Page 39 of The Engagement

Belle shakes her head. ‘We went out.’

‘Let me guess – Nando’s?’ I’m trying to keep things normal, at least until Rob gets back.

‘We went to Jack’s club, actually. It’s…it’s super nice.’

‘So…so he actually has a business?’ I’m confused, wondering if Vaughn’s illicit dealings have spread out of London. His network must have reached far wider than I ever knew back then.

‘Mm-hh. We were treated like royalty. Jen was well impressed that I’ll be working there. I said I’ll get her a discount on drinks. They have live performers in the evening and everything.’

I close my eyes briefly. ‘Where is this place, love?’ I ask, trying to sound interested, though not for the reasons Belle thinks.

‘I’ll see if they have a website.’ Smiling, she picks up her phone and opens a Google tab, but the screen suddenly goes black as her phone dies on her. Before I can stop her, she’s on her feet and in the hallway, grabbing my bag off the hall table. It’s as though it’s happening in slow motion – Belle opening the zipper and rummaging inside. My car keys and hairbrush fall out.

‘Is your phone in here, Mum?’ she asks, looking up at me, one hand still stuffed inside my work bag.

I see the folder sticking out. One wrong move and it will also fall to the floor. I imagine the pictures spilling out, her face when she knows I’ve seen them. She’d be mortified – not to mention furious at why I have them.

Suddenly, I’m on my feet and lunging at her, grabbing the bag. ‘I…I don’t know,’ I say. ‘Not sure. Might be in the car.’

‘God, Mum, no panic. Chill, yeah?’

I stuff the folder back in the bag and zip it up again. ‘Sorry, there’s confidential work papers in there. Data protection and all that. You know what it’s like.’

Belle pulls a face, indicating that no, she doesn’t.

She flops on the sofa again. ‘It’s called Scarlett’s, just off Trinity Street. Doesn’t look much from the outside, but…’ Belle trails off, hesitating. ‘Well, you know. It’s one of those quirky, bohemian places. I think lots of businessmen go there at night.’

I’ve never heard of it but can imagine exactly the kind of place it is.

‘Did you eat there?’

‘Well, no, we didn’t.’ Belle hesitates. ‘They weren’t open when we went but this guy knew all about me. We went to Maccy’s instead. That was Jen’s idea, by the way.’

‘What did he look like, this guy?’

‘I dunno. Just normal.’ Belle looks away again, something she always does when she doesn’t want me to read her mind. It’s a thing we’ve always had, and if I believed in such notions, I’d say it verged on the supernatural. Some would say it’s a genetic bond that parents share with their children – but I don’t think it’s that. It feels more like a connection, intuition, a deep understanding born out of love.

‘Belle…’ I hold my breath for a moment, unsure how best to get it out so that she’ll take notice. ‘Darling, what if I were to tell you that Jack might not be exactly who he says he is?’

Her head whips round so that our faces are inches away. ‘I’d say that you were being exactly like Jen. You won’t put me off him, Mum, if that’s your intention.’

‘I know it’s hard to take in, but will you trust me on this?’

Maybe it’s something in the tone of my voice – or that mother–daughter intuition kicking in again, but either way I notice a flicker of something in her eyes. Something that makes her at least consider what I’m telling her.

‘Sometimes people say things that wewantto believe in order to…well, to get whattheywant. It’s cruel and misleading and very unfair, but I think you need to consider why Jack might be interested in a young girl like you.’ It’s the best I can do for now.

‘It’s not like I’m loaded or anything,’ Belle says. ‘So he’s hardly after my money.’

Tell her, I say to myself.Tell your daughter what you did…

‘Just something to keep in mind,’ I say, thanking God that I hear Natalia and Amber coming in through the front door at just the right moment.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

HANNAH – NOW

When Belle was four, I took her to nursery for the first time. She’d not been out of my sight since the day she was born, and it felt as though I’d ripped out my heart and was leaving it in the care of a stranger when I said goodbye to her at the door. Thing was, Belle barely noticed that I was going, despite my slow inch towards the exit.

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