Page 86 of Love ad Lib
‘What?’ said Libby.
‘Not Henry, doofus,Finn. Eveline wants a husband so I’ve been trying to set her up.’
‘Estelle! Shush!’
‘Oops. Soz. But Libby is in the circle of trust. Anyway…’ Estelle turned back to Libby. ‘She doesn’t fancy Finn, or Connor or Leo, and all her acolytes—’
‘Parishioners,’ said Eveline, firmly.
‘Parishioners… Have one foot in the grave. The only eligible man left in the village is Isaac, but I’ve bagsied him.’
‘Isaac is my friend,’ Eveline said.
‘He’s a yoga teacher,’ Estelle said to Libby. ‘Have you ever done hot yoga before?’
‘No,’ she replied. ‘Is that what he teaches?’
‘No, he teaches Devanandara yoga, but he’s hot as fuck. I invited him tonight but I don’t think he'll come. He’s playing hard to get.’
It was halfpast seven by the time they were ushered into the dining room. Libby was buzzed after two glasses of champagne, and her hand kept drifting towards Henry’s only for her to wrestle control of it and clamp it back to her side. She was used to meeting new people through her work, but it was exhausting playing a part and the stakes were so much higher for Henry. She couldn’t let him down.
His aunt, Simone, and her family were ridiculously glamorous and she was painfully aware how their gazes flicked over her outfit as if assessing it from all angles.
Henry and Estelle had made some last-minute adjustments to the place settings to ensure Libby was buffered by them, their friends and siblings. Libby smiled and chatted, but the meal went on for hours, with seven courses, speeches and endless alcohol. By eleven, she was exhausted.
‘You don’t have to stay,’ Henry murmured in her ear. ‘It’s going to go on all night.’
Goosebumps rippled over her skin at his closeness. She turned her head, allowing her cheek to touch his.
‘Are you sure?’ she whispered.
He nodded. ‘I reached my limit a couple of hours ago. To be honest, you’re the perfect excuse for me to leave as well.’
Her heart sprinted off the blocks. ‘You’re coming with me?’
‘The Travelodge was full, but I found a bunkhouse for cavers in the Mendips that had a bed free. I just need to get Rupert’s car keys, so I can move his Range Rover and get out. Then I’ll head off.’
Oh. ‘A bunkhouse? What’s that?’
‘It’s a bit like a youth hostel but more basic. There’s a large room with a load of beds in it, and a kitchen and bathroom. There’s an honesty box outside for payment, so I can use cash and no-one will know I was there.’
Libby glanced around the opulent dining room, trying to imagine Henry on a bunk bed in a room full of snoring cavers.
‘Do they even have bedding?’
He paused.
‘Henry!’
‘What are you two whispering about?’ Estelle asked.
Henry looked like a deer caught in headlights.
‘We’re tired actually,’ Libby replied. ‘So, we’re probably going to turn in.’
‘Already?’ Estelle looked horrified at the prospect.
‘Estelle,’ Eveline said gently. ‘ItisHenry’s birthday. Gram-Gram’s already left, and I’m going to head off now, too.’
