we would hide out for the rest of our lives having sex all day.