I can help you… we can sort something out. I could… I could talk to my dad,’ Emma suggested. He might not be her favourite person at the moment but he was all she had. Her gran said he’d been born sensible. He would know what to do.
‘Non!’ Guy exclaimed. His horror at that suggestion was evident.
‘OK, stupid idea. You’re right,’ she backtracked.
‘Je me déteste,’ he spat.
‘No, don’t say that,’ she begged.
‘J’ai mériter cela!’ He punched the bale next to him.
‘I don’t know what that means. Please, Guy,’ she said, taking hold of his arms.
He broke again. Sobs racked his shoulders and this time he let her gather him into her arms.
‘Sshh, it’s OK. It’s going to be OK. I promise,’ she whispered, stroking his hair.
Chapter Thirty-One
Present Day
‘Guy? Is that you?’
He’d been surprised to see Madeleine’s car in the driveway when he’d parked. He’d hoped to have the rest of the afternoon alone to go through his schedule. He wanted to spend some time with Emma. Proper time. But first he had to tell Madeleine it was over. He swallowed at that thought. He needed to do it quickly for both their sakes.
He entered the kitchen, found Madeleine sitting at the central island leafing through a magazine.
‘Hi. I thought you were out for the day. I am back in time for the dry cleaning,’ he said, looking at his watch.
‘Something amazing has happened!’ Her eyes were animated, her expression almost manic with excitement.
‘What is it?’ he asked. What was it? This could be very bad. She was behaving as if something life-changing was about to occur. It couldn’t be…
‘We have been invited to Suzanna Okino’s fashion showcase tonight! All the major labels will be there and the press. Gabriella’s even got us five minutes with a lingerie manufacturer about developing our line,’ Madeleine bubbled. She got down off the chair and moved towards him.
‘This could be the launch of my career as a fashion designer, Guy! Lingerie to start and then a whole clothing line,’ she said, placing her hands on the lapels of his jacket.
‘That is…’ He didn’t really know how to react. He had never seen her so enthusiastic about anything. She was glowing. She was glowing and smiling. He wasn’t used to it. These days he mostly got sneers and orders.
‘It’s the best thing that has happened to me. I cannot wait to go. We should get there early. Gabriella wants us to run through our pitch. It’s only five minutes with the manufacturer but he’s well thought of and… we just need to get a start with someone,’ she continued. She kissed his cheek and then his mouth, linking her arms around his neck.
He held her back. The closeness felt so wrong.
‘What is it? Is everything OK?’ she asked. She stepped back, observed him more closely.
‘Yes… of course,’ he said, putting a more upbeat expression on his face.
‘This is what I wanted so much, Guy. The chance to own something, build something. I know you think I exist only to shop but every moment spent in boutiques was research. Perhaps maybe not the Vivienne Westwood but the rest…’
‘I’m pleased for you,’ Guy told her. He took her hand and held it in his.
He was pleased for her. This was a good thing. When he told her they needed to break up, she would have a focus now. It would not be so hard for her.
‘What shall I wear?’ she asked him, holding his hand in the air and spinning a circle.
‘I don’t know… you are the fashion expert,’ he responded.
He couldn’t tell her tonight.
*
‘How’s your steak?’ Emma asked.
Chris looked up from his meal, horseradish sauce at the corner of his mouth. ‘Great. Gorgeous, just like you.’ He laughed then and poked in a couple of chips.
This was awful. She’d barely touched her meal. Her stomach was too full of guilt, regret and worry to add food to the mix. She poured some more water into her glass.
‘How was work?’
‘Work? Taxi-driving the world around? It was same as. Mrs Bootle paid me fifty quid again to drive her around for an hour passing all the places she used to visit with Mr Bootle when he was alive.’
‘Again? Oh ,that’s really sad,’ Emma said.
‘I thought that at first, but it makes her happy. When I look in that rear-view mirror, she’s there, smiling away in the back. God knows what those two got up to at these places. We went past the library, which is innocent enough, but