Lullaby (The Fable Series, Book 2)

Chapter Thirteen

"What a nuisance, that's why I go without," Mrs. Leyton says, her smile returning. "Stupid fidgety things. Anyhow, have you met Robert? He's here on holiday, all the way from Oxford. He's a professor."

"Wow," I say, trying to sound suitably impressed. "What do you teach?"

His eyes twinkle as he leans over the table, smiling widely in a way that I'm sure Mrs. Leyton finds utterly charming, but I find ghoulish and slimy.

"History," he says, quite vaguely. History of what? I almost ask him, before Mrs. Leyton pipes up.

"Robert's taking me to England next month," she says, taking his hand across the table. "I feel like the luckiest old duck in the whole wide world. I can't wait to see your home, Pumpkin."

She blows him a kiss across the table, and he catches it with his hand, before putting it into his pocket for safekeeping. He winks at her, and she giggles.

"I can't wait to show it to you, Sugar Puff," he says with a sleazy smile, which makes Mrs. Leyton's cheeks turn pink.

Gross.

"Enough about us," she says, sounding a little breathless. "What have you been doing with yourself Ashling? It's been ages since I last saw you."

"I've been busy," I say, hoping she won't pry further.

"Don't tell me you've found yourself a nice boy?" Mrs. Leyton says, leaning in closer to me. "What's his name? Do I know him?"

"No, nothing like that," I say, not entirely sure whether or not I'm telling the truth. "Just.. um... music stuff."

"Oh," she says, sitting back disappointed. Her male companion, however, seems unwilling to drop it so easily.

"I find that hard to believe," he says. "Surely a captivating young lady such as yourself has a whole horde of suitors? There must be some handsome young devil who's caught your eye. Pretty girl like you."

I don't know whether to blush or vomit.

"Oh Robert, you're embarrassing her," Mrs. Leyton says, tapping his hand as if to scold him. "She'll run away if you keep it up."

"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you about," I say. "It's about Beatrice O'Cahill."

Mrs. Leyton's mouth immediately twists into a sour grimace, her eyes go hard.

"Gran told me you were friends," I say, which makes her cock an eyebrow. "Used to be friends, I mean. She's been acting really... strange... and I feel like maybe it's something from her past bothering her... or something that happened a long time ago. A really, really long time ago. I thought you might know something."

She stares hard at me for a moment, and I quickly add, "I'm worried about her. Earlier on today she said some-"

"Well of course she's on her worst behavior today," she says. "Today's the anniversary, after all.

"The anniversary of what?" I ask.

"You don't know?" She asks, sounding surprised.

I shake my head, and her face softens slightly, her eyes seem to glaze over somewhat with memory.

"It's the anniversary of Hugh's death," she says.

"Hugh?" I ask.

"Yes, my fiancée. And her brother," she says, as Robert reaches out and squeezes her hand across the table. "It was forty-seven years ago today. She still blames me, of course."

Well this is new information. No one ever mentioned Bea having a brother before.

"It wasn't your fault, Sugar Puff," Robert tells her, his voice dripping with sweetness. "He wasn't well."

"No, he wasn't," Mrs. Leyton says firmly. "Anyhow, I really do detest talking about that woman. I'm sure your friends are waiting for you, Ashling dear."

"Yes," I say, relieved to be able to get away but disappointed I didn't get more from her.

"It was an absolute pleasure," Robert says, rising from the table, clasping my hand in his.

"Before you go, one last thing sweetheart," Mrs. Leyton says to me. "I'm helping out at the July Jubilee this year. You'll be there, won't you?"

The July Jubilee is an annual party my school puts on near the end of July. It sounds lame going to a school event during summer vacation, but it's always awesome, and everyone's there even though it's totally optional. It's the perfect way to see your crush again half way through the break, and there's always a fancy dress theme. Because it's not technically during term time, teachers turn a blind eye to any inappropriate or revealing costumes, so it's understandably popular with the entire student body, girls and boys alike.

I hadn't even thought about this year's July Jubilee. It's the 8th of July now, and the event is always around the last week of the month. The Fable boys will probably be back in England by then.

"I'll be there," I say, nodding my head. "I should get to my friends, I've kept them waiting ages."

"You do that darling, take care," Mrs. Leyton says, pulling me in suddenly for a very wet kiss on the cheek.

"Till we meet again," Robert says with a wink. He waves me a polite goodbye, and that's when I see it.

For just an instant, but it's enough.

As I walk away, my mind replays the moment over and over.

A flash of silver, as the sunlight hits a thin band wrapped around his ring finger.

Tiny indentations in the silver, which may or may not have been text.

It could be a coincidence. It could be just a ring. It could be nothing.

Or it could be everything.

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Hi lovely readers:) I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long for this update, and it's so short compared to usual - I'm going to start breaking up chapters into smaller sections so that I can update faster. Mwauh! x