Chapter Twenty-Seven
‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Connor demanded.
‘Playing it friendly, eh?’ A slow smile spread across her face. ‘Not pleased to see me then? There was a time when it was quite the opposite.’
His recollection of events was somewhat different, but he wasn’t going to lose his temper. Not here, not now. His heart rate accelerated with the effort of controlling himself. ‘What do you want?’
‘What are you offering?’
‘Nothing. Stop playing games and get to the point.’
Stefania led him to the far side of the hall and opened the door into another reception room. The absence of party decorations suggested this was off limits but at least they wouldn’t be interrupted. Or overheard.
Stefania sat down on one of the dark brown leather sofas and waited for Connor to do likewise.
‘I’ll stand, thanks. I’m not here to have a cosy chat, so say what it is you have to say and then get out.’
Stefania’s eyebrows arched. ‘Get out? When I’ve only just arrived? I’m here to enjoy myself. Why are you here?’
‘Because,’ said Connor, his voice rising, ‘I was bloody invited, that’s why.’
‘Only because someone specifically asked to put you on the guest list.’
‘Yes, that would be Henrietta.’
‘No actually.’ She laughed in a drunken giggly way. ‘It was me.’
Connor’s insides swooped as though he’d gone down in a lift too quickly.
‘And I supplied George with the address.’
For several seconds he stared at her in disbelief. Had Bonnie put her up to this?
Stefania laughed again. ‘You still can’t work it out, can you?’
‘So how—’
‘How did I find out? That was simple, I bought one of your shirts. The address was on the sender sticker on the back of the package.’
‘But—’
‘But how did I know it was your eBay shop? Because I spotted that Patek Philippe watch. That was quite by accident actually; I was looking for ideas for presents when I came across it, and I recognised the watch instantly. Bonnie had it engraved with two entwined hearts on the back, and I was the one who took it to the jewellers to get it engraved. Of course I didn’t want to spend that much just to find out where you lived, so I looked at what else you were selling and bought a shirt instead.
I wear it in bed,’ she said, fluttering her eyelashes in an overly exaggerated fashion.
‘You’re drunk.’
Stefania stood up and swayed as she walked slowly towards him. ‘And you’re the reason I got the sack. I think you owe me.’
She reached out, but Connor leapt backwards as if he’d been tasered.
‘I think we’re done here,’ he said, gesturing stiffly at the door. ‘After you.’
‘No, you don’t mean that!’ Stefania adopted a childish wheedling tone which Connor disliked intensely. ‘Look, I lost my job because of you, but I can still forgive and forget. Maybe we can help each other?’
‘The only way you can help is by staying away.’
He was at the door when she moved closer and murmured, ‘By the way, do I have competition? That woman you arrived with this evening?’
She was so close Connor could smell the alcohol on her breath.
His hand froze on the door handle. Competition?
That was laughable. Much as he wanted to tell Stefania exactly how much trouble – financial and otherwise – she had caused, he realised he was wasting his breath.
Determined not to be involved in any more misunderstandings or manufactured scandals, he pointed into the hallway and Stefania weaved her way back towards the party with a wave of her hand.
‘Ciao. I’ll be in touch.’
Connor’s insides shrivelled into a ball of lead.
Surely everyone had done with that stupid story by now?
The trouble was that in his experience, people rarely analysed things they read in the paper or on social media.
They didn’t seek out the truth, they just sucked up the juicy titbits of gossip like locusts devouring a field of wheat, before swarming on to feast on the next poor victim.
And what about Rosie? She’d already been hurt by her cheating husband. There was no way he was going to let her get dragged into any celebrity gossip, even though thankfully she didn’t look at social media pages.
I’ll be in touch.
He gritted his teeth. He detested the idea of Stefania having his address. She’d already found out about Rosie. He thumped the back of the sofa. He needed a drink. And then he had some thinking to do.