It was only one word, but it had Felicity on her feet in an instant.
Kristen took a pace back from the wardrobe and reviewed its contents. ‘There’s a lot of grey in here,’ she said.
Claudie nodded. ‘But I suit grey.’
Kristen face filled with doubt. ‘Nobody suits grey,’ she said. ‘Now, what you need is a serious injection of colour.’
‘Colour,’ Claudie repeated, knowing full well that her idea of colour and Kristen’s idea of colour were completely different. Where Claudie would choose claret, Kristen would choose scarlet. Claudie’s colours whispered; Kristen’s yelled from the rooftops.
‘Yes,’ Kristen mused, ‘colour. And lots of it. We can’t have you walking round Paris looking like a shadow. And you should know that, being French.’
‘I suppose,’ Claudie said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. ‘But I guess I haven’t been feeling very colourful lately.’
Kristen sat down next to her, placing her hand on top of Claudie’s. ‘What you’ve got to try and do is to take some of the colour from all those musicals you keep watching, and translate them into clothes. Think - yellow brick road blouses, ruby slipper red jumpers-’
‘Yuck!’
‘Or Glinda-pink trousers.’
‘Kris!’
‘Yes, maybe a bit much to ask.’
‘Definitely,’ Claudie agreed, thinking of Glinda floating down from the heavens in her glorious pink bubble in The Wizard of Oz.
‘But you’ve got to do something.’
‘I will,’ Claudie promised. ‘I’ll go shopping tomorrow.’
‘And you promise not to come back with a pile of clothes in various shades of grey?’
‘I’ll do my best. But pewter’s really in at the moment.’
Kristen gave her a warning look.
‘Okay! I promise.’
Marjorie Maddox was wearing a little blue bobbly hat like one of the Liquorice Allsorts that everybody leaves at the bottom of the box. But it wasn’t the hat that Felicity was staring at in disbelief.
‘Well?’ her mother boomed.
‘Mother? What are you doing here?’
Her mother tutted like a machete. ‘What a fine question to choose in the circumstances.’
‘I don’t understand.’ Felicity looked from her mother to Simon and back again in obvious confusion.
‘Simon’s told me everything,’ Mrs Maddox sighed. ‘And I must say, I think he’s handled the whole thing admirably.’
‘What thing?’
‘Oh, you are a silly girl,’ her mother puffed, her brass buttoned cardigan seeming to burst at the seams. ‘I have better things to do with my time than drive across the country to pick you up whenever you’re in trouble.’
‘But you don’t need to pick me up. I’m staying her - with Simon.’
Mrs Maddox’s eyebrows rose superciliously. ‘That’s not what he told me.’
Felicity glared at Simon, but he merely shrugged back at her.
‘You’ve got yourself into a fine mess this time, haven’t you? Not even knowing who the father is! That wasn’t how we did things in my day,’ Mrs Maddox said, her Girl Guide persona firmly in place. ‘Now get that suitcase and get it in the car.’
Felicity’s eyes caught sight of her suitcase at the foot of the stairs. ‘When did you do that?’ She looked at Simon, her eyes burning. ‘You bastard! How could you do this to me?’
‘Oh, it was easy,’ he said.
‘FELICITY!’ her mother barked from the car.
Felicity stood under the harsh glare of the hall light which had been robbed of its shade seven months ago.
‘By the way,’ Simon said, ‘don’t worry about all the money you owe me from when you cleared out our joint account. You’re going to need it more than I am.’
Felicity opened her mouth to retort but her mother yelled again, and he watched as she struggled down the driveway with her overloaded suitcase.
Simon couldn’t stop himself from waving as she glared at him from the front seat of the car. Felicity and her mother deserved one another. If there was one person who was meaner and tougher than Felicity, then it was her mother. Simon tried to picture them together in the months to come and could hardly keep his smile to himself. There wasn’t much he’d managed to do right in this world, but packing Felicity off to her mother’s was a stroke of pure genius.
Talking of packing reminded him of his holiday. He rubbed his hands together in excitement, thinking of Paris. It was only three days away now. Thank goodness he’d sorted himself out in time. Kristen was going to be so proud of him.
He wandered through to the living room and said a quick hello to the fish.
‘Think yourselves lucky I’ve got rid of her,’ he grinned. ‘She would’ve had you guys swimming round in burgundy water.’
Chapter 39
For somebody who generally preferred book shopping to clothes shopping, Claudie wasn’t doing too badly. She’d spent all of her lunch hour on Tuesday and Wednesday shopping for clothes, and today was her last opportunity to grab some last minute items before her trip to Paris the next day.
Claudie smiled to herself. Here she was, jetting off to sample spring in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. She and Kristen were going to have such fun.
She tried not to think about the amount of money she’d spent, but it had to be done. She supposed she couldn’t go round looking like a nun forever. Instead, she tried to focus on the positive aspects of her shopping trip: the gorgeously feminine jumpers in the softest of wools. And she’d managed to steer away from the pewter and the mushroom she’d favoured of late, choosing amber and lilac instead. She was really quite proud of herself.
For a long time, the world had lost its colour, and Claudie had felt as if she’d lost hers too, wearing a limited palette of navies, browns and greys. She was still a long way off resembling a butterfly but at least the shopping trip was helping her to break free from her colourless chrysalis.
Then she’d bought a brand new pair of long black leather boots that fitted so snugly against her legs, they were like a second skin. And then she’d done something incredibly rash. She’d bought new underwear. It seemed silly to buy something she didn’t really need, but the magic of Paris was beginning to weave its spell over her, and the pearly lace creations had just begged to be taken home.
After she’d made her purchase, she had a second look around the lingerie department, thinking about the weekend ahead.
Paris. Wasn’t it the most beautiful word? For a moment, she wondered what Luke would have thought about a trip to Paris, and just knew he would have hated the idea. Paris was such an un-Luke sort of place. She’d desperately wanted to go with him, but he’d always teased her about it.
‘Claudie, I’m not going to sing and dance with you by the Seine. That’s not real life, and it certainly isn’t me!’
She hadn’t minded the not singing or dancing bit; the thought of Luke breaking into a spontaneous ballet routine was laughable, but she would have liked to have gone to Paris with him. But Luke had always felt trapped in cities. He’d needed to see the mountains or the oceans. That’s why they’d gone to Wales on their honeymoon. Land of waterfalls and valleys, forests and mountains. If only he hadn’t gone back there.
‘Claudie?’
Claudie froze, her hand hovering dangerously close to a pair of strawberry coloured knickers. She turned round. She knew who it was, and she also knew there was nowhere to hide in the underwear department. ‘Hello, Daniel.’
‘How are you?’ Daniel asked, striding forward and filling the aisle with his bulk, his dark hair swinging as he came to a standstill.
‘I’m fine,’ Claudie said, thinking it absolutely typical that she should be caught in the most embarrassing department of the store.
‘Good,’ he said, his smile nervous. ‘You look well.’
‘You too.’
He scratched his head. ‘Shopping?’
‘Yes,�
� she said, and then wondered what he was doing in the women’s underwear department. Perhaps she shouldn’t be so self-conscious. Shouldn’t he be just as embarrassed as her? ‘Just getting a few new things. You know,’ she said.
He nodded, looked around, but quickly returned his eyes to Claudie, a beautiful blush colouring his face. They stood for a moment in awkward silence.
‘Look,’ he said at last, scouring the floor with his piercing blue eyes, ‘I’m really sorry about what happened.’
Claudie looked down at the same patch of floor. ‘No, it’s okay.’
Daniel shook his head. ‘I was way out of order.’
‘Me too,’ she said, and he looked up at her. ‘I’m sorry I reacted so badly. I hope I didn’t hurt you?’
‘No. No. And I don’t blame you. I’m a complete moron sometimes.’
‘No you’re not.’
‘I am,’ he said grinning. ‘Anyway, I’ve been meaning to ring you to say I was sorry. I didn’t want to leave things like that.’
‘But where have you been staying? I’ve been worried about you.’
Daniel laughed. ‘There was no need. I’ve met somebody.’
‘Have you?’ Claudie’s voice rose as if she’d inhaled helium.
‘Yeah,’ he nodded enthusiastically. ‘She’s great. And you won’t believe it, but she’s coming to London with me.’
‘Really? Isn’t that rather,’ she paused, looking for the right word, ‘sudden?’
‘It is - yeah! I can’t quite believe it myself. But she’s got some contacts down there, and even thinks she can get me sorted with a job.’
Claudie’s eyebrows leapt up an inch. Daniel in a job? With a girl? ‘Gosh, Daniel, that’s terrific. I hope things work out for you.’
‘Thanks,’ he said, and there was another awkward silence.
‘So, I guess this is goodbye, is it?’ Claudie asked.
‘I guess so.’ Daniel took a step towards her and gave her a hug. Claudie smiled, although she still felt a little anxious after what had happened last time. Nevertheless, she allowed him to hug her, holding her breath as he squeezed the living daylights out of her with his mammoth arms. The Gale brothers certainly knew how to give a decent hug, she thought. None of that half-hearted air-kissing, shoulder-squeezing for them. If their recipients didn’t need resuscitating after they’d finished with them, it wasn’t worth giving.
‘Anyway,’ he said, stepping back a little, ‘you wouldn’t want me hanging round Whitby, would you? I mean, this is your stamping ground.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ she said, but secretly wondered if it would be such a good idea seeing Luke’s double round the town all the time.
‘Besides,’ he said, ‘London’s more my style. Bright lights, big city and all that.’
Claudie nodded. Thinking how unlike Luke he was that way.
‘We’ll keep in touch, though, won’t we?’
‘Of course,’ Claudie said, thinking of the future Christmas cards she’d send which would never be returned.
‘And I’ll visit sometime soon. And you must come to London.’
Claudie nodded. ‘I will.’
‘Great! Well then.’
‘Take care, won’t you?’
‘Sure.’
‘And good luck with the new job.’
‘Thanks. I aim to keep this one.’
Claudie gave a little laugh. ‘Good! It’s about time you settled down.’
‘I know.’ He leant forward and kissed her cheek and, for the briefest of moments, she felt Luke in that kiss.
‘Bye, Daniel,’ she said, aware that tears were threatening to spill at any moment.
‘Bye, Claudie,’ he sounded her name so softly and so sweetly that her tears spilled down onto her cheeks before she could stop them. ‘Hey!’ he said. ‘Don’t cry. I’m not worth it.’
Claudie managed to smile. ‘I know! I’m just being silly.’
He hugged her again, giving her a much-needed moment in which to compose herself.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said at last.
‘It’s okay,’ he said, leaning back and running a hand through his long hair. ‘It’s rather nice to know I’ll be missed.’
‘You will,’ Claudie said, willing herself not to cry again.
He looked awkward for a moment, looking down at the floor and glancing from side to side, so Claudie decided to help him out.
‘I’d better get back to work.’
‘Right,’ he said. ‘Well, don’t you forget to come and see me.’
Claudie nodded, and watched as he walked away, his huge shoulders and casual gait causing the usual head-turning reaction amongst the women in the store. She knew that that was the last she’d ever see of Daniel, and she couldn’t help feeling that she was losing a little bit of Luke all over again. Her connection with the Gale family had truly ended. Daniel Gale had turned from a brother-in-law to a stranger in a couple of seconds and there was nothing she could do to change that.
Claudie looked at her watch. It really was time she was heading back at work. Time to move forward, and time to sort one last thing out before her trip to Paris.
‘Paris!’ Jalisa cried. ‘What do you mean you’re going to Paris? Why didn’t we hear about this sooner?’
‘I’m sorry, Jalisa, I guess I’ve just had other things on my mind. And it’s come round so quickly.’
‘When you go?’ Mr Woo asked.
‘Tomorrow,’ Claudie said, feeling a wave of excitement rippling through her stomach.
‘Tomorrow!’ Jalisa looked as if somebody had whacked her in the face with a dead fish.
‘Yes. I know I should have mentioned it before now.’
‘Claudie,’ Jalisa said, in head-shaking mode, ‘it really isn’t usual practice for a client to up and run without telling us.’
‘But I thought you’d be pleased.’
Bert cleared his throat to speak. ‘We are pleased, Claudie. It will be a marvellous weekend.’
‘But you should have given us a bit of notice.’
‘I know,’ Claudie sighed. ‘Especially when I was going to ask a favour of you.’
Five little faces craned forward.
‘What?’ Lily asked.
‘I was going to ask you all to come with me,’ Claudie said hesitantly.
‘Really?’ Lily grinned.
‘Truly?’ Mary giggled excitedly.
‘Now hold on a minute!’ Jalisa began.
‘Oh, please!’ Lily shouted. ‘Paris! I’ve read so much about it in the fashion magazines.’
‘Just think of all those shops,’ Mary added dreamily.
‘Yes,’ Lily nodded, ‘just think of the clothes. I can tell you right now, you’ll never get me in a corset and bumroll again.’
‘Er - girls,’ Jalisa interrupted. ‘If we did get leave to go to Paris, don’t forget it would be a business trip. It’s not a holiday for us.’
‘So,’ Claudie said, ‘there is a possibility that you can come with me?’
Jalisa bit her lip and looked thoughtful. It was a look she was very good at. ‘It’s not the usual thing to do, of course. I mean, we’re only meant to position ourselves in one place - in one country!’
‘But it could be the chance of a lifetime!’ Lily enthused.
‘I’ve always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower,’ Bert said.
‘Good to see French pharmacy,’ Mr Woo said.
Jalisa waved her arms in the air. ‘Before we all get over-excited, don’t forget that we will have to apply for special dispensation.’
There was a collective groan.
‘That usually takes weeks!’ Bert pointed out.
‘Claudie leave tomorrow,’ Mr Woo said.
‘Exactly,’ Jalisa sighed.
‘Then I’ve left it too late?’ Claudie felt her face fall into glumness.
‘We’ll have to see,’ Jalisa said, ‘but it doesn’t look hopeful.’
When Claudie and Kristen got home after work, Claudie showed h
er latest lunchtime purchases.
‘Claudes! They’re gorgeous!’ Kristen said, picking up the two creamy blouses and daring to finger the lacy underwear. ‘And these jumpers! I just love this amber one. Can I borrow it?’
‘Not before Paris!’
‘It’s beautiful. You’re going to look so gorgeous.’
‘What are you taking?’
Kristen looked pensive for a moment. ‘I’ve still got some things to pick up at Jimmy’s.’
‘But I thought you had everything here now?’
Kristen shook her head. ‘I meant to say, actually, that I’ll have to go there en route to the station. So it’s probably best if I meet you there. Is that okay?’
‘’Course,’ Claudie said.
‘Have you got a camera?’
Claudie reached into the suitcase lying beside the bed. ‘Voila!’
‘Be sure to take lots of photos.’
Claudie frowned, thinking that was a bit of a strange thing to say, seeing as she was going to be there too but, before she could say anything, the telephone went and Kristen was on her feet in an instant.
‘I’ll get it.’ Kristen ran through to the living room but Claudie couldn’t hear who it was she was talking to. When she came back through to the bedroom, Claudie looked up from her suitcase.
‘Who was that?’
‘Simon,’ Kristen said. ‘Just to wish us a bon voyage.’
‘That’s nice of him,’ Claudie said. ‘We should send him a postcard, shouldn’t we? He’d like that. Kris?’
‘Oh - yes,’ Kristen said quickly. ‘That’s a nice idea.’
Chapter 40
Simon woke up on Friday morning with the vague notion that today wasn’t the usual tip-yourself-out-of-bed-and-work-until-nightfall kind of day. He sat upright and examined the syrupy stream of light that fell on the bedcovers, and then he remembered. Paris. Today, he and Kristen were going to Paris.
He’d packed the night before, and had given a set of house keys to his neighbour, Mrs Briars, who’d pop in to feed Pumpkin. And he’d checked what time he was meeting Kristen at the station.
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