Page 91 of I Knew You Were Trouble

‘We’d like to speak to you privately about something important.’ I glance to my left, where a narrow glass-paned door leads to a compact office. ‘Perhaps we could go in there?’

Lucia seems confused – and why wouldn’t she? We’re random people who have shown up uninvited.

‘It’s about Jon Dunn,’ Willem says.

‘Oh,’ she says, breaking into a wide smile, ‘you knowJonny. Are you also art lovers, or have you just stopped by to say hello?’

God, this is going to be harder than I thought. AndJonny? Jon is anything but a ‘Jonny’. But perhaps Lucia sees a vastly different side to him.

‘Ah, well, weareart lovers,’ I say, smiling up at Willem, who nods along, ‘and you have abeautifulgallery. Your work is incredible.’

She beams at me, but I’m about to wipe that smile from her face.

‘I’m afraid this isn’t about art, however. We have something to tell you and it’s probably best done in private.’

Her face falls instantly. ‘Is everything all right? Is Jonny okay?’

It’s not lost on me that Lucia’s first thought is of Jon’s wellbeing; whereas, when Willem broke the news to me, it took me much longer to consider that he might be unwell or injured. And considering how her face lit up at the mention of his name, Lucia may have a far closer connection with Jon than I ever had. Even closer than how Adriana describedherrelationship with Jon.

This reallyismuch more difficult than I imagined.

‘It’s nothing like that. As far as we know, he’s fine,’ I say, and she sighs with relief. ‘But we do have information about Jon, and it concerns you.’

‘Okay,’ she says, finally seeming to grasp the gravity of the situation. She pushes off the edge of the desk and goes into the office, beckoning for us to follow, which we do.

* * *

‘You’reengaged to Jonny?’ she asks, every word imbued with incredulity. ‘I don’t understand,’ she adds with a please-tell-me-you’re-joking laugh.

‘I am, yes,’ I reply, steadily meeting her gaze. ‘He proposed nearly four months ago – in London.’

‘No – no, it isn’t possible. He’s in love with me.’

She states this as an unassailable fact, and having anticipated her reluctance to believe me, I take out my phone and unlock the screen. As planned, it opens on the photo of me and Jon from the night he proposed – the one I showed Adriana in Amsterdam.

I look away because I hate seeing myself with him, blissfully unaware. I could have deleted it from my phone when I first found out, along with the other photos of us. But now I’m glad I didn’t.

Lucia takes the phone from me and stares at the screen, her brow furrowed and her jaw tight.

‘But, Lucia, there’s more…’ I say, gently taking back my phone.

As I tell her about Adriana, myriad emotions cross her face and eventually, her features settle into an open-mouthed grimace.

I gesture towards Willem. ‘Willem is Adriana’s brother. He’s the one who discovered what Jon was doing and came to tell me – like we’ve come to tell you.’

She regards me closely, then looks up at Willem.

‘We’ve brought additional proof if you nee?—’

She holds up a hand, and he stops talking. The silence that follows is thick with tension as Lucia’s gaze fixes on the wall between us, thoughts tumbling behind her eyes. I wonder if she’s conducting a mental audit of their time together – like I did.

Her eyes snap back into focus and she looks at me. ‘Bastardo,’ she says, her voice laden with vitriol.

Instinctually, I recoil, thinking she’s referring to me. But when Willem steps in with, ‘Heisa bastard,’ I realise my error.

Though if Lucia did direct some of her anger at me, I would understand. This is a tricky situation no matter which way it’s spun, and it’s forgivable if she wants to shoot the messenger.

It also occurs to me how little it has taken to convince her, especially compared to Adriana – or even me. Lucia must have had her suspicions, or perhaps she had niggling doubts but dismissed them – also like I did.

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