Page 86 of Wild About You

‘They didn’t know I was there,’ he said. ‘I went up to check that the gift shop was locked, and there they were, in the grand salon.’

‘Who?’

‘Lucinda and the creep. By the Caravaggio. Kissing.’

I almost dropped my phone. ‘What the fuck?’

‘You see,’ said Tobias triumphantly. ‘You’re whispering now!’

I was walking down one side of a Georgian square. I spotted a bench on the other side of the railings and went to sit down, swearing under my breath.

‘So what do we do?’ said Tobias.

‘I don’t know,’ I said.

‘Ask Fi. She’ll know.’

‘No.’ I instinctively wanted to protect Fi. ‘It’s too much. She’s tired and stressed.’

‘We have to tell someone, and whoever that someone is they have to tell Jamie.’

I looked at a pair of urban seagulls fighting over a half-eaten sandwich. London was so picturesque these days. ‘Do we?’ I said.

‘Anna,that womanhas just ordered an eight-foot wedding cake. What a bitch! Cheating on him and bankrupting Stonemore at the same time. Are we going to let her get away with that?’

‘It’s none of our business,’ I said lamely.

‘Really?!’ Tobias was definitely not whispering now.

‘Tobias,’ I said. ‘Go home, have some dinner, relax. You’ve told me. I’m going to think about what to do.’

‘Hmm,’ he said. ‘It’s true, I haven’t eaten. I’m feeling extra hangry.’

‘So trust me,’ I said.

‘’kay.’

‘Speak tomorrow. Night night.’

‘Humph. Night.’

My mind was whirling as I put the phone away and headed for the pub I’d agreed to meet Rose at. I saw her from a distance, looking impossibly stylish, with her camel-coloured raincoat tied at the waist and the most glorious bag I’d ever seen tucked under her arm. My heart swelled at the sight of her; my sister was what I missed most about London. I crossed the road and trotted straight into her arms.

She squeezed me then searched my face with her eyes. ‘How was it?’ she said.

I gazed back at her and shook my head. ‘I don’t know where to start.’

I tried to come into the apartment as quietly as I could, but I had the feeling my entry was about as subtle as breaking a window. The Art Deco front door needed a full-strength shove to close it.

Seeing Rose had helped, but afterwards I hadn’t felt ready to go back to the apartment. Instead I’d found a bench by the river for half an hour. Long enough to feel a bit weird and vulnerable, sitting alone in a city.

I wondered now if it would disturb everyone if I made a cup of tea. Sod it. I needed one.

‘Hey Cinderella.’ It was Jamie.

I swore and put my hand to my chest. ‘Couldn’t you have made a noise or something, rather than creeping up on me?’

‘There are four of us staying here,’ he said. ‘It wasn’t likely to be empty.’

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