Harry's house stood in its own grounds. Like an A-list star at a party, it was far too important to mingle with anyone else. It simply flaunted money, like a celebrity on a shopping spree. Gleaming brilliant white in the sunshine, it was ringed by trees, which clustered round the building like a bunch of tough bodyguards.
An intercom on the gate buzzed Jake's party through.
'It's like going into a prison, though I can't imagine anyone wanting to visit Harry's family if they are all like him,' grumbled Jake.
As they drove slowly up the winding driveway they realised they were joining the cream of Lake District society – to judge by the other cars. He reckoned none of them had cost less than £30,000, which made his battered Ford Fiesta look just a mite conspicuous, for all the wrong reasons.
'Someone's bound to come out and tell us to park round the back with the other tradesmen.'
'Oh, for goodness' sake, stop being so touchy!' Georgia was trying to apply lipstick with a hand that was distinctly nervous. She was excited and scared at the thought of seeing Harry again, and guilty because she really shouldn't be looking forward to it and then angry with Jake for making her feel guilty. Jake could feel the waves of energy rising from her but was at a loss to know why, but he supposed that this sort of party mattered much more to her than him. She would, understandably, be keen to make a good impression, but he couldn't work out why this should be making her so cross.
'You look perfect, as always,' he reassured her, slightly puzzled as to why she hadn't ticked him off for dressing so casually.
Georgia hadn't commented on the jeans because she simply hadn't noticed them. She had been far too preoccupied choosing her own outfit. Harry, unlike Jake, was very aware of clothes and she was determined to make a stunning impression. Her long floaty Chloé dress certainly did that. It tucked itself neatly round her pert breasts and sidled down her long legs in a coy but very suggestive manner. She barely acknowledged Jake's compliments because they had long since ceased to mean anything to her.
As they got out of the car, three figures popped out from behind a tree.
'We were too scared to go in without you,' giggled Kirsty, whose high heels kept getting stuck in the grass.
'Probably a good thing. If anyone sees Godfrey they'll think he's a bloody waiter. The only thing you are missing is a tray of canapés.'
'Ha ha. Mum said I had to wear this suit. It took me ages to find the tie – someone was using it as a dog lead.'
'If anyone asks you for a drink, just bark. I detect a faint whiff of dog about you anyway,' said Hans. He'd had an enormous spliff before setting out, so, unlike the others, was feeling chilled out and mellow.
'Well, let's get this over with,' said Jake. This was his first evening off for ages and he had to spend it here, of all places. How annoying was that?
They went up the wide steps, between two stone lions and into a hall.
'My mum was here ages ago, helping out at a party,' said Kirsty. 'They wanted her to wear a black dress, but she said, you'll have to pay me a lot more than four quid an hour to put that thing on when it's still got sweaty marks under the arms, and as for those shoes, why they'll be bloody lethal on this floor and –'
'Please shut up,' begged Jake, catching sight of Georgia's stony face.
They didn't know it but the butler had only been hired for the evening and was massively pissed off already after being bawled out for nipping off for a sneaky fag.
'As the weather is so fine, the party has assembled on the terrace by the pool,' he intoned automatically. Then he recognised Jake because his dad sometimes supplied the restaurant with veg. 'How you doing, mate? Didn't expect to see you at this sort of do.'
'Likewise,' grinned Jake. 'I thought you would be far too busy trying to offload those cauliflowers I told you I hadn't ordered.'
'They're paying me a hundred quid for tonight. Mind you, I'm earning every penny of it. They are all out the back – just head for the noise, you can't miss them,' he said, gloomily.
At the back of the house was an enormous terrace and beyond that, a pool. And loads of people, all dressed up, talking and laughing loudly. Harry's mother was in the middle of the largest group, holding court and taking fortifying sips from a very large gin. She was still very beautiful, though her skin was starting to look slightly too stretched over her face.
She came over to greet them. 'You must be Harry's new friend!'
Jake tried not to shudder. That was truly a horrible thought.
'He has told us all about your brave attempt to set up in the restaurant trade. Good for you! And please don't forget that Harry is always very generous with advice.'
Jake wanted to retort that the only thing Harry was usually generous with were insults and that he would know he was done for if he ever had to go to him for help, but luckily Georgia interrupted.
'What a gorgeous pool.'
'I'm afraid we haven't put the heating on,' said Mrs Hunter quickly. She had clocked Georgia's youth and beauty instantly and the fact that men's eyes were swivelling over from every corner of the garden. There was no way she was going to let her take off her clothes and cause even more of a stir.
'Glad you could make it!' Harry appeared, a picture of friendliness. 'There's someone from Elle magazine over there – he says he knows you. Let me get you a glass of champagne and take you over to him,' he continued, whisking Georgia away with his usual skill. Tess's eyes followed them suspiciously, but what trouble could they get into in a garden full of people?
'I can't see anyone I know,' Georgia said, leaning forward to peer short-sightedly round and causing one nipple to venture out from the inadequate folds of her dress.
Harry swallowed, seriously turned on. 'I lied. I just wanted to get you on your own.'
Georgia was hugely flattered but scared. 'How sweet, but you shouldn't have done that. I can't leave Jake on his own.'
'He has disappeared already,' said Harry with perfect truth. 'At least let me get you a drink.
Wrinkling her nose to try to see more clearly (she had forgotten her contact lenses again), Georgia couldn't see Jake anywhere.
As soon as her back was turned Jake had made off. His crew had made a beeline for the bar. He was on his own and feeling very out of place.
'What a bunch of superficial, shallow wankers,' he muttered out loud to make himself feel better.
'I couldn't agree more, sir,' said the butler, appearing out of nowhere. 'Personally, I would recommend vast quantities of alcohol, but avoid the whisky – it tends to make one want to biff someone.' Jake laughed so much, the bubbles from the champagne went up his nose. Coughing and spluttering, he retreated to the door so that he wouldn't embarrass Georgia.
As Jake stood on the steps Kate's equally shabby car shot up the drive with no regard for a very old and hugely overweight Jack Russell terrier which had just sat down to get its breath back after trying and failing miserably to catch a rabbit. Kate flew in between two Rollers, narrowly missing a wing mirror, and parked on a slant, as if she didn't give a damn, which she didn't.
Jake suddenly felt much more cheerful. There was a splendid air of self-confidence about her as she kicked the door shut, which was the only way of getting it to stay shut. She was wearing a very short, bright red skirt and flat shoes, which only served to draw attention to her long, slender legs, which were covered with fake tan. Waitresses, she had discovered, rarely saw daylight, let alone sunshine. There hadn't been time to blow dry her hair, so she had just tied it back and slapped on some blusher. Her sharply clever little face glowed. Unseen, he watched her look up at the house and assess it. Then she saw him and gave him a grin of complete complicity. She came over.
'What's it like? Loads of money, but no style?' she hissed hopefully.
Jake was forced to be honest. 'Actually, the house is lovely – it has real character. I wish it was mine.'
'Makes you want to spit, doesn't it?'
'I wouldn't dare do anything so working cla
ss here. They might set the dogs on me.'
'Well, that one wouldn't be able to give you a run for your money,' she said, pointing to the terrier, which was lying down and wheezing. 'He's obviously eating too many scraps from Harry's restaurant.'
'So does his dad. Harry's, I mean, not the dog's. I passed him just now. His stomach is practically down to his knees and he looked at me in total disbelief, as if he couldn't work out what the hell such a scruffy person was doing in his house.'
'You look fine – for someone who obviously doesn't want to spend money on clothes.'
They wandered over to the pool, where they were greeted with relief by their colleagues.
'Absolutely no one is talking to us,' complained Godfrey.
'Well, we are prepared to slum it, just this once,' said Jake, sitting down.
'Shouldn't you be schmoozing and making lots of useful contacts?' asked Kirsty.
'Probably, but I can't bring myself to, yet. I should find Georgy, though.'
'Oh, she went off with Harry, but she looked like she could take care of herself.'
'That's good.' Jake felt slightly uneasy at this, but was distracted by having to stop Hans from rolling a joint in front of the chief constable.
'That stuff makes you so bloody mellow, you lose all sense of reason!' he complained.
'That's why I smoke it – when I'm sober I'm just too strait-laced and sensible!' Hans grinned in reply.
In the end Jake didn't have to schmooze. A number of people found him and said such nice things about his cooking he perked up no end.
It was obvious to Kate that the men appreciated the food. The women were too busy appreciating the chef. It was also obvious that Jake was completely unaware of this. He chattered away happily about sauces and restaurants and other cooking-related subjects, while the women nodded and smiled and looked lustfully at him. She sighed. He probably thought they were just rather hungry.
Godfrey was pursuing an ambition to see how many champagne slammers he could get down before someone stopped him. Nature intervened when the third one went down the wrong way.
'By dose is going to explode!' he spluttered.
Jake and Kate leaned forward at the same time to slap him on the back. As she leaned forward he could see right down her top. She'd fake-tanned her breasts, but in rather a slapdash way and there were one or two pale streaks on her skin. Jake found himself wondering how far down she had gone. But someone had put the Beatles on a state-of-the-art sound system, and as the music drifted over, a woman asked him to dance. He got up with a certain amount of relief, even though he knew he was terrible dancer.
The woman didn't mind at all because it meant she kept having to put her arm on his to stop him falling in the pool. He kept glancing over at Kate to see what she was doing. Maybe it would be better if he just fell in and cooled down before he did something silly.
Harry had taken Georgia to the summerhouse, the scene of many nefarious activities in his youth. He had smoked his first joint here, screwed his first girl, dumped his first girl. Built like a tiny log cabin, it was hidden among the trees, cool and private. There were no chairs to sit on, just masses of cushions piled up on the floor. It gave an impression of rustic simplicity, but it was cleaned and polished by the housekeeper every week.
Harry had brought a bottle of Bollinger with him and was rummaging around in a little cupboard for the glasses he kept there.
Georgia sat down and waited in silence. She had a feeling she shouldn't be doing this, but not being an introspective person she was unable to take this thought much further. But taking things too far was Harry's forte. He gave Georgia two large glasses of bubbly in quick succession to weaken her defences and then pulled her towards him.
It was so long since she and Jake had kissed like this it was quite overwhelming, especially as Harry kept breaking off to look deep into her eyes and stroke her hair and neck as if he was examining a priceless piece of porcelain.
'You are far too thin,' he grumbled.
'I have to be – it's in my contract.'
'But I want to lick every inch of your body and I'd be finished far too soon. I suppose then I could start all over again,' he whispered into her neck and she shivered with pleasure.
'You're much bigger than Jake,' she said, stroking the powerful muscles in his neck and back.
'I'm big everywhere,' he grinned. 'If I wanted to, I could break you.' He put his hands on her breasts in a proprietary way.
'I haven't felt like this for such a long time,' she said dreamily, between kisses.
'Like what?' Harry always had to know in great detail how good he was. He could never get enough of himself.
'So helpless, I mean. I know we shouldn't be doing this, but I don't want to stop, and somehow it feels so right.'
'Then we won't stop. We should go where our . . . er, hearts, lead us.'
'Yes, of course. I hadn't thought of it like that, but now it all makes sense.'
He put his tongue very gently to her nipple, then pulled away, just as she was squirming with excitement. He made sure she was watching him manfully regaining his composure, then he said: 'I can't do this and then just walk away.'
Georgia, who hadn't been thinking at all, beyond the next sensation of pleasure, tried to muster her senses, such as they were. 'But we can't just stop here!'
He took her hand and traced the lines on her palm. 'Maybe we should. I wish I could read our future here, but I can't. You have to help me. Where will the next days, weeks, months, take us? Will we be together?'
Georgia felt strong, in control. 'Of course! For the first time I feel . . . I feel that I have power!'
'You poor darling! Does he treat you so badly?'
Georgia settled down for a good griping session. 'Only in a way too subtle for most people to see. The only thing he ever looks at greedily is food. He's already got a family, though they are just staff, and the restaurant is like some monster baby that never sleeps and always needs feeding! The only attention I ever get is whatever little bit he has left over. I am just second or third best!' she wailed and started to cry. She looked at him with huge, doe eyes, as two tears rolled down her cheeks.
Harry was surprised to discover he was genuinely moved by this. Dimly he realised that she was the only thing belonging to Jake that he didn't want to smash up. But he would take her from him.
Back at the party, everyone else had gathered round a buffet of mammoth proportions. Harry's minions had been slaving away all week, as well as cooking for the restaurant. Godfrey was making his way through the food with steady concentration, in the vague hope that if he ate something the world would stop spinning. Jake had never felt less hungry in his life but Kate kept insisting he try things from her plate. 'Too much salt,' he grumbled. She just looked at him.
'OK, it's all very nice really. I suppose you are right – I am at his party; I should at least be polite.'
'It's not that. I don't care how rude you are about him. It's just that dissing the opposition won't make it go away. You have to build on your strengths and their weaknesses.'
'Sounds like it's a cut-throat world in PR.'
What? She looked at him blankly for a minute. Oh bollocks, that was her imaginary previous job, wasn't it? She didn't want to be reminded of her double life just now, so she fed him another canapé to shut him up.
Out on the terrace they were playing soft music.
'I know this. Shall we dance?'
It was amazing, how, out of the kitchen, Jake seemed to lose all his grace, Kate thought. It was quite endearing really. It was funny how wonderful it felt even though he was treading on her toes and humming tunelessly in her ear.
He leaned closer so his lips were just brushing her ears. Right moves, wrong woman, he thought to himself wryly and then it hit him between the eyes and he could no longer deny it. This was most definitely the right woman for him. This was what really being in love felt like, and everything that he had felt before this was just practice. So
this was what all the poets were always banging on about, he mused, in wonder. He had always thought them rather overrated until now. But this – this was something amazing, exhilarating and slightly scary, like diving into a deep pool.
But the sound of water wasn't just in his imagination. Godfrey had just fallen into the Hunters' swimming pool.
'It's all right, I can swim,' he shouted and promptly disappeared in a cloud of bubbles.
'Oh bugger,' said Jake, and jumped in after him.
Life-saving lessons at school were never like this, he thought. Godfrey was a dead weight in the water, and it was made worse by the fact that every time he surfaced for air he started laughing and sank again. Eventually Jake grabbed him by his collar and managed to drag him to the side of the pool. The noise had brought everyone running.
'What on earth are you doing?' said Georgia, appearing suddenly and looking down at the sodden pair of them with distaste.
'What does it look like?' snapped Jake, detaching himself from Godfrey, who was spread out by the side of the pool like a big starfish, giggling and hiccupping.
'I'm sorry, but I think we should take him home.' In a way he was grateful to Godfrey. He needed to be out of here, to try to make sense of what was happening to him. When he was with Kate all sense seemed to fly out of the window. Or maybe it flew in? Either way he had to do some sober thinking.
Between them the Cuisine crew managed to get Godfrey in the back of the car, but Jake had to stop twice on the way home to let him throw up.
Chapter Nineteen
It was well into the afternoon the following day before Georgia got up, and a lie-in hadn't improved her temper.
'Covering the floor with all those books isn't hiding the fact that this carpet is disgusting,' she said acidly. Everything about her life with Jake felt wrong, compared to the glorious promise of a future with Harry.
'I'm not trying to cover anything up. I'm looking for the best way to cook the venison I've ordered.'
Recipe for Disaster Page 22