admit I was a little surprised to get your note. Didn't think that new fiancé of yours would let you off the leash for something like this."
"It's none of Xavier's business," Letty said in a tight voice.
Sheldon chuckled and gave her a conspiratorial glance. "So Augustine doesn't know, huh? What is this, Letty? Eat, drink and be merry because at the end of the month you're going to be shackled to a tyrant?"
Letty swallowed. She had not yet told anyone except Molly that the engagement to Xavier was off. She drew a deep breath. "Well, Sheldon, to be perfectly blunt, there isn't going to be a marriage."
His eyes narrowed in obvious speculation. "Oh-oh," he said softly. "So that's how it is, is it? Sorry to hear that." He did not sound sorry at all. He sounded pleased.
"Pretend you didn't hear it," Xavier Augustine advised in a cold voice from directly behind him. "Because the wedding is definitely going to take place on schedule."
Letty, Molly and Sheldon swung around in surprise. Letty flinched and felt her pulse rate quicken as she saw the implacable expression in Xavier's green eyes. She told herself that anger was the emotion she was feeling, not trepidation. The man was truly overbearing. He radiated all the innate arrogance and authority of a genuine medieval knight.
"What are you doing here, Xavier?" Letty asked, sounding peevish, even to herself.
"That should be obvious. I dropped in for a pizza. Hi, Molly."
"Hi, Xavier. Have a bite. Letty obviously isn't going to finish hers."
Xavier sat down next to Letty and reached for a slice. "What the hell have you got on this thing, anyway? It looks like it's covered with hot peppers."
'It is. Also anchovies and onions. I like my pizza, as well as a few other things I could mention, very, very hot." Letty smiled with taunting innocence.
Xavier's eyebrow climbed as he nonchalantly took a large bite of the over-peppered pizza. "I'll keep that in mind." His gaze did not so much as flicker as he calmly chewed and swallowed the spicy pizza.
Sheldon scowled at Letty. "What's going on here? You two getting married, or what?"
"Yes," Xavier said around a mouthful of pizza.
"No," Letty said simultaneously. She rounded on Xavier. "Stop contradicting me."
"You're still wearing my ring," he pointed out, taking another bite of peppered pizza.
She looked down in horror and instantly yanked the emerald off her finger. How on earth could she have forgotten to remove his ring? "Here, take it. You should be able to get your money back. I'm sure a really first-class jeweler will be happy to refund your money."
Xavier pocketed the ring and continued eating pizza. "I
’ ll hold onto it until you've gotten over your little problem."
"What little problem has she got?" Molly demanded, clearly intrigued.
"Bridal jitters," Xavier diagnosed authoritatively. He signaled for a beer. "Letty's suffering from a bad case of cold feet. But she'll recover."
"Maybe my feet will get warmed up this weekend," Letty threatened furiously.
"Yeah," Sheldon murmured as he took a sip of beer.
"Maybe."
Xavier finished the pizza and leaned back in his chair to contemplate Letty with a detached expression. "So you're still planning on going to that convention of Revelers you told me about?"
Letty, who had been suffering serious doubts on that subject, reminded herself once more she had to stand firm. Only a very boring person would lose heart now. "Yes, I am. And that's final, Xavier. There's no point trying to talk me out of it."
"Good for you," Sheldon said, hoisting his beer mug in a mocking salute to her courage.
"I'm not going to try to talk you out of it," Xavier said mildly. "I'm planning on attending myself."
Sheldon choked on his beer. "You can't," he sputtered indignantly. "Attendance at a meeting of the Order is by invitation only."
"So you're going to invite me, aren't you, Peabody?" Xavier smiled a dangerous smile. His eyes were green glaciers.
"The hell I am. Why should I do
"It's none of Xavier's business," Letty said in a tight voice.
Sheldon chuckled and gave her a conspiratorial glance. "So Augustine doesn't know, huh? What is this, Letty? Eat, drink and be merry because at the end of the month you're going to be shackled to a tyrant?"
Letty swallowed. She had not yet told anyone except Molly that the engagement to Xavier was off. She drew a deep breath. "Well, Sheldon, to be perfectly blunt, there isn't going to be a marriage."
His eyes narrowed in obvious speculation. "Oh-oh," he said softly. "So that's how it is, is it? Sorry to hear that." He did not sound sorry at all. He sounded pleased.
"Pretend you didn't hear it," Xavier Augustine advised in a cold voice from directly behind him. "Because the wedding is definitely going to take place on schedule."
Letty, Molly and Sheldon swung around in surprise. Letty flinched and felt her pulse rate quicken as she saw the implacable expression in Xavier's green eyes. She told herself that anger was the emotion she was feeling, not trepidation. The man was truly overbearing. He radiated all the innate arrogance and authority of a genuine medieval knight.
"What are you doing here, Xavier?" Letty asked, sounding peevish, even to herself.
"That should be obvious. I dropped in for a pizza. Hi, Molly."
"Hi, Xavier. Have a bite. Letty obviously isn't going to finish hers."
Xavier sat down next to Letty and reached for a slice. "What the hell have you got on this thing, anyway? It looks like it's covered with hot peppers."
'It is. Also anchovies and onions. I like my pizza, as well as a few other things I could mention, very, very hot." Letty smiled with taunting innocence.
Xavier's eyebrow climbed as he nonchalantly took a large bite of the over-peppered pizza. "I'll keep that in mind." His gaze did not so much as flicker as he calmly chewed and swallowed the spicy pizza.
Sheldon scowled at Letty. "What's going on here? You two getting married, or what?"
"Yes," Xavier said around a mouthful of pizza.
"No," Letty said simultaneously. She rounded on Xavier. "Stop contradicting me."
"You're still wearing my ring," he pointed out, taking another bite of peppered pizza.
She looked down in horror and instantly yanked the emerald off her finger. How on earth could she have forgotten to remove his ring? "Here, take it. You should be able to get your money back. I'm sure a really first-class jeweler will be happy to refund your money."
Xavier pocketed the ring and continued eating pizza. "I
’ ll hold onto it until you've gotten over your little problem."
"What little problem has she got?" Molly demanded, clearly intrigued.
"Bridal jitters," Xavier diagnosed authoritatively. He signaled for a beer. "Letty's suffering from a bad case of cold feet. But she'll recover."
"Maybe my feet will get warmed up this weekend," Letty threatened furiously.
"Yeah," Sheldon murmured as he took a sip of beer.
"Maybe."
Xavier finished the pizza and leaned back in his chair to contemplate Letty with a detached expression. "So you're still planning on going to that convention of Revelers you told me about?"
Letty, who had been suffering serious doubts on that subject, reminded herself once more she had to stand firm. Only a very boring person would lose heart now. "Yes, I am. And that's final, Xavier. There's no point trying to talk me out of it."
"Good for you," Sheldon said, hoisting his beer mug in a mocking salute to her courage.
"I'm not going to try to talk you out of it," Xavier said mildly. "I'm planning on attending myself."
Sheldon choked on his beer. "You can't," he sputtered indignantly. "Attendance at a meeting of the Order is by invitation only."
"So you're going to invite me, aren't you, Peabody?" Xavier smiled a dangerous smile. His eyes were green glaciers.
"The hell I am. Why should I do
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