Winchester Abbey

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Dibs." MCat announced when the four girls hit the bathroom for some primping.

"What?" Charlotte looked over from where she was applying her chapstick. 

"Dibs! Dibs on Mark what's-his-face."

"It's Longston, and I get dibs; I have to make Jack jealous." Hannah smoothed out her skirt indignantly.

"You're trying to make the man that you're married to jealous?" Charlotte pinned a loose curl. "Not a chance. I get dibs. I'm the one who's been through all this Matthew crud."

"Forget Matthew. I fought with Timothy and he's never going to forgive me if I don't stir the coals a bit." MCat put her hands on her hips.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Madi rolled her eyes at all of them. "You can't be serious."

"As a heart attack." MCat faced her. "Besides, you're the one who was trying to impress with the British accent, which you've been hating on us for the entire trip."

"I was just being nice!"

"Please. You were flirting so obviously a stupid person could see it."

There was a knock on the door and they all froze.

"Ready for supper, ladies?"

"Yes!" they all said, a little too aggressively, in unison. Filing out of the door, they sat in their normal seats at the dining table, avoiding eye contact with nearly everyone. MCat was across from Timothy, which was as usual, but today she'd rather not eat, which was saying something, considering they were having soup, which she loved. Madi batted her eyelashes at Mr. Longston, who had been placed across from her.

Jack placed a bowl of soup in front of Hannah and she scowled at it.

"Did you poison it?" she said through gritted teeth. He didn't respond. Servants weren't supposed to talk to guests, after all. James was sitting next to Charlotte, conversing expressively about the day's events, eyes flashing.

Why does she need dibs? MCat thought. She's perfectly fine with her actor. She glanced up at Timothy, who wasn't saying a word but softly tasted his soup as if it were his last meal.

"Mr. Longston, have you traveled much while you've been writing?"

"Ever so much, Ms. Loftis. My favorite place would have to be Italy, I must say."

"How fantastic. What did you see there?"

Here he launched into an extensive explanation of every last monument and building that he had seen, along with a new novel that he had started because of it. Hannah shot her a scathing look. Madi asked Mr. Longston for the salt and their hands touched as he passed it to her. She drew the moment out as long as possible and gave her eyelashes another bat. MCat stared at the ceiling. Timothy stared at the floor.

Just when they all thought the evening couldn't get much more excruciating save for the presence of Mr. Longston himself, the maid came in with a fruit desert.

"Thanks." MCat murmured, digging in very unladylike into her plate.

"Shall we retire and do some reading?" Mark said finally. They all got up awkwardly and headed to the evening parlor, reclining on couches as the men stood.

They had been reading for about thirty minutes, not all bad stuff, in MCat's opinion, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"May I have a word?"

Timothy offered a hand. With one more glance throughout the room, MCat nodded and took it.