need to…”
Arthur moved to the table and sat there to read, grabbing a pen as if he was at his own desk. If he started chewing on it, she was going to kill him.
Maya faced the blonde woman in front of her. Isobel was her exact opposite: blonde, pretty, sophisticated, and perfectly at ease with the odd situation.
“I think your work is fantastic. I wish my father would let me do something like that…Arthur told me everything about it. He can’t stop babbling about you anyway and he was only too happy to satisfy my curiosity.”
The blonde winked. Maya turned to her “boyfriend” who was still conscientiously scanning the documents before signing them. She was sure Arthur was anything but the babbling type. However, his ears seemed a little red. She smiled back at Isobel.
“Arthur probably embellished it all. My work is not that exciting. I’m just one step above the housekeeper.”
The other woman refused the modesty.
“Don’t underestimate your work. One is always grateful for decent meals and fresh clothes. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that saves the day.”
The papers made their way back onto her desk.
“Done. Isobel, can you excuse us for a minute?”
“Of course. I’ll wait outside.”
She danced out of the room with a complicit grin, which made Maya blush from head to toe. Arthur sighed as soon as they were alone, his shoulders visibly relaxing. Maya grinned.
“She seems nice. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”
He stiffened. “She’s not my type.”
“Hum…Cute, blonde, sparkly, well-bred; she looks a lot like your type.”
“Are you trying to annoy me?”
Her laugher erupted in the silent room. It felt good to have some leverage, to initiate the tease for once. His eyes had turned a darker blue as he was leaning against her desk, ankles crossed and arms folded over his chest. A great pose for GQ or Forbes magazine.
She grinned but took another step back before his proximity disturbed her further.
“Yes, and I got you. Now stop pouting or your future bride may question our “private” interlude.”
“Wait.”
Her hand was already on the door knob and she glanced over her shoulder at the call. Her braided hair was falling in complicated twists near the small of her back. Her grey wool dress flattered her figure, nicely clinging to her curves. Arthur shook the thought away.
“I need to know. Did you talk to Moira? About the Foundation?”
“My discussions with my sister about the Foundation are none of your business.”
Arthur tried to bury the twist of anger her answer stirred inside him. Maya ignored the glare.
“Thanks to your little game, she refuses to discuss anything related to P&A and she’s...”
She trailed off and turned toward the door again, chin pointing up proudly. Her voice held traces of hurt, behind the blatant annoyance. His hand settled on her shoulder. The gesture surprised them both; Maya escaped his touch by stealth.
“I’ll give Isobel a very quick tour, so I can come back for Matthew shortly.”
The change of subject suited him.
“Not too quick, please. I’m stuck with her until we meet Regis and my father for lunch.”
“Poor little baby.”
Arthur scowled before he plastered a grin on his face and opened the door.
***
The way towards the south wing had never seemed so long to Maya. Isobel was chatting happily, teasing Arthur about some personal habits Maya didn’t know about and would have overlooked gladly. Of course, their “pairing” made it impossible to show it.
“You seem to know each other well…”
The slight rasp in her voice was not jealousy. Absolutely not. Isobel laughed.
“We’ve met a few times. Arthur has never tried to seduce me and I have never stopped harassing him. All things considered, we get along pretty well. That’s probably why our fathers came up with that stupid plan of theirs…”
Maya ogled at her new acquaintance.
“You know?”
“Of course I do! Robert is as subtle as
Arthur moved to the table and sat there to read, grabbing a pen as if he was at his own desk. If he started chewing on it, she was going to kill him.
Maya faced the blonde woman in front of her. Isobel was her exact opposite: blonde, pretty, sophisticated, and perfectly at ease with the odd situation.
“I think your work is fantastic. I wish my father would let me do something like that…Arthur told me everything about it. He can’t stop babbling about you anyway and he was only too happy to satisfy my curiosity.”
The blonde winked. Maya turned to her “boyfriend” who was still conscientiously scanning the documents before signing them. She was sure Arthur was anything but the babbling type. However, his ears seemed a little red. She smiled back at Isobel.
“Arthur probably embellished it all. My work is not that exciting. I’m just one step above the housekeeper.”
The other woman refused the modesty.
“Don’t underestimate your work. One is always grateful for decent meals and fresh clothes. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that saves the day.”
The papers made their way back onto her desk.
“Done. Isobel, can you excuse us for a minute?”
“Of course. I’ll wait outside.”
She danced out of the room with a complicit grin, which made Maya blush from head to toe. Arthur sighed as soon as they were alone, his shoulders visibly relaxing. Maya grinned.
“She seems nice. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”
He stiffened. “She’s not my type.”
“Hum…Cute, blonde, sparkly, well-bred; she looks a lot like your type.”
“Are you trying to annoy me?”
Her laugher erupted in the silent room. It felt good to have some leverage, to initiate the tease for once. His eyes had turned a darker blue as he was leaning against her desk, ankles crossed and arms folded over his chest. A great pose for GQ or Forbes magazine.
She grinned but took another step back before his proximity disturbed her further.
“Yes, and I got you. Now stop pouting or your future bride may question our “private” interlude.”
“Wait.”
Her hand was already on the door knob and she glanced over her shoulder at the call. Her braided hair was falling in complicated twists near the small of her back. Her grey wool dress flattered her figure, nicely clinging to her curves. Arthur shook the thought away.
“I need to know. Did you talk to Moira? About the Foundation?”
“My discussions with my sister about the Foundation are none of your business.”
Arthur tried to bury the twist of anger her answer stirred inside him. Maya ignored the glare.
“Thanks to your little game, she refuses to discuss anything related to P&A and she’s...”
She trailed off and turned toward the door again, chin pointing up proudly. Her voice held traces of hurt, behind the blatant annoyance. His hand settled on her shoulder. The gesture surprised them both; Maya escaped his touch by stealth.
“I’ll give Isobel a very quick tour, so I can come back for Matthew shortly.”
The change of subject suited him.
“Not too quick, please. I’m stuck with her until we meet Regis and my father for lunch.”
“Poor little baby.”
Arthur scowled before he plastered a grin on his face and opened the door.
***
The way towards the south wing had never seemed so long to Maya. Isobel was chatting happily, teasing Arthur about some personal habits Maya didn’t know about and would have overlooked gladly. Of course, their “pairing” made it impossible to show it.
“You seem to know each other well…”
The slight rasp in her voice was not jealousy. Absolutely not. Isobel laughed.
“We’ve met a few times. Arthur has never tried to seduce me and I have never stopped harassing him. All things considered, we get along pretty well. That’s probably why our fathers came up with that stupid plan of theirs…”
Maya ogled at her new acquaintance.
“You know?”
“Of course I do! Robert is as subtle as
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