Page 57 of Love ad Lib
‘Ah, they do take a fair amount of yeast. Did you prove them long enough?’
‘Three hours?’
Perry shook her head, her face scrunched as if biting into a lemon. ‘Not long enough, love. Weather dependent, I’d give them twice that. Have another go and let me know how you get on. I don’t have a starter myself or we could have tried it.’
Libby swallowed the lump in her throat. Out of everything that had recently happened to her, the loss of Serafina was hardest to come to terms with. As silly as she knew it was, it felt like she’d lost a friend.
Henry was watching her, concern in his eyes. He reached across the table towards her, then stopped, his hand approximately eight inches away.
His sister rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t stop your PDA on my account. This place is hardly a convent.’
‘A convent? Now thatwouldbe fun,’ came an American accent as Henry and Estelle’s mother swept into the room.
Libby stood, trying not to choke, as the face she’d admired advertising Chanel in Vogue and starring in Hollywood films directed its focus on her. Unlike most actors, Vivienne was taller and more stunning in real life. She was dressed in a red playsuit, the front of the top split from navel to neck.
Henry pushed back his chair to stand by Libby’s side.
‘Mom—’
‘You must be Elizabeth.’ Vivienne’s eyes flicked over Libby as she extended a manicured hand.
Libby fought her legs as they demanded she curtsey. ‘Please, call me Libby,’ she managed to reply.
Vivienne drew her in, kissing her on both cheeks. ‘I’m so glad to find you’re real. Please, sit. Don’t let me stop you.’
‘Can I get you a plate, Vivienne?’ Perry asked.
She passed a hand over her flat stomach. ‘No, thank you, Perry. I’ll wait until dinner.’
Vivienne’s gaze drifted to her daughter. Estelle took another Chelsea bun and crammed as much as she could into her mouth.
Vivienne turned her attention back to Libby. ‘I’m so looking forward to getting to know you better over dinner. And finding out everything about the publishing world. Arthur will tell you all about his autobiography as soon as he gets the chance. It’s illustrated.’ She looked at Henry. ‘Did you like your new bathroom, honey? And the bed?’
Estelle rolled her eyes as Henry swallowed. ‘Thanks, Mom. It's, er, very nice.’
‘Well…’ His mother lowered her voice. ‘I’m sure you’re gonna enjoy christening it later.’ She winked at Libby, then turned on her heels. ‘Have fun, kids. See you at dinner,’ she said, sashaying out of the room.
12
Libby stared at her reflection in the mirror as the sound of a gong reverberated along the corridor. A few seconds later there was a tentative knock on the door from outside.
‘Two secs,’ she called out.
This was it. Game face on. Time for Elizabeth Bennet to meet the family.
She was wearing her favourite yellow dress, paired with the annoyingly insubstantial ballet pumps. Her make-up was light and the only jewellery was a bright necklace made from cloth beads, which Claire had given her. Libby hoped it wasn’t too wacky for an upper-class girl who worked for a publishing company.
After the double whammy of Estelle and Vivienne, she’d escaped to Henry’s room and he’d left her in peace and quiet for a few hours. She was exhausted but still had to face the rest of his siblings and his grandmother. When she opened the door, Henry retreated to the far wall of the corridor.
‘Do you want to use the room?’ she asked.
‘If you don’t mind? I won’t be long.’
As he came forward, she stepped back, maintaining the distance between them.
He cleared his throat. ‘Libby,’ he began, then paused.
‘Yes?’Oh shit.Was something wrong?
