Page 117 of The Little Teashop of Lost and Found
‘Well, of course I do still think about Dan a lot, but as I told Nile a while back, the nervous breakdown seemed to have somehow enabled me to move on.’
‘Oh?’ she brightened. ‘I’m not sure Nile’s entirely taken that on board, because he seems to think you still need a little space … though eventually I do hope you two will—’
‘We’re just friends,’ I said quickly, guessing where she was heading. ‘But not in the Zelda sense of the word,’ I added, hearing her voice in the hall, calling imperatively: ‘Nile – can we talk?’
‘I suppose so, though it’s almost dinner time – come into the library,’ he replied, sounding tight-lipped but resigned.
Then there was the click of the library door shutting and we exchanged a glance.
‘I think we might have a few issues to resolve before there can be happy-ever-afters all round,’ Sheila said thoughtfully.
‘They don’t exist anyway,’ I told her. ‘Not even in my fairy tales.’
The rest of us had already gathered round the table and made a start on Geeta’s delicious vegetable samosa starters, by the time they emerged together, though not, judging by Zelda’s expression, together in any other sense than temporarily inhabiting the same space.
I got my first good look at her, for the passage light upstairs was quite dim. She was tiny, with black, glossy hair falling in two perfect wings to frame a face that could only be described as cutely pretty. She was also thin and elegant, in a garnet-coloured slinky jumpsuit that probably cost the earth.
Nile was wearing his best thundercloud expression and a black shirt, probably to reflect his mood.
‘Zelda does some modelling for catalogues,’ Bel whispered in my ear.
‘What, for children’s clothes?’ I hissed back cattily, and Bel snorted.
Zelda looked at us suspiciously, then went and sat next to Robbie, while Nile took the last chair, which was opposite me. His eyes rested on me for a moment as blank and hard as grey quartz. Then the angry expression went out of them and was replaced by a wicked glint.
‘You’re looking very Lizzie Siddal tonight, Alice – all lace and flowing curls,’ he said, with the obvious intention of winding me up, though I could never resist that smile.
‘Don’t tease, Nile,’ said Sheila, and then, to my relief, the give and take of normal family conversation started up again and Teddy began feeding Casper spoonfuls of lumpy gloop, while Bel told her mother that she’d just remembered that she’d invited Thom Carey to Sunday lunch, and asked if that was all right.
‘Of course, darling,’ she said predictably.
When I turned my head I caught Zelda eyeing me closely, then she began whispering away to Robbie, which was rather rude. Whatever she said madehimstare first at Nile, and then at me, though it didn’t stop him eating. Nothing ever did get between Robbie and his dinner.
‘What time is your interview tomorrow, darling?’ Sheila asked me. ‘Only we must leave the library free for that.’
‘About ten,’ I said. ‘I’m quite nervous about it and I’d like to get it over with.’
‘Are you going to take my advice and wear the dryad dress, for the photographs?’ Nile asked.
‘What interview?’ asked Robbie plaintively. ‘And why is someone taking your photograph, Alice?’
So then we had to give him and Zelda a potted history of my being found abandoned and my hope that my natural mother would come forward if she saw an article about it in the local paper.
‘I had no idea about any of that,’ Robbie said blankly.
‘But I told you all about it years ago, Robbie,’ I said patiently.
‘Did you?’ His eyes opened wide. ‘I must have forgotten. I mean, I knew you were adopted, it was all the rest I didn’t remember.’
‘It all sounds veryWuthering Heights,’ drawled Zelda. ‘Who have you cast as Heathcliff?’ She glanced at Nile. ‘Or should I guess?’
‘I’ve always thought Heathcliff was more a force of nature than a real character,’ Sheila said, holding Casper who, having finished his dinner, was being passed from lap to lap around the table. I noticed Zelda hadn’t shown any interest in him, which was odd considering her desire for a baby, but perhaps she was one of those women who only liked their own children?
But Casper was so adorable, I didn’t know how anyone could resist him! Geeta took him off to bed eventually, when we took our coffee through into the living room. I only lingered long enough to be polite before I gave in to the enormous rolling waves of sleepiness that were finally catching up with me from last night’s marathon writing session.
‘I’m afraid I’ll have to go to bed,’ I confessed. ‘I’m sorry, but I only had a couple of hours’ sleep last night, before Nile woke me up.’
Zelda gave me another of those long stares, sniggered, then muttered something to Robbie, who was sitting next to her on the cushioned window seat.
