“Lady Fluke,” I said, before Rees could speak, surprising him. She looked at me, eyebrows arched. “You’re making a terrible mistake. I thought we cleared this up.”
She shook her head, almost regretfully. “Truth is, young lady, that you’ve become part of the problem. I warned you when we last spoke, did I not? I warned you not to get involved.”
“Lady,” Rees said, an edge in his voice now. “You have no right to talk to Millie about my relationship with her.”
“Of course not,” Lady Fluke said dismissively, as if it didn’t matter either way. “And yet I did, because I wanted to. Really, Rees, your relationship with this girl is going public anytime now. She told a reporter about what you’ve been up to.”
He flinched, glanced at me, then glared at Lady Fluke. “And so what?” he asked, shaking his head. “We’re adults. If we want to have a relationship, who’s to say we can’t?”
“Nobody,” she said, shrugging slightly. “In fact, even though I think it’s a bad idea, I do approve of this little mistake. The thing is, you’ll both end up hurt, and I don’t want to be around to witness it, and I certainly don’t want my name involved with yours when this inevitably blows up.”
I gaped at her, at a total loss. I couldn’t understand how someone could be so heartless. She was supposed to be Rees’s friend, and now suddenly she learns that he’s in a healthy relationship, and she wants to end their friendship—all because she thinks it’ll look bad for her in some potentially abstract way.
“That’s so wrong,” I said, unable to help myself. I felt a stab of anger, like Rees felt looking down at that phone. “You’re abandoning him now, when you know he’s done nothing wrong.”
Her eyes narrowed at me. “And what do you know of my responsibilities, girl? Just because you’re dating this man, doesn’t mean you know a thing about our world.”
“I know that you’re supposed to be friends,” I said, refusing to be intimidated, even if I felt like I was attacking the Queen herself. But I wasn’t of course—just some rich biscuit bitch. “I know he cares about you. I’d never turn my back on a friend just because of some whiff of scandal. That’s not how friendship works.”
“Perhaps not to you,” she said, clipped and hard. “But to me, my business is everything, my good family name is everything, and I cannot be associated with Rees any longer.”
Rees gave me a look, almost pleading, and I leaned back in my chair, crossed my arms, and shut my mouth. I wanted to berate her—how dare she pull this shit after he solved everything already? And yet here she was, dumping on him even more, and I hated her for it. He just finished talking about how he missed his friend, and how he had so few close relationships, and here was one more being taken from him, all because of this horrible, selfish woman.
“Lady, I understand your position,” he said. “I won’t force my friendship on you if you find it so distasteful.” His voice didn’t shake. There was no anger in his eyes. There was only hurt—but a quiet hurt, one he kept at bay. I felt something stir inside of me, looking at him like that, a strange pride. It must’ve taken a true inner strength to keep himself together like that and I wished I could have some measure of that for myself.
“Very good,” Lady Fluke said, seeming a little off balance by his stoic acceptance. “Know that it isn’t personal, Rees. We’ve had a long and fruitful friendship, and perhaps one day—“
“No, Lady,” Rees said, and pushed his chair back, standing. I stared at him, a little surprised, as he held out a hand. “I believe this is the end for you and I, regardless of what the future may hold. I can’t trust you anymore, knowing that you’ll walk away from me with the shift in the wind, and I can’t expect you to stay my friend if you find it so embarrassing. I wish you good luck.”
She stared at him, and for one moment, I thought I saw a little hint of emotion—a touch of sadness, a tightening of her lips. But then she stood, shook his hand, and left the room, walking with a straight back, her eyes focused on the floor ahead of her.
Rees sank back into the chair and leaned forward, his head in his hands. I waited until she was gone before hugging him against me, holding him tight. He leaned his weight onto my shoulder, then turned his lips and he kissed me.
We held that kiss for a few second, the silence of the room, the pleasure of his taste, the confusion of the moment swirling around us.