school trip. Not in love. She’d had good boyfriends and bad boyfriends. She’d gone out with guys who were so keen on her, it seemed she couldn’t turn round without treading on them; and others who managed to slot her in once a week between their careers and their squash, rugby, golf and stamp-collecting. There had been relationships which ran out of steam over months and relationships which flared up like a firework and died in a week. She’d been more serious about Francis than about anyone else. Now she thought about it, she had been dazzled by his reputation in their small circle and even thought they might have a future together. But she had never said to herself that she was in love with him.
He doesn’t make my toes curl.
Oh, hell. That was the worst reason in the world for seeing someone. No substance to it at all and it could be dreadfully deceptive.
Yes, but Francis had been a deceiver, too, in his own mean, egotistical way, and he was totally free from the toe-curling factor.
I don’t think Richard is a deceiver. But why hasn’t he called me?
What am I going to do if he doesn’t? And what the hell am I going to do if he does?
However, next day she was too busy to think about Richard or anyone else for that matter. The evil dentist fired his senior hygienist, after a long-running fight about supplies, and the other hygienists all walked out on the spot. Bella spent the whole morning on the phone rearranging appointments. Her employer wanted her to work over her lunch hour as well, but she was determined to see Anthea and refused.
It was as well she did. The moment she went in, one of Anthea’s assistants leaped up and almost hugged her.
‘Bella! Oh, it’s good to see you. Anthea’s been trying to contact you all week. She’s got the absolutely right job for you … number two at a tree conservation charity. Wait right there and I’ll get you the job spec. Anthea will have finished with her client by the time you’ve looked through it.’
Anthea herself was less effusive. ‘Don’t you ever answer your phone? Oh, well, never mind, you’re here now. Don’t move from that seat until I’ve got you an interview.’
Bella left the agency with an appointment to see the charity’s director and chairman that evening and clear evidence that her phone was not reliable. In fact, when she looked at the memory, she saw that she had not received or sent texts for several days.
She could not get to the phone shop until the evening but the friendly assistant recognised her and her new phone and was only too happy to sort it out.
‘It’s a design fault. It happens when you press …’ He showed her the exact key sequence to be avoided and Bella told him he was brilliant. It was more difficult to undo, apparently, but eventually he found a way through the walls and barriers and up flickered a great list of unanswered texts.
On the bus down Piccadilly, she ran through them, skipping over Anthea’s, Neill’s and her mother’s.
Yes, there it was. At 10.18 yesterday morning Richard had texted: I’m an arse. Forgive?
Bella pressed the phone to her heart. So he hadn’t been ignoring her. He hadn’t stayed angry and imperious. He was the man she’d thought he was.
He’d texted eight times in all during the day, and another six today. She didn’t have time to read them all because the bus had reached Green Park and she had to get off. She was meeting her potential employers at the Ritz for a drink. But the texts she had read grew increasingly frantic. She almost danced along the wet, cold pavements and into the fabulous hotel.
An hour later she emerged with a new job.
She could have gone home, of course, told Lottie and taken her out to celebrate. She would do that, of course she would. Later. First she had to read the rest of Richard’s messages. It wouldn’t wait until she got back to the Pimlico flat.
So Bella found a coffee shop, bought a coffee she didn’t want and tucked herself into a corner table so she could go through them in order.
He knew he had been horrible as soon as he left, he said. But he had been preoccupied about how to keep her name and address from his security officer. The reliable Ian had not been on duty. She had known that