Chapter 24
Within minutes of us entering the gallery for Tomas’s opening night, Gabby was summoned by a very glamorous elderly lady dressed from head to toe in Dior.
I’d never used my degree in anger but I could still spot Dior at a hundred paces.
The clever lighting not only highlighted the artwork on the walls, but also the diamonds that glittered on her hands, ears, wrist as well as the enormous pendant at her throat.
‘Sorry, I have to…’ Gabby gave us an apologetic look.
‘Go, go!’ I whispered. ‘Good luck!’
Gabby gave me a private fingers-crossed sign and then strode away confidently as if she already knew the deal was done.
Dior lady put her hand on Gabby’s arm and they moved to a quieter part of the gallery where an extra couple of small sofas had now been installed, I assumed for instances such as this.
Silently, I wished Gabby, and Tomas by default, luck and turned back to Sasha.
‘There is a lot of money in here,’ she spoke out of the corner of her mouth.
‘Yep. I’ve never felt so out of place.’ Well, apart from that one time long ago…
But according to Gabby there was no chance of that happening tonight at least. Their father had passed some time ago but their mother was still around, although now living a much quieter life in the countryside.
It had occurred to me that she might have been attending her son’s exhibition but Gabby had mentioned, even without me asking, that her mother no longer came up to the city.
The fact I’d even had a moment’s thought about coming face to face with the woman again irked me at the time but Gabby had made me laugh, as usual, and knowing that she would not be here tonight allowed me to relax. Sort of.
‘Why?’ I turned to find Sash staring at me, her brow creased in apparently genuine surprise.
‘Because,’ I said, almost laughing at her reaction, ‘this is very much not my world.’
‘Just because you don’t normally come to things like this, or might have less money—’
‘There’s no might about it. I’m practically blind from the sparkle of that lady’s diamonds.’
‘Yeah, they were amazing,’ she agreed with just a hint of longing. I felt the same way. ‘But just because someone has less money doesn’t mean they’re any less entitled to be here and enjoy the art.’
‘No. I know. It’s just—’
Sash put her hand up. ‘There’s no “just”, Mum.
That’s it. That’s the whole statement. You and Dad always taught me not to look down on people, and not to let people look down on me.
That it is people’s actions that determine their merit, not their bank balance or how many houses – or diamonds – they own. ’
I swallowed hard. My daughter was right.
We had done our best to instil those values in her and it seemed to have worked.
But all the time I’d been making sure my daughter was never made to feel as inferior as I had been made to all those years ago, I’d forgotten to take that lesson on board myself.
‘Besides, you were invited by the artist himself.’ She pulled a face that didn’t entirely mask her disapproval but tucked my arm through hers anyway. ‘Come on. Let’s go and look at the paintings. I can’t believe Gabby has let me film in here and get an exclusive!’
‘Yes, that was very kind of her.’ I knew that Tomas must have agreed too.
They were his paintings, after all, but as Sash’s reaction to the mention of him the other night hadn’t exactly been warm and fuzzy, and she was so excited about it right now, I decided to omit mentioning him any further for the moment. Likely she would meet him later anyway.
‘Where do you want to start?’
‘Let’s go this way,’ she said, pointing in the opposite direction to where Gabby had gone.
I stayed silent as Sash filmed, the press lanyard Gabby had prepared for her stopping anyone questioning her.
When she lowered the camera, we exchanged comments on the paintings in front of us, all of them positive and not just because we ‘knew’ the artist. The scenes were just as intoxicating as they had been the night Tomas had given me a private viewing.
The rain gleaming on wet Paris streets, so real I could practically feel it, reminding me of the many times the three of us had run through the rain, squealing and laughing as we got soaked to the bone before warming up back at either my tiny studio flat or the larger one that Tomas and Gabby shared, huge bowls of hot chocolate cupped in our hands as we thawed.
The cool rain was contrasted in the next painting where heat shimmered above endless rows of lavender in a hot, dry summer. A mass of purple marching away from the viewer until they halted, stopped by the foot of mountains.
‘You can practically smell the lavender,’ Sash sighed and snapped me back to the present.
‘Yes. Yes, you can.’ My reply was soft as my mind travelled back to those fields.
‘I might not like him but he’s certainly talented.’
A couple next to us pretended not to hear but I noticed the shared private exchange of minutely raised eyebrows.
‘Shh,’ I whispered. ‘You can’t say that in here. Besides, you don’t know him.’
‘Why not?’ she asked in the way that many of her generation did. ‘I’m allowed an opinion, aren’t I?’
‘Of course,’ I said, keeping my voice low as I steered her away from flapping ears. ‘It’s just not polite to say so in the middle of the man’s exhibition.’
She shrugged. ‘OK. I was complimenting his art, though. It’s not like I said that was shit.’
‘No, I realise that, but let’s just keep our thoughts about other things for later, shall we?’
‘Fine. I still don’t like him, though. Not after what he did to you.’
‘It was all a long time ago, Sash. And anyway, he didn’t do anything, not really.’
‘That’s rather my point,’ she fired back, one laminated brow arched. ‘He just let you sit there and get talked down to by his mother and made no effort to stand up for you. Unlike his sister. Perhaps you should have dated her.’ She gave me a half-smile, signalling that she was done arguing.
‘Maybe I should,’ I replied, returning her smile.
‘Gabrielle would certainly have had your back every time,’ a deep voice behind us agreed.
We both spun round to find Tomas standing there looking unbearably handsome in a suit the colour of midnight and a crisp, white shirt, the collar unbuttoned. Both Armani, if I wasn’t mistaken.
‘Tomas!’ I wondered exactly how much of the conversation he had heard. As our eyes met, I knew. Every single word.
‘Kitty.’ He hesitated for a moment until receiving the almost imperceptible nod I gave him then bent, kissing me on both cheeks. ‘Thank you for coming.’
‘Thanks for inviting us.’
He nodded along with the game. Gabby was the one that had invited us, telling me that although Tomas had wanted to, he felt that it might be better coming from her. And, from Sasha’s point of view, he’d probably been right.
‘Tomas, this is Sasha, my daughter.’
‘Hello,’ she said, her face not quite a smile but doing its best as she studied him and stuck out her hand. Tomas didn’t miss a beat.
‘Hello,’ he replied, shaking it. ‘I’m so glad you could come. I’ve heard a lot about you.’
‘Oh?’ Sash flicked me a look.
‘Yes. Your mother is extremely proud of you. You are a social media influencer, I understand?’
‘That’s right.’ She gave a glance around. ‘Thank you for letting me film here this evening. My viewers are excited for the video. Mum didn’t tell me you were quite so well known.’
That’s because Mum hadn’t had the first clue!
‘You’re very welcome. I’m glad that it is of interest to you, and your YouTube audience.’
‘Perhaps you could do an interview with Tomas to go with it?’
Both of them turned to me with polite but utterly horrified expressions.
‘Just an idea,’ I said, less enthusiasm behind my words this time. I’d thought it was a great idea. Apparently, I wasn’t destined to be a YouTuber.
An awkward silence descended.
‘It looks busy. That’s a good sign.’ With a now ex-husband who never felt the need to fill any silences at the few social gatherings we had gone to, I’d become accustomed to doing so, even though it was usually with some inane comment as I’d expertly just demonstrated.
Tomas, however, didn’t appear to notice anything amiss and merely picked up the thread of conversation. ‘Gabby is always excellent at getting the right, and the right amount, of people to attend the opening night.’
‘Who are the “right” people?’ Sasha asked, her chin tipped a little in challenge.
‘Those who have shown an interest in previous works of mine, and have the money to invest.’
‘Isn’t that rather an elitist view?’
Oh, crikey.
‘Sash.’
‘What?’ She turned to me, her face a picture of innocence.
I’d thought that sharing my past with her would bring us closer, and it had.
But what I hadn’t bargained on was the defensiveness she now felt on my behalf against the man who she now knew had broken my twenty-year-old heart. ‘I’m interested.’
Tomas held up a hand. ‘No, it’s a valid question.
And yes, I can see how it would seem elitist. But the truth is, as much as I would love to paint for free, and sometimes do, I also need to earn a living.
Creative pursuits, as in your own case, often start out as hobbies.
If we are lucky, they eventually are able to support us. ’
The awkward silence returned but this time I bit my tongue, almost literally, to stop myself from filling it. This was for Sasha and Tomas to sort out.
Sash cracked first. ‘I suppose that’s true. Although I’m pretty sure my income and yours are in very different areas of the spectrum.’
‘Perhaps.’
I gave Tomas an ‘oh, come on’ look. The briefest phantom of a smile touched the corner of his mouth.
‘Your mother still has the ability to call me out, it would seem.’
‘Good job someone does.’ The comment was under her breath but there was no doubting Tomas, as well as I, heard it.
‘Sasha,’ I said, more cross this time.
She swallowed and glanced away for a moment.
‘What I intended to say was that, yes, I have been lucky that my work has been noticed now. But it took a long time. You are just starting out.’
‘I’ve actually had my channel for eleven years.’
‘That shows you have commitment. But, from what I understand from my godson about things, it is a very competitive field, and some, as with me in my field, are lucky to have been standing in the right place when the limelight swept past and can make an exceptionally good living from their channel and associated sponsorship and connections. This is right, yes?’
‘True. Your godson sounds well informed.’
A waiter with a tray of champagne flutes balanced on one hand drifted past. Tomas stopped him and took two, handing one each to Sasha and me before lifting one for himself.
‘Would you let me show you around the exhibition?’ His question was directed at Sasha. ‘You’re clearly a woman unafraid to give an honest opinion and I appreciate that. Perhaps it is an inherited trait.’ He gave me a side-eyed glance.
Sash still hadn’t relinquished her rein on defensiveness. ‘I do. I don’t believe in pretence.’
‘Neither do I. As such, I would be very interested to hear those opinions, if your mother can spare you?’
‘I’d be more than happy to keep the lady company until you come back.
’ A mid-Atlantic twang curled itself around the words as we all turned towards the person who’d spoken them.
A similar build to Tomas, he was perhaps ten years younger, with a wide, orthodontically perfect smile and pale-blue eyes.
‘Hi. Frank Delaney.’ He held out a hand and I shook it.
‘Katherine Collins. Pleased to meet you.’
‘If I was being corny, I’d say that I’d guess this was your sister, but that’s not my style.’
Tomas gave a grunt at this before the new arrival continued.
‘But I’m assuming she’s your daughter.’
‘I am.’ Sash held out her hand, this time with far less confrontational energy behind it. ‘But Mum did have me very young.’
‘That I can see.’ He flashed us the smile again. ‘Nice to see you again, Tomas.’ He pronounced it in a standard English – or American – way and I saw a tiny muscle begin to pulse in Tomas’s jaw. It was something you’d only notice it if you knew him well, knew what to look for.
‘Francis,’ Tomas parried back.
Oh, for goodness’ sake.
‘I’m fine here, darling, if you want to go with Tomas for a tour.’ I made a point of saying it correctly and felt it was probably an ideal opportunity to separate these two boys before they started putting itching powder down each other’s pants.
‘OK. Have fun!’ She winked at me, making sure Tomas saw.
The flicker increased and I shooed them away.