My eyes widened. “She did all of them?”
Bonnie nodded. “You’re not the only one good with a needle and thread, girl.” Snapping her fingers, reminding me so clearly of her grandson who rested in some hospital, she said, “Come closer. I refuse to scream. And you need to pay strict attention.”
My socks ghosted over the pale pink flooring, sinking into a few sheepskin rugs before stopping beside Bonnie Hawk. My nose wrinkled at the familiar smell of rose water and overly sweet confectionary. I didn’t need to know her diet to guess she loved desserts.
She was rotten—just like her teeth from consuming too much sugar.
In my head, I cursed and hexed her, but outwardly, I stood calm and silent.
Do your worst, witch. It won’t be good enough.
She narrowed her eyes, inspecting me from head to toe. I let her, glancing out the window instead. Her chair rested beside a long table pressed up against the lead light glass overlooking the south gardens of Hawksridge. A water fountain splashed merrily, depicting two fawns playing a pipe. The colourful pansies and other flowers that’d run rampant when I first arrived had long since gone dormant, replaced by skeleton shrubs and the dull brown of winter.
“Do you have any skills in this arena?” Bonnie pointed at the hobby scattered over the table. The array of dried and freshly cut flowers painted the table in a rainbow of stamens and petals. Roses, tulips, lilies, orchids. The perfume from dying flora helped counteract the sickly stench of Bonnie.
“No. I’ve never arranged flowers, if that’s what you’re asking.”
She pursed her lips. “Hardly a lady fit for society. What skills apart from sewing do you have then? Enlighten me.” Reaching for a crystal vase, she snapped off a piece of green foam and shoved it into the bottom. “Well…go on then, girl. Don’t make me ask twice.”
What the hell is going on here?
The past few days had a strange consistency, as if I was stuck in quicksand. If I moved, it sucked me further into its clutches, but if I stayed still, it treated me as a friend—keeping me buoyant in its greedy granules.
What’s her point?
My back stiffened, but I forced myself to stay cordial. “I run my own fashion line. I can sew any item of clothing. My attention to detail—”
“Shut up. That is all one skill. One lonely talent. A frivolous career for a trollop such as yourself.”
Don’t retaliate. Do not stoop to her bait.
If her aim was to make me snap so she could punish me, then she’d lose. I’d learned from them how to fight.
My hand rubbed my lower back, checking my dirk was in place and ready to be used.
Wouldn’t now be the perfect time to dispatch her?
We were alone. Behind closed doors. Regardless of my past conclusion to kill Cut and Daniel first, I couldn’t waste an opportunity.
My arm tensed, agreeing.
Do it.
Almost as if she sensed my thoughts, Bonnie cooed, “Oh, Marquise? Can you come in here, please?”
Immediately, a door I didn’t see, camouflaged with matching wallpaper, opened. Marquise, a Black Diamond brother with shoulders like a submarine and long greasy hair pulled into a ponytail, appeared. “Yes, Madame.”
Shit.
Bonnie’s eyes glinted. “Could you keep us company, dear? Just sit quietly and don’t interrupt. There’s a good chap.”
“No problem.” He flicked a glance at me.
I hid my scowl as Marquise did as bade and perched his colossal bulk on a dainty carved chair. I was surprised the tiny legs didn’t snap under his weight.
“Now, what were we saying?” Bonnie patted her lips with a fresh rose.
I didn’t know how she’d read my body language so perfectly, but it put me on the back foot. I swallowed, letting go of my dirk. Grabbing a lily, I twirled it in my fingers. “Nothing of importance.”