Matilda Next Door - Kelly Hunter Page 0,11

emergency.’

‘Raid the shirts.’ He sounded gruff. ‘Sorry about the lack of food in the fridge.’

‘Oh, no. It was …’

‘Woeful is the word you’re looking for.’

‘Well, yes.’ But she didn’t want to sound ungrateful. ‘But the apartment itself is brilliant, what with all the natural light and wooden panelling halfway up the walls, and the bookshelves and the leather chesterfields and the cosy club chairs, and the deep velvet curtains. It’s a very grand flat. I feel like I’m in the library on the Cluedo board.’

‘It came furnished.’

‘I figured as much. That shower recess is really … what’s the word? … functional. All those mirrored tiles. Not daunting at all.’ And there was that little smirk that told her he was definitely enjoying himself, almost definitely at her expense. ‘Excellent towels.’ They clearly didn’t come in from the washing line stiff as a board and scratchy as sandpaper like the ones at home. Because fabric softener and tumble dryers weren’t exactly farm staples. ‘So fluffy.’

She finally found the cutlery drawer and set about spearing an olive with a fork. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘Nothing. My grandparents were wondering how you were getting on, so I said I’d find out.’

‘Tell them I’m having a ball.’

‘Sounds to me like you haven’t been out of the flat yet.’

‘Having. A. Ball. That’s what you need to tell them. Not a word about lost luggage or borrowed clothes or looming starvation.’ She popped an olive in her mouth and, after one fast chew, decided to swallow it whole. ‘Eww. What the … olives in anchovy brine? That’s just nasty.’

‘For the dirty martinis,’ Henry said helpfully.

‘I’m going to raid your toothpaste shelf now. Be grateful they gave me a little toothbrush in my on-board travel pack. They gave me toothpaste too, but I used it all. It’s on my grocery list.’ Not that Henry needed to know that, but she wanted to explain that she hadn’t taken too many liberties.

‘Don’t be too friendly out there. Be suspicious of everyone.’

‘Not helping, Henry. I’m already—’ Scared, lonely, and feeling so out of place. But if she said that, and it got back to her parents, there would be phone calls and pep talks and discussion of insecurities she didn’t want to own up to. ‘—behind schedule. Trafalgar Square is waiting. You’ve done your duty and checked up on me. I’m really well and your place is lovely—an oasis in the desert.’ It wasn’t his fault she had yet to brave the city. ‘Give my love to all my favourite people and please don’t mention my lack of luggage to my parents.’

‘I don’t even know who your favourite people are.’

Trust him to be so literal. ‘Start with your grandparents and my parents, that’ll do for now. My world is small. Far smaller than yours, which is huge and ever-so-slightly intimidating.’

‘Matilda, are you okay?’

‘Never better. And thank you for checking in on me. That’s very sweet of you.’ The fact that he’d done it at his grandparents’ request notwithstanding.

‘Are you mocking me?’

‘No, but I can. I could talk about your monochromatic sock drawer if you like, but frankly I’m beginning to like it. It’s orderly and somewhat soothing.’ She needed to stop searching his face as if it was a beloved one. Bad enough standing here wearing his clothes.

‘Are you wearing my socks too?’

Yes, yes, she was. ‘They’re very thin. I mean, it helps with the neatness of the sock drawer, no question, but are they warm? I say no. And the sky here, Henry. I don’t mean to be picky, but please tell me it turns blue on occasion.’

‘Not like here.’ She could see his frown. ‘Listen. I want you to do something for me. There’s a women’s clothes boutique on the ground floor of the hotel next door. I want you to get Len the doorman to point you in the right direction and then I want you to go in and grab some stuff to wear and put it on the account I have running with the hotel. I’m going to ring them now, okay? They’ll be expecting you.’

‘That’s so not neces—’

‘Matilda, just do it. Every night since I’ve been here I’ve pulled dinner out of the freezer, and every last one of them has been made and put there by you. No one needs that many broad beans in return.’

‘You’re not making sense.’

‘Neither are you. Buy some clothes to wear and then get the hotel concierge to direct you to a nearby restaurant called Little Momo