She left the compartment first, allowing Caroline to follow several paces after so as not to appear entirely suspicious en route to the dining car. Only two souls on this train were oblivious to their arrangement, but they needed to keep it that way. All would have been well, had they not been traveling alongside a detective, and a seemingly clever one, at that.
Nerves thrummed high as they passed through the dining car, even though they were amongst friends. Fiona could swear the energy in the room was tense, palpable because they were all thinking the same thing, all preparing for the plan they had carefully crafted for so long. Tonight was the night. She cast a glance over her shoulder to see Caroline with her head held high, statuesque and lovely as ever. A far cry from the woman who had broken down in her arms all those months ago, at her lowest, most vulnerable point.
“Cigarette?” Fiona offered with a sly grin, holding out her silver case for Caroline to partake once they were seated. They were putting on a show now, the very thing they both had made a living doing for years and years. “Do you… travel very much, Mrs. Hubbard?”
the floor beneath her feet trembled with the force of a train in motion, and caroline’s glance remained set on the farthest table that had yet to be occupied. with the expensive, purple satin clinging to her curves, the woman took a seat and turned to order a drink —- two drinks, always one step ahead for she could already see fiona approaching down the well lit corridor.
it was a sight that took her breath away, that painted a welcoming smile across her carmine lips. as devastated as she felt inside, nerves on edge and a mess of tangled thoughts, knowing fiona wouldn’t dream of walking away on them, not now that they were so close, helped keep her hands still.
❝ i travel enough. ❞ a cigarette was plucked from the woman’s open case and placed between two, long fingers. ❝ here and there, meeting men. husband hunting, they call it, but not me. i prefer — fraternizing. ❞ caroline’s last words were followed by a chuckle from the back of her own throat, seemingly cheerful unless someone looked close enough. once she had wrapped her lips around the untouched filter, caroline raised a silver lighter and set the tip ablaze, then handed it over for fiona to do the same with hers. ❝ but a woman of a certain age has earned the right to enjoy herself, wouldn’t you say? ❞