by Annie Lyons
‘Very much, thanks, Granny,’ said Lily, spooning a gigantic marshmallow into her mouth. ‘New York is the best.’
******
Rachel was doing her best to channel her inner Sarah Jessica Parker. She was on her way to meet Christa, her eccentric Swiss friend and fellow mother, who used to live in the same town as Rachel when their children were small. She had even bought a sneaky packet of cigarettes, although she was realising that there was virtually nowhere in the city where you could actually smoke. When she had told Emma where she was meeting Christa, her sister had given a knowing laugh.
‘You’ll have to wear something fabulous.’
‘Can’t I just wear my usual jeans and black top combo?’
‘Na-ah. I’ll lend you something.’
So Rachel was on her way to one of New York’s trendiest bars wearing a demure cream lacy top, tight red leather skirt and black suede, high-heeled ankle boots. She felt ridiculous and Lily had declared her to be ’far too old for that outfit’. There had been no time to change, so Rachel had quickly downed a Martini for Dutch courage and headed out into the night.
As she entered the bar she spotted Christa immediately. It wasn’t difficult. She was wearing a leopard-print corset, metallic black trousers and a gold glitter jacket. She stood up and waved enthusiastically, flashing her impressive cleavage. Rachel made her way over and gave her friend a tight hug.
‘Look at you, schatzli!’ cried Christa. ‘Rachel the Siren out at last!’
‘What about you? You look amazing. In fact, it’s just amazing to be here with you. I’ve missed you. Life isn’t the same since you moved back to Switzerland.’
‘Ja, well, we had to. Otherwise, you know, Rudi would have had to go to prison, blah blah blah. Sehr boring but we’re here now. What would you like to drink?’
‘What’s that?’ asked Rachel, pointing at Christa’s drink.
‘Loose Women and Pickpockets!’ Christa grinned. ‘It is sehr gut. Have a try.’
Rachel took a sip. ‘Same again, please.’ She grinned.
Christa nodded to the barman and they watched as he poured, measured and mixed his potion. He placed the drink in front of Rachel as one might present a newborn child. Rachel and Christa clinked glasses.
‘To Loose Women and Pickpockets?’ said Rachel.
‘Proscht!’ Christa smiled.
******
Back at the hotel, Diana was nursing a gin and tonic at the bar and contemplating ordering room service. She enjoyed watching the people come and go but was starting to feel like a sad old woman in a hotel lobby now.
‘Can I fetch you another, Mrs Darcy?’ asked the bartender with a kind smile.
Diana was about to open her mouth to decline his offer, when a voice next to her said, ‘Allow me.’ She turned and was happy to be looking into the face of George Allen.
‘George! What are you doing here?’
George looked left and right and then held up his hands. ‘Okay, you’ve got me. I’ve been a bit sneaky. You mentioned you were staying here and I thought I’d drop by on the off-chance.’
Diana felt her cheeks grow hot as her heart soared at the compliment. ‘Well, it’s lovely to see you.’
‘I’m glad you think so. I’m not interrupting, am I?’
‘Not at all. The girls are all out so your timing is perfect.’
George smiled. ‘You wouldn’t prefer to be on your own?’
Diana looked at him. ‘I’ve been on my own a lot since Edward died, so a little company is actually rather welcome.’
‘I understand,’ said George. ‘It’s been ten years since Mary died and I still miss her every minute of every single day.’ They were silent for a moment, lost in memories of the people they had loved most. ‘Well, I’m sorry for getting a little maudlin there. Can I buy you another drink and maybe some dinner?’
Diana smiled at him. ‘That would be lovely.’
George ordered another gin and tonic for Diana and a Whisky Sour for himself. ‘To Mary and Edward?’
‘To Mary and Edward,’ repeated Diana, touching her glass against his.
******
Lily and Emma were skipping along Broadway singing Dancing Queen at the top of their lungs with Martin walking two steps behind pretending he did this every day of his life.
‘That was amazing!’ cried Lily. ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you!’ she added, hugging them both to her small frame. ‘Now, shall we go for ice cream?’ she said, pointing towards a brightly coloured shop promising all manner of sweet treats.
‘Why not?’ said Martin. At that moment Emma’s phone began to ring. She glanced at the caller ID and saw with a frown that it was Michael Allen.
‘You go in. I better take this,’ she said. ‘Hello?’ she answered.
‘Emma? Where are you?’ he demanded. He did not sound happy.
‘I’m on Broadway,’ she replied, starting to feel a little sick.
‘You were supposed to meet Cameron Soul at the airport. His people just called and they’re not impressed.’
‘But I thought—’ began Emma.
‘You got my mail?’ he barked.
‘Yes, but—’
‘And you knew how important this was to us?
‘Yes, but—’
‘So why the hell didn’t you do as I asked and go to the airport to meet the kid?’
‘I thought—’
‘No, Emma, you did not think and I cannot tell you how mad I am right now. Soul’s people are mad but I am even madder. Do you understand?’
‘Yes.’ Emma knew there was no point trying to make excuses. It was like when her mother had been cross with her as a child. You had to bear the onslaught and try to make amends later.
‘I’m glad we’re on the same page. I will speak to you properly tomorrow. Goodnight.’
He had gone before Emma could get another word out. She stabbed furiously at her phone until she found Wendell’s number. It rang three times. ‘Pick up, pick up,’ she urged.
‘Emma,’ he said sounding uninterested. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘You were supposed to meet Cameron Soul at the airport! What happened?’
‘Was I?’ said Wendell, sounding vague. ‘I don’t recall agreeing to that.’
‘Well, you did,’ said Emma, her temper starting to rise. ‘This morning. In your office. You offered because I was going out tonight.’
‘No, sorry, I simply don’t remember that,’ said Wendell flatly. ‘Oh, no, does that mean that there was no one there from Allen Chandler to meet him? Oh, dear. That’s bad. That’s really bad.’
Emma was seething now, but she wasn’t about to let this conniving trickster know. ‘I don’t know what you’re up to,’ she said, ‘but, for the record, you are what we call a Grade A toss-pot in England.’
‘Yeah, but at least I’ll have a job in the morning,’ he said before hanging up. Emma stared at her phone and narrowed her eyes. Wendell Burke clearly had no idea what he was dealing with. She threw her phone into her bag and went to join Martin and Lily in the ice-cream parlour.
‘Everything okay?’ asked Martin. ‘I got you some frozen yoghurt.’
‘Thanks,’ said Emma, ignoring her own pot and helping herself to a big spoonful of Martin’s chocolate sundae. ‘Everything’s fine.’ She turned to her niece. ‘Lily? I might have a little job for you at the party tomorrow night. If you’re up for it?’
‘I was born up for it, Auntie Em,’ said Lily happily, licking ice cream from the backs of her fingers and grinning at her aunt.
‘That’s my girl,’ said Emma.
‘Oh, no,’ said Martin. ‘You’ve got that look on your face.’
‘What?’ said Emma, adopting an angelic expression.
Martin was waggling a finger at her. ‘It’s that look that spells trouble for someone,’ he said.
Emma scooped up another large spoonful from his ice-cream pot. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘Everything is under control.’
&nbs
p; ******
In another corner of Manhattan, Rachel decided that she had reached a new personal best in drunkenness and was already starting to dread tomorrow’s hangover. As the bar began to empty she and Christa sat alone on a high-backed velvet sofa, their drunken bodies swaying companionably.
Christa turned to Rachel. ‘Du bist meine beste Freundin, verstanden?’
‘Oh, I verstanden all right, Christa-belle. And I miss you, you know? How is Rudi anyway?’
‘He is an Arschloch, Rachel. He has affairs, treats me like scheisse, but he is good to my Roger. He is a good father so I stay.’
‘Oh, Christa, but you’ve got to be happy.’
Christa shrugged. ‘Happiness is best but if you can’t be happy be rich. It makes life easier.’
Rachel sighed. ‘Well, come and stay with us some time. Lily and Alfie would love to see Roger again.’
Christa brightened. ‘Ja, we shall do that. And now, it is time for us to go.’
Rachel clumsily slapped a hand to her head. ‘Holy shit, I don’t want to go home to bed because when I wake up in the morning, I’m going to have the biggest, crappest hangover ever.’
Christa was staggering towards the door, pausing to tip the barman with banknotes and a kiss on the mouth. He grinned and waved them goodbye, obviously used to this kind of treatment. Rachel put an arm around her friend and together they made their way up to the street. They linked arms and danced along the sidewalk, giggling and swaying. Suddenly two men appeared from the shadows and stood in front of them looking menacing. Rachel could feel herself sobering up very quickly when she noticed that one of them had a small knife.
‘Ladies,’ said the smaller of the two. His weasel-face was scarred and he had a dark black goatee beneath his sneering lips. ‘Please could you hand over your valuables?’
Thoughts of Steve and the children flooded Rachel’s mind. She didn’t want to be an item on the BBC News. Mother of three fatally stabbed during shopping trip to New York. She was about to offer her bag when Christa put an arm in front of her.
‘I don’t think so,’ she said.
The man frowned at Christa and then gave a small laugh, nudging his goonish companion. ‘You’re not from here so I’m going to be nice and repeat this slowly. Do me a favour and hand over the goods so that neither you nor your friend get hurt.’ His friend waved the knife to show he meant business.
‘We should do as they say,’ said Rachel.
The man smiled at her. ‘See? This one’s a Brit and they are clever, aren’t they? So why don’t you do what your friend says before I start to lose my patience?’
Rachel glanced at Christa. Her face was expressionless but oddly calm. She took a deep breath and before anyone had a chance to realise what was happening she had taken a neat step forwards, kicked the knife out of the other man’s hand and punched both him and his companion hard on the nose. They staggered backwards bleeding but, to Rachel’s alarm, she could see that they were about to come back for more. Suddenly, a bear-sized man appeared from nowhere, stalking towards the men. They took one look and sprinted into the darkness like frightened rabbits. The man turned back towards the women and, putting his hands together, bowed at them both. Christa mirrored the action. ‘Namaste, Rory. Vielen dank.’ He nodded and melted away into the shadows. ‘Shall we?’ said Christa to an astonished Rachel. She had so many questions, she didn’t know where to start.
‘Where did Rory come from? And where did you learn to do that? And I’ve decided I might get in a cab.’
Christa laughed. ‘Okay, schatzli. Well, my hotel is just over there, so we’ll find you a cab. Ja, I never go anywhere without Rory.’
‘I didn’t notice him at all during the evening.’
Christa gave a knowing nod. ‘He’s that good. As for the self-defence, I’ve been learning a few moves. It comes in handy sometimes.’ She grinned.
‘Christa, you are amazing. Thanks for an astonishing evening.’
Christa held open her arms. ‘Come here, Rachel.’ She gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. ‘Take care, schatzli,’ she said, bundling Rachel into a waiting cab before she could fully register what had just happened.
Chapter Five
The Bear Lounge at the Russian Tea Room shone with luxurious splendour. It was like stepping into a land of magical fantasy with its golden tree hung with Fabergé eggs and fifteen-foot glass polar bear, filled with tiny fish.
Lily stood in the doorway open-mouthed. ‘Wow,’ she whispered, taking in her surroundings, walking towards the bear in a hypnotic trance. Emma and Diana followed behind her.
Rachel was last to enter. She was still suffering after last night’s excesses and she pinched her eyes shut as she walked into the room. ‘Ooof, too bright,’ she said.
‘You know, they have over forty varieties of vodka,’ said Emma with a wicked smile. ‘You should try one. It might help.’
Rachel shook her head. ‘The only thing I can do with any confidence is breathe,’ whispered Rachel. ‘And even that is proving a little tricky.’
‘Well, you never could take your drink,’ observed Diana.
They were interrupted by Michael Allen and his companion. Rachel shook back her hair and tried to give him a winning smile. ‘Hi there,’ she said.
‘Good to see you,’ said Michael before turning to Emma with a serious look on his face. ‘I hope we’re not in for any surprises this evening, Emma?’
Emma shook her head in what she hoped was a reassuring way. ‘Absolutely not. I’m going to fetch Cameron myself in a moment. I just need to speak to my niece first,’ she said.
‘Good,’ said Michael. ‘By the way, this is my partner, Ben,’ he added, introducing his companion to Rachel.
Rachel did her best to mask her surprise. ‘So lovely to meet you,’ she said to the man, shaking his hand. He was even more handsome than Michael. ‘Excuse me, I must just stop my daughter from interfering with that bear,’ she added, gesturing to where Lily was standing, tightly embracing the statue.
‘Well, there’s a sentence you don’t hear every day.’ Ben laughed. ‘And you must be…?’
‘Diana Darcy. Rachel and Emma’s mother and the bear whisperer’s grandmother,’ said Diana with a smile.
‘Well, Mrs Darcy, can I get you a drink?’
‘That would be lovely.’
Over by the bear, Emma was giving Lily her instructions. ‘Okay, so you know what to do, Lils?’
Lily rolled her eyes. ‘Of course. Stick to that man Window—’
‘Wendell,’ said Emma.
‘Yes, him. Stick to him, don’t take my eyes off him and use your phone to record anything suspicious.’
‘I know it’s a lot to ask.’
Lily held up her hands. ‘Auntie Em, I’ve watched enough Scooby-Doo and read enough Famous Five to know what I need to do. Leave it to me.’
Rachel approached them. ‘You didn’t tell me Michael was gay,’ she said to Emma.
‘You didn’t ask,’ replied her sister with an innocent smile.
‘Anyway, what are you two up to?’ inquired Rachel, narrowing her eyes.
‘Saving the world from the threat of invasion,’ said Lily plainly.
‘Emma, I hope you’re not leading my daughter astray.’
Emma held up her hands. ‘As if. Lily’s just playing detectives for me, aren’t you, Lils?’
‘Totally.’ Lily nodded. ‘It’s just a game.’
Rachel looked suspicious but her brain was still too addled to question them further. ‘I’m going to go and find Mum,’ she said.
Emma turned back to her niece. ‘Right then, Lils, I’ve got to go and collect Cameron Soul. Will you be okay until I get back?’
‘Purlease,’ said Lily. ‘I know what I’m doing. Just make sure you bring him over to say hello, okay?’
‘Will do,’ said Emma, kissing the top of her niece’s head. ‘Now look, there’s Wendell over there. Don’t let him out of your sight, Lils!’
******
Over at one of the tables, Diana was nursing a drink and Rachel was still nursing a hangover. Neither of them had spoken for quite some time.
‘Well, this is a splendid way to spend our final evening in New York,’ observed Diana. ‘Lily and Emma have disappeared and you’re practically comatose. I might as well go back to the hotel.’
‘Please don’t,’ said a voice at her shoulder. She looked up into the smiling face of George Allen.
‘George!’ she said. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I know. We have to stop meeting like this. But then I could ask you the same question.’
‘I’m here with my daughter. She works for the publisher.’
‘Does she indeed?’ George smiled as if he had unearthed a great secret.
Emma appeared alongside him. ‘Hi, Mum. Rachel. Sorry I had to dash off. I just wanted to check you were okay.’
‘Emma,’ said Diana. ‘This is the man I was telling you about. George, this is my daughter Emma.’
Emma smiled and nodded, looking at him properly for the first time. ‘Oh, hi,’ she said. She did a double take as she recognised him. ‘Mr Allen!’ she said. ‘You’re James Stewart!’
Diana shook her head. ‘I’m sorry about her. I think I may have dropped her on her head as a baby. Emma, what are you blathering on about?’
Emma was staring at George open-mouthed. ‘This is George Allen, one of the founders of Allen publishers. He’s my boss’ uncle and he’s really important. He’s your James Stewart!’
‘Will you stop saying that, please, Emma?’ said Diana, her cheeks turning a shade of crimson.
‘Actually, I rather like it.’ George smiled.
‘So this is actually your party?’ asked Diana, looking round, impressed.
George held up his hands. ‘It is, and now can I get you ladies a drink?’
Diana smiled. Her last evening in New York was starting to look up after all.
‘Where’s Lily?’ asked Rachel, moving next to her sister. ‘And where’s your pop star?’
Emma gave what she hoped was a confident smile. ‘They’re here. Somewhere.’