Private Lives Part 66

By the time they had finished their curry, Matt realised they were both very drunk. He pointed towards a suitcase that was standing in the corner of the room.

'Going somewhere?' he asked playfully.

She looked doubtful.

'Maybe,' she replied.

He raised his eyebrows.

'Maybe?'

'It's my sister's wedding this weekend. I'm sure you know about Sophie and Andy the whole office seems to so you can see my dilemma. It would make my mum and dad so happy if I turned up, but I'm not sure I can face looking like such a loser.'

'You wouldn't look like a loser.'

'Right. The sad, single sister at the back who the groom cheated on. I almost had a solution. Sam said he'd come with me, although that's obviously not happening now. Probably a good thing, mind you. People might have thought I was a right b.i.t.c.h, trying to upstage the bride.'

'Rubbish. If I had the chance to take Cameron Diaz to a traitorous sibling's wedding, I'd be there like a shot. Shame I haven't got any siblings, or Cameron Diaz on my tail, although Erica Sheldon was definitely after me a few weeks ago.'

'Dream on, Casanova,' Anna said, laughing. Her T-shirt slipped off one shoulder. Matt suddenly found himself wanting to kiss her there.

'If you don't fancy an A-list actor on your arm, what about a slightly going-to-seed solicitor?'

'Are we talking about Larry here?'

He smiled. 'Actually, I meant me.'

'You'd come to Tuscany?'

'Well it's Tuscany or watching the cricket with a takeaway.'

'You do look good in a suit,' she mused.

'Glad you think so.'

'According to the secretaries, who have a sweepstake on who's going to sleep with you first, you look snappiest in the navy single-breasted.'

'And I didn't think they cared.'

She paused.

'You wouldn't seriously consider it, would you?'

'Well, my son's at a sleepover this weekend. And I do do need a tan.' As he looked at her, he could almost feel the adrenalin surging around his body. need a tan.' As he looked at her, he could almost feel the adrenalin surging around his body.

Be with the person who makes your heart beat faster. Wasn't that what his father had told him? Twenty-five years of neglect, then Larry Donovan had come out with a happy life's most precious secret.

For a moment he thought about his father, and his efforts to make it work with Loralee. The heart wants what it wants, he smiled to himself.

'I'd love to come with you, Anna.'

'You'll never get a flight,' she said thoughtfully. 'Not at this late notice.'

'I believe the firm has the most efficient travel agent in the business. An old female friend of Larry's.'

'That figures.'

'Right then,' said Matt, taking out his phone. 'Do you think I can get business cla.s.s on expenses?'

70

Dressed and ready for the day in a pale blue YSL suit, Helen sat in her kitchen looking out of the French windows, her fingers curled around a mug of coffee. She listened to the early morning birdsong, wondering what they were saying to each other. She'd been up since four, watching the night sky fade and turn a muted shade of lavender, rising up over the horizon like a peac.o.c.k unfolding its tail. The weather was going to be glorious; she didn't need to watch the weather forecast to know that much: warm and balmy, a beautiful late summer's day. How ironic, she thought, checking her watch, knowing it was time to leave for Chelsea.

She turned as she heard footsteps. Graham walked in, yawning and ineffectually smoothing down his bedhead hair.

'Are you going?'

She nodded.

'Soon.'

Her eyes strayed to the doc.u.ments sitting on the breakfast bar.

'Just sign them,' said Graham quietly.

'I can't,' she replied, closing her eyes, feeling utterly helpless. This was everything she'd ever worked for, and now she was supposed to just sign it all away, surrender her livelihood and her reputation with one sweep of a pen. And yet Larry had made the alternatives very clear indeed. Being struck off the solicitor's roll, perhaps a spell in an open prison somewhere, spending her days reminiscing with all the other unlucky lags who had pushed the boat out too far.

Graham walked over and handed her the pen, then put his steady hands on her shoulders and waited as she scratched out a signature. First on the letter of resignation from the partnership, then on the transfer of her equity share to Larry.

She dropped the pen on the oak top and turned into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder.

She had told Graham everything, of course. Well, almost everything. Not the real reason why Simon Cooper had been so persuasive in getting Helen to help him bury the Amy Hart story, although she suspected that he had known of their affair all along. He stroked her hair gently.

'Just let it go,' he soothed. 'Everything will be all right. Just the two of us. It's only a setback. You're down, darling, but you're never out. You're a brilliant woman who can turn her hand to anything. And truthfully, you were always bigger than Donovan Pierce anyway.'

For a moment she almost believed him. For years she had been so disparaging of anything that came out of her husband's mouth, and yet now his words of rea.s.surance were the only thing she wanted to hear.

She breathed him in, the soft smell of his pyjamas, and knew she could never leave him.

'You're right,' she said, looking out into the sunshine again. 'It's not over, not by a long chalk. In fact, I've got a feeling this is just the beginning.'

71

Anna had never really realised how wealthy Andy's family were until she went out to Villa Sole for the first time. At the start of their relationship, when Andy had spoken about his family's summer place in Tuscany, she had imagined a rambling farmhouse with delphinium-blue shutters and broken flowerpots. But Villa Sole was truly magnificent, a whitewashed Italianate stately home with tall windows and pillared gables, at once both grand and chic.

'b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l,' said Matt as their stubby Fiat hire car turned on to the arrow-straight drive. 'It's like a palace.' Anna felt her heart give a flutter. Although the summer sun had toasted the surrounding hillsides a deep ochre, the grounds of Villa Sole looked just as luscious as they had when she and Andy had come here to kiss in the poppy fields and swim in the river. It was like seeing an old lover across a room.

'Are you sure this is his family's place, not a five-star hotel?' said Matt as they drew up outside the entrance. 'No wonder he pulled so many birds at college.'

'You knew Andy at Cambridge?' said Anna, her eyes wide. 'How come you haven't mentioned this before?'

'Never really knew him.' Matt shrugged. 'He was the year ahead of me. But he certainly had a reputation as a ladies' man.'

'Well he never used to boast about this place,' said Anna, suddenly feeling protective of Andy. Matt gave her a smirk.

'Not to you, maybe.'

'What does that mean?'

'Well you're not the sort of girl to be impressed by fancy tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, are you?'

Anna looked at him sideways.

'Should I take that as a compliment?'

Matt chuckled. 'Yes,' he said. 'Definitely a compliment.'

Anna laughed. She had been surprised at how well she and Matt had got on. She had been nervous about bringing him in fact she had woken up kicking herself but away from the office, they had fallen into the sort of flirtatious banter you usually only had with people you'd known for years. They seemed to share a similarly dry sense of humour, and on the two-hour flight over they had giggled constantly, chatting away without mentioning work, Helen or the Amy Hart story once. In fact it had been like a first date: finding out about each other's lives and interests, swapping funny stories. They had quite a lot in common, mutual friends, and had even lived on the same street when they were at Guildford College of Law, albeit four or five years apart.

'Anna!'

She turned to see her father running down the steps, his arms open. He scooped her up and hugged her, squashing her face against his shoulder, and any last doubts she had harboured about coming to the wedding immediately evaporated.

'So you're pleased to see me, then?' she said happily when her dad had finally released his grip.

'When you said you were coming we were thrilled,' he said quietly. 'Thank you. Really.'

Anna was moved by the intensity of his words, and she realised with a flush of shame just how important it had been to him. How could she even have considered letting him down?

'Darling, you're here!' cried her mother, giving Anna an uncharacteristically warm embrace.

'So how are you enjoying Villa Sole?' asked Anna. 'Up to your standards?'

'Oh yes. You should see tonight's menu,' said Sue Kennedy, an excited twinkle in her eye. 'Truffles.'

Anna laughed. It was nice to see her parents both so relaxed, their slightly pink faces shining with pride. Anna had been so wrapped up in her own feelings towards Sophie, it was easy to forget that this must be a huge deal for them, seeing their first daughter tie the knot, and doing it in such grand surroundings too.

'Oh Mum, this is my friend Matt,' said Anna.

'Pleased to meet you,' said Matthew, pulling their cases from the car. 'Where shall I put these?'

'You're in the two rooms at the very top of the house,' said Sue, leading them both inside the house and showing Matt the staircase. 'Fantastic views in the morning; you can see all the way to Siena.' She looked over at Anna meaningfully. 'And if you don't need two rooms, I think the one overlooking the courtyard is the better one.'

Anna glanced at Matt was he blushing?

'I'll just take these upstairs, then,' he muttered, lugging the bags over his shoulder and disappearing up the stairs.

'I want the room with the view,' shouted Anna after him.

'Yes, boss ...' came the weary reply, and Anna's mother smiled.

'Good-looking boy,' she said.

'Boy? He's pushing thirty-five.'

'Practically a geriatric,' said her father.

Anna looked back and forth between her parents.

'Now just because we're at a wedding, don't go getting any ideas,' she said firmly. 'He's just a friend, okay?'

'Whatever you say, darling,' said her mother, turning to her husband and giving him a deliberate wink.

The sun was beginning to vanish over the scorched hillside and Anna gazed out at the carpet of wild flowers stretching across the meadow, scenting the evening air like cologne. Her mother was right. The view was spectacular from up here. In the dusky lavender light, the Chianti hills and vineyards folded and disappeared into one another, while just faintly she really could see the dark skyline of the great old town of Siena. Anna had spent many nights at Villa Sole but never in the eaves of the house, which were usually reserved for nannies or children Sophie and her parents would be in the grand master suites on the lower floors.

Next door, she could hear Matt singing over the rushing sound of the shower at full blast. Was that 'Karma Chameleon'? She giggled; Matthew Donovan really was full of surprises. She walked into her own bathroom and turned on the gold taps of her claw-foot bath, tipping in some lime-scented oil. When it was full, she peeled off her travelling clothes and sank gratefully down into the bath until the foam tickled her nose. Closing her eyes, she let the events of the past week float through her mind. Where was Helen Pierce this evening? she wondered. Matthew had called Larry from the airport, and apparently Helen had formally resigned from the firm that morning. And what would become of Peter Rees and his so-called friends, each of them equally marked and sullied by the affair? Would any of them ever pay for what they did? The Chronicle The Chronicle were putting pressure on the police to launch an inquiry into Amy's death, but Anna knew there was no certainty of justice being done. And was there really such a thing as justice when you had money and a team of nimble lawyers at your disposal? She gave a crooked smile, remembering the argument she'd had with Matt that first day at Donovan Pierce, when she had so staunchly defended the legal system and a rich man's right to use the law any way he pleased. She wasn't at all sure she felt the same way now, not after having seen the Swann set hiding behind their millions. So where did that leave her? She knew she still believed in the law you couldn't give up on it just because the bad guys kept winning, otherwise who would protect people like Amy Hart? There had to be another way; a fair, honest way. Anna just supposed she'd have to find it. were putting pressure on the police to launch an inquiry into Amy's death, but Anna knew there was no certainty of justice being done. And was there really such a thing as justice when you had money and a team of nimble lawyers at your disposal? She gave a crooked smile, remembering the argument she'd had with Matt that first day at Donovan Pierce, when she had so staunchly defended the legal system and a rich man's right to use the law any way he pleased. She wasn't at all sure she felt the same way now, not after having seen the Swann set hiding behind their millions. So where did that leave her? She knew she still believed in the law you couldn't give up on it just because the bad guys kept winning, otherwise who would protect people like Amy Hart? There had to be another way; a fair, honest way. Anna just supposed she'd have to find it.

Wrapping herself in a fluffy white towel, she unpacked her bag and laid the meagre contents on the bed. With everything that had happened, she hadn't had time to go shopping for her sister's wedding. She picked up the turquoise silk tunic dress she'd worn in Kerala, remembering the way Sam had smiled at her that night on the longboat.

She felt a knot in her chest just thinking about Sam and Jessica and that horrible scene on the drive outside Copley Manor. She took a deep breath and let it out. That was over now, she had to move on. And anyway, she looked hot in the dress, so why not?

She was just pinning her hair up on top of her head, exposing her long neck, when there was a knock on the door.

'Come in,' she muttered through the grips in her mouth. Matthew appeared at the door, looking relaxed in a pair of cream trousers and a pale blue shirt, open at the neck.

'Look at George Clooney,' she said appreciatively. She had never seen him in anything but a work suit, and casual looked good on him.

'Well I know you like the screen-idol type,' he joked.

'Hey, cheeky,' she scolded.

'You're not looking too bad yourself,' he said as she finished her hair and turned around.

'So why do I feel so nervous?' she asked.

'Nothing a gla.s.s of Chianti won't sort out,' he said, offering her his arm. 'What's the betting Villa Sole have their own vineyard?'

'Actually they do.' She smiled, enjoying the feel of him against her hip, enjoying the sense of feeling protected. They descended the staircase and went into the main hall, where Sophie and Andy were greeting guests.

d.a.m.n, she looks lovely, thought Anna. Sophie's gown was floor length and the colour of a Bellini, a peach shade so soft it almost made her tanned skin glow.