‘Who?’ She glanced at me, pretending to be surprised. It was a ridiculous display. Considering how many Sidhe had watched my approach to the castle, she had to know about my presence. This show with Byron was probably for my benefit. ‘Oh,’ she said, her lips curling. ‘It’s you. So that’s what you’re calling yourself these days.’
I refused to be cowed. ‘Hello Tipsy. How wonderful it is to see you again. It’s like meeting my long-lost sister after years apart.’
She almost choked. This was more fun than I thought it would be. ‘Yeah,’ she muttered unconvincingly, turning away and focusing her attention back on the hapless man. ‘Thank you so much for my present. It’s beautiful.’ She touched her neck. Hanging against her alabaster skin was the bright emerald necklace I’d found in Byron’s hotel safe. The fake one. ‘I love that you gave me emeralds,’ she gushed. ‘The colour matches your eyes perfectly. Every time I wear it, I’ll think of you.’
My eyebrows flew up. So these two were involved? Given what I remembered of her nature, it was hardly surprising. Tipsania had always had an uncanny knack of getting what she wanted. I almost felt sorry for Byron. Almost.
‘It must have been really expensive,’ she continued, kissing him again.
I let out a tiny snort. Byron’s eyes flashed at me in warning. I shrugged. It wasn’t my fault he was pulling the wool over her eyes with some bits of pretty glass.
‘I’m glad you like it,’ he told her. ‘But it wasn’t expensive. It’s…’
‘Darling! That’s so like you to downplay things. You know,’ she said with a wink, ‘I like emerald rings too.’ She held up her hand, rubbing her thumb against her marriage finger. Well, well, well. Byron’s flirtation with me had been all about the manipulation; I doubted that he was the marrying kind. He certainly hadn’t appeared unhappy when the giggly Sidhe girl came onto him. Maybe good old Tipsy was prepared to agree to an open marriage.
Byron coughed. ‘I need to take Integrity up to her room. I’ll come and find you later, alright?’
She beamed. ‘I’ll look forward to it.’
Taking my elbow, he led me away. Once we were out of earshot, I couldn’t help myself. ‘You and Tipsy, eh? How long has that been going on?’
‘It’s complicated,’ he grunted. ‘And I’m sorry you had to bump into her like that. I know she wasn’t very nice to you when you were a kid.’
Wasn’t very nice? That was an understatement. ‘You weren’t very nice to me either, Byron.’
He didn’t look at me. ‘No,’ he said after a long pause. ‘I don’t suppose I was.’
We lapsed into silence. I still wanted answers to my questions about the naming but I sensed this wasn’t the right time. He’d shoved his hands into his pockets and was looking particularly grim. I’d find someone else to explain - Byron apparently had far weightier things to worry about.
He deposited me in a small suite of rooms in the high reaches of the castle without saying another single word. It wasn’t until he was preparing to leave that he grunted that someone would come to help me settle in. Whatever that entailed.
Still, I was finally getting some much-needed solitude. I looked around the rooms approvingly. While I was betting that the other Sidhe were housed in far more luxurious quarters, the simple elegance here pleased me. Until I sat down on the bed; it was rock hard. I tried bouncing up and down and received nothing more than a sore arse for my efforts. I snorted. Well, it wasn’t like I was here to sleep.
Checking the door and the corridor and satisfied that I was well and truly alone, I opened my bag and pulled out the letter opener. I had been rather mean to Bob the last time we talked and I needed him on my side. Especially now. Steeling myself for some grovelling, I unsheathed the blade and gave it a good rub.
Bob appeared with the now-familiar flash of light. That was a start at least. He was, however, clearly put out. I received a petulant grimace before he turned his back on me, sat down and crossed his legs and his arms.
‘Come on, Bob,’ I soothed. ‘Don’t be like that.’
He didn’t answer.
‘I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings before or to take advantage of you. I won’t do it again. I promise.’
When he still refused to look at me, I reached out with my little finger and gave him the gentlest poke. ‘You know how you were impressed with the luxury of the last place? Wait until you see where we are now.’
His body jerked. I was getting somewhere.
‘It’s not as opulent,’ I continued, ‘but it’s certainly exciting. You must be bored being stuck in that knife all the time. Now you can do something more interesting.’
He muttered a few words under his breath. I leaned forward, not quite catching them. ‘What was that?’
‘Dagger. It’s not a knife. It’s not for buttering bread. It’s a dagger. In fact,’ he said, ‘from now on you will only refer to it as a sword. Or a scimitar. Yes. Call it a scimitar.’
I pressed my lips together, forcing myself not to laugh. The letter opener was about as far removed from a scimitar as I was from a troll. If that was all it took to appease him, though, I could manage it.