Chapter 29
Maeve hadn’t meant to confide in anyone. It was all too humiliating for words. What she hadn’t bargained for was Lizzie inviting her over for a swim that evening, then saying, ‘Oh dear, you were all lit up yesterday, and now look at you. Whatever’s happened?’
What was she, some kind of witch? Across from Lizzie, Nella lifted her sunglasses to get a better look. Defiantly Maeve said, ‘Nothing.’
Lizzie gave her a cheer-up smile. ‘Fed up with me already?’
‘Of course not. I’m tired, that’s all.’
But Lizzie and Nella were exchanging knowing looks. Lizzie said, ‘Sweetie, I can’t help being nosy. It’s in my nature. And we can’t help noticing certain things either. It’s just that yesterday you spent the evening flirting like crazy with the handsome artist next door. At eleven o’clock, the two of you left here together. Then this morning you were spotted leaving Hay Hall at some ungodly hour. You went home to change, and switched your cleaning routine around. And now it’s as if a Dementor has squeezed all the joy out of you.’
‘I’m fine.’ Was it that obvious? Maeve felt the shame building up inside her and knew her neck was going blotchy.
‘Hey, these things are always easier to see from the outside.’ Lizzie’s voice softened; she glanced across at Nella, who nodded in agreement. ‘And now he’s gone off in a cab with the woman who showed up here this afternoon. It hasn’t turned out the way you hoped.’
Cami, in a black maternity swimsuit, was bobbing around in the pool like a popped cork. She said with feeling, ‘When does it ever?’
‘He let you down.’ Nella’s tone was sympathetic. ‘Made you think it was the start of something serious.’
Since they evidently already knew, there was no point in trying to deny it. Miserably, Maeve nodded. ‘I believed him. And he didn’t mean any of it. I just feel so stupid.’
‘Oh sweetheart, don’t think that. You mustn’t.’ Leaning across, Lizzie wrapped her up in a hug, and the kindness of the women around her brought a lump to Maeve’s throat.
‘Please don’t tell my dad. I don’t want him to know. He’d be so disappointed in me.’
‘We wouldn’t,’ Lizzie promised.
‘But he wouldn’t be disappointed in you,’ Nella joined in. ‘I can tell you that for sure. He’s so proud of you, everyone knows that. And Dane Cruse isn’t fit to lick your dad’s boots.’
Maeve nodded, still enfolded in Lizzie’s arms and breathing in the scent of her expensive perfume. ‘I just hate that I was gullible enough to believe him. I thought he really liked me.’
‘That’s how they do it,’ said Nella.
‘How do you know when they’re lying, though?’ Maeve pleaded. ‘I mean, how can you ever trust them?’ One thing was for sure, never again would she have a one-night stand.
‘We’ve all been there,’ said Nella. ‘There’s no magic answer. Some men are good. Others are bad but great at tricking you into thinking they’re good. And some are just bad and don’t even bother to hide it.’
‘Like Tristan Peverell,’ Cami piped up from the pool as she floated around on the pink inflatable doughnut. ‘He’s a total douche.’
‘Hugo isn’t,’ Nella joined in. ‘He’s a good one through and through.’
‘But you don’t know that for sure,’ said Cami. ‘Look at me. I thought Simon was perfect.’ She used her hands as paddles and swooshed the pink doughnut round in a circle. ‘I’m sure his new girlfriend thinks he’s perfect too.’
‘Tell me about it,’ Lizzie exclaimed. ‘I once fell for a guy and my girlfriends tried to warn me off him. But I was so sure they were wrong, that I’d be the one to tame him, because he’d told me I was different from all the rest. And I was besotted, so I believed him. Right up to the time I came home from work early and caught him in my bedroom, banging my psychotherapist.’
This was greeted with shrieks of horror and delight. Cami said, ‘You haven’t mentioned that in your autobiography.’
‘We haven’t got there yet. Don’t worry, it’ll happen. Nella?’
‘My turn? OK.’ Nella stood up and pulled her red jersey dress over her head to reveal a purple bikini beneath. ‘Once, when I was working at a hotel on the Croisette in Cannes, I thought things were going well with this guy. He was good company, and a talented chef, and he’d take me out on day trips . . .’
‘And he cheated on you?’ Lizzie was indignant on Nella’s behalf. ‘But look at you, you’re a goddess!’
Nella pulled a face. ‘To be honest, I’m still not sure who cheated on who. But it was three months before I discovered they were identical twins.’
‘Oh nooo .’ Cami almost toppled out of her inflatable.
‘Oh yes. And it was just a bit of fun for them. They thought it was hilarious.’ Nella shrugged and dived into the pool. When she resurfaced, she went on, ‘All their friends were in on it too. Turns out everyone was placing bets on how long they could carry it off. I was the laughing stock of Cannes.’
Everyone groaned in sympathy, and Nella, up to her chest in water, did a graceful curtsey.
‘Come on,’ said Lizzie, and Maeve found herself being pulled to her feet. The multicoloured solar lights came on, illuminating the trees around the pool as they stripped down to their swimming things.
‘This is making me feel better,’ Maeve said with a smile.
‘Good.’ Lizzie seized her hand and the two of them ran to the turquoise pool, its surface shimmering with all the reflected colours of the fairy lights. Together they jumped in, sending huge splashes of water over Cami and Nella.
‘But despite all our mistakes and disasters,’ said Nella when they’d bobbed back to the surface, ‘we carry on giving it our best shot, because that’s human nature. And it’s better to try and fail than to not try at all.’
‘Sooner or later we might even get it right.’ Rolling over and floating on her back, Lizzie held up a hand, the thumb and forefinger almost but not quite touching. ‘Even if there’s only this much of a chance, it’s always worth a shot, isn’t it?’
‘She’s talking about Nick again,’ Cami said with a grin. ‘He seems nice. Like one of the good ones. But how do we really know?’
‘I just hope none of you lot have your eye on him.’ Lizzie sent a playful splash in Cami’s direction. ‘Because I was here first and I’m still planning on making him mine.’