CHAPTER 95

CHAPTER 95
Alex said, ‘Do we know her family?’

Jemima had to give a long, complicated description of her friend’s parents.

I asked Alex why Jemima needed cross-examination to sit with a little girl in a pristine sailor’s dress, eating sandwiches with a knife and fork.

He said, ‘That’s just how we do things in our family.’

We then ended up in the very weird position of talking about Alex’s family and his upbringing.

He’s not half as spoiled as I thought. He had a pretty tough childhood, actually. Boarding school. A lot of studying. No toys unless they were earned. I mean, it’s not as if he went hungry or anything. But it didn’t sound like a lot of fun.

Katy fell asleep on my lap, thank God.

Alex was very gentlemanly and had the waiter run out to get me a straw for my cup of tea so I didn’t wake her.

And Katy didn’t wake – not even when I dropped a pistachio macaroon on her head.

When I burned my mouth drinking tea through the straw, Alex said, ‘Perhaps champagne would be better.’ And ordered a bottle.

He knew all the staff by name and stuff about their lives and their families. And he didn’t once seem uncomfortable to be stuck with me. All in all, it was an unexpectedly lovely afternoon.

At one point I said, ‘Your staff in the Bond Street Dalton must get jealous. Because you know everyone’s name here.’

He said he knew the names of his staff in every hotel he owned.

I was a bit blown away by that.

He said, ‘You know your sisters’ names, don’t you? The people working in my hotels are my family too.’

Which I thought was pretty lovely.

We ended up talking about the Dalton New Year’s Ball, and he asked me why I didn’t go last year.

I was a bit taken aback that he’d noticed.

He said, ‘Of course I noticed. I notice you every year. Always have done. Why wouldn’t I?’

I said, ‘We know each other, but it’s not like we’re friends.’

He said, ‘You don’t think we’re friends?’

‘Maybe now,’ I said. ‘But before the training this year … we were just acquaintances weren’t we?’

I didn’t tell Alex that all us girls watched him as teenagers. That we giggled about tall, dark and handsome slightly-grumpy Alex Dalton.

Alex said, ‘I’ve never seen you as just an acquaintance.’

We talked a bit more about the charity balls, and I asked him what the theme would be for this New Year.

He said his mother hadn’t decided yet. But he was sure another humiliating auction would take place.

I blushed bright red.

Did he know I only got old-man bids this year? He wasn’t in the room, but did someone tell him?

Then Alex said, ‘Look, if you’re going up against the Jolly-Piggotts, you really do need a decent solicitor.’

I said that Ted was fine. An old family friend.

Alex said something about misplaced loyalty. Then he said, ‘Doesn’t your daughter deserve the best?’

We looked at Katy. Sleeping on my chest.

I said that Ted would do his best for us. Better than some super-solicitor we hardly knew. He’d go to the ends of the earth. He’d known me since I was a baby.

Then Alex said I should take Nick for every penny. He’d seen Nick, pre-wedding, in the city – bar-hopping and flirting with women. He said it was disgusting with a baby at home. And he wished he’d told me.

I told him I already knew Nick bar-hopped and flirted with women. I just didn’t know he was sleeping with my bridesmaid.

Then I thought about Nick and Sadie and felt like I was going to be sick.

I must have gone a bit white, because Alex said, ‘Are you cold? We can get the fire lit. Let me take Katy.’

But I just mumbled something about feeling ill and having a lot on my mind. I honestly thought I was going to throw up. I thanked Alex for a lovely afternoon and ran out like Cinderella at midnight.

He must think I’m such an idiot.

All I could think, wandering around London, was that Nick never loved me. All those years with him and he never even knew my favourite colour.

And yet Alex has noticed every single Dalton ball I’ve ever attended.

Sunday September 27th

Took Laura out for lunch to apologise for standing her up yesterday.

Planned to take her to Jamie’s Italian, but Katy started howling and WOULD NOT stop. So we ended up at Kentucky Fried Chicken where they have bottle warmers.

As soon as Katy calmed down, I started blubbing. Going on about how Nick never loved me and I missed what was right in front of my face.

Laura got me a bargain bucket to drown my sorrows.

I gave Katy a drumstick. Then I panicked, because it was full of salt.

Laura reminded me that Mum gave us KFC when we were babies. And McDonald’s too – there’s a baby picture of me in a Ronald McDonald highchair dipping fries into a strawberry milkshake.

I told Laura about the afternoon tea with Alex. How nice it was, but what a twat I made of myself. Then I asked her how it was going with Zach.

She admitted she hadn’t heard from him in a while. He’s on a skiing trip. But there was some Hello picture of him at a ski lodge party with some girl.

‘It’s probably nothing,’ she said. ‘But, then again …’

We bought a copy of Hello so we could scrutinise the picture.

I had to admit the girl was pretty. But not in Laura’s league.

‘Zach doesn’t care about pretty,’ Laura insisted. ‘He’s not like that.’

After we’d looked at all the arm angles and googled ‘body language’, we decided the picture was perfectly innocent.

‘Just a friend at a party,’ I said.

‘Yes,’ said Laura. ‘But … I still wish I’d never seen that picture.’

Monday September 28th

Mum and Dad went to IKEA today to buy a wardrobe.