“It is what it is,” Bennett said with a sigh. “And while they say that three times is the charm, for me, it was eight, ending with a woman named Maeve O’Sullivan. The year was 1930, and Max and I were visiting one of his friends in Cornwall. Aldrich is one of the firsts, and like most of them, he came from wealth, and it showed. From his home to his clothing, everything was opulent, and once we got settled, Max mentioned how much he liked the suit Aldrich was wearing. I swear Aldrich’s chest got three times larger, and he began raving about this local tailor he’d found. The man was an immigrant from Ireland, and not only was he talented, but he also had no issue rearranging his hours to fit Aldrich’s needs.”

“Meaning?”

“Aldrich couldn’t go out during the day.”

“Oh, that’s right—duh,” Ruby said, tapping her forehead. “I forgot. You were the only one.”

“As far as anyone knew I was,” Bennett said with a glint in her eye. “Also, this was during the Great Depression, and people would do anything to put food on the table, so Aldrich arranged a time when we could all visit the shop. Now, by this time, women had begun to wear trousers, so Barnaby O’Sullivan had no issue making my suit, but he was dreadfully uncomfortable taking the measurements, so he called his daughter in to do the deed.”

“Let me guess. Maeve?”

“Right you are,” Bennett said, bobbing her head. “We went into a back room so I could step out of my clothes, and before she’d taken the last measurement, I knew her proclivity matched mine. She kept letting her fingers linger longer than necessary as she wrapped the tape around my bust or when she measured for the inseam of my trousers, and she positively couldn’t stop talking about my bra.”

“Your bra?”

“Up until the late nineteenth century, women wore corsets or a chemise. What you know as a bra didn’t become all the rage until the late 1920s, and even then, most working-class women didn’t wear them. Remember, this was during the Great Depression, and spending what little money you had on something as frivolous as a bra wasn’t done. In any case, like I said, she couldn’t stop chattering on about it, even suggesting that perhaps one day I could assist her in trying one of mine on.”

“Seriously? Talk about coming on strong.”

“Yes. Of all the women I’ve known, Maeve was definitely the most forthcoming,” Bennett said, shooting Ruby a look. “That is, until I met you.”

“Ha ha.”

“It’s true. Other than some lady vampires I know who make their desires crystal clear, I’d never had a mortal come on to me like Maeve or you.”

“I liked what I saw,” Ruby said, shrugging. “And apparently, Maeve did, too.”

“Yes, it seemed she did.”