Page 72 of Love ad Lib
‘I can be ready in fifteen,’ she replied.
Estelle drove a batteredold Land Rover Defender. The outside was splattered with mud and the inside was grimy with dirt, straw and dog hair.
‘No,’ Henry said to his sister. ‘You can come in my car, but I’m not getting in the Defender without overalls on.’
Estelle turned to Libby. ‘Want to ride shotgun with me?’
Libby tried to stop her nose wrinkling. The vehicle was the personification of the dirtiest side of the countryside and she didn’t want to go anywhere near it.
‘If you don’t mind, I'd like to ride with Henry.’
Estelle rolled her eyes. ‘Okay, love’s young dream. I’m parking in Southgate. I’ll see you there.’
She hopped in and set off down the long drive, the exhaust belching black diesel smoke.
Henry opened the passenger door of his car. ‘Shall we?’
Driving down the country lanes,Libby’s stomach turned over. It wasn’t the twists and turns that were making her feel sick, but the thought of Lucas, her other fake boyfriend. Pretending to be Henry’s upper-class girlfriend with a super important job in publishing was bad enough, but continuing to deceive Henry about her relationship with Lucas was something else. If she didn’t tell him and he found out later, he might be angry at her deliberate deception. But right now she was mortified at how stupid she’d been and didn’t want Henry thinking she was a total fool.
Until Henry had mentioned Lucas’s name the previous night, thoughts of him hadn’t crossed her mind for nearly a day. Was Lucas even her friend anymore? She’d considered him one of her best friends, but to what extent had he taken advantage of her? Anger fought with embarrassment. Would she ever be able to get her money back?
Libby gazed out of the window into a little valley. A tiny farmhouse rested in the dip. Cream-coloured cows clustered under a tree in a next-door field, swishing their tails. Foxbrooke was a beautiful bubble. Soon it would burst and she’d have to find somewhere to live and a job that didn’t involve Claire.
The previous Tuesday she’d performed their comedy night above the pub with an acquaintance taking her friend’s role. But the performance didn’t have the same zing. Working with Claire was almost telepathic. How could she create the same chemistry with anyone else?
And as for her bank balance… The money Henry was paying her for this weekend wouldn’t last long. Most of it was already gone on servicing her debts. Debts she’d accrued because she was busy funding Lucas’s vulva paintings.
‘You okay?’
She glanced at Henry, full of shame about Lucas, and too cowardly to tell him the truth.
‘I haven’t got you a birthday present. Or Estelle.’
‘I don’t want or need anything. And I know my sister won’t be expecting anything either.’ He yawned and tried to cover it with his hand. ‘Sorry.’
‘How did you sleep last night?’
‘As well as could be expected. There’s a Travelodge outside Frome that I’m going to book for tonight. I can’t use any of the local B&Bs as it’ll get back to the family. I need somewhere anonymous.’
‘You don’t have to do that. People might notice your car is gone. We can find a way to make it work.’
Henry shook his head. ‘You need a quiet space for yourself. You’ve been through enough already.’ He sighed. ‘Christ, I’m so sorry about my dad this morning. I’m going to buy a lock and a deadbolt so that won’t happen again.’
‘Don’t worry, it’s just comedy material.’
His head snapped around, his eyes wide. ‘Libby—’
‘I was joking! Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’d never betray your family’s confidence.’
He nodded, but she could see the stress on his face, his fingers tight around the steering wheel.
They drove the rest of the way to Bath in silence.
‘Theatrical hire place first?’asked Estelle as they exited the lift from the underground car park into the middle of Southgate shopping centre.
Henry shook his head. ‘I don’t want a costume. You two go and I’ll meet you later. I’m off to buy some locks.’
‘Aw, c’mon,’ Estelle moaned. ‘Libby. Back me up here.’
