Masters & Lovers Box Set Three
Chapter 21
Michael
It’s dark, a frigid winter’s evening. James hasn’t come home from work yet and I can’t find Charlotte.
Where is she?
Having a bath maybe?
But the bathroom stands cold and empty.
Reading somewhere?
I try her study, the lounge and the dining room, still with no sign of her.
And then as I stop to flick the curtains closed in the lounge, there she is. Outside on the terrace, without so much as a jacket or a cushion, she hugs her knees as she sits on bare stone paving, staring into the dark.
She must be bloody freezing…
What’s this about?
Don’t rush it…
I make a couple of hot drinks, then venture outside.
She turns as I approach. I offer her a mug. “Hi. Mind if I join you?”
“Course not.” She sniffs. “That’s lovely. Thank you.”
“Hot nutmeg milk and dash of brandy. I thought if you were determined to freeze your butt, you’d better have something inside to help thaw it out.”
She nods then turns to stare into the dark again.
After a minute or so, I say, “Come on, spit it out. Whatever it is.”
“I was thinking about my mother.”
“What about her?”
“I might never find her.”
“Perhaps not, but we'll keep looking.”
She blows on the milk, takes a slow mouthful. “What I'm meaning is, it's about continuity, isn't it. As long as I'm here, there's a bit of her too. And my father. It's not all gone. And if...”
"If what?"
She chokes up. “He’s so unhappy. He’s usually so full of life; so full of… of take-it-in-big-bites… He’s… It’s just not him.”
“He? Who? James? I thought we were talking about you?”
“Yes… No… Yes…”
“Charlotte, you’re not making a lot of sense.”
Looking away, she drinks more of the milk, but moonlight reflects from the tears trailing down her cheeks.
I lay an arm over shoulders, kiss her face. She’s chilled, tasting salty. “You want to find your mother. He wants his daughter back.” I rub at my forehead. “I hate seeing him like this too. I wish there was something I could do to help him, but he’ll get over it.”
look at me.
up like that might not have been pleasant for him, but it is a kind of closure.” But doubt crawls
“I'm not so sure.”
the mug, “You might be right. It was a low blow on her part. But I'm not sure what we can do about it, other than being
do.” There’s a tremor in her voice. I wait, but she’s stalled and as I
make a poker
notices me looking and deliberately, she disentangles the knot of hair then folds her hands
Charlotte. What is this really
you about it before I did anything.” She’s gulping, stuttering her words. “I
?
Tread carefully…
I be
“He wants his daughter.”
have her. You can’t give her back
have another
a moment to penetrate. “Charlotte, are you telling me you want
“Yes,” she whispers.
Ahhh…
what you want to do…?” I speak slowly, carefully. “… What
have so much time and... And I want him to have the chance to
her head low. Her fingers knot together, then unknot, then tangle
hands apart. Taking one of them in mine, I kiss cold fingers then hold
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you trowelling on the makeup, trying to pretend
would be between the two of you. Fifty-fifty if it was you or him. And that would have been fine.
I feel
the right thing to
that will
… and last…
… and work…
make a couple more hot drinks, but don't go away. I'm
grinding beans to give my hands something to do. As they growl and judder into powder, I set milk on to
always loved
Is that true?
No…
always loved
she
…
her, she’d
her to
kept her for
…
the
… Helluva wedding present…
…
I ever repay
?
This would do it…
…
I sure of
?
About Masters & Lovers Box Set Three - Chapter 21
Masters & Lovers Box Set Three is the best current series of the author Simone Leigh. With the below Chapter 21 content will make us lost in the world of love and hatred interchangeably, despite all the tricks to achieve the goal without any concern for the other half, and then regret. late. Please read chapter Chapter 21 and update the next chapters of this series at novelebook.com