run you a bath, make love to you and cook you the best meal you’ve ever had.’
I squealed. ‘In that order?’
‘Absolutely! You’ll have spent a week in a hostel with no running water by then!’
I swiped his tattooed arm and he fell on me, nuzzling my neck and tickling my sides until I could barely breath.
‘Did you tell your mum the good news?’ he asked, when I eventually begged for mercy.
‘Oh God,’ I said, pulling myself up and pushing my hair out of my face. ‘In everything that was going on with you this week, I totally forgot.’
I wish I’d lied and told him that she was thrilled, because the very next morning we were sat round at hers instead of being in bed, so excited was Thomas to tell her.
‘Oh, my goodness, that’s wonderful news,’ Mum said, clapping her hands together. ‘Who’d have thought that a few dusty old bottles languishing in a cellar could be so valuable?’
‘It’s gone a bit crazy,’ said Thomas. ‘I was in Spain this week and was offered some really exciting cases; there was a crate of Moncerbal and a dozen Les Manyes which will be gold dust to investors. I already know that I’ll be able to sell them for five times as much as I buy them for.’
‘So I assume you’re going to buy them?’ asked Mum. ‘If you know you’re on to a sure thing.’
‘Absolutely,’ he said, smiling. ‘It’s too good an opportunity to turn down. I’m already being chased by a few people who have heard the word through the grapevine.’
If he hadn’t looked at me expectantly as he delivered the punchline, I would have missed it altogether.
‘That was awful,’ I groaned.
‘The old ones are always the best,’ he laughed.
‘So you’ll not be holding on to them for very long?’ asked Mum.
Thomas shook his head. ‘Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll have them in my possession at all. I’ll sell them on, probably the same day that I buy them.’
‘How much will you be buying them for?’ asked Mum, suddenly forthright.
‘One hundred and fifty thousand secures the deal,’ said Thomas. ‘And I’ve already been offered four hundred and fifty thousand by a client in Russia. But I’m going to hang out for more.’
‘So an investor is going to buy them through you and you’re then going to sell them on to someone who is honestly going to pay that kind of money?’ I found myself asking.
‘Pretty much. I’ll take my ten per cent commission on each transaction and everybody’s happy.’
I looked to Mum, trying to read her mind.
‘Why can’t we buy the wine?’ I don’t know if I meant my thoughts to be aired publicly.
‘What?’ exclaimed Thomas, though I noted Mum stayed silent. ‘Where are you going to find that kind of money?’
I glanced at Mum again and she gave me a nod.
‘We can do that,’ I said. ‘It will pretty much wipe us out, but if it’s only for twenty-four hours, and comes back fivefold, it would have been a very good day’s work.’
‘It would certainly mean I could get all the work done and not have to worry anymore,’ chipped in Mum.
Thomas looked from Mum to me and back again. ‘This isn’t the right deal for you, Mary. It needs to happen faster than you would be able to manage and, I don’t know, it just feels . . .’
‘I can make the transfer first thing Monday morning,’ she said, sitting up straighter in her chair, as if she really meant business.
‘I think you should start smaller,’ he said. ‘There will be plenty of other opportunities. I’ll know the right one when I see it.’
Her whole body seemed to shrink, as if somebody had released her air valve.
‘We want to do this one,’ I said adamantly. ‘If you’re absolutely sure that we can double our money . . .’
‘At the very least,’ he said.
‘Then I want to do it,’ I said. ‘We want to do it. Mum?’
‘If you’re happy, then I’m happy,’ she said.
Thomas smiled and shook his head. ‘You two have enough chutzpah to serve an army.’
Mum and I looked at each other, taking it as a compliment.
‘But if that’s what you want . . .’
‘Absolutely,’ I said, before turning to Mum and laughing. ‘And if it all goes wrong, I’ll sell the flat and reimburse you.’
‘I might hold you to that,’ she said, smiling.
26
The alarm went off, waking me from a dream I was having about Prince Harry. We were holding up a bank, demanding money, with sawn-off