Chapter 20 #2
‘Henry, you fucked your secretary in a wine cellar while I was planning our future together,’ Eliza cut him off, her voice rising despite her best efforts to stay measured.
He was offering her everything she had wanted three months ago, but it all meant nothing now.
‘So, no, nothing about this feels good. It feels like business, because that’s all it is. ’
She headed for the door, then paused, turning back with a wry smile. ‘But I will say this – it’s more fun to fuck on a riverbank than in a wine cellar.’
His face flushed red and for once in his life, he appeared to be totally speechless.
Eliza swept out of the conference room, her head held high and her heart pounding with a mixture of triumph and terror.
But she smiled, feeling a flutter of genuine excitement for the first time since she’d arrived back in London.
As she walked out of Henry’s building, the sun shining down, her mind was racing with possibilities.
But before she got too ahead of herself, she got a ping from Julian – he was still waiting for an answer. This wedding alone would be enough for her financially, but after those endless months of imagining debt collectors at the door, she couldn’t risk it.
Besides, she thought, the Harrington gala would put her in front of exactly the kind of people who might need a wedding planner. And she could organise stuffy galas in her sleep.
With a spring in her step, Eliza dialled Julian.
Julian’s voice burst through the phone, ‘Oh, thank Christ. These incompetent— No, not you, darling, you’re brilliant.
’ In the background, Eliza could hear what sounded like glassware being rearranged and someone crying.
She stifled a laugh, remembering why working with Julian had been such a rollercoaster.
‘I’m sorry, Julian, I can’t come back full-time.’ She rushed on before he could panic, ‘But I will work as a freelance contractor and take on the Harrington gala for you.’
‘What?’ Julian spluttered.
‘Yes, I know it’s not exactly what you had in mind, but I’ve set up my own business, and while I’m specialising in wedding planning, I’ll work on these big events if you want me to.
’ Taking a deep breath, she plunged on, ‘I can send over my quote for the job, and you can let me know if it’s accepted. ’
‘Yes, send the contract and your terms over right away, I know we’ll get that signed off in a jiffy.
’ There was a muffled commotion on his end, then his sharp tone directed elsewhere, ‘No, no – not there, you—’ A pause.
His voice suddenly dropped to a hushed tone that she had to strain to hear.
‘Eliza, no one else on the team has ever had your eye for detail.’
Eliza was stunned, standing stock-still in Mayfair, with the traffic of London coursing around her.
‘Now, make sure you send that all over this afternoon,’ Julian snapped. ‘And make sure to add an extra zero on whatever you think is fair. Right speak soon.’ And he was gone.
Hanging up the phone, Eliza smiled into her reflection in the shiny glass windows of the office building next to her. She was going to be not only debt-free, but also successful. She so wanted to call Luke. He’d get it; he’d be so excited. But no, that couldn’t be.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Agatha: ‘Have you made any rash, ill thought out decisions yet?’
‘Actually, I just landed a celebrity client. I’m going solo, and you better get ready to cook!’
Her phone rang immediately.
‘How the hell did you manage that?’ Agatha asked, sounding amazed and suspicious.
‘Well, Henry . . .’ Eliza admitted. ‘He put me in touch with Max – the lead singer of Midnight Hour – and his fiancée Daisy, in exchange for me getting Jean Pierre to take him on as their distributor.’
‘Wait, you’re working with Henry now?’ Agatha said, sounding incredulous. ‘That dickhead who cheated on you and broke your heart? Are you sure it’s not a sign of the apocalypse?’
There was a huge shriek on the other end of the call.
‘Oh my God, Agatha, are you with Mum?’
‘Well, yes, but she was worried—’ Agatha got cut off.
‘Darling, I was so worried when you disappeared from your amazing wedding.’
‘Yes, well,’ Agatha said, putting the call on speaker, ‘Mum and I will be quiet, and you explain. We’re just glad to hear from you.’
Eliza found herself softening just a little. ‘Well, see it as a business transaction that benefits us both,’ insisted Eliza. ‘It means I can go solo, and I’m not answerable to anyone!’
‘Okay, well then I’m thrilled for you – and for me! I’m assuming you’ll need a caterer.’
‘Oh, Eliza,’ their mum was back on the phone, shouting down the telephone as if she were in Australia, ‘I’m so proud of you, darling!’
Eliza felt tears fill her eyes. She hadn’t known her mum had actually been worried about her.
‘I just want you to be happy, darling, that’s all,’ finished her mum. Eliza felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
‘And dare I ask, what about Luke?’ came Agatha, filling the silence.
Eliza’s stomach dropped a little. ‘I’ve told him I’m in London, and that I need time to think.
’ Eliza thought about the wedding, her new business, she could start again.
‘I’m moving forward, Agatha. This is exactly what I need right now. ’
‘Right,’ said Agatha, her tone implying she wasn’t exactly convinced. ‘Well, keep me updated. I’ll be ringing you daily, mainly for the celebrity gossip, and an invite list of course.’
‘I haven’t even officially hired you yet!’
‘Oh, you will. There’s no way you would do a wedding without me.’
And with that Agatha and her mum rang off, leaving Eliza wondering how the hell you were supposed to celebrate the beginning of a new exciting chapter, when the old one was still dancing in your head.