The Gift of Friends

by Emma Hannigan

  Danielle’s head was spinning. Which was the truth? How could she ever know what Justin got up to out here?

  ‘Danielle,’ he said, twining his fingers in hers, ‘I love you. I want you. This is all just show and swagger. Don’t let it confuse you about what’s real. We’re real. This ring on your finger is real. You’re the only one I want.’

  She opened her mouth to answer, but Justin was suddenly clapped roughly on the back.

  ‘There you are, Tinny. How’s things?’

  Justin grinned up at the young man and stood up to hug him.

  ‘Danielle, this is my baby brother, Michael. This is Danielle.’

  ‘Oh, the one and only!’ Michael said, smiling at her. ‘He never shuts up about you. But do you mind if I steal him for a few minutes? Rasher and Grimmy have just arrived, and we thought a little whiskey in the gun room, perhaps?’ He raised an eyebrow suggestively at his brother.

  ‘Em, no, I’ll follow you in later,’ Justin said.

  Danielle stood up and held out her hand to Michael, who shook it uncertainly.

  ‘Lovely to meet you, Michael,’ she said, smiling at him. ‘I hear lots about you too. Don’t miss out, Justin,’ she said, looking at him. ‘I’m perfectly fine here. You go have a whiskey, honestly.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Michael said, giving her a theatrical bow. ‘Much indebted. Come on, Tinny, make haste.’ He dragged Justin off by the arm.

  Danielle needed time to think, which was why she’d let him go. This was all too overwhelming. She glanced over and saw Mallory staring at her, smirking. Jesus, she thought, of all the bloody exes it’s possible to have, he has to have one who looks like she just stepped off the pages of Vogue. Danielle sank back in the chair, willing the night to go quickly so they could just get out of there.

  ‘Here you go,’ Rachel said, arriving at her side again and handing her a glass of champagne. Rachel sat down and held up her glass. ‘Cheers,’ she said, and downed half of it in one go. ‘God, I needed that. My nerves are shot.’

  ‘I can’t drink alcohol,’ Danielle said, wishing she could just knock back the whole thing.

  ‘Take a sip to know what quality tastes like,’ Rachel instructed, ‘then hold the glass like a lady and hand it to me when this one’s gone.’

  Danielle lifted the delicate flute glass to her lips and sipped. It was smooth, bubbly and delicious. She’d only ever had cheap Prosecco before – and this was nothing like cheap Prosecco.

  ‘That’s gorgeous,’ she said.

  ‘I know,’ Rachel said, nodding. ‘I’ll never have the like of it again, I’m sure, so I’m going to have a few while it’s going.’

  ‘Just please don’t get drunk,’ Danielle said. ‘We’re conspicuous enough as it is.’

  ‘We look just as good as anyone else,’ Rachel said. ‘And of course I’m not going to get drunk. I wouldn’t let you down.’

  Danielle felt a swell of love for her mother. She might not be happy about the situation, but she was here, where she always was, right at Danielle’s side. Danielle reached out and took her hand in hers.

  ‘Thanks, Mam. You’re the absolute best.’

  ‘Jesus, you’ll have me crying and Maia will kill me for ruining the expensive mascara.’

  Danielle laughed. ‘Sorry. I just want you to know that, though. You’re a brilliant mother. I hope I’m even half as good as you. And I’m sorry, Mam, about college. I know it’s hard on you.’

  Rachel looked at her and her face softened. ‘You’ve nothing to be sorry about, my love. I just needed time to adjust. It’s a big change,’ she said, looking around. ‘I just want you to be happy. And I don’t want this shower of poshies making you feel bad about yourself. That would really kill me.’

  ‘I’ll try,’ Danielle said.

  A delicious smell reached them, and they watched as uniformed waiters carried trays of snacks around the room, offering them to the guests. Rachel flagged one of them down.

  ‘Here, could you just leave that tray on the table there,’ she said, pointing to a nearby glass table. ‘Thanks so much.’

  The waiter raised an eyebrow, but simply said, ‘Of course, madam.’

  ‘Now we’re set up,’ Rachel said, grinning at her. ‘Let’s eat some of Celia’s money.’

  While Rachel sampled the food, Danielle took some photos and sent them off to Zara. Her phone pinged with an immediate reply.

  Wow! U lucky thing!!!!! Fab!

  ‘It’s all a bit boring, isn’t it?’ Rachel said. ‘I’d actually prefer a party in a gaff in Westwood.’

  Danielle smiled. ‘I know what you mean.’

  The next hour passed in people-watching, and it was clear the party was getting more raucous and more drunken. Danielle felt it was rude of Justin’s brothers not to come over and introduce themselves, but then, it seemed like everyone was giving her a wide berth. She watched Justin come back into the room, arm in arm with another man, and she knew he was pretty well on. Obviously quite a few whiskies had been downed – what had he said, in the gun room? What a mad place.

  She watched Justin’s mother intercept him, laughing gaily and leading him towards the huge fireplace, where Mallory was standing with some girlfriends. Danielle felt herself go very still as she watched Celia-Ann engineer it so that Justin and Mallory were standing side by side in the middle, flanked by all her friends. There was a photographer working the room, and she waved him over, indicating that he should take a photo. Mallory put her arm around Justin’s waist and leaned into him, her head against his shoulder. Justin was laughing, full of the joys, surrounded by these gorgeous women.

  The waiters moved swiftly through the room, taking away the trays and any empty glasses. The same waiter came back and took away Rachel’s tray.

  ‘Why are you taking that?’ Rachel asked.

  ‘Music’s about to start, madam,’ he said. ‘Time for the dancing.’

  Once the area had been cleared, the room was plunged into darkness, and people oohed and aahed and pretend-screamed.

  ‘Murder mystery,’ someone shouted out.

  ‘Happy Hallowe’en!’ yelled another.

  Red laser lights suddenly sprang on and spun around the room, like forked lightning. Danielle couldn’t even see where it was coming from. Then a massive disco ball lit up in the centre of the room, and the opening bars of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ boomed out. The crowd went wild, racing for the middle of the floor to dance.

  A figure emerged from the semi-darkness and stood in front of them.

  ‘Danielle,’ said Celia-Ann, ‘I’d like to have a word, if I may. Would you and your mother join me for a quick chat. Somewhere quieter,’ she added.

  ‘Sure,’ Danielle said, shooting a look at Rachel, who shrugged her shoulders slightly.

  They got up and Celia-Ann led them out of the ballroom and back into the hallway, then down a set of steps. She pushed open a heavy wooden door and when they stepped inside and it closed behind them, it was suddenly blessedly quiet. It was a booklined room, with a wooden ladder to access the higher shelves and a few leather armchairs scattered around a fireplace.

  ‘Oh, I love this,’ Danielle said, looking around with a smile. ‘Your own library. It’s fantastic.’

  ‘Quite,’ Celia-Ann said, looking unimpressed.

  The door opened again, and Mallory walked into the room, closing the door behind her.

  ‘Hello Danielle,’ she said, smirking.

  Danielle looked from Mallory to Celia-Ann. What the hell was this? She was very glad her mam was close by. And at least if Mallory was here, it meant she wasn’t with Justin.

  ‘We just want to have a little chat about the future,’ Celia-Ann said. ‘Mallory is part of that future, so I asked her to join us.’

  ‘Okay,’ Danielle said, still unable to see where this was going.

  ‘Look, Danielle,’ Celia-Ann said, clasping her hands together. ‘I know you have a soft spot for my Justin, and he’s such a decent boy he thinks he feels t
he same way, but that’s only because he’s got you pregnant. He doesn’t actually love you, he just has a very strong sense of duty, do you see?’

  ‘That’s not true,’ Rachel said fiercely. ‘Have you brought us in here to lie to us? Because I, for one, don’t want to hear it.’

  ‘Now calm down,’ Celia-Ann said. ‘I really think you’ll want to hear what I have to say. Just hear me out. I think it’s plain that Justin and Mallory make a beautiful couple. They are destined to be together. Though your little . . . affair . . . has messed things up a bit. But you aren’t married, so there’s limited damage done.’

  So that’s why she didn’t want a wedding, Danielle thought bitterly. I knew it.

  ‘Justin has a stellar future in front of him, and he needs a stellar wife to help him handle it. That’s just not you, Danielle,’ she said, with a sickly sweet smile. ‘I think you know it as well. But Mallory fits the bill perfectly. I mean, just look at them together.’ She picked her phone up off the table behind her and held it out to Danielle.

  Danielle didn’t want to look, but she couldn’t stop herself. The picture was the one taken earlier, by the photographer. The other girls had been cut out of it, so it was just a photo of Mallory and Justin. Danielle swallowed hard. They looked beautiful together.

  ‘This is a pile of crap,’ Rachel said. ‘Come on, Danielle, let’s go.’

  ‘Just another minute,’ Celia-Ann said, and Mallory moved to stand in front of the door. ‘I know you can see it, Danielle,’ she wheedled. ‘And if you love Justin, you’ll let him go. Let him live the life he’s meant to lead. And I’ll make it easy for you. This is the good bit, Rachel, so listen up. I’ll give you the house on Kingfisher Road, and I’ll also give you a lump sum of fifty thousand euros. It’s the perfect solution. You move your mother in with you, get her out of that grotty estate, and you bring up baby together in comfort, with money in the bank. You’re young, you’ll meet Mister Right some day. It’s a win–win situation.’

  Celia-Ann stared at them, waiting for a reply. Danielle didn’t trust herself to speak, because her mind was stuck on that photo, on the vision of Justin’s future that looked so right. She couldn’t help thinking that his mother was right – she was holding him back from a fabulous life, one where he fitted in perfectly. She didn’t, not by a long shot. Her brain felt paralysed. No words would come out of her mouth, and if they did, she was terrified she would say ‘Yes’.

  ‘You are a pathetic old witch,’ Rachel said, her body shaking with anger. ‘How dare you! Justin is old enough to make his own choices, and he chose Danielle. You’re so far up your own arse, you can’t see that you have no control here. None!’

  Celia-Ann’s face was red. ‘Stupid woman,’ she said. ‘It’s the best offer you’ll ever get in your miserable life. Take it!’

  ‘No!’ Rachel shouted. ‘Now you tell Miss World here to get away from that door because me and my daughter are leaving.’ She looked Celia-Ann up and down. ‘I can’t believe a woman would do this to the woman carrying her own grandchild. You’re a disgrace.’

  Rachel grabbed Danielle’s hand to lead her out, but Danielle stood her ground. She could feel tears coming, but she didn’t care. If she didn’t speak now, it would eat her up for ever.

  ‘I’m a good person,’ she said, looking Celia-Ann in the eye. ‘I adore Justin and I will always do right by him. He can trust me and rely on me. I’ll always be there for him. Because that’s how I was raised. I didn’t come from money, but I’ll tell you what, Celia-Ann, I come from manners, and from loyalty and from decency. That’s why Justin loves me, because he can’t get that anywhere else.’

  Celia-Ann looked like she’d been slapped. ‘Get out,’ she said. ‘Out of my sight. You’re a gold-digger, nothing more. I knew it from the first moment I set eyes on you. I’ll get you out of my son’s life if it’s the last thing I do.’

  Rachel took her hand again, and the two of them walked out, past the bitch-face Mallory and back up the steps to the hallway. Danielle was gasping for breath, totally shocked by all that had just happened. Rachel put her arm around her.

  ‘It’s alright, love. Just breathe, there’s a good girl.’

  ‘Is everything alright, madam?’ It was Morton, the man Justin had introduced them to earlier.

  ‘She’s had a shock,’ Rachel said. ‘I need to sit her somewhere quiet. And maybe you could call us a taxi.’

  ‘Of course. Follow me,’ he said, looking at Danielle with concern.

  He led them to a sitting room that was empty. Danielle sat down, focusing on steadying her breathing. She felt broken inside. She was going to lose this battle with Celia-Ann, she could feel it. There was no way she could go up against someone that evil and win. The thought of losing Justin made her feel sick. She really did love him, she knew that from the bottom of her heart.

  ‘Shall I fetch you a glass of water?’ Morton asked. ‘And shall I ask Mr Justin to come see you?’

  ‘Yes, please,’ Danielle said. ‘Thank you so much.’

  He headed off and Rachel stood looking down at her. ‘Don’t you take on anything that woman said,’ she ordered. ‘She’s making it up for her own horrible purposes. I can see that Justin loves you. I’d tell you if I thought otherwise.’

  ‘I don’t think I can win, Mam,’ Danielle said, and she gave in to the tears, putting her hands over her face.

  ‘Oh God, what’s happened?’ Justin said, coming into the room and going straight over to Danielle.

  ‘Your mother, that’s what’s happened,’ Rachel said.

  ‘Oh don’t mind her,’ Justin said. ‘She’s just a bit annoying, but she’s fine. She likes you.’

  Danielle looked up at him in disbelief, then realised he was quite drunk. He was swaying a bit where he stood.

  ‘She just threatened me,’ Danielle said. ‘Threatened to break us up.’

  ‘She won’t,’ Justin said. ‘Don’t be silly.’

  ‘I’m not being silly,’ Danielle said through clenched teeth. ‘She took us into a room and told me to leave you. Told me she’d pay me to leave you. She’s pure evil, Justin. I want to go home.’

  ‘What?’ he said. ‘But the party is so much fun. Don’t say go home. Come on, come dance with me.’

  ‘No, I want to go home now,’ Danielle said. ‘I can’t stay here after that.’

  Justin looked at her obstinately. ‘I don’t want to go,’ he said, looking like a little boy refusing to eat his greens.

  ‘Fine,’ Rachel said, stepping between them. ‘You go on then, and we’ll go home.’

  Justin grinned widely at that. ‘Fantastic!’ he said. ‘Great plan. Bye.’ And he lurched out the door and back to the ballroom.

  Danielle watched him go in disbelief. Who even was this person? She didn’t recognise him. What about in vino veritas – was this his true self?

  ‘Come on,’ Rachel said. ‘I asked that Morton fella to call us a taxi. Should be here any minute. Let’s get out of here before they think of some other way of insulting us.’

  They went out to the front door, where Morton had their coats waiting. He wrapped them around them and they stood in the cold, watching for the lights of the taxi.

  ‘Did you enjoy your night?’ he asked.

  ‘No, not a bit,’ Rachel said. ‘It was awful. And that woman is awful.’

  ‘Had a run-in with the lady of the manor, did you?’ he said. He nodded. ‘A difficult one at times, she is. I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it.’

  ‘I don’t know how you put up with it,’ Rachel said. ‘All thinking they’re better than everyone else, and there they are getting rat-arsed and making a holy show of themselves. Hypocrites.’

  ‘I do so love a woman who speaks her mind,’ Morton said, giving her a wink. ‘Ah, here’s your carriage, m’ladies.’ He escorted them down the steps and shut the taxi door once they were safely inside. ‘I really hope I see you both again,’ he said to them through the open window. ‘You’re my kind of peopl
e.’

  Danielle smiled weakly at him. ‘Thank you,’ she said. He turned and went back up the steps, to take up his post once more. ‘Kingfisher Road,’ Danielle said to the taxi-driver. Home, she thought, but would it be for much longer?

  Chapter 18

  BETSY HAD BEEN AWAKE SINCE DAWN WITH LITTLE Arnie. She had heard him gurgling in his cot, then the gurgles had turned into a whimper, which had slowly worked up to a crescendo of all out bawling. Betsy had lain there, fist clenched against her chest, willing his parents to wake up and tend to him. She knew that cry, he was hungry. How could they not respond? She waited, counting off the minutes on the bedside alarm clock. She let it count out twenty minutes, then she got up and pulled on her dressing gown.

  ‘You’re right, love,’ Noel said sleepily from the bed. ‘I was about to do that myself.’

  Of course you were, Betsy thought. When Graham was colicky and sleeping badly, Noel had said the same thing night after night. It was always her that did the night shift, though. ‘About to’ isn’t quite the same as getting out of the bed and doing it, she thought crossly.

  She walked down the hall, not worrying about being quiet because she hoped Tasha or Graham would hear and maybe come do this themselves – even if only out of guilt. She didn’t want to be accused of interfering. But nothing was stirring in the house, just baby Arnie, howling for comfort.

  ‘How’s my little boy,’ Betsy said, going straight over to the cot.

  Arnie kicked his legs and cooed happily at the sight of her. He reached his arms up towards her.

  ‘Now my little divil, do you need some bottle? I think you do.’ She lifted him and pressed his hot cheek against hers, breathing in his darling baby smell. He put his pudgy arms around her neck, and it made her heart melt. She felt bad for feeling cross at Noel – the truth was, she was lucky to be the one who got to do this. The rest of them were all missing out.

  ‘Let’s go down to the nice warm kitchen,’ Betsy said. She could hear rain knocking against the windows, but the house was toasty and quiet, just how she liked it.