right. From the corner of her eye she had caught another look thrown at Nick, this time Kitty tilting her head almost imperceptibly toward Morgan as she peered over her spectacles, her brow furrowed.
What the hell was going on between those two? Ally wondered.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Mark. “How’s the duck?” he asked, gazing a little enviously at her plate. “It looks really good.”
“It is.” Ally cut a piece of the breast, topped it with a smear of confit and held out her fork. “Do you want to try?”
“Sure.” Mark took the fork from her hand. He chewed slowly before returning the fork to Ally. “Damn, that is good. I think I might order that tonight.”
“You’re as bad as a woman for changing her mind.” Morgan rolled her eyes at him before glancing at Ally. “Last night he swore he would have the steak for every meal.”
“Well, it’s darn good steak.” Mark shrugged, taking a bite of his fillet. He picked up his beer and took a large swallow. “But variety is the spice of life. Is it not, Mogs?”
“Definitely.” Morgan winked at him as she reached across the table to clink her glass against Mark’s. “I always say—”
Kitty coughed. “What do you think of the steak, Morgan?”
Morgan looked pointedly at her snapper fillet. “How would I know? I ordered the fish.”
“Nick?” Kitty questioned, an edge of impatience in her voice. “How’s your steak?”
Nick had been concentrating hard on the act of eating. He glanced up from his plate. “Huh?”
“I said . . .” Now there was definite irritation in Kitty’s tone, even though Ally noticed she was at pains to control it. She also caught another covert tilt of her head in Morgan’s direction. “Your steak looks good. Maybe someone else would like to try it, too.”
“Oh.” A flash of realization crossed Nick’s features just at the moment Morgan accepted Mark’s proffered steak-laden fork. He quickly cut a portion and offered it to Kitty. “Here you go.”
For a single moment Kitty just stared at Nick, a look of disbelief on her face. Ally was almost sure she heard her mutter “Jesus Christ” under her breath. Then her demeanor changed completely and she waved coyly in Nick’s direction. “Oh . . . stop joking around, Nick. Morgan’s going to get jealous.” She picked up her fork and loaded it with some of the herbed potato mash that accompanied her lamb cutlet. The fork was brought to her mouth, but she stopped short of eating, seemingly giving a thought some consideration before saying it out loud. “You’ve probably noticed by now, so there’s no point trying to keep it a secret. Morgan and Nick are”—Kitty winked at Ally—“you know . . .”
Ally blinked, more than a little surprised. If Kitty meant that Nick and Morgan were lovers, then no, she didn’t know. They certainly hadn’t given any signs pointing in that direction. If anything, they seemed a little uncomfortable with each other. They hadn’t shown any hint of intimacy during the entire time she had been present and even conversation between the pair was limited. Not that Nick said much of anything to anyone. He was a polar opposite to Morgan and definitely not someone Ally would have predicted as her choice of partner. In fact, she thought Mark to be a much more likely candidate for Morgan’s affections.
Ally was in the middle of giving a noncommittal nod when she realized an apparent contradiction. Last night Nick had accompanied Kitty to the baggage carriage. How could he have been on the platform at the same time Morgan was having the time of her life in her compartment? Unless, of course, she was having the time of her life with someone other than Nick . . . Oh, ho! Ally’s brain started fitting the pieces together. Maybe Morgan and Mark had been taking advantage of Nick’s temporary absence to have a little fling? Maybe that was why Kitty had been so unnerved to find Morgan “busy” in her compartment. And maybe
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