The Robber Bride by Jerrica Knight-Catania Read Free Book Online Page B

then?”
    “Well, yes, of course.” She gazed out over the Serpentine as they passed, and Fin dared a glance or two, himself. Its beauty never ceased to amaze him. He had many a canvas stashed away at home that featured this particular landscape. “Tom took breakfast at his club, so I didn’t have much choice. It was either spend the morning with Mama or with Lady Hartswell . The latter seemed the lesser of two evils.”
    “How can you say such things about your mother?”
    “How can you not?”
    He supposed she had a point. Her mother wasn’t the kindest or warmest of people. Though he’d had good luck at charming her, at the end of the day, she was still a cobra. “Well, I’m sorry I wasn’t about to escort you to someplace more interesting.”
    “And what about you?” she asked. “What did you do this morning?”
    He paused. Should he tell the truth? “I had a meeting,” he said, and then he turned so he could see her face when he added, “In Southwark .”
    Silence. Her throat moved as she swallowed hard, but then she took a breath and smiled. “I do hope it went well.”
    This was getting him nowhere. “It did. I’m to paint a portrait of Lady Bishop. It’s for her birthday in July.”
    “What do you do with the money?”
    Fin started at her abrupt and rather inappropriate question. “The money?”
    “From your paintings,” she clarified. “It’s not as if you need the money, so what do you do with it?”
    “I’m not sure that’s any of your business, Vickie.” He hated to take that particular tone with her. He felt as if he were scolding her.
    “I never said it was,” she retorted. “You don’t have to answer, I was just curious whether you pocket the money or if you perhaps use it for good causes.”
    “Causes?” What the devil was she talking about?
    “Yes, causes. You know, poor people? They do exist. You may have even seen some this morning when you were in Southwark .”
    “Must you always bring sarcasm into every conversation?”
    “If you don’t enjoy my conversation, then why do you even bother keeping my company?”
    Damn. When had things started to go downhill? He hadn’t meant for them to argue—he never intended for that to happen. But now his mood had turned black, and he had no desire to make nice with the lying little shrew beside him.
    “Perhaps we should just turn back,” he suggested.
    “Yes, perhaps that would be best.”
    The ride back to Marylebone seemed to last hours as the silence stretched between them. For the first time in the history of their relationship, that silence was horribly uncomfortable. More uncomfortable than any silence he had to endure with vapid debutantes. This was much worse. His palms actually sweated with the anxiety of truly being at odds with Victoria. She was one of his best friends, after all. So then why were they finding it so difficult to get along?
    Because she’s a liar, that’s why. Damn, but she was, wasn’t she? Somehow, Fin would have to get to the bottom of this. Short of having her followed, though, he wasn’t sure how he would do it. She was tight-lipped as a clam.
    Hm. Perhaps that was what bothered Fin. If they were such good friends, why couldn’t she confide in him? He understood her lying to her parents, and even her brother, but somehow it hurt that she didn’t trust him enough to say what she was doing alone in Southwark that morning.
    “Well, thank you for the drive, Finny,” she said as he pulled up to her door. She acted almost as if nothing was wrong. “Will we see you tonight at Vauxhall?”
    Damn. He was supposed to go with them to see a concert and fireworks at the gardens. “Yes, of course,” he said, not sure he really wanted to go, now. “You will see me tonight.

Eight
     
    That evening, Victoria, Tom and both their parents boarded their carriage and headed toward Westminster. There, they would take a boat across the Thames, straight to the dock at Vauxhall Gardens. Victoria was both