“Oui.”
“Any others?”
“Spanish.”
“Impressed.”
“And Italian.”
“Really?”
She shrugged modestly. “They’re all very similar. You just have to think about it.”
“You must have been good at school.”
“I was. Except they only did French.”
“So, how . . . ?”
“Taught myself. Downloaded courses.”
“Wow!” He looked at her with renewed admiration. “Wow! I could have done with you on my Grand Tour.”
“You had a Grand Tour?”
“My mother’s idea. It was great, we took the Orient Express as far as we could—her idea again—then trained across Europe. I got to see some amazing places.”
Cherry, who had only been abroad once, to Australia, was taken with the idea of a long sojourn through Europe’s best cities, but they didn’t have time to talk anymore as the orchestra started warming up again so they rearranged themselves to face the stage. Cherry sat with her arms around her knees and watched avidly, wondering how long it would take to learn to play an instrument at such a level and if she might start learning. There were probably lessons online. After a while, Daniel put his arm loosely around her right thigh and she felt a thrill at the possessiveness, this first touch of its kind. Then she leaned against him and they exchanged small intimate smiles every so often.
“It seems early,” said Daniel as they walked back across the park after the concert had finished.
It was still light, the evening was long and inviting, and both had their minds on what was going to happen next. Neither wanted to go home yet.
“Do you fancy a drink?” asked Cherry, looking dubiously at the packed trendy bars, where people were spilling out onto the streets.
“We’re a bit laden,” said Daniel, indicating the picnic ware.
“You want to take that back?”
“And have my mum insist on meeting you?” He smiled at her. “As much as I’d like that, she’ll have to wait.”
Cherry’s heart jumped with delight. Daniel was already thinking about introducing her to his mother! She thought about it and decided that they already had another date in the bag, and if they woke up together, there was the very strong possibility they’d spend all of tomorrow together too. She could make him wait until he moved into the apartment he’d just had an offer accepted on, but that was still a few weeks away. She felt that was too long.
“I’ve got a nice bottle of Sancerre in the fridge.”
He smiled. “Thank God one of us has got their own place.”
He made it sound as if her situation were the preferable one, even though he was in the multimillion-pound house. When he’d told her where he lived, she knew exactly how much it was worth; then she’d Google Earthed it, homing in to see as much detail as possible until the picture had blurred.
They smiled at each other, each knowing the path they’d just taken. He took her hand, and held it all the way to the tube, just like they were a couple.
5
Monday, June 9
LAURA SAT IN THE LARGE RECEPTION AREA AT ITV TOWERS, GRATEFULfor the air-conditioning. She’d come a long way since she’d worked there in her early twenties as a script editor in the drama department. It was the same time Howard had swept her off her feet and she’d given it all up when Rose, then Daniel had arrived. It was only when Daniel reached his teens that she suddenly found she had time on her hands and so had tentatively tested the commissioning waters with an idea for a new drama she had. Some of her old contemporaries were now running the drama departments at the channels and after a few “remember me?” e-mails (the industry was incestuously small), she got those first important meetings, then sold the idea. Seven years later and she had a small but thriving company and was, she thought, respected in the industry. Admittedly, the BAFTA win had been some years ago now, but everyone knew how arbitrary and how fashion-dependent these things were. At the moment, a comedienne who’d also branched out in drama was at the top of everyone’s wish list and every proposal with her name on it got green-lit, and, it was hoped, would go on to win prizes. In two years’ time, it would be someone else.
She checked her iPhone for messages. Daniel had not comehome Saturday night as she’d suspected; as Sunday had stretched on, she’d become ever more aware of his continuing absence. She’d made him lunch, but had to put it in the fridge, and then she’d sort of drifted around the house, waiting for him to return, looking forward to seeing him, and getting more and more restless the later he became. By five o’clock, it suddenly occurred to her that he might not come back that night either, and she laughed at herself and at the sensation she had of being stood up. She gave herself a stern talking-to, and went to bed, having not seen either of her immediate family all day, as Howard had gone to golf.
