Croissants and Jam (21 page)

    ‘Well, now that is sorted I am going to have a rest. God knows, I need it after being with her for two days,’ he says caustically.

I feel myself blush and am grateful when the lift door closes on him.

    ‘I think you should sober up,’ snaps Simon.

I watch as he walks away. I turn to my mum and grimace. She grabs me roughly by the arm.

    ‘I can’t imagine what you were thinking, behaving like this. God knows you were brought up differently.’

I grin at Alex and get a sour look back. I let out a long sigh and enter the lift where a young man takes my hand luggage.

    ‘Welcome to Rome, madam.’

What I would not do to go back to France.

Chapter Fifteen

Christian

    ‘Was it a misunderstanding honey?’

What a mess. My head aches from the whisky and I feel stupidly embarrassed. Why the hell did he have to mention the lawsuit and in front of Dad? What a wanker. I force a smile for Claudine and walk to the loo.

    ‘I wish you hadn’t have done that honey, you know with the credit card,’ repeats Claudine.

I deliberately leave the bathroom door open. I’ve learnt something about women in the past few years and I really am not in the mood to have things thrown at the door. I splash cold water at my face and head and grit my teeth. What the hell is going through Bels’ head right now? How the hell did someone like Simon get someone like her? She’s smart, beautiful and too giving for him.

    ‘Honey, did you hear anything I said?’

Okay, so she was a bit irritating at times but she has so many redeeming qualities. Does he even notice the way she licks her lips before being kissed or strokes her throat when she is aware of being watched? Does the look in her warm brown eyes and her beautiful smile make him feel he is walking on air? I don’t imagine so. She is too good for him.

    ‘That hotel is ridiculously expensive and you know it Claudine,’ I reply, rummaging through her handbag for some aspirin.

    ‘But we can afford it.’ She stands in front of me and pouts.

I spot her dress hanging on the back of the door and remember my own luggage. I should have asked Claudine to look into that for me. Damn, another problem to deal with. Is he with her now, telling her what a bastard brother I am?

    ‘Was it a misunderstanding then? Are you going to let me have it back?’

    ‘What?’

    ‘The credit card, of course, anyway as it happens your family have been really nice to me, even Simon.’

    ‘That was big of him.’

How the hell am I going to cope with having Bels as my sister-in-law? Damn, I almost slept with her. If her phone hadn’t have gone off would it have happened? Well, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I don’t let anything so stupid ever happen again. The stupid plonker already thinks I would steal his woman just to get at him. Does he not know me at all? The last thing I want is to give him ammunition against me. I find the aspirin and throw two back with some water.

    ‘Can I have it back then honey?’

    ‘What?’

    ‘The credit card, darling.’

Oh, of course. Jesus, isn’t she going to ask me why it took me so long to get here? Why I was with my future sister-in-law? Why I was partly drunk when I arrived? Or didn’t she notice any of that? I sigh heavily and watch as she slowly removes her jumper.

    ‘I bet you want to see me in the dress don’t you? I bought it yesterday.’

She runs her fingers tantalisingly through her newly highlighted hair and grins at me. I smile reluctantly.

    ‘Are you okay baby?’ she sidles towards me.

    ‘Sure, sorry I’ve been such an arse. Why don’t you bring the dress into the bedroom and model for me.’

She flings her arms around my neck.

    ‘I thought you would never get here,’ she says snuggling up to me.

    ‘So did I?’ I mumble lifting her up and striding into the bedroom.

Chapter Sixteen

    I hold my head in my hands and moan loudly. Kaz is holding out two Paracetamol tablets.

    ‘What is the maximum dose? Surely I can take more than two,’ I groan swallowing them with the second mug of ultra-strong coffee she offers.

    ‘I wouldn’t want to be your liver,’ she jokes shaking another pill from the bottle.

    ‘I don’t want to be my liver. I don’t particularly want to be me at all in fact. How many of these do I need to kill myself?’

We are sitting in my hotel room. Everyone has left me in disgust, it seems, although I do not remember the events in the foyer an hour earlier very clearly.

    ‘Oh God,’ I groan, ‘I really don’t want to go.’

I am to meet Simon for dinner with my parents and his in just under an hour, and I am dreading it.

    ‘Have you seen Christian?’ I ask hopefully.

She gives me a mean stare. I sigh. It seems like forever since we arrived in Rome and most of what happened in the foyer is a blur. Although I clearly remember Christian saying I was not his type. Jesus, why did I not realise he was Simon’s brother? How could I have been so stupid? After all, I knew he was a famous architect living in New York and that he was younger than Simon, and of course, I was aware his name was Chris. Damn him, damn him for not being in the least like Simon. Damn him for being able to wear the Marc Jacob jumper better than Simon ever could. Damn him for being so easy going. Damn him, damn him for coming into my life. Damn him even more for showing me just how over-the-top responsible Simon is. Damn him for being so bloody young, or is it just that Simon is so old? Oh damn everything. Tomorrow at three I am to be married, and I have no idea what to do.

    ‘I’ve become a joint person already, how the hell do I become un-jointed?’ I ask Kaz desperately.

She dunks a biscotti in my coffee.

    ‘Are you going to jilt him at the altar?’ she asks, looking not in the least horrified.

Oh my God I can’t possibly do that. I can’t jilt someone at the altar. Oh Jesus, that means I have to get married then. Oh shittity fuck.

    ‘Of course not,’ I reply, trying to maintain some dignity.

    ‘Of course, you could do it at dinner tonight. I guess that would be a bit more acceptable.’

It would?

    ‘I can’t jilt him in front of his parents, or in front of mine come to that.’

Bugger it. Kaz shrugs.

    ‘I guess you’re lumbered then.’

I grab a biscotti and immediately remember all the biscuits I had eaten with Christian.

    ‘The thing is, if you don’t marry Simon, you’re not going to marry anyone are you?’ she says sipping from her banana smoothie, while crossing her legs and slipping into the lotus position. I stare at the blue liquid and wrinkle my nose.

    ‘Why is that blue?’ I ask curiously.

    ‘Blueberries and banana, and I have to tell you the soya milk here is just fab. Anyway, I think Simon is a real catch. You’re very lucky.’

I sigh and walk towards the bathroom.

    ‘You
marry him then,’ I call over my shoulder.

I pass my suitcase and feel tears prick my eyelids. Twenty-four hours ago and I would have been thrilled to see it but now it is just another reminder of all that has gone on in the past few days and I feel terribly responsible for the argument between Simon and Christian. I know I can’t really jilt Simon for his brother. That would be just too cruel. Besides, I have no idea how Christian feels about me. I have never felt so trapped in my whole life. I step in the shower and let the hot water relax my muscles. Talk about feeling like a spare part at a wedding, what a bloody shame the sodding wedding is mine. I wrap myself in the soft fluffy towel and walk back into the room where Kaz is still sitting in the lotus position and is now stretching her neck. God forbid any breakdown of mine should interfere with her journey towards peace and spirituality.

    ‘You’ve gained weight,’ she states flatly.

Jesus Christ, great karma that is. I see she has made me more coffee. I begin to wonder whether it will be worth even getting into bed tonight.

    ‘I can’t have, not in a couple of days,’ I deny hotly, very aware that my tummy is swollen with an impending period.

She peers at me with her head on one side.

    ‘Uh oh, I think you have you know. You look far too big to get into that dress now.’

She points her nose upwards towards my wedding dress which is hanging on a hook and looks to me very much like a shroud. Oh I must stop thinking like this and pull myself together. Think of all Simon’s good points. A full minute later and I am still bloody trying to think of them.

    ‘You’d better stick to salad tonight,’ she advises, clicking her neck. I grimace and pull clothes out of my suitcase.

Forty-five minutes later I am heading nervously for the lounge. Kaz had talked me into wearing my Monsoon dress and a white cashmere cardigan. For the first time in days I actually look really nice and instead of wishing Christian could see me, I am praying I do not bump into him. Simon is waiting by the bar and I approach hesitantly. Oh God, please don’t let him be wearing the bloody Marc Jacob jumper or, I swear that will be the end of the evening. He turns to appraise me.

    ‘Ah,’ he says.

I stare at him. What the hell does ‘ah’ mean?

    ‘Where are the stud earrings I bought you?’

Oh shit. I finger the gold dangling pearls.

    ‘I… erm… I didn’t bring those,’ I lie.

He looks disappointed and finishes his drink without offering me one.

    ‘Right, let’s go, we are meeting everyone at the restaurant.’

    ‘Everyone,’ I echo, stupidly.

    ‘My parents, Alex and her husband, Tom, and your parents, they get on very well by the way.’

He gives me a sidelong glance, and I feel my heart lurch.

    ‘Of course Christian and Dina are invited, although I doubt they will come.’

I take a deep breath and attempt to act normal, but a small whimper, that sounds not in the least normal, passes through my lips. And how come he can manage to call her Dina but cannot ever call me Bels?

    ‘Simon, what was that about a lawsuit?’ I ask.

His face clouds over.

    ‘You really don’t need to worry your pretty little head over that.’

Do what? Have we lost a century or two somewhere and did someone forget to tell me? I don’t need to worry my pretty little head? Good God, one month into marriage and I will be wearing a pinny, shelling peas and laying out his slippers if he has anything to do with it.

    ‘I think my pretty little head can cope with it,’ I retort trying to hide my sarcasm.

He sighs heavily.

    ‘Christian is suing me…’

I gasp.

    ‘Why?’

    ‘Because he is fucking greedy that is why.’

I wince. I never thought of Christian as greedy.

    ‘He is bitter because Dad handed the majority of the law firm over to me. He claims he should have been given half. Dad doesn’t know about any of this. He left it to me to handle the takeover so don’t blurt anything out, okay. Your wonderful brother-in-law is suing the family to get a share of what he thinks belongs to him. Now, let’s go. I really do not want to talk about him. I am very much hoping he is sensible enough not to turn up at the dinner.’

    ‘But…’ I begin.

He sighs.

    ‘But what?’

    ‘Why would your dad do that? I mean…’

    ‘For Christ’s sake, can’t a man do what he wants with his money? Now come on.’

God, I can’t believe it. Christian just didn’t seem that intense to me. What am I thinking? How well do I even know him? At some point he must have guessed that I was Simon’s fiancée and did he let on? He was most likely using me to get at Simon. I feel a little prickle behind my eyelashes and fight back my tears. How could he hurt me like that? Oh God, please don’t let him be at the dinner.

Simon steers me past the grand piano and towards the revolving door. I am about to walk through it when to my surprise Kevin, the businessman who had the heart attack on the plane, walks in. He stops in front of me and winks.

    ‘Well, well, you made it for your wedding then?’

I stare at him. Jesus Christ, I don’t wish to see the guy dead, but my God, isn’t it his entire fault that I got tangled up with Christian in the first place?

    ‘You’re not dead,’ I say sounding disappointed. Although on reflection, if he had been, it would not have helped my situation that much.

He laughs raucously.

    ‘God no, it was just an anxiety attack. I got a private flight thirty minutes later, and I landed that contract,’ he says proudly.

I nod, wishing I could throw up into my handbag. Private flight, good Lord, to think I was worried about him.

    ‘Say, do you know what happened to that chap who held everything up? You almost killed him,’ he laughs.

I open my mouth to speak but Simon tugs me by the arm.

    ‘I’m sure she would love to chat, old chap, but we are running very late for just about everything,’ he snaps.

    I blush.

    ‘See you Kevin,’ I call over my shoulder as I am dragged through the doors, ‘I am glad you got the contract.’

    ‘Simon…’ I begin.

    ‘I really don’t want to hear about your antics trying to get here Annabel.’

I take a deep breath and climb into the taxi. I sneak a sidelong glance at him and see his face is very tight. Oh God, I feel so deflated it is unbelievable. From the moment Christian had stepped into the lift I had felt so alone. I decide I must try and recapture all that I had once felt for Simon and gently lay my hand in his lap. He ignores it for the whole journey and strangely I do not feel hurt. I am relieved when we finally arrive at the restaurant and I dive out of the car almost before Simon has time to open the door. My dad is waiting at the entrance and I bounce into his arms.

    ‘Hello darling, how are you bearing up?’ he says hugging me and the smell of his aftershave almost has me blubbering.