Page 119 of A Touch of Poison
“We may have both been fooled by someone we trusted…” She held my gaze as her chin dipped, and the gleam in her eye said she was thinking of unCavendish and what he’d done to us both. “But that prick brought us two together, and if not for that, I’d never have met all of you, either.” She turned her smile upon the rest of the table, infecting us each in turn. “To friendships forged in shitty circumstances.”
Laughing, I clinked glasses with everyone.
Between eating sandwiches and cakes and toasting to the birthday girl, the poker began and Rose told us about the first fae party she’d attended—in a haunted house, no less. Ella grilled her about everything she’d seen.
Eventually, she sat back. “Toes? Really? I don’t believe it’s possible.”
Rose chuckled. “I suppose it depends how long his toes are.”
A pink cast to her amber-toned cheeks, Ari placed a bet. “Do you think those two are talking about this stuff, too?”
“I can’t picture Faolán talking about sex.” I raised an eyebrow at Rose.
She huffed out of her nose as she matched Ella’s bet. “There’s a little tension between them at the moment, so I hope they’re talking aboutthat. Knowing them, though, they’re probably drinking and complaining about work.”
“Tension?” Perry cocked her head, cards forgotten.
Rose shot me a quick, stiff glance. “Oh, you know how it is. They’re just—”
“It’s all right.” I shrugged. “You can say it. Faolán’s grumpy—well, grumpier than usual—because of what happened in Lunden between Bastian and me and the fact I’m married.”
Ari’s eyes went wide. “Oh.”
“Bastian told me when you woke, and… I may have deliberately not mentioned it to Faolán.” Rose winced. “I knew he’d react that way. It’s a strange hangup—treating marriage as sacred.”
“Hmph.” Ella glared at her cards. “If only human men did the same.”
She’d mentioned her marriage only in the most general terms. I got the impression she was sadder about her husband’s death than I would be about Robin’s.
I eyed her as the conversation went on.
“It applies to engagement, too.” Ari nodded, closing her fan of cards. “I managed to capitalise on that to get Ly out of some trouble.” Her gaze skipped to one side as she gave a small smile.
“Where do they stand on divorce?” A frown scored its way between Perry’s eyebrows. Her eyes were on her cards, but didn’t rove across them, as though she didn’t really see them.
“Kat’s already tried for a divorce.” Ella huffed. “Are you sure we can’t just kill him off?”
“I didn’t mean Kat’s,” Perry murmured.
Every pair of eyes turned to her.
I lowered my cards. “Are you married?”
“I was once. Not anymore.” She chewed her lip, and Ella pulled the cards from her hands and placed them on the table. “Who’s been topping up my drink?” She frowned at the half-emptied glass of shocking orange punch.
“You’ve already started spilling.” Ella shrugged. “No sense in stopping now.”
Perry snorted and drained her drink, then held out the glass. “Well, I’m going to need more of this.”
Rose obliged while Ari fetched a cake stand and placed it before Perry. I clasped my hands, conscious that I wasn’t wearing my gloves, since they’d stopped me from shuffling the deck.
“My mother was from Noreg, and after my father died, she moved back there. I would visit from time to time—this was long before I sailed with Vice.”
Ari murmured at the mention of Avice. As far as she was concerned, the Pirate Queen was a living legend, even if, to me, she was the little sister whose snot I’d wiped away.
“You can guess the next part…” Perry arched an eyebrow.
“Don’t tell us”—Ella cocked her head—“you met a dashing Northman who treated you like the queen you are?”
