Chapter Twenty-Seven
Anna laid the phone down on the desk with a shaking hand. She was relieved that Daniel had made it clear he wanted to be with her. She’d been worrying that Lucinda might be trying to manipulate herself back into his life, so she’d been making herself extra busy to stop herself from dwelling on it. Sometimes that meant she had missed his calls. But she realised if they were going to spend so much time apart, she was going to have to get over these silly insecurities. Though the thought of going to a posh charity do hosted by Lucinda filled her with dread. She wouldn’t know anyone and she’d be completely out of her depth. But he wanted to go to the ball with her, which was a plus. The only problem now was: what on earth was she going to wear?
She poured out her problem to Eva the following day. Eva was doing well with her physio and was due to go home shortly. First, though, her home had to be adapted and Anna had come to pick up her keys so that she could let the workmen in. Then she was going to take some photos for both the book, and Instagram, as the adaptations were put in place. For a good while yet Eva would need a wheelchair, so the doors needed to be widened and bars fitted for her to pull herself up when she was strong enough to stand.
Eva smiled when Anna talked about her dilemma.
‘What? It’s not funny. I haven’t got a clue what the dress code is, Daniel didn’t say and, even if I did, I’d have to go and buy something because I don’t own anything remotely suitable.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about that. What did you say the charity was?’
When Anna told her, Eva typed rapidly into her phone and turned the screen towards her. ‘Here are some pictures from last year’s event.’
Anna gasped. All the women were impossibly glamorous and their outfits were definitely designer.
‘I haven’t got the kind of money to spend on something like that. At least not for a one-off event.’
Once again Eva smiled. ‘Never fear, Eva is here.’
‘What?’
‘You might not have a dress, but I’ve got a wardrobe full of them. You’re going to be at mine tomorrow. Have a shufty through them. I’m sure you’ll find something that fits — we’re a similar size. In fact, I’ve got a Stella McCartney little black number. It’s in a dark-green suit bag in my far-left wardrobe. I think it would be perfect.’
Anna breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her lucky stars that she had a friend who was used to this sort of glamour.
* * *
Anna was nervous on the train journey up to Cheshire, but as soon as she saw Daniel and he gathered her into his arms, all her fears melted away. Feeling his solid arms around her, breathing in his familiar citrus aftershave, made her feel like she’d come home.
‘It’s so good to see you,’ she murmured into his chest.
‘You too.’ He kissed the top of her head. She looked up and his lips moved to hers. Their kiss deepened until they both realised they were making a spectacle of themselves.
‘I’d better get you home and then I can kiss you properly,’ he said as he led her to his car.
Ben was staying at Lucinda’s for the weekend, so they had the house to themselves. They enjoyed getting to know each other again over the next few hours. As Anna lay contentedly in Daniel’s arms, he said, ‘I’m so glad you’re here. You’ve been a bit distant recently and I thought you were going off me.’
‘I’ve been busy and I wanted to give you some space.’
He leaned over, a puzzled expression on his face. ‘Why would I need space?’
‘To be with Ben. Without being conflicted, because you’re not with me.’
He sighed. ‘I know I wanted to set the photography school here, to enable me to spend more time with Ben, but I didn’t realise just how much commitment it would take to get it running smoothly. I think I’ve bitten off a bit more than I can chew. But when I think about how much good it can do, well, it’s something I don’t want to give up on.’
‘It makes you feel more fulfilled than photographing models with diva-like tendencies?’
He laughed. ‘Something like that. I’ve been doing that for years, so I think I’ve earned the break.’
‘And yet you’re so good at it.’ She laughed. ‘You should see the look of disappointment on their faces when I turn up instead of you.’
‘Bet they’re happy with the end result though.’
‘So far.’ Anna sighed. ‘Your commitment here is obvious, and the only way I can see an end to that is if I moved up here.’
‘Is that something you’d think about?’ he asked, hope rising.
‘I don’t know,’ she paused. ‘I need to be in London at the moment to support Jack, and with Harry moving away Dad will be on his own, and I know he has a new girlfriend, but . . .’
He nodded. ‘Your life’s in London, and that’s how it should be. You have your family, a new career and your work with Eva. It would be too much of a sacrifice for you to give up all that because of my whims.’
‘But if it meant we could be together more . . .’ She paused. ‘I promise I’ll think about it, but I really don’t know if it’s feasible at the moment.’
‘I think you’re probably right. Just remember, I really do want this relationship to work, so at least let’s promise to speak to each other more on the phone when we’re apart, and I’ll see if I can spend more time in London. At the moment it feels like you’re doing most of the legwork.’
He kissed her gently, then pulled away. ‘Now, I’m starving, and if we carry on like this, we’ll never get to eat. So come on, get yourself up, you brazen hussy, while I get dinner on the way.’
He was just serving up pasta in tomato sauce with garlic bread when the doorbell rang. He groaned as he put a dish down in front of her.
‘Go on, you eat, I’ll get rid of whoever it is, then we can spend the rest of the evening in peace.’
She listened as she heard voices on the doorstep, then the sound of feet rushing towards the kitchen. Ben burst through the doorway and hurled himself into her arms.
‘Anna! I didn’t know you were going to be here until just now, it’s so good to see you.’
‘It’s good to see you too, Ben,’ she replied. She looked up as Daniel came into the kitchen, then her heart sank as he was followed by Lucinda. That woman really was becoming something of a bad penny.
‘Anna, Daniel said you were here.’
Anna smiled but didn’t reply. She didn’t like the way Lucinda looked as though she owned the place. She didn’t trust herself to say anything, but she did wonder just how often Lucinda took it on herself to pop round.
‘I’ve invited Anna to the ball tomorrow,’ Daniel said.
‘Oh, really? Actually I don’t think there are any spare tickets. It’s a sell-out, you see.’ She smiled at Anna.
‘Oh that’s all right,’ Daniel replied. ‘I’ve already got one.’
‘Great,’ Lucinda said, and Anna was sure she must be clenching her teeth.
‘So, Lucinda, to what do we owe the honour?’ Daniel asked.
‘Well, actually, I’ve got some things I want to go over about tomorrow night.’
‘Anna and I were just about to eat.’
‘It’s a bit late, isn’t it? We ate hours ago.’
‘We’ve been busy,’ Daniel said meaningfully, and Anna noticed that Lucinda had the grace to blush.
Daniel sighed, picked up his bowl of pasta and put it in the microwave.
‘Ten minutes,’ he said. Lucinda smiled as he led her into the living room.
‘Sorry for interrupting your tea,’ Ben said.
‘Not your fault, love,’ she said, smiling at him.
‘I’ve already had mine, so I don’t mind if you carry on eating.’
She pushed her bowl to one side. ‘No, I think I’ll wait for your dad. Now tell me about your week.’
They chatted happily for much longer than ten minutes. Occasionally Anna’s eyes strayed towards the living room, wondering how much longer Daniel and Lucinda would be and feeling more resentful by the minute. Why did Lucinda feel she had the right to commandeer Daniel’s time, when they had so little time together? And why on earth was Daniel letting her?
‘We had to make a model for school today,’ Ben said. ‘Mine’s in the car. Do you want to see it?’
‘I’d love to,’ she said brightly.
Ben strode into the living room, interrupting Daniel and Lucinda. ‘I want to show Anna my model,’ he said. ‘Can I have the car keys?’
‘Of course,’ Lucinda replied, reaching for her handbag.
Anna stood in the doorway, gratified at least that the pair of them were sitting at either end of the sofa. With Lucinda concentrating on finding her keys, Daniel shrugged apologetically, which caused a further burst of irritation. Why didn’t he just tell her to get off home?
Anna complimented Ben’s model. It really was very good, but she wasn’t entirely convinced it was the work of a nine-year-old. She’d bet Ben’s school was one where the mums were in competition with each other, even over a simple piece of homework.
Ben was putting the model back in the car when, thankfully, Lucinda came out of the house. Daniel remained at the doorway as she walked over to the car.
‘Come on, Ben, we’d better get off home now, leave your dad and Anna to their evening.’
‘What’s left of it,’ Anna muttered.
‘Well, I hope you enjoy the ball tomorrow night.’
‘I’m very much looking forward to it.’
‘It should be a good night. Exclusive.’
‘And hopefully it will raise a lot of money for your charity.’ Anna ignored the way Lucinda had looked her up and down when she’d said the word “exclusive”. So much for the fake show of wanting to be friends. The gloves were definitely off.
‘Oh, there’s no doubt about that. I hope you’ve brought your best frock with you.’
‘I have.’ Anna returned the fake smile. ‘A little black Stella McCartney number.’
‘Sounds perfect.’ Lucinda got into her car.
Anna watched as she moved away, the tyres spitting up gravel on the drive. Her stomach was wound into tight coils of anger. She hated the way Lucinda acted so superior around her. But most of all she hated the way she reacted to it. Just as Lucinda wanted, it made her feel as though she didn’t belong here. With Daniel.
‘Well, thank God she’s gone,’ Daniel said when Anna reached him.
‘Finally,’ Anna added.
‘I know, I’m sorry she interrupted our evening. She’s just nervous about tomorrow.’ He put his arm around her as they went inside.
‘She didn’t seem very nervous to me.’
‘Ah, well, she puts on a front to people she doesn’t know.’
‘I just wish she wouldn’t turn up unannounced, like you haven’t got anything better to do.’ She knew she sounded like a petulant child, but she couldn’t help herself.
‘I know, but I couldn’t really turn her away, not with Ben standing there.’
‘No, I don’t suppose you could.’
‘Come on, let’s go and finish our dinner. I’m starving.’ He led Anna back into the kitchen.
While Anna sat in front of the reheated food, she could only pick at it. Her stomach was still twisted into knots, her appetite vanished.
‘Does she do that a lot?’ she asked eventually.
‘What?’ Daniel said between mouthfuls.
‘Turn up on your doorstep.’
‘A couple of times. Not really,’ he said evasively. ‘Come on, let’s forget about Lucinda and enjoy our evening.’
But that was the problem — she couldn’t forget about Lucinda, even though she desperately wanted to.
* * *
Anna got up early the next morning and headed into Chester. Normally she liked to amble around, taking her time to find the perfect shot, but today she was on a mission. She had a list of places to go for her reshoots and she was determined to get through them as quickly as possible. She knew she would need all her confidence to face tonight, so that morning she’d booked herself into the hairdresser’s and was going to have her make- up done too. A quick blow-dry and a flick of mascara, her usual routine, was not going to cut it tonight.
Daniel was dressed and downstairs by the time Anna had finished getting ready. She barely recognised herself as she looked in the mirror. Her make-up was much heavier than she was used to and she wasn’t sure if it was really her, but it would certainly help her blend in with the other women. She liked the way the hairdresser had piled her hair on top of her head, though, with a few tendrils coming down the sides. And Eva’s dress was stunning. Skimming her curves and accentuating her slim waist, it made her legs look incredibly long. The dress was perfect and she couldn’t wait for Daniel to see her in it. She picked her way downstairs, hesitant in the unfamiliar high heels.
As she descended the stairs, Daniel came into the hallway, wearing a white tuxedo. She hadn’t envisaged that — she’d imagined him wearing black.
As he saw her, a look of anguish crossed his face. ‘Oh, shit!’
‘What? What’s the matter?’ she asked anxiously. ‘Is it the dress? Do I look all right?’
‘No, no, you look wonderful, it’s just that . . .’
‘What is it, Daniel? You’re really starting to worry me.’
‘You look amazing.’
‘And that’s bad?’
‘No, it’s just that . . .’ He paused. ‘It’s just that it’s white tie.’
‘White tie?’
‘Yes, it means that everyone wears—’
‘White. I know what it means. But why didn’t you tell me?’
‘It slipped my mind.’
‘It slipped your mind? Surely you knew you were wearing white.’
He hung his head. ‘I’m really, really sorry. I don’t suppose you’ve got—’
She interrupted him again. ‘A white dress? No, Daniel, I’m not like the other women you know. I don’t have a whole wardrobe full of dressy clothes. In fact, this dress isn’t even mine — I had to borrow it from Eva. But if I’d known about the dress code, if you’d even stopped to mention it, I might have borrowed something in white !’
‘Maybe you could borrow something from L—’
‘Don’t even finish that sentence!’ she almost shouted, remembering she’d told Lucinda last night that her dress was black. Lucinda hadn’t mentioned the dress code. If she had, then Anna might have been able to salvage things by buying a dress in Chester today. But Lucinda wouldn’t have wanted her to do that, would she? Lucinda would prefer the humiliation of Anna turning up in something that was completely unsuitable.
‘She’s got loads of dresses. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.’
Her anger stuck in her throat and for a moment she was speechless. What she wanted to do was scream at him. Why didn’t he understand that she wouldn’t want to go cap in hand to borrow something from his ex-wife? Why did he not see that? She’d thought he was more emotionally switched on than this.
‘For a start, we are a completely different shape and size, which you, as a photographer, might have noticed. And for another, why would I ask a favour from her when she set me up?’
Daniel frowned. ‘What do you mean, set you up?’
‘I told her last night my dress was black. She knew I didn’t know the dress code.’
‘Oh, shit,’ he said again.
All of a sudden she felt the anger dissipate and, feeling as though she couldn’t hold herself up, sank down into a sitting position on the stairs, uncaring of how she might crease the dress.
‘Well,’ she said sadly. ‘I hope you enjoy your evening.’
‘You’re not coming?’
‘How can I? Dressed like this.’
‘You look amazing.’ He walked up the stairs, sitting down on the step in front of her. ‘You really do. Who gives a stuff about some shitty dress code?’
‘It’s not about the dress code. It’s about fitting in. And I don’t. This is Lucinda’s turf and I’d say she’s gone out of her way to make sure I know it. And that I’m not welcome.’
‘Not by her maybe.’ He ran his hand up her black-stockinged leg and, despite the fact that she’d just been so furious with him, the action sent shivers down her spine. ‘Who cares what Lucinda thinks? I want you here, and I’d be so proud to have you by my side tonight. Black dress or not.’
‘I’m not sure I’m brave enough for that.’
‘You’re the bravest person I know. Think about what we went through together only a few weeks ago. That would have most people breaking down, but you, you took it in your stride, you tried to help as many of the victims as you could, and you’re still supporting one of them now. What’s a bunch of bored rich people compared to that?’
She laughed shakily. ‘That’s scarier than anything else.’
‘You’re worth a hundred of them.’
‘Glad you think so.’
He reached up and kissed her. She closed her eyes as she revelled in the tender feel of his lips on hers. Outside a car beeped its horn.
He pulled away from her. ‘That’s the taxi.’
‘We’d better go then, hadn’t we?’ She pulled herself up into a standing position.
Daniel stood up, grinning, and put his arm round her. ‘Really? You’ll come with me?’
She nodded, even though it was against her better instincts. ‘Like you said, who cares about a stupid dress code.’
‘Not me. Can you tell the taxi to hang on for five minutes?’
‘Why? We’re both ready aren’t we?’
‘No. I need to go and change. If you’re going to be in black, then so am I.’
‘You can’t do that. You’re the MC.’
‘Just you watch me,’ he said as he raced up the stairs.