The Devil's Angel (The Devil's Assistant Series Book 4)

The Devil's Angel - Chapter 6

"Of course sir." The woman nodded her head and quickly departed leaving me alone with the man who appeared to hate me and my kind most.

"Where are my manners?" He tittered, his teeth sparkling as he thrust out his hand towards me. "Victor Lyle."

Reluctantly, I slipped my hand in to his and tried my best to smile. His hand was warm and clammy against mine. His fingers curled around mine, his fingers squeezing tight in a show of strength and dominance. If only the man knew how futile such a feat was.

"Savannah Holmes," I offered, nodding my head in greeting.

"We all know who you are Ms Holmes" He smiled.I'm sure most people would have thought that twitch of the lips was attractive. They may have even found it charming. It made my stomach churn uncomfortably. When the man made no move to do anything other than smile at me, I tugged my hand from his sweaty hands.

"Shall we go? I don't want us to be late to our meeting."

"Of course, Ms Holmes." Standing up straight, he gestured me to proceed before him.

"You'd better go first. I don't know where we are supposed to be sitting."

Again he tried to dazzle me with the fake overly charming smile. "How stupid of me – follow me."

He weaved through the tables with ease. The man of the people as he chatted amiably to those he passed, offering a one handed celebrity wave to those who called out to him. As he walked, I watched as he tried to discreetly wipe his hand on his leg. I'm sure if he wasn't in such a public place his face would have been a mask of disgust. Instead he scrubbed his hands against his trousers as if to wipe the contamination from his skin. I couldn't really judge him though, I was doing the same thing.

Eventually he led us into a section of the restaurant that was separated off from the rest. Wooden screens and carefully arranged potted place giving an air of privacy in such a busy restaurant. As we drew closer to the table, I began to recognise the faces. I had seen them all on TV at some point or another. It was surreal to be meeting them. These were the people who ruled the country. They had always seemed so other to me – so apart from me and my little life that I was carving out for myself.

Lyle graciously drew out a chair for me at the table. I let my lips twitch up in a semblance of a smile before taking my place. The conversation at the table faltered for a moment as eyes were drawn to our arrival but ever the politicians, the men and women seated around me just took a sip of from their wine glasses before continuing onwards.

"Would you like a drink ma'am?" Turning my head, I looked into the face of the older man in a perfectly pressed uniform. He wouldn't have looked out of place on the set of Downton Abbey. He appeared to be a butler rather than a waiter. For some reason, becoming drunk in the present company just didn't sound like a good option.

"Can I just get a glass of water?"

"Certainly ma'am."

"thank you." The man bowed his head before making his departure.

Feeling stares boring into the side of my face, I turned back to the table only to find that everyone had fallen silent and I was now their sole focus.

"Hi," I offered weakly.

Victor Lyle leant back in his seat with his arms folded over his chest. He had taken a seat directly across the table from me and seemed quite content to watch me squirm under the attention of many.

"Hello Miss Holmes, thank you for joining us today." A soft lilting voice drew my attention from the man opposite me. "I'm Claire Tate."She was sat at the head of the table, dressed in an elegant midnight blue dress that was forma and yet still glamourous. The prime minister was a strong woman in her early forties and yet there was still a lingering beauty in her features despite the toll recent times had taken on her. I didn't have to be a mind reader to see the damage that had been inflicted upon her aura.