That’s me, isn’t it, thought Layla. That’s me in thirty years’ time, an aged lady, unmarried, childless, with a hairy upper lip and nothing to live for but doing the accounts.
‘Well…’ said Ellie, glancing back at Miss Pargeter. Miss Pargeter returned her attention to the page she was working on.
‘Actually, no,’ said Layla quickly. ‘It was an idea of Mum’s, but I don’t think I want to, not really. Not just now. Sorry to have bothered you.’
Layla hurried back to her room.
No, she thought grimly. No way am I becoming that.
Precious was in there waiting for her, glammed up for the evening’s trade, wearing her sapphire-blue silk gown this time. She turned from the mirror and smiled when she saw Layla there.
‘Precious?’ said Layla. She thought that she had never seen anyone as beautiful, as poised, as downright fabulous as Precious.
‘Yeah, sweetie?’
Layla almost said what was on her mind. She felt restless and trapped. As if she was on the edge of something awful, momentous, some twisting turn of fate that was going to change everything forever. She wanted to say all this to Precious, to talk it through with her. But instead she bottled it up and turned away.
‘Nah. It’s nothing.’
When Annie left the Shalimar after talking to Layla, she bumped straight into Max.
‘Oh!’ she said, taken off-guard. She glanced at Tony, who was hovering nearby. ‘Wait in the car, Tone, will you?’
Tony went off, leaving her and Max standing in the busy street, people passing by, stepping around them.
‘Has she told you about the fire?’ she asked him.
‘Yeah, she did. She phoned me from the office. Sounded like all hell was breaking loose. That’s why I’m here.’
She told you before she told me, thought Annie, feeling the familiar nagging sensation of hurt.
‘I’d warned her to stay put,’ said Annie defensively. ‘There was one of those paper shamrocks in her Filofax, you know. The same as was left in her trainer when that arsehole tried to get her.’
‘Right.’
There was a silence. It wasn’t a comfortable one.
‘So,’ she said brightly. ‘How are you?’
Max’s eyes widened. ‘Christ, we’re being civilized all of a sudden, aren’t we?’
‘I’ve always tried to be civilized with you, Max. Despite provocation.’
‘Well don’t. You spitting and yelling at me seems more natural.’
Annie stared at him. He was trying to rattle her. He loved to rattle her. And he wasn’t going to succeed. But her teeth were gritted and her shoulders were tense. Fuck him.
‘I’ve done all that,’ she said. ‘And you know what? It’s not worth it.’
‘Quite happy with Golden Boy then,’ said Max.