Amici ed Amanti

Amici ed Amanti

With Friends Like These - Part 5

Lucy Ann unceremoniously flopped on the sofa in Murphy's sitting room. The other two witches in the room watched her with sympathetic eyes.

"Please kill me and put me out of my misery," she moaned after a fit of frustrated sighs.

"Just come from Mother's?" Stephie sagely asked. "She's been riding my arse lately too."

"At least you're not an embarrassment to the family by being an old maid!"

"No, I'm a dried up old prune because I haven't popped out an heir yet!"

"Well, you have been married four years..." Lucy Ann trailed off.

"And what does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Ash and I are enjoying being married! Isn't that right, Mere? You're not going to produce an heir for Murph right away, are you?"

"No," Mere said, being drawn into the conversation. "We want to enjoy being married and he wants to be more settled in his job."

"See, there is no crime in waiting," Stephie said with a smug air of justification.

"Yes well, at least you are married. Mother seems to think that I'll never catch a husband at my advanced age of twenty-two," Lucy Ann complained bitterly.

"That is hardly old maid! Now if you were pushing thirty maybe I could see her point. And you have Dmitri."

"Dmitri had to return to St. Petersburg because his father's ill and I don't know when I'll see him again."

"Oh? Is that what prompted the old maid talk?" Stephie knew better than anyone how Mrs. Honeychurch operated.

"Actually no, Mother is glad he's gone - lessens the possibility of having a foreigner in the family. Charlotte stopped by for brunch with Hayden in tow."

Charlotte Honeychurch Kilburne, the perfect older sister - married into a wealthy Scottish clan straight out of Hogwarts; produced a male heir within ten months of marriage; settled into the quiet life of a society wife and mother; and she was very active in the right charity organizations and society clubs. In short, she was everything that Lucy Ann was not and it vexed their mother to no end.

"Oh, that couldn't have been pleasant," Stephie said. Lucy Ann knew she'd escaped the house early, managing to miss her other sister-in-law's visit.

"Ash probably warned you to get out. You know, he could give me fair warning occasionally!"

Stephie snickered. "He did mention that I should get out of the house early this morning. I should have warned you."

"Yes, you should have."

"So how is life in the faerie realm?"

Lucy Ann rolled her eyes. "She was recently elected Secretary for the Witches Auxiliary for the Preservation of Magical Antiquities at the Tate."

"Mother must be so proud."

"Oh she is, but wait that isn't everything. Hayden won the school-wide Spell Spelling contest, beating last year's champion. And oh yes, how could I forget - she's pregnant as well."

It was Stephie's turn to roll her eyes. "Fanbloodytastic. Now Mother is going drive me around the bend."

"There's more."

"More? Please tell me she didn't find a way to bring world peace!"

"Not quite, but peace in the family. She and Neil have found a suitable wizard for me who apparently is willing to 'overlook' my past transgressions."

"What transgressions?" Mere finally chimed in. "And for the record, I'm glad I'm marrying someone who isn't on speaking terms with his family."

"Mother thinks I'm ruined because I visited Italy without a chaperone."

"If she only knew," Mere muttered.

"Wait!" Stephie yelled, sitting up ramrod straight. "What suitable wizard?"

"I have no idea. I stopped listening after Charlotte mentioned I was looking a bit sturdy." Lucy Ann's face darkened as she fought back tears and muttered under her breath a few moments more.

Mere settled on the sofa next to her friend and gathered her in her arms. "You're perfect."

She rubbed her eyes with the heels of hand. "Fantastic. Now I look like hell and I have to go meet the git."

"The git?" Stephie asked. "You mean Liam don't you?"

"Yes," Lucy Ann hissed, her eyes narrowing. "I received an owl this morning demanding my presence at the Thai Gardens for lunch. How dare he order me around like...like..."

"Are you sure you're not reading more into it than is there?" Stephie asked, daring to look like she might defend Liam.

She gave her sister-in-law a look meant to let her know she was about to cross a line that wasn't meant to be crossed and she withdrew a folded piece of parchment from her pocket. "Quite positive. And I quote: "Lucy Ann, Lunch at the Thai Gardens at 1pm today. It is not advisable to be late. Liam." Am I reading too much into that, might I ask?"

"No, I suppose not," Stephie agreed, biting her bottom lip.

"Well, wasn't that a nice how-do-you-do?"

Lucy Ann caught the look that passed between her two best friends. They were up to something, she just knew it. "Yes, I don't take kindly to being threatened."

"Then I suggest you get a move on," Mere said, glancing at the clock on the mantle. "It's two minutes to one."

She was up and off the sofa like a shot, running to the loo so she could splash some water on her face and make sure her hair wasn't a fright. She stood at the Apparation point smoothing her cinnamon colored robes and looking to her girls for approval before going off to meet a fate worse than death.

Liam was going to be livid she just knew it after checking her watch again. Ten minutes late after he'd made a big deal about her being prompt. She knew he hated to be kept waiting. Damn impatient Malfoys.

Lucy Ann hurried down Diagon Alley to the far end where some of the newer shops were starting to spring up. She stopped in front of World of Mirth Toys for Wizards and Witches of All Ages to catch her breath before heading across the street to the restaurant. It wouldn't do to look flustered. She wanted to present him with a cool, unaffected front. She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing her...

That was when she saw it. More like saw her.

A stunning blond witch was sitting at the table with Liam, laughing heartily at what whatever he'd just said.

Another witch, sitting with her Liam and having a good time. Lucy Ann might not want him, but she'd be damned if another witch was going to try to hone in what was hers.

She watched them a few moments. The witch apparently made her excuses and got up to leave the table, but not before she gave him a goodbye kiss. He watched her walk away with a stupid grin on his face.

That was it. Lucy Ann had had enough. She tossed her hair back and marched across the street, stopping just short of where he was sitting. "How dare you!"

Liam whipped his head around to look her, blinking in surprise. "How dare I what?"

"How dare you sit there and flaunt your little slag after sending an owl demanding my presence."

"Tabitha is not a slag. She happens to be a friend of mine and it would do for you to keep your voice down." He got up from the table to tower over her.

"I will not keep my voice down. How...What do you think you're doing?" she screeched as he reached for her, fighting to keep him from getting a hold of her.

"You need to learn to keep quiet." He managed to snake an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his long body before Apparating them both to the study in Malfoy Manor. "Our business doesn't need to be splashed all over the Evening Rag."

"Let go of me," she seethed, shoving him away hard. "And what do you care about being in the papers? You didn't seem to mind when your picture was in the paper every day with a different Aussie bint hanging on your arm!"

Liam smirked. "You're jealous!"

"I am not!"

"Yes you are!"

"I refuse to play childish games with you. I'm leaving!" She bent down to snatch her purse up from the floor where it had fallen when a loud bang startled her.

"What the bloody..." Liam trailed off staring at where double mahogany doors used to mark the entrance, but now only richly paneled wall stood.

"So help me Morgana, if you did this Liam Malfoy I will kill you with my bare hands!"

"I didn't do anything, I swear!" He pulled out his wand and pointed it where the doors should have been. "Finite Incantatem!" Nothing happened.

"Move," she said, pushing him out of the way with a shove of her hip and pulling her wand from up her sleeve. "Let a real witch try. Finite Incantatem!" Nothing.

"Bloody fucking hell," Liam said in disbelief.

"My sentiments exactly. What do we do now?"

"We wait for it to wear off I suppose."

"I refuse to be stuck in this room with the world's biggest wanker!"

"It seems you have little choice, sweetheart," Liam purred, his voice dipping dangerously low as he came up close enough behind she could feel his breath against her neck. "And for the record, Malfoys don't wank."

"Do you mind?" She tried hard to suppress the little shiver that went up her spine at his proximity. Now was not the time for her body to betray her.

Liam nudged his nose against the softness of her loose curls, his hands sliding over her hips. "Actually, I do mind."

"Get your hands off of me," she said forcefully, stepping away so she could turn around and face him, her arms firmly crossed over her chest. "Do not touch me, speak to me or even look at me until we get out of this room!"

"So I can touch you all I want after we're out of here?" He gave her a slow, lazy smile.

"I hate you."

"No you don't, you're just too stubborn to admit it."

"I am not! I can say with the utmost confidence that I do not feel anything for you, Liam Malfoy, other than hatred," she said, her voice steadily rose in pitch with each word.

He pointed his wand at her, whispering, "Silencio." She opened her mouth to retort, but no sound came out. "Yes, much better. You were starting to sound like a shrew and you're much too beautiful to be a shrew."

Did her ears deceive her? Did he just call her beautiful? She had waited so long to hear him say something - anything really - that would have given her hope for a them. The very thought made her heart skip a beat even now, but she quickly tamped down that feeling. After everything he'd put her though in the past half a year, a little ill-timed flattery was going to get him nothing. Nothing, damn it!

She huffed indignantly. It was the only thing she had left in her arsenal besides physical violence and he'd probably take that as sign that she wanted him. She wasn't about to give him that much satisfaction.

So Lucy Ann opted for the next best thing - if he wanted the silent treatment, then by golly she'd give him the silent treatment.

~*~