since I had no intention of ever playing Truth or Dare with him again, I might as well ask him now.
His hands on his hips, Jeremy turned his head to face me. “What if I told you it’s because I’ve been pining after someone who’s never really noticed me?”
Someone super-hot like Lacey, probably. “Well, she’s an idiot then,” I said loyally. Why did the thought of Jeremy pining after someone make me jealous…and unhappy?
“Nah. She’s pretty smart, actually. I’m just not sure I’m her type.”
“What? What more is she looking for?” I asked, suddenly, inexplicably resentful of this unknown woman.
“I don’t know,” Jeremy said solemnly. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever know. Look, Meg, I—”
The door opened and Harrison stuck in his head. “There you are, Meg. You can’t hide from me, forever. We have to talk, now.”
Chapter 25
Still Saturday
The last thing I wanted to do after my humiliation in the tent was go talk to Harrison about his relationship with Lacey. But I was a grown woman, and if I needed to break up with my boyfriend, then I might as well get it over with. It just seemed particularly awful to have to do it in England while wearing Regency clothing, but waiting wasn’t going to make it any better. Harrison was right. We needed to talk.
“Okay,” I said, nodding and giving Jeremy a half-hearted smile. “Let’s go, Harrison.”
He had my little Regency purse in his hand. “You left your reticule in the tent,” he said as he handed it to me.
“Thank you,” I murmured.
Jeremy stood aside so I could pass and leave with Harrison, but just as we were about to walk out the door together, Lacey came barreling in. “There you are, Harry. I’ve been looking all over for you. We need to go out to the lawn. There are a ton of photographers out there and I promised them some good pictures after our scene. They’re going to do a full write-up about us in the Times,” she gushed.
Harrison’s face went pale. “Can it wait? I need to speak to Meg now.”
Lacey’s smile faded and her nostrils flared. “No, it can’t wait. They’re waiting for us right now. Besides, I promised Dr. Holmes we’d give them their photo ops. This is what we came for.”
She gave Jeremy and me a once-over. “I’ll give you one minute,” she said to Harrison before releasing the door and letting it shut.
I could still feel her presence hovering outside the door.
Harrison closed his eyes, which had dark circles under them. He truly looked tortured. Good. “I’m sorry, Meg. I really am. I have to do this.” He nodded toward the door and the awaiting paparazzi.
“I know you do,” I said. I’d known the minute Lacey invoked Dr. Holmes’ name that Harrison would be powerless to resist. “Go.”
In the moment, I honestly didn’t care if we ever talked about his kiss with Lacey. It was nearly comical what had happened between us since Lacey Lewis had stepped into our lives. She was like a famous tornado with painted nails.
“Meg,” Harrison said, staring into my eyes intensely. “I want you to know that that kiss meant nothing. I’ll explain more later, but you have to believe me.”
His eyes told me he was telling the truth, but I didn’t know what I believed anymore. And it didn’t change the fact that I felt humiliated. “We’ll talk later,” I said. There. How was that for unemotional and non-dramatic?
Harrison took a deep breath. “I hate that I have to leave you like this, but Dr. Holmes—”
“You don’t have to explain. Just go.”
Harrison bit the inside of his cheek and nodded. When he turned away reluctantly and pulled open the door, Lacey was standing out there, her arms still filled with roses, talking to a crowd that had somehow formed around her. The door shut behind Harrison, and I sighed and shook my head.
Then I turned, hiked up my skirts, and began climbing the stairs to the second floor. Jeremy followed me and we continued mostly in silence. “I didn’t know your purse was called a ‘reticule,’” Jeremy said as we trudged down the long, corridor to our room.
“Yeah, it’s a Regency word,” I offered halfheartedly.
He nodded.
Once inside the room, Jeremy unbuttoned me and I went into the bathroom and changed out of my gown. My mind was numb. It was as if the thoughts of Harrison and Lacey had been swept away, replaced only by a big blank spot that felt vaguely melancholy. I