Burning Bright

Chapter 25

It was Veronique arriving with a Reiki healer and insisting that he be allowed to work his magic on Eoin. Deciding it couldn’t do any harm, he succumbed.

‘I’ll just go and see Elisabeth,’ I said as the three of them disappeared into his room. I had the sudden need to talk this through. Whatever “this” was.

‘You can’t tell anyone about me and Eoin,’ I said, as I’d updated her on pretty much everything.

‘Why are you trying to hide it? It can’t make things any worse, can it?’

‘But it would be proof if we were seen to be . . . together.’

‘And if, no when, the Colonel asks you about your relationship with Eoin, would you deny it?’

‘Oh God. No. No I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. I’d rather be sacked for telling the truth than for lying.’

‘So . . .?’

‘It might upset Veronique.’

‘So . . .?’

‘Elisabeth!’ She laughed and topped up my wine glass. ‘She is helping with the fund raising.’

‘Well, I suppose it keeps the press off your back.’

‘Quite.’

‘You know she’s got previous for this, don’t you?’

‘Has she?’

‘Yes, she honed in on one of the guys who was staying here. There was nothing at all from his side, but his wife was non-too-happy and there was a massive bust up.’

‘That makes me feel slightly better, than I’m not being a total bitch for resenting every word she speaks to Eoin and every second she spends with him.’

‘Not at all. Anyway, Eoin’s not going to do anything about it, is he?’

‘He’d better not.’

‘He won’t. He would have already if he was going to, wouldn’t he?’

‘Yes, I suppose so.’

‘So he’s all yours. Sensible man. Now . . . the future for you two?’

‘I’m not sure, Elisabeth. I’m really not sure.’

‘But he’s gorgeous!’

‘Not so much at the moment,’ I joked. ‘I get regular updates on the workings of his digestive system because he thinks I really need to know him inside and out. But as for the future . . . I just don’t know.’

‘I’m sure you’ll work something out, sweetie. You deserve something wonderful to happen to you. And I assume that you wearing his chain means something?’

‘Oh!’ I clutched at my neck, completely forgetting I’d been wearing it. ‘He gave it to me to look after before the trial. I was going to give it back to him when he came out of prison, but then he was ill and . . . I hope no one notices he wasn’t wearing it for the press conference.’

‘Talking of which . . . it’s nearly time for the news.’

He was featured on the main Indian news and then headlined the local news. If you knew him well, you could see that he wasn’t wearing his chain, but not that I was, mainly because I was mostly hidden by Veronique. We admired Eoin’s presence and laughed uncharitably at Vee. It was so nice just to be relaxing that I stayed far longer than I had planned and drank far more wine than I ever intended. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back while Veronique was still there as she made me feel all territorial over Eoin. As it was, I stumbled up the stairs to my flat and could barely find the keyhole. Eoin was asleep doing his unbelievably cute pillow-hugging thing and I loitered in the doorway of his room for a few minutes just watching him before placing the chain next to him on the bedside table and returning to my own bed.