Inamorata

Chapter Twenty-Four - Young in the Ways of the World

Chapter Twenty-Four: author's note - Hello, everyone. I'm so glad you're reading this! Please remember to vote and comment if you liked it, you've got no idea how much it means to me! I'd love to know what you think of the story, which characters you like, which ones you hate!

Nightingale couldn't bear to listen to the evidence being presented. So she sat in the corner and recited aloud from Macbeth, her lips moving swiftly and smoothly as the verse cam easily to her, shutting out all other noise and distracting her. As her feet bounced under her, her anxiousness sharper and more concentrated than it had ever been, she tried to soothe her with the lyrical verse.

Soon, she was faraway from the Council chamber, far away from David and his team, far away even from her slavery.

"Excuse me?" spoke up a tentative little voice.

It broke her concentration. Her eyes opened and she glared at the person who had interrupted her.

"Yes?" she said snappishly.

It was a young woman, of reasonable attractiveness. She was evidently a guard, based on her simple, navy blue uniform and the weapon at her hip.

"You're Nightingale, right?" she enquired, her voice weak.

Nightingale nodded. "I am."

"You're an Inamorata," the woman said.

"Surprised?" snarled Nightingale. "Surprised to see I'm so human? Surprised?"

"A little bit," admitted the woman, flinching back from Nightingale's expression and her hostility. "But what I really wanted to say is that I'm sorry."

Now it was Nightingale's turn to flinch back. She jerked back in shock before arranging her features into a haughty glower. "Sorry for what?" she snapped.

"Sorry that you're an Inamorata. I just heard what they do to you. I'm so sorry, Miss Nightingale. I...I never cared until now," said the woman. Then, staring down at her feet, her mouth quirked into an awkward and bashful expression, she moved to back away.

"Thank you," said Nightingale. "While you being sorry doesn't help my condition in the slightest, I still appreciate the sentiment."

 The guard backed away, evidently unsure of whether to smile or be offended by Nightingale's words. Luckily for Nightingale, however, she was spared any sort of conversation with the woman as the door opened on her side of the partition.

In filed the team - including Steel, whom Nightingale eyed very carefully - and David. Immediately she sprang up and went over to David. Her heart fluttered anxiously at the fact that not one of them, not even Clarence, who should have by that time sent at least one smouldering glance her way, was smiling. They all looked ill at ease, even Caroline.

"Well, Detective Beckett?" she asked. "What's happened?"

"Nothing, yet," he said tersely, eyes flashing. "The Council has withdrawn to make its decision."

"Its decision?" she whispered. "After only that little bit of testifying?"

Nicholas snorted derisively. "That 'little bit', as you say, Nightingale, is only a small part of the evidence we've presented. They have far more at their disposal than what we showed them today."

Nightingale glowered a little at Nicholas, not liking being taken for a fool. Her annoyance was ignored, however, as everyone else in the room ignored her, all seeming to retreat into their own uneasiness.

All but Steel, that was. Nightingale caught his eyes on her more than once, but she was used to that and so took absolutely no notice. The only man who never openly stared was David - but he was a special case.