want to know is why you agreed to go to the party at all if it’s so boring you need someone as annoying and insane as me to liven it up.”
Josh laughed. “Dante and I always go to each other’s parties when we can. His presence lends me gravitas, and apparently I supply some glamour to his serious affairs. I’ve known him for years, on a superficial level, but recently—since his wife died, I suppose—we’ve become better friends, do each other favors when we can.”
“Like turning up to dull parties?”
“Exactly.” Josh grinned, checking out the car behind in his rearview mirror. “I think he wants me to impress someone. I have to be charming and splendid and tell the guy how helpful Dante can be. In return he gets his antiques experts to value my sword.”
“Your sword?” Startled, Elizabeth stared at him. “Is . . . is that what you meant by heirlooms? You mentioned something at the flat.”
“Yes. It’s a beautiful thing, been in my family forever.”
My God, it can’t be. . . . But of course it could. According to legend, Saloman’s sword, which had been missing when she first awakened him, and which she had read about in the hunters’ library last year, had remained in the possession of Tsigana’s family for generations. It was more than possible that this was Josh’s heirloom.
Not quite sure how she felt about that, she managed to ask, “How old is it?”
Josh pulled out and overtook a lorry. “To be honest, I don’t know a damned thing about it. I’ve brought it with me to let Dante’s experts give it a poke.”
Elizabeth blinked as they sped along the clear road. “You brought it from the States for that?”
“Nah, I guess I’m paranoid about theft,” he said ruefully.
“But not about airlines losing your luggage?”
“Everyone has their foibles,” Josh said easily. So easily that she wondered if there was a deeper reason behind his traveling with the heirloom.
Leaving that for the time being, she asked instead, “So who’s the guy you’re meant to impress? Some British politician?” God, she really was going to be out of her depth, dining with government ministers, rich actors, and industrialists. . . .
“No, some foreign business rival. Simon Adam? No, Adam Simon! Ever heard of him?”
“No,” Elizabeth said apologetically. “I don’t know much about that kind of thing, and I’m afraid I don’t move in wealthy social circles.”
Josh shrugged, slowing down to round a bend in the road. “Even if you did, I doubt you’d know this guy. Apparently he’s Eastern European.”
“Yes? Whereabouts?” Elizabeth asked eagerly, then added apologetically, “I did most of my thesis research in that part of the world—I have a fondness for it.”
“Well, that’s good—gives you something to talk about. I’ve never been there in my life.”
“ I have to impress him too?” Elizabeth asked wryly, holding on to her seat with both hands as Josh broke the speed limit. “You didn’t say that was part of the deal.”
Josh cast her a quick smile. “It isn’t. But if opportunity knocks, schmooze the guy.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Josh, I couldn’t schmooze a pussycat. Don’t you want to go left here?”
“Maybe I should put the voice on the sat nav. . . .”
Josh was easy company, and as they drove through Fife and Perthshire and on up into increasingly spectacular scenery, Elizabeth began to think the weekend might not be so bad after all. In fact, if she could just have had the weekend in his company without the party and the senators and the business rivals, she’d have been quite happy—although that might have given Josh the wrong idea.
“Why aren’t you taking some glamorous actress?” she blurted out, as the thought came into her head.
“Don’t want to,” he said simply. Then, with a boyish wink: “Actually, you’re my protection from them too.”
Elizabeth raised one skeptical eyebrow. “I doubt anyone will mistake me for serious
Josh laughed. “Dante and I always go to each other’s parties when we can. His presence lends me gravitas, and apparently I supply some glamour to his serious affairs. I’ve known him for years, on a superficial level, but recently—since his wife died, I suppose—we’ve become better friends, do each other favors when we can.”
“Like turning up to dull parties?”
“Exactly.” Josh grinned, checking out the car behind in his rearview mirror. “I think he wants me to impress someone. I have to be charming and splendid and tell the guy how helpful Dante can be. In return he gets his antiques experts to value my sword.”
“Your sword?” Startled, Elizabeth stared at him. “Is . . . is that what you meant by heirlooms? You mentioned something at the flat.”
“Yes. It’s a beautiful thing, been in my family forever.”
My God, it can’t be. . . . But of course it could. According to legend, Saloman’s sword, which had been missing when she first awakened him, and which she had read about in the hunters’ library last year, had remained in the possession of Tsigana’s family for generations. It was more than possible that this was Josh’s heirloom.
Not quite sure how she felt about that, she managed to ask, “How old is it?”
Josh pulled out and overtook a lorry. “To be honest, I don’t know a damned thing about it. I’ve brought it with me to let Dante’s experts give it a poke.”
Elizabeth blinked as they sped along the clear road. “You brought it from the States for that?”
“Nah, I guess I’m paranoid about theft,” he said ruefully.
“But not about airlines losing your luggage?”
“Everyone has their foibles,” Josh said easily. So easily that she wondered if there was a deeper reason behind his traveling with the heirloom.
Leaving that for the time being, she asked instead, “So who’s the guy you’re meant to impress? Some British politician?” God, she really was going to be out of her depth, dining with government ministers, rich actors, and industrialists. . . .
“No, some foreign business rival. Simon Adam? No, Adam Simon! Ever heard of him?”
“No,” Elizabeth said apologetically. “I don’t know much about that kind of thing, and I’m afraid I don’t move in wealthy social circles.”
Josh shrugged, slowing down to round a bend in the road. “Even if you did, I doubt you’d know this guy. Apparently he’s Eastern European.”
“Yes? Whereabouts?” Elizabeth asked eagerly, then added apologetically, “I did most of my thesis research in that part of the world—I have a fondness for it.”
“Well, that’s good—gives you something to talk about. I’ve never been there in my life.”
“ I have to impress him too?” Elizabeth asked wryly, holding on to her seat with both hands as Josh broke the speed limit. “You didn’t say that was part of the deal.”
Josh cast her a quick smile. “It isn’t. But if opportunity knocks, schmooze the guy.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Josh, I couldn’t schmooze a pussycat. Don’t you want to go left here?”
“Maybe I should put the voice on the sat nav. . . .”
Josh was easy company, and as they drove through Fife and Perthshire and on up into increasingly spectacular scenery, Elizabeth began to think the weekend might not be so bad after all. In fact, if she could just have had the weekend in his company without the party and the senators and the business rivals, she’d have been quite happy—although that might have given Josh the wrong idea.
“Why aren’t you taking some glamorous actress?” she blurted out, as the thought came into her head.
“Don’t want to,” he said simply. Then, with a boyish wink: “Actually, you’re my protection from them too.”
Elizabeth raised one skeptical eyebrow. “I doubt anyone will mistake me for serious
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