Page 78 of Infamous

Eddie kissed her gently, right at the corner of her mouth.

‘Frankly, I have no idea. But .?.?. just tell me what feels good, and between us we shall make sense of it.’

Rose’s eyes were ink-dark, and they were fixed on Eddie.

‘Everythingfeels good.’

‘Well, then .?.?. I suppose we’d better try everything.’

Chapter Twenty-six

When Eddie awoke, it took her a moment to realise that everything had changed, but her mind caught up very quickly when she registered what her arms were full of: Rose, naked, her mouth pressed to Eddie’s shoulder as she slept.

Somebody was knocking politely at the door. They increased their volume, and Rose groaned in quiet protest.

‘What is it?’ Eddie said, pulling the blankets up so high that Rose’s face disappeared completely.

‘We sent for the boat,’ said Albert, muffled through the door. ‘They shall be here shortly.’

‘Ah,’ said Eddie, her heart sinking. ‘Yes. Thank you, Albert.’

She ducked under the blankets to find Rose squinting blearily at her.

‘Boat’s coming.’

‘Yes, I heard,’ Rose mumbled. ‘The blanket is not the impenetrable shield you think it is. Can you pass me my slip?’

‘Well, I certainly haven’t any idea where it is.’

Rose frowned at her sleepily, looking like a perturbed (but fetching) bulldog.

‘Youare the one who pulled it off and flung it somewhere. You should know its whereabouts. It must be on your side of the bed.’

‘On the contrary. I cannot be expected to keep track of every single item of clothing I come into contact with, simply because .?.?. Ah. Here it is.’

Eddie located her own shift, which was draped messily over a chair, and wriggled into it; it was so cold upon exiting the bed that she immediately had to pull on an assortment of layers, including a jacket of Valentine’s that had somehow made it into her laundry and a shawl of Rose’s around her shoulders.

There was another knock at the door; this time it sounded more as if somebody had thrown something heavy at it.

‘Edie. Come out here, we have urgent business.’

It was Nash. Eddie resisted the urge to glance at Rose to see her reaction, and instead went to open the door a crack.

‘What is it?’

‘What the hell are you wearing? Come on, put some real clothes on and meet me in the library.’

He disappeared.

‘We don’t have much time,’ Rose said from beside the bed, where she was searching through the clothes in her trunk. She was not trying particularly hard to conceal her disapproval. ‘I suppose I’ll see about some breakfast, as I’m already packed.’

‘I know,’ said Eddie. ‘I shan’t be long.’

She found Nash bent over the desk in the library, which was covered in stacks of books and a few crumpled maps. It looked rather like one of her sister Beatrice’s attempts to plan an expedition. Rain was pattering gently against the windowpane.

‘What is all this?’

‘Greece!’ said Nash, confirming Eddie’s fears re: expeditions. There was a strange, frenetic energy to him, as if he hadn’t slept. ‘Fuck this house, fuck the roof repairs, and the Devil take London. I only made it as far as Naples on my tour, and frankly I remember next to nothing – we could make a stop in Rome, for your education, and then onwards to Athens. We’ll be gone for months.’