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Chapter 5- Revelations

Andrew led me over to the main table dressed in cream colored damask and smoothly pulled out my chair so that I could be seated. Anne was still smirking across the water glasses from me. I so wished to stick out my tongue at her. When I spoke of minor flirtations in my life, I mean the singular hopeless attempts of Andrew trying to win my heart over the last three years. While he wasn't a bad friend, he could be at times insufferable, overbearing and therefore absolutely not the kind of boyfriend I desired. I knew that in the two and a half hours we had been seated next to each other at dinner when I was nineteen. Apparently, it took the man much longer to come to the same conclusion.

He seated himself on my right and greeted everyone cheerfully at the table. They in turn returned hellos and shot knowing looks at me. This was mortifying.

"L!" Ella cried from Anne's side as he lazily approached and took the seat on my left.

Andrew made an irritated snort and laid his napkin across his lap with great gusto. I rolled my eyes and watched as L arranged himself properly in his chair.

"Afraid of getting a cuff from the Copper?" I whispered an aside to him as he tucked his napkin into the neck of his shirt. Ella giggled behind her cup of milk.

He turned to me with his blank expression in full effect. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean. I am always a gentleman."

I bit my lip so I wouldn't laugh and focused on the china setting in front of me. "I dare you to eat some of the soup if you are such a gentleman."

"A gentleman never backs down from a challenge."

I looked up and saw Anne's brown eyes bright with mirth. This encounter had to be the best entertainment she'd seen in months.

"I'm pretty certain the soup isn't chocolate." I loftily added as I reached for my wine glass. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Only if you can handle the genetic throwback next to your spoons." L coolly answered and took in the eyes of everyone else at the table. "Er, good evening, everyone."

A chorus of unsure, surprised voices returned his greeting; Anne's being the most enthusiastic.

"L! It's good to see you back with us. I heard Grace and you had an interesting conversation earlier. Could you clear something up for me? I've been dying to know."

I gawked at her in disbelief and Andrew perked up at the mention of me paired with any other male. "Oh yes, this must be about that ring L had, correct?"

Anne's eyes grew the size of saucers. "L had a ring?!" she squealed, pounding her hands down on the table in excitement. "Gracie! You didn't tell me that!"

My foot shot out swiftly under the table to kick her and ended up contacting with Fritz's shin instead.

"Yipe!" he cried out, glaring at Andrew. Anne was still grinning at L who shifted uneasily in his seat.

"I have to say, this is great news." She continued gushing. "I'm sure the ring is beautiful."

"Yes, it was found on one of his digs, it had belonged to a princess." Andrew helpfully supplied, completely unaware that I kept sinking lower in my chair.

Anne couldn't have been more thrilled if Picasso had materialized in Winchester at that very moment. "Well! I need to see this thing! G, why aren't you wearing it?"

"Anne," I begged as the entire table directed their eyes to me. "There is no ri—"

L leaned forward in his chair, commanding the table's attention. "I have the ring on loan, of course. I couldn't keep such a priceless artifact when the world should be admiring it. Grace did try it on, it became her very well, but it's going to be transported to London tomorrow. At this moment, it is safely locked away."