O, Fortuna

Chapter 19

With the question in the air between them all, Grace watched as Liam sat up, leaned across to pick up the rum bottle and refill everyone's glasses, making eye contact with neither Deanna or herself as he said

"I want it understood I am providing the information under duress" he took a long drink, breathing out "I really don't understand how helpful it can be to know what people think they saw or heard all those years ago but I'll do it" Liam stared across at Grace "alright, then?"

Grace blinked rapidly, momentarily confused, asking

"Why would you do it if you don't believe its right?" Now Liam looked confounded, followed by irritated.

"Because my sister thinks it would be useful and as I've just found out, contrary to my belief, she doesn't tell me absolutely everything she knows and goes on in her head and that she's a sneaky wench" Deanna snorted into her glass and went an interesting shade of pink, even in the shadows. Liam shot her a bemused glare "prying into June's history as she has done, I'm deferring to her sage judgement on these matters."  Deanna put her glass down, looking slightly affronted.

"I'm not that bad." Liam grunted into rum but offered no further response.

"O..K" Grace nodded with slow acceptance, finding it difficult not to smile at them both.

"If there was one thing that I heard, more than once" Deanna began "it was that June had an affair with Raif Aadil el Naseer, that Faridah was where they came to be together, in private, that he had a wife who would not agree to a divorce." To this, Liam nodded

"Yeah, I heard that one too but also a variation on that, that he was not permitted to divorce because of his beliefs." Deanna concurred with this and Grace gave it some thought before venturing

"Well, living in sin with a married man of another faith..that certainly would have gotten her struck off the Christmas card list back home" Grace took a sip and then, seeing the Phelps' awaiting further explanation, lowered her drink to add "June's father was pretty high up on the board of the local Catholic church and he was headmaster of a Catholic school too for about twenty years." Deanna's eyes bulged dramatically, while Liam shook his head and sniggered

"Fuck..that might explain her aversion to organised religion a smidge." Grace smiled and nodded

"Yeah, maybe a little." Though his face was in shadow, Grace found Liam actually smiling at her. Perhaps it was the rum affecting them both. Whatever it was, she felt herself blush deeply and sought to hide what she could of it in her glass while Deanna continued.

"Another favourite was that June was actually his wife but that she was not accepted by his family."

"There's an ironic twist for you" Liam mumbled into his glass and Grace had to agree again, trying not to smile at him or look at him too much. He was leaning back on his elbows again and she suspected if Liam had any idea how arousing she found that, he would probably get up and leave. She chewed her bottom lip, partially out of need to consider a response but mostly to distract herself. She came up with

"Well, I suppose it’s only fair if prejudice goes both ways."

To this, Liam nodded, then yawned widely and rubbed his eyes

"Sorry" he said and then promptly yawned again "Fuck! Sorry." Grace smiled softly at him but then noticed Deanna watching the two of them in quiet curiosity as she sipped her drink. "I think the worst of what I heard mentioned" Liam offered up "was the suggestion that June was a.." he paused an utter in a decidedly disgusted tone "this Naseer’s paid employee." Liam's emphasis on 'paid' made both women sitting beside him gasp in disbelief and to his sister, he said "yes, there, now, I've said the one you didn't want to say" he looked back over to Grace "I'm sorry if you find that disturbing as a possibility but you did want to hear the rumours and that particular one was a favourite around a number of women in Monteny, who were probably very jealous, it should be said."