‘Think I want to go to those hovels with women who are too ugly for daylight? You know how business works here.’ Alex walked over to his cupboard, took a white shirt off the hanger and put it on.
‘Fine,’ she said. He had won, again. Her eyes flickered to the black dress hanging in her half open cupboard. The dress would be a perfect compliment to the new diamond necklace Alex had given her – four one-carat solitaires hanging on a platinum chain.
‘If you don’t want to come.’
How many parties would she miss if she chose to hold Bill’s philandering against him? So, she had made a mistake with Bonnie. She couldn’t lose another friend over something that didn’t concern her, could she?
‘If I go alone, think of all those women that’ll be throwing themselves at me.’ Alex flashed her a cheeky grin.
She couldn’t help but smile even though she knew it was probably true. She jumped off the bed. ‘I’ll be ready in half an hour. Can you get my new necklace from the safe?’
Alex smiled. ‘Sure.’
33
Barnet, North London
‘There was no “being late” in Hong Kong. You arrived at parties when you wanted to. It was an unspoken rule of the rich over there. The richer you were, the later you arrived.’
‘How did it make you feel when you decided to go to the party?’ Elaine asked.
‘On the way to the party Alex said to me that Bill was the same person I’d always known. He was right. He made me realise that my fight with Bonnie was in the past; that I couldn’t take it out on everyone else. I planned on booking a flight to London the next day and I planned to make up with her when I got there. So, I felt pretty good’
‘So what changed? You said the boat was poisonous before. That it changed everything.’
‘Alex changed. He was away a lot before. Now it was like he didn’t exist. He was always on that wretched boat. If he didn’t answer his phone I called Bill. It was that simple. They were inseparable. If they were not on the Premier Cru, they were looking on the Benetti homepage. “Boat porn” I used to call it. And I was so foolish, I didn’t say anything. I had all the opportunity in the world and I didn’t say a word. I was scared that if I did I would push Alex further away. I didn’t want to be a nagging wife and end up cuckolded like Angela.’
‘You wanted to be the cool wife. The one that said “I trust you, do what you want”.’
Celeste nodded. ‘At the same time I was also glad that they were looking at fast cars and yachts. I thought it would keep Alex’s eyes from wandering to other women. There were always stunning women on Bill’s boat. He attracted them like bees to honey.’
‘So you never told Angela about Bill’s women?’
Celeste shook her head. I knew Angela, but I wouldn’t call her a friend. She was always pleasant to me but she kept her distance. She was so preoccupied with her children and she had a close-knit group of old school friends in London so we only met up occasionally. Plus, I believed what Alex had said about her.’
‘Do you want to expand on that?’
‘Alex drip fed me information about Angela,’ she said, fiddling with the hem of her cardigan. ‘Over dinner, not long after I met Anya, he told me that Angela had a violent streak. At the time I believed it. I didn’t have reason not to. Angela had a temper when things didn’t go her way. I once saw her throw a glass figurine on the floor, smashed it to smithereens, all because she couldn’t get a massage booked at the time she wanted. I think she forgot she had company. She took one look at me standing next to her, gawping at what she had done, and apologized profusely. Said she thought it was plastic. Like Bill and Angela would have had any plastic ornaments. It was shocking to lose your temper over something so trivial, but it just made realise I didn’t know Angela at all. So when Alex said she had been known to physically attack Bill I believed him.’
‘Did you ever ask Bill or Angela about it?’
‘I didn’t want to get involved. I mean Alex said Bill would die if he found out that I knew.’
Elaine made a note in her journal.
‘Now, I look back and I can see why she threw that ornament. She probably knew what Bill was up to. It was probably a special day for them and he was out screwing a nobody in a short skirt. Her inability to get a massage booked was just another disappointment on a terrible day.’
‘The straw that broke the camel’s back. Is that what you think?’
Celeste looked out of the window. It was almost light outside. ‘Bill’s birthday party was everything I imagined. We were dancing with the glitterati of Hong Kong like teenagers. But I kept my promise to myself. After the party, after my big design meeting, I called Kealana and asked her to book me a return trip to London. I wanted to catch up with Alicia, make up with Bonnie, see Maryanne and spend time with my family.
‘And did you?’
Celeste shook her head.
34
19th November 2011
Mayfair, London
Celeste looked at the old white and blue vase that she had found in a little shop in Primrose Hill. She touched it with the tips of her fingers and as she walked around her old home she adjusted the various ornaments she had once collected. Items that Kealana had no involvement with. Everything had been cleaned before her arrival and fresh white lilies had been placed in the said vase – on Kealana’s instructions, no doubt. There was milk, bread and her favourite chocolate spread in the fridge. The wine rack had been re-stocked and the towels and linen had been freshly laundered. Despite her suspicions of Kealana, who had also moved some of the furniture around, she couldn’t discredit her running of the Renshaw properties.
She turned up the heating and pulled her dressing gown around her as she opened her wardrobe. She examined the red Valentino dress Alex had left in her wardrobe with a note telling her that he missed her, and smiled at his thoughtfulness. But rather than a note she wanted him there. Lately, she had been trying to make an effort, cancelling important meetings just so that she could spend more time with him. She had even offered to go with him to Shanghai but everything she did, everything she said, seemed to spark an argument between them.
‘I thought you had to work on the next collection?’ he asked when she had offered to accompany him.
‘I do. But you’re more important than that. I can ask Jinny to lead on this.’
‘And blame me when it all goes wrong. I don’t think so,’ he had said. ‘You did that once before, remember?’
‘That was different. It was a capsule collection that Harris specifically asked me to work on and…’
‘Never mind. Why is this house so filthy? And my shirts, look,’ he said, taking one out of his drawer. ‘It’s creased. Lada’s not taking any care anymore. She knows how to fold them. She’s been doing it for years. She just needs reminding. Maybe…’ Alex started and then stopped.
‘Maybe, what?’
‘Don’t worry.’
‘No, say it.’
‘Maybe you need to keep an eye on what the staff do. We can’t have Kealana here the whole time checking their work. Remember, you don’t like her.’
‘So you’d rather I stay here and watch Lada clean than spend time with you?’
Alex had sighed. She noticed his shoulders drop. ‘Honey, sorry. I didn’t…Come to Shanghai –’ he started but she cut him off, slamming the bathroom door and running herself a bath to drown out his apologies.
Now she ran her hand over the silky fabric of the Valentino dress. It was better than nothing, even if Alex had asked Kealana to pick it out.
As she examined the cut and the neckline of the garment she wondered if Alex too had felt the distance between them of late and was trying to bridge the gap. Was the dress his way of saying he was sorry that he was never around anymore? ‘This is my job,’ was his usual response when she complained about all the travelling he was doing. Already he had been to Shanghai twice in the month and it was only the nineteenth.
She couldn’t keep tr
ack of where Alex was most of the time. When she had first complained he had installed an application on to her phone and his own, which pinpointed their whereabouts on a map, but even this bit of technology couldn’t seem to keep up with him. She had used it a couple of times, just to know where he was. It always felt better when she could see the little blue flag on the map, pinpointing Alex’s whereabouts. But lately it seemed to have stopped working. Perhaps it needed updating or something. The last time Alex was in Shanghai it put him in Scotland and she knew he was in Shanghai. It was always Shanghai. Making in-roads through the mountain of red-tape that surrounded the Renshaw office set-up.
Celeste let the thought go. It felt odd being back in London. London had given her so much – her degree, an amazing career and two friends who she had once thought the world of. But before she had left for Hong Kong it had all turned sour. Cross London was financially close to ruin and the friendship between her and Bonnie had been lost. Moving to Hong Kong at the time seemed to have preoccupied her. Her focus had been her new husband and Cross Hong Kong.
The move seemed to have paid off, for Cross at least. The recent red cape she had designed had been a sell out in Hong Kong, but had barely sold in London. Cross London was still failing, or so Alex had said. She had felt foolish when he had broken the news to her. He often did that – told her what was happening to Cross before she found out from Toby Cain or Harris. She hated when he did that, hated that he had friends in high places with insider knowledge on just about everything.
She was looking forward to catching up with Maryanne. When was the last time they had spoken? She couldn’t remember and she felt a slight pang of guilt. She should have made more of an effort with her old boss, but the wild nights and busy days in Hong Kong seemed to have distracted her more than she realised.
And Bonnie – how could she have let a petty argument get between them? She should have forgiven her for her harsh words and called her. And of course there was Alicia, the person whose letter had sparked this trip. Alicia had always been there for her. But just before she left Hong Kong Alex had told her something, something that changed the way she regarded her close friend. Now she wasn’t sure if she wanted to speak to Alicia, let alone see her. What Alex said had hurt. It wasn’t so much what Alicia had done, but her failure to confide in her that stung. Did their friendship mean nothing to her?
She sat on the bed, staring at the red dress. It was a first for Celeste to be alone in London. She looked at her phone. She would call her mother for a chat or watch a movie. But just as she was about to dial her mother’s number, the screen of the phone flashed up with a name she hadn’t seen for a while.
Celeste answered apprehensively. An hour later she got dressed and left the house.
*
‘Darling,’ Celeste said, kissing Angela on each cheek. She noticed Angela’s long brown fur and estimated it at around eight thousand pounds – far too much money to pay for a coat that made her look like a Shar Pei.
Angela turned to stub out her cigarette. ‘Bill mentioned that you were in London, possibly at a loose end.’
So Alex had spoken to Bill – of course he had. That explained it. It wasn’t as if she and Angela were friends. They were the wives of two friends, pushed together by familiarity only. It was rich, Bill asking his wife to keep her company, especially after what Alex had just told her. Did he want her to tell Angela? Was that it? Well, she wouldn’t be doing his dirty work.
‘The children are with their nanny, and I just needed to get out and have a drink.’
‘Shall we go in?’ Celeste said, as a sharp gust of icy wind caught her. ‘I’ve forgotten just how cold it can be here in winter. But I have to admit, it’s a welcome relief from the constant mugginess of Hong Kong.’
‘You’ve been holed up in that place for far too long.’ Angela opened the heavy black door to The Emerald Rooms and walked into the reception area of the club. ‘Bill’s told me to come out there, but I just can’t do it. I’d miss my friends and family too much. It’s a good job he doesn’t mind flying up and down so much. Alex must be the same. I suppose they get used to it. Angela flashed her membership card to the front of house who greeted them.
‘They never refer to you by your name here. Some odd tradition,’ Angela said. ‘It’s always sir or madam. Makes me feel old. You a member?’
Celeste shook her head.
‘I’ll sign you in as my guest,’ she said, writing her name and then Celeste’s on the register. ‘Been here before?’
‘I think so. When I got back from travelling. I came with a friend, but she doesn’t live here anymore. We kind of lost touch. Her name’s Bonnie. Bonnie Notman. She used come here with a girl called Alicia and two others – Rachel and Sophia, I think.’
Angela looked blank. ‘Can’t say I know them. But with the kids I don’t come here that often. It’s nice though to have membership – somewhere where everybody knows your name.’
‘Like an upmarket Cheers?’
‘You could say that. Get Alex to sign you up. He just needs to add your name to his membership. If they close the list then you’re screwed. Alex practically lives here when he’s in town.’
‘Does he?’ Alex had never mentioned The Emerald Rooms before. He always said that it was full of wannabes.
Angela hesitated. ‘Well Bill’s here all the time when he’s in London so I assume they are together. What do those two get up to?’ She walked upstairs, towards the Drawing Room bar. Celeste followed thinking about what Angela had just said.
It was obvious that Bill was using her husband and The Emerald Rooms as an excuse for his indiscretions. She watched Angela’s blond hair swaying as she walked, wondering the real reason as to why Angela had called her? Was it because Bill had asked her to, or was Angela suspicious of her husband? Was she going to interrogate her after a few glasses of wine?
Angela would have had to be completely blind not to know what Bill was up to. The whole of Hong Kong was talking about his affairs, and after what Alex had just told her she’d be surprised if the gossip hadn’t spread to London. It wasn’t as if Bill’s infidelity was limited to Hong Kong. Celeste accepted a glass of champagne from Angela and took a sip. She couldn’t disclose any of Bill’s affairs. Not without hurting everyone around her.
She followed Angela to a sofa next to a large Georgian window and looked out. It was dark, yellow lamps lit the street. She watched commuters make their way towards the tube station, after a long day’s work, reminding her of her own days spent working in London, before Alex – going home to her bedsit in Finchley after a long tube ride that she would have spent standing in heels, heels which pinched her toes and gave her blisters. Even then, she had thought that this time of the day, when the sun had gone down and the street lamps were lit, was when London was at its best. Celeste looked down on the street scene from the warmth of The Emerald Rooms and for the first time since her arrival in London felt glad to be back. Hong Kong was busy and always full of life. She loved the noise of the busy market places; the glazed ducks hanging in windows and hawkers selling curious meats, shouting for your attention, and the stark contrast as soon as she stepped into an air-conditioned building, away from the grime of the streets – the clean lines and the courteous manner. But London was different – the British reserve, the icy wind in winter that took your breath away, crisp autumn leaves and conkers. She missed all that.
She looked back to Angela now talking to a woman in a ruffled white shirt, which looked very Anne Fontaine. She smiled at the stranger and turned back to the window. Now she was out of the house she realised she wasn’t feeling sociable at all. But as they had just arrived she could hardly make an excuse to leave. Being at home with a take away and Alicia for company would have been a much better plan. In fact it had been a plan they had made weeks ago. But there was no way that that was going to happen anytime soon. What Alex had told her before she left their home in Hong Kong had rocked her to the core. She closed her eyes, remem
bering their conversation.
‘You’re meeting Alicia?’ Alex had said, putting his arms around Celeste.
‘As soon as I get off that plane.’
‘I’ll miss you.’
She pouted. ‘Why don’t you come? Come for a couple of days.’ Her voice rose in anticipation. It had been a long while since they had been away together.
‘Shanghai.’
‘Of course.’
‘Listen, before you go, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.’
Celeste froze. ‘What?’
Alex was silent.
Her hands began to tremble as her darkest fears began to invade her thoughts. Was he going to explain the distance he had been putting between them of late? Had Bill’s infidelity rubbed off on him? She tried to rationalise her thoughts. Alex didn’t have time to cheat on her with the Shanghai project ruining all their plans. And he despised cheating. He would never put her through what Warwick had put his mother through.
‘You look worried.’
Celeste released herself from his grasp and adjusted her scarf. ‘What are you trying to say?’ she asked, avoiding his gaze.
‘Sit next to me a minute.’ Alex sat on the bed.
‘The taxi will be...’ We’ve grown apart. That’s how he would start.
‘The cab can wait. I just want you to hear this before you go, so you’re prepared.’
Prepared? For what? She looked at him, silently praying that he wouldn’t make her nightmare a reality, anything but that.
‘It’s about Alicia.’
Alex and Alicia? She shook her head. He would never, she would never. ‘What about her?’
‘Bill and Alicia have been seeing each other on and off since our wedding.’
Celeste laughed. ‘That’s it? Okay.’ She took a moment whilst the news registered, relief that it had nothing to do with Alex flooding her mind.
‘You know?’
She shook her head. ‘Of course not. You mean Bill is not only screwing half of Hong Kong, but my best friend as well?’
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