Page 100 of Love ad Lib
‘Play your cards right and you’ll be living here one day,’ Rupert brayed from further down the table.
‘Roo-Roo!’ hissed Cecily at him.
Libby popped a blini heaped with smoked salmon and caviar in her mouth. If she was eating, maybe they would leave her in peace?
‘Elizabeth,’ Gram-Gram began.
‘Libby,’ Henry interrupted.
‘Ah, yes,Libby. Do tell me more about your family.’
‘I—’ She hastily swallowed and a bit went down the wrong way. ‘Excuse me… hang on—'
Henry passed her a glass of water and rubbed her back whilst she coughed.
The rest of his family watched her as if waiting to see her next move. She could feel Henry tense beside her.
Libby wiped the corners of her eyes and took a breath. She’d prepared for this moment, but the lies still stuck in her throat.
‘I was born in Hollywood, just south of Birmingham, but was brought up in Surrey where my family still lives. My father is a lawyer, and my mother is a legal secretary.’
Silence.
She continued with the lies, basing as much of it as she could on India’s family, and feeling sicker with every word that came out of her mouth.
‘And why Henry?’ Rupert interrupted. ‘Apart from the title and all of this?’
‘Rupert!’ Gram-Gram barked.
Henry pushed his chair back, ready to confront his cousin.
Libby put her hand on his arm, guiding him back down.
Rupert shrugged. ‘Innocent question. As far as we know, Henry’s never had a girlfriend. We all thought he was a—’
‘Roo-Roo! For heaven’s sake!’ Cecily snapped.
Julian hooted with laughter. ‘We assumed he’d paid you to be his girlfriend.’
‘Ah! There you are,’ cried Estelle, entering the gazebo. ‘You promised you’d come boating with me.’ She hauled Libby to her feet and dragged her away. ‘Just borrowing her for half an hour,’ she called over her shoulder before lowering her voice and muttering in Libby’s ear. ‘Or the rest of the weekend…’
‘Thank you,’ she whispered back. ‘They’re terrifying.’
‘Don’t let them get to you.’ Estelle squeezed her arm. ‘They’re a once-a-year endurance.’
Henry joined them and his sister frowned at him.
‘Fat lot of good you were being back there, little brother.’
‘I—’
‘Henry was doing his best,’ Libby said.
‘I didn’t see a shotgun,’ Estelle replied. ‘Or a bullwhip. That’s the very least Rupert and Julian need. Seriously, did that ballbag suggest Henry bloodypaidyou to pretend to be his girlfriend?’ She shook her head. ‘Arseholes.’
A jetty extended out into the lake, with two rowing boats tied to it.
‘Right, Henry, go and impress Libby with your rowing skills. Added bonus, the numpties can’t get to you out there.’
