A Perfect Proposal (39 page)

She went into the kitchen to talk to Moira.

‘I’m not sure I can cope.’

As expected, Moira became firm. ‘Yes you can. It won’t be easy going there with them, and it may not work, but if it does, it’ll be worth it. Think of the money!’

‘I’ve never believed that money is all that important. I’ve got this far without it. Anyway, there might not
be
any money in all this.’

‘Well, if there is, money would give you independence. You could do your course, set up your business, follow your dream.’

Sophie sighed. ‘I’m not sure that’s true.’

‘Not your romantic dream, obviously, but your real dream, the one that’s for you and doesn’t involve anyone else. Don’t be dependent on another person for your happiness, Sophie. It isn’t fair on anyone.’

‘So you think Ali and Luke are together too?’

Moira hesitated. ‘I don’t know. But I must admit it looks like it. All their body language says they’re a couple – and an established one.’ She paused. ‘I don’t necessarily think they’re a happy couple though.’

‘OK. That’s what I thought but I wondered if I was just being silly about it, jumping to conclusions because of my own feelings.’

Moira bit her lip and shook her head. ‘Now go out there, and knock ’em dead!’

As it was supposed to, this caused a reluctant smile. ‘Honestly! It’s not a theatrical performance!’

‘Oh yes it is,’ said Moira. ‘Break a leg!’

‘Maybe Sophie should sit in front,’ said Luke as the three of them climbed back into the car, ‘and then she can mapread.’

‘Are you suggesting I’m no good at it?’ Ali laughed and pushed Luke’s arm in a playful way. ‘Really, you men! Constantly making assumptions about us girls!’

‘I just meant Sophie has been there before,’ said Luke.

Sophie didn’t argue, or even comment, she just got in the back. Having Moira confirm what she had instantly felt was a blow; she’d been hoping her feelings for Luke had affected her ability to interpret body language. She also didn’t want to explain to Luke that the fact she had been somewhere before wasn’t an absolute guarantee she’d be able to find it again. It was all going to be hard enough as it was.

Ali directed them to the Littlejohns’ house without difficulty. In spite of the girly front she put up sometimes she was as super-efficient as Sophie had always suspected. Perfect for Luke. Why wouldn’t he prefer Ali to her? She was highly intelligent, beautiful, and knew what was what in the world. They were in the same financial bracket – or at least a lot nearer the same one than Sophie was, with her charity-shop clothes and economical recipes.

Sophie’s only advantage was that she loved him, but even if he knew that, it probably wouldn’t change anything. He probably didn’t consider love an issue; you chose a woman who was suitable and would be a good mother for your children. Romantic love was just silly. She couldn’t bear to think that he might actually love Ali.

‘That’s the house,’ said Sophie. ‘Bungalow, rather.’

‘But it has a window on the second floor,’ said Ali.

‘That’s a dormer, and in England that’s the first floor,’ said Sophie. ‘It’s still technically a bungalow. Shall we go in?’

They climbed the steps to the front door in silence. While they were waiting to be admitted, Sophie turned and looked at the view, hoping that once inside the memory of it would sustain her. She also took a gulp of fresh air. She hadn’t warned Ali and Luke to do the same.

Apart from some involuntary twitching of the nostrils when he first went in, Luke was impressive, and so was Ali. A lordly double act, they used charm, long words and a patronising attitude to such good effect that in no time the Littlejohns were looking at them like hungry birds, waiting for the next tasty morsel. Ali and Luke refused coffee. Sophie wasn’t offered it.

‘So have you got the papers there?’ asked Mr Littlejohn.

Papers? thought Sophie. What papers? She didn’t know about any. But she wasn’t going to ask about them in front of the Littlejohns – they had to present a united front. She remembered what Moira had said about it being a performance and continued to play her part – a spear carrier obviously – who could watch the action without any lines to worry about.

Mr Littlejohn seemed torn between hanging on this golden couple’s every word and actually wanting them to leave quite quickly. Sophie could sympathise; they were rather like angels, swooping down on innocent people and making a momentous announcement that would change their lives for ever. In a good way, of course, but still very scary.

‘Before we sign anything,’ said Luke, who had let Ali do most of the talking up to this point, ‘I think I should explain what very good hands you are putting your affairs into when you agree to let Sophie be your representative.’

Sophie felt herself blush so violently she wondered if she was ill. What was Luke saying about her?

‘Sophie is a very able young woman. It was entirely her initiative that anything useful is being done with these drilling rights. Without her they would all still be languishing in old files, no one benefiting from any of it. But now many of your relations, distant I know, but still your family, will be able to realise this asset.’

Sophie felt she had to use all her energy to keep her expression neutral. Mr and Mrs Littlejohn, who had been so dismissive of her earlier, were now giving her looks of admiration, as if Luke had made her a Dame of the British Empire or something. Ali, she noticed, was looking as if either the smell, or something else, was getting to her.

‘So,’ Luke concluded, ‘are you ready to sign the affidavit I have here giving Sophie the power to act for you? I don’t think you should do so if you’re not entirely happy, but I should point out that several thousands of pounds – possibly several tens of thousands – would be your share of the money forthcoming. Although of course it may take some time to arrive. There is a lot that has to be done before money will change hands.’

If she was blushing before, Sophie’s face now drained of all colour. Thousands of pounds? What was Luke talking about?

‘I think you should sign, dear!’ said Mr Littlejohn, who had made a grab for a pen before he remembered it was his wife who had the power, not him.

‘And you’re a solicitor?’ Mrs Littlejohn asked Luke, still tentative.

‘I am.’ He smiled down at her in a way that made Sophie’s heart clench. He could be so lovely to older people. He was a good man, he just didn’t love her.

Mrs Littlejohn looked up at him and took the pen.

*

‘You won’t know anything about this,’ said Ali, ‘but before we came away from London, Luke was able to put in place a very lucrative deal with a major oil company.’

‘Why didn’t you ring and tell me?’ asked Sophie indignantly from where she sat in the back seat with her knees very near her chin. She was relieved to be able to ask him why he hadn’t called without it being in connection with their relationship.

‘I don’t have your number, Sophie,’ said Luke gently. ‘I have a new cell, but not my SIM card.’

Sophie took this in and then said, ‘Hang on! You had my number when you rang me from the airport!’

‘That’s my fault, honey,’ said Ali. ‘Naturally I sent all his clothes to the dry cleaner and the note must have been in one of the pockets.’ She paused. ‘They were very strange clothes – Luke told me they came from a thrift store.’

Sophie let out a breath. That was one mystery solved. So horrified by the thought of Luke in charity-shop clothes, Ali had had them all dry-cleaned. She probably wanted to have them fumigated. ‘You could have rung Moira, she’d have given me a message.’

‘I didn’t have Moira’s number either. Nor could I remember her surname or her address so I couldn’t look her up on the internet.’

‘What about Matil—’

‘I think you’re being very ungrateful,’ said Ali interrupting. ‘Luke has been working extremely hard on your behalf – many of us in the office have been too. And all to make you a rich woman.’ She paused. ‘Of course it’s all relative, but you should get a good amount. It’ll make a big difference to a girl like you.’

Sophie hated that Ali should know so much about her personal circumstances. Did Luke tell her that he’d had to buy her clothes to go to that brunch in?

‘Of course I’m grateful, but I’m sure Luke didn’t do it for nothing. I know how expensive American lawyers are. I do expect to receive a bill.’

‘There will be no bill,’ said Luke – from between clenched teeth, judging on how the words came out.

‘Of course I won’t be in a position to pay it until the money actually comes through.’ This was a shame, but not unreasonable. Payment by results sort of thing.

‘I said: there will be no fee,’ Luke repeated, just as tightly.

‘Honey! There’s no reason why Sophie shouldn’t pay. She could get the money from the other parties – we’ve all worked hard for this project!’

Ali wasn’t short for ‘altruistic’, obviously, Sophie thought. ‘I will pay, Ali, don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I really don’t want to be beholden. To anyone.’

‘That’s good,’ said Ali. She didn’t sound particularly thrilled.

‘But, Luke,’ Sophie went on, ‘I want to know why you didn’t tell me about this deal. Would you have said anything about it if I hadn’t told you the Littlejohns refused to sign?’

‘Of course we would have told you,’ said Ali, speaking for him. ‘But when the deal was completely through. No point in getting your hopes up if it was going to come to nothing.’

‘So it’s not through yet? And it’s all right to get the Littlejohns’ hopes up, but not mine!’

‘Sophie, honey, you’re not quite getting this …’ began Ali.

‘No, I’m not. Maybe you’d care to explain? Luke?’

‘Let me handle this, honey,’ said Ali, obviously determined not to let Luke get a word in edgewise. ‘It’s all coming together beautifully. There aren’t going to be any problems. Luke called in every favour he could, contacted everyone he knew in the oil business and put the deal together. He wouldn’t have told you that part, which is why I am.’ She turned towards Luke somewhat defiantly.

‘Whether it’s done and dusted or not, you should have kept me informed. Matilda has my number if every other bit of technology failed you.’

‘My grandmother was not at home when I called and didn’t have your number with her. So she said,’ Luke snapped.

‘Oh.’ But Sophie wasn’t satisfied. ‘I still don’t see how you and Luke found it perfectly possible to find me – get in touch with me – when it was to do with Matilda’s house, but it’s “Oh! How could we contact you?” when it’s my business?’ She paused. ‘And anyway, you didn’t have to come down in person, you could have sent a message in some other way!’

‘How?’ asked Ali, maddeningly reasonable.

‘I don’t know. There must be some method.’

‘We did try to handle it from London,’ Ali explained, ‘but it was proving impossible, so Luke said he’d jump in a car and come down before you went home. Obviously I came with him.’

‘It is fairly obvious you’re here, yes!’ said Sophie, knowing she was being childish but unable to help herself.

‘Turn left now,’ she said a few moments later, when Luke hesitated at a crossroads.

The moment Sophie was out of the car she headed off down the road towards the beach. She needed to process her feelings in private, with no one to try and rationalise things, or say, ‘There, there.’ Her emotions were so confused it was like having a thunderstorm in her diaphragm, churning away, desperately needing to escape. She’d made such a mess of everything – falling in love with Luke had been so stupid! Not even the most idiotic teenager would have done such a foolish thing.

Fortunately there were no dog-walkers and the shingle beach was empty. Spray stung her face and it started to rain. Sophie felt she needed a jolly good cry, to get rid of the knot
caused by tension, heartache and anger that had been building all day. But the tears would not come. Instead the knot inside her just got bigger and tighter and more destructive. She hated Luke, she hated Ali, she hated everyone. She even hated herself. She was so silly, so naïve, so utterly idiotic. No wonder Luke wanted nothing to do with her.

Sophie went into the churchyard, hoping to find some peace, or even the trigger to make her have a good old howl. Even when she was feeling perfectly happy, cemeteries were likely to make her weep, and this one had very special significance for her, but nothing happened this time. She headed back to Moira’s house, still angry and confused and heartbroken.

She saw Ali and Luke standing by the car from some way away. The ghastly déjà vu of the situation made her turn sharply behind a hedge of hydrangeas. Was there a back way in to Moira’s? she wondered. There must be, she thought, although it might involve climbing over a fence or something.

When she saw them turn back towards the house she wondered why she’d bothered to sneak around – they could probably see her.

‘I can’t go without saying goodbye again,’ Luke was saying. ‘I felt bad enough about it last time.’

‘Lukey, it’s the best way and she won’t mind. You found out for yourself – she has a boyfriend! You were just a little fling for her in the same way she was for you. And we’ve agreed to put it all behind us.’ Sophie couldn’t see Ali put her hand on Luke’s arm from her position behind the hydrangeas, but she knew she was doing it. ‘Girls of that age don’t stay in love for more than five minutes, you know that. It’ll be out of sight, out of mind for her, especially if there’s no long-drawn-out farewell scene.’