‘Probably because she’s younger than him. He’s only doing this to bolster his ego.’
‘He’ll soon get bored. Especially now Lucinda’s back on the scene. They’re hardly ever apart these days.’
Unable to stand listening to the conversation, Anna stepped out of the shadows, startling the women.
Felicity gasped. ‘Oh. What are you doing, skulking around in the dark?’
Anna pinned a smile to her face. ‘Hello, ladies. Are you enjoying the exhibition?’
‘Um, yes,’ Verity said. ‘It’s very good.’
‘Oh, I don’t know, I’m sure you could take better pictures on your phones.’
They both stared at her, but neither of them seemed embarrassed. ‘Yes, well, Chester is a much-photographed city. There’s nothing new or special about these,’ Verity said.
‘Some people seem to think they are special. Judging by the number of red stickers on them. That means they’ve been sold, if you didn’t know.’
‘And that’s how you judge things, is it? On how much money you can get for them?’ Felicity asked.
‘I imagine most people around here base their judgements on money,’ Anna replied.
‘Or style.’ Verity sneered. ‘Not that you’d know anything about that.’
‘Is that style over substance?’ Anna asked. She didn’t know where this feisty version of herself had come from, but she liked it. She was sick of feeling inferior to these women. Women who were as fake as the Botox in their faces.
A waiter hovered and both the women reached out for further glasses of champagne, while Anna declined politely with a shake of her head.
‘Well, even if the photos aren’t to your taste, at least you can enjoy the free champagne.’ She made to move away from them, but the next comment stopped her in her tracks.
‘He’ll soon grow bored of you, you know,’ Verity said. ‘Especially when he has something much better on offer.’
‘Really? Well, that’s just your opinion.’
Verity smiled. ‘We’re all entitled to our opinions, but this is a fact. I don’t suppose you’d know, being in London for so much of time, but Daniel is spending a lot of time with Lucinda. It won’t be long before he has his family back together, which is all he’s ever wanted.’
Her words struck a nerve, even though Daniel had reassured her so many times that it was over between him and Lucinda.
‘What’s up, cat got your tongue? You must know it’s true. And where’s Daniel now, but talking to Lucinda at your exhibition. Doesn’t that tell you something?’
‘Not really. She’s the mother of his son, and he loves Ben very much. And why would I listen to the likes of you over Daniel himself? You’re not the kind of people I would either trust or respect.’
She watched as they registered her words, a look of fury on their faces. Then, as if in slow motion, Verity raised her arm and the contents of her full glass of champagne projected in an arc towards Anna, landing on her face in a cold splash. She gasped loudly in shock and the conversations closest to her died. A hush descended all around. Anna found herself unable to either move or speak she was so stunned. Then the gallery manager moved to her side.
‘I think it’s time youladiesleft,’ he said, the emphasis on the word “ladies”, leaving no doubt what he thought of them.
‘With pleasure,’ Verity said. ‘And that’s what I think of your free champagne,’ she added before she was ushered off the premises.
Anna watched them leave in a daze as Daniel rushed over.
‘What the hell happened?’ he asked.
‘Your wife’s vile friends happened,’ Anna said, furious with him for being with Lucinda while she was having to defend their relationship. ‘Excuse me, I need to clean up.’
The staring faces parted as she rushed towards the toilets, keen to get away from the unwanted attention. She pushed the door open and breathed a sigh of relief that no one else was inside. What was it about exhibitions and her? First there was Mark, now this. It was almost as if she wasn’t allowed to enjoy the fruits of her hard work. And was it any wonder that she felt humiliated being here? She had no doubt that — although the woman was standing away from the action, looking as innocent as could be — this was all Lucinda’s work, stirring people up to act on her behalf. Anna splashed her face with cold water, patted it dry with some towels and then attempted to reapply her make-up with the little she carried in her bag. A bit of face powder and some lipstick were all she had. But it would have to do. She needed to get back out there and salvage what she could from what was left of the evening. The door opened and Charlotte walked in.
‘Are you okay?’
‘I’ll live,’ Anna said through gritted teeth. ‘Not as though there is any physical harm.’
