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Anxiety sits heavy in my chest. What if she’s correct and he decides he likes the arrangement? “I have to get on,” I mutter.
“Fine. If you want to torture yourself and watch him fall in love with me, be my guest. It makes my life more fun. Did you clean my room?” I nod, spraying down the worktops and wiping. Arthur comes in, heading straight for the coffee machine. “What are your duties, exactly?” she asks.
I hesitate, not knowing what to say. It’s not something I discussed with Albert. “You’ve had a housekeeper before, right?” snaps Arthur, looking at her like she’s stupid. “She does housekeeping things.”
“Great. Can you move my things from the spare bedroom into Arthur’s.”
I falter, almost knocking a glass off the worktop but catching it in time before it topples. “That's not in her job description,” Arthur hisses.
“You just said—” Jolene begins, but I cut in.
“It’s fine. Of course, I can.” I rush off upstairs before Arthur can protest any more. She’s probably just testing me, but either way, I can’t fall apart. So, I begin gathering her belongings and taking them to Arthur’s room, putting her clothes neatly beside his, her perfume next to his aftershave, which I can’t resist inhaling, and her toothbrush beside his. Out of all the things I move, it’s the toothbrushes that hurt my heart. I stare at them side by side and have the urge to snap them both. Maybe it’s because I never got that far.
I feel him behind me and pull my eyes away. “I told Albert this was a stupid idea,” he mutters.
“I offered,” I say. “I can be the eyes and ears.”
“She knows you’re more than that to me,” he snaps.
“Then it’s up to me to convince her I don’t feel the same.”
“Meli . . .” He’s shaking his head, his expression full of doubt.
I place my hand on his chest. “Let me do this, Arthur. I have to feel like I’m doing something. I can handle Jolene Hall. Trust me to act like a true professional.”
He smiles. “A new line of work?”
I nod. “Maybe Rosey can hire me if I do a good job.”
“I should tell you—”
“Wow, you’ve moved everything already,” comes Jolene’s voice.
When she gets to the doorway, I mouth the word ‘sorry’ to Arthur before slapping him hard in the face. He growls, gripping his cheek. “Fuck,” he hisses.
“I told you to leave me alone,” I yell. “If I didn’t need the money, I’d tell you where to shove your job.”
“Ouch,” smirks Jolene. “I hope you weren’t getting hands-on with the maid.”
“I think we’re clear where we all stand,” growls Arthur, storming out the bathroom.
I grip my sore hand to my chest, forcing myself not to cry. “I’ll finish up downstairs.”
ARTHUR
My head’s a fucking mess. My cheek burns after Meli’s little display for Jolene, and all I can think about is how the fuck I’m gonna get out of this. I’ll lose people who mean so much to me if I pull out of this. She’s made it clear she won’t stop her killing spree until everyone I love is dead, and the only answer I can come up with is to hand it all over to her. It’s an idea that Albert will hate, and honestly, I don’t even think she’ll go for it. I don’t think it’s my business Jolene is after. She wants to stand by my side and feel the power I hold.
Jolene is in the kitchen opening a bottle of red wine, Meli is stacking the dishwasher, and I stand in the doorway thinking how crazy this scene is. The woman I love and the woman I despise are in the same room. I shake my head, laughing to myself. “Wine?” asks Jolene. I shake my head. “Martha, get him a whiskey.”
“Her name is Meli, as you damn well know,” I snap, “and I don’t want a whiskey.”
“You need to loosen up. It’s our first night together as a couple.”
I roll my eyes. “We’re not a couple.”
“We’re getting married, of course, we are. Speaking of which, my vicar called, and he can fit us in as early as next week.”
I glare at her, and Meli does too, we’re both shocked. “You can’t organise a wedding in a week,” mutters Meli. She glances at me, and I can see the panic in her eyes. How the hell am I going to come up with a plan in a week?
