Steven, I could feel their barely constrained curiosity, but everyone was pleasant enough. Throughout the conversation, Victoria never seemed to stray very far from my peripheral vision, flitting from group to group with charming hellos, greeting everyone with warm kisses and delighted smiles. Was I being paranoid? With every easy engagement and greeting, it felt as if she was deliberately making it very clear that, like some war correspondent, she was embedded in the Weaverham family. I fought to keep my spirits afloat, so it was a massive relief when Aunty Lynn and Uncle Richard arrived. They went straight over to Sally and Miles who were now standing a few feet away from Sam and me.
‘Happy Anniversary, Sally,’ said Aunty Lynn presenting her with a beautiful bouquet of white flowers that you could just tell had been specially selected down at the local florists. Aunty Lynn was one of the kindest and warmest people I knew, and she was particularly big on finding gifts for people that she knew they would love.
‘Aren’t they gorgeous? All my favourites.’ Sally’s eyes lit up. ‘How absolutely beautiful, thank you, Lynn.’ She stuck her nose straight into the extravagant display, her genuine pleasure apparent.
Victoria materialised by her elbow. ‘Hello, Lynn.’
‘Hello, how are you?’ responded Lynn with a friendly smile. Lynn had met Victoria before? That was a bit of a shocker. Did she know who she was? Had Sam and I ever mentioned her behaviour in front of Lynn and Richard? Would Shelley have mentioned the Facebook episode? Lynn definitely wouldn’t have approved of that.
‘I’m very well, thank you. Gorgeous day for a party, isn’t it?’ Victoria was all smiles and completely comfortable in the situation. ‘Would you like me to get a vase for those, Sally, and put them in water?’
‘Oh, darling, would you?’ said Sally turning to her, with a fond smile. ‘That would be lovely.’
‘The blue or the cut glass?’ asked Victoria, being super helpful, and although she didn’t look my way, I knew that she was completely aware that I was there. Did she know Lynn was my aunt?
‘Mmm,’ Sally considered for a second, ‘The blue, I think. What do you reckon?’
‘Definitely the blue.’ Victoria beamed at her, shot me a triumphant little smirk, and disappeared through the French windows in the house.
‘What can I get you to drink?’ asked Miles as Lynn caught sight of me.
‘Jess!’ She moved to my side to give me a big hug. ‘Hello, sweetheart, where’s Sam? How’s your week been? How’s your mum?’ As she asked the flurry of questions, she turned back to Miles and said, ‘Thanks, Miles, I’d love a glass of Prosecco.’
‘And you, Richard?’
‘Beer, if you have it.’
A discussion about which beers ensued and the men gravitated back to the makeshift bar set up on the patio near the kitchen.
Sally looked at her watch. ‘I ought to think about serving food.’
‘Would you like some help?’ I asked.
‘Oh no, thank you. It’s all under control.’ And with that she disappeared back to the house and the minute she was out of earshot, the question spilled out, ‘So how do you know Victoria?’
Lynn looked a little surprised. ‘What’s wrong with her?’
‘Nothing,’ I said.
Lynn wasn’t stupid and she knew me far too well. She raised a motherly eyebrow that said she didn’t believe a word of it and reminded me a little of my own mother’s language skill with a facial twitch.
‘That’s Sam’s ex. The one he went out with for four years.’
‘Oh! That’s her?’ said Lynn. ‘I didn’t realise.’ She wrinkled her face. ‘She was here when I popped in for coffee the other day and she dropped in when Sally and I were going off to a flower arranging thing last week. I didn’t realise she was Sam’s ex but that makes sense now. I just assumed she was the daughter of a close friend or something.’ She frowned. ‘It must be difficult for Sally if they’ve been good friends.’
‘Yes, of course it is, and there’s no reason why Sally shouldn’t see her.’
‘Although…’ Lynn gave me a worried look, ‘she does seem to drop in an awful lot. She still seems very at home here. Is everything all right?’
‘Yes, it’s fine.’ I glanced across the garden at Sam’s blond head and in the same moment he looked my way with a lazy smile, his mouth curving and his blue eyes crinkling as if remembering some secret between us. My heart expanded at the quiet intimacy of the smile. ‘More than fine,’ I