Inamorata

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Burnam Wood

Chapter 28. Author's note - The usual stuff - please vote, comment, and stuff, because it would make me really happy if this story made it to the top ten in Science Fiction. But if not, hey, I'm just glad to have all of you reading it!

It was Tuesday morning, Nightingale had just parted with a very unhappy Michael, Bobby had dropped in and she'd closed her eyes whilst fucking him and had alternated between imagining he was Robin and visualizing strangling Bobby to death with his own intestines, when Nightingale sat down to re-read snippets of Pride and Prejudice.

When she opened the book, she did not only find Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth there. The moment she began to flick through pages, two slips of paper immediately fell out.

A smile curved over her face, helping to soothe her habitual anger and misery from being used by Bobby.

The two slips of paper were the two letters; Robin's to her, and then her response. She'd never given him the letter and, as she read it, she realized that it would be foolish to give it to him then.

So, finding another scrap of paper and a pen, she sat down to write him a new one, with a mind to send it along with David the next time she saw him.

Robin, she penned, and then sat thinking for a moment, chewing the end of her pen.

She wanted to imitate his wonderfully bombastic, pompous style as she had done before, but she could not. So she settled for her emotions, delivered cleanly and clinically.

Robin,

I miss you. I hate them. I am counting the days until I can see you again. I feel immensely guilty for fucking Michael and Bobby. Don't tell Pierce I did that, I think it would make him hate Michael even more than he does now.

Nightingale

Pausing, she scratched out her name and wrote instead, Love, Nightingale. 

Then she scribbled that out, too, and penned.

Your Nightingale.

Sighing, she closed the book with her letter in it. As her fingers ran over the smooth surface, nails grazing the cover, she stared off into the distance, deep in thought.

A small smile appeared over her face as she considered Robin.

Her thoughts took a less innocent course as the thought about him. Now, she was unable to think about his dark, bright eyes without also thinking about-

She shook herself and went back to reading Pride and Prejudice. And that was how she passed her day. Pausing in her reading only to venture out of her room for her midday meal, she avoided the company of her sisters. 

Her absence was the source of some talk as she and the rest of the Inamoratas waited behind the Club later that night. Nightingale, before she even reached the door, could hear them muttering about her.

"Where was Nightingale today?" asked Sparkle in an undertone loud enough for Nightingale's sharp ears to her hear.

"I didn't see her all day," added Glitter, tacking her words onto the end of Sparkle's.

There was a snort and Nightingale knew the voice. "Probably brooding in her room over that damned detective she told us is going to head the raid," said Magenta.

"Keep your voice down, Magenta!" Nightingale heard Lace hiss. "If Bobby hears you saying that, it's all over!'

"No one's around to hear me," Magenta snapped at Lace.

Nightingale had to smile as she visualized the irritable expression that would have gone with the tone of Magenta's voice. However, she thought it best to contradict Magenta's words and so revealed herself, stepping out from behind the curve of the hallway.