Murder on the High Seas - The Devereaux CaseFiles Book 3

Chapter 20

Reed and Griffin were both annoyed with how little effort Brigit was putting into her manners over their dinner that night. Even after their warnings to her, she barely got much better except that she saved her rude, uncivilized comments for Griffin, rather than dishing them out evenly to them all. For some reason, she just couldn't stop running her mouth. And by the time that dessert came, Reed was desperate to leave and withdraw Ayah from the situation with his usual protective instincts.

But contrary to what the boys thought, she wasn't upset, she was angry. She was angry for having fallen for Brigit's nice side. She was angry to know that her nice side wasn't an act but her true self and for some reason she was deliberately being rude to Griffin for no apparent reason. Most of all, she was angry because she knew that Brigit loved Griffin just as much as he loved her and she was deliberately trying to push him away, though no-one else could see that somehow. Ayah wasn't blind, she could see right through her act and she wasn't going to put up with it any longer.

To Griffin's surprise, once dinner was over, Ayah was very pleasant about it all, saying that she and Reed should leave them to enjoy the rest of their evening. He thought that was just a cop out, at the time, for them to leave and get away from Brigit, not to mention getting back to their romantic night together. But when she approached him with thanks for the dinner, he was surprised to find that she hugged him. "It was sweet of you to indulge me." She confessed openly, before wrapping her arms around him in a tight, friendly hug, only to whisper in his ear. He hadn't expected the hug, nor the comfort he could tell she was trying to offer him by doing such a thing, but somehow, her words were even more baffling.

"If she's going to keep acting like this, she doesn't deserve you." Ayah whispered, letting him know that her behavior didn't become her and it was certainly a reason against any relationship he hoped to have with her. Which she was sure was Brigit's intention all along. But she wasn't going to upset Griffin by telling him so, that just wouldn't be fair.

"Thank you." He was grateful for her kind words, only to be even more baffled when she approached Brigit and hugged her also. Of course, what with Reed saying goodnight and thanking him for trying to protect Ayah from Brigit's vicious nature all night, he couldn't hear a word she said. Though he was sure it wasn't in as quiet a whisper as she had spoken to him. He somehow thought that she wanted him to hear the advice she was giving Brigit, and that she was doing it all in order to bring them closer together. But if he was honest, and though he would never tell Ayah, he didn't think they would ever have a relationship. He was growing to dislike Brigit more and more because of her attitude and soon enough, whatever attraction he felt for her would be overshadowed by that dislike. Not to mention that he had a job to do, which relied heavily on information she had, that she was unwilling to give.

Once Ayah and Reed had left, with warm good-nights, walking off down the corridor hand in hand, Griffin decided that he was going to find out what advice Brigit had been given. Whether she wanted to tell him or not. "So...what did Ayah say to you?" He wondered casually as he walked to the window and gazed out at the night sea, hoping that she wouldn't get defensive again. But she did.

"I'm not going to tell you what she said to me until you tell me what she said to you." Was her automatic answer. It was a petty, schoolgirl way of talking and he didn't like it. But he also got the sudden thought that if he told her the truth, then she might be angry enough to actually tell him what Ayah had said.

"She told me that she was glad you were being so rude because she didn't think we were a good match together. She thinks I'm too good for you and you don't deserve me. Frankly, I'd have to agree with her, though I don't know where she got the idea that I would ever be attracted to you." He laughed off his little lies, mixing in the truth of Ayah's words, only to expand on them in a way that could only make Brigit mad and jealous. It worked. She was furious with Ayah, who she thought was her friend, for going to the guy she liked and telling him to move on because he was too good for her.