Page 48 of Tears of Ink

“Okay, that’s enough.” Jennifer puts her paper down onto the space in front of her. She doesn’t have a plate with pastries and jam. Just a black coffee.

Tabitha giggles and Jennifer levels her with a stare. “Honestly, so childish.” Her daughter sits up straighter and drops her laughter, and I glare at the immaculate shape of Baroness Fairclough.

She meets my gaze with cool disdain. “I’m sorry for my mother’s behaviour yesterday. Hopefully we can move on. She can speak without thinking and has a razor-edged tongue.”

It’s an apology. The ‘S’ word has been muttered, so being the bigger person, I nod my head. “It’s forgotten about.”

Jennifer offers me a tight smile. “Thank you.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “Are you prepared for tomorrow? Have you thought about the rooms?”

I nod and lift my knife and fork as a plate of crispy bacon is miraculously put in front of me. I turn to Jennings (is he always working?) and raise a questioning eyebrow. “I haven’t ordered anything yet.”

“Master Fairclough called ahead and said you would require bacon.”

Oh God. My cheeks burn with the heat of a thousand suns. “What if I was a vegetarian?” I think the best way to handle this is to brazen it out.

Jennifer’s face is frozen, and Tabitha is rocking back and forth with glee.

Jennings goes to remove the plate. “I’ll tell cook you are happy with a bread roll.”

“No, no, no. I’ll keep that.” I tug the plate out of his grip.

“As I thought.” He would make a fantastic poker player. He turns and goes to the sideboard picking up the coffee pot. It’s only when he turns back around and I’m the only one paying him any attention that he cracks a smirk.

“So.” Jennifer pulls my attention. “Do you have everything you need to start?”

I nod around a mouthful of bacon. “Yes, although I think I’m going to start with the glass work for the hallway. It makes sense to me that we create a flow through the house.”

She nods, but I can see it holds no interest for her. Elijah wasn’t wrong. She’s just after exposure.

“How do you plan to get lots of people involved in glass work?”

If I could fist bump myself without looking ridiculous I would. “I’m going to make mosaic tiles, something easy and colourful. It will be a wonderful effect.”

“A mosaic?” She sounds disappointed—like she expected the girl with the tattoos to have something better than the ancient medium of tiling.

I never said I was making a mosaic.

I finish the bacon and clatter my knife and fork onto the plate just as the shining white bob of evil grandmother gleams into view.

“That’s me out of here.” I slide back my chair and slip out of the space. I smile at Tabitha. “You coming to help me, or have you got some grown up stuff to do?”

Jennifer tuts, but doesn’t say anything.

I’m beginning to realise why Elijah is a lawyer and not an artist.

“I’m coming.”

I stop by Jennings who looks up at me in surprise. “Thanks for the bacon,” I say.

“You’re welcome, Miss Hitchin.”

“Faith. I’m Faith.” I remind him with a smile.

“Can I get you anything else.”

I grin, though it’s more of a grimace. “Coffee and lots of it down to the studios? Also, I need to get some wire, are you able to organise that?”

Another tut from Jennifer, and she mumbles under her breath about offering.