‘Don’t see how a poky hole in Muswell Hell could help us – we’re not
that
stretched,’ interrupted her father.
Surprised by Annie’s offer, Susannah didn’t even acknowledge George’s words. Annie’s requests were rarely unrealistic. And the occurrence of Annie asking anything with a selfish motive was so rare that it always deserved respect.
If Annie seriously meant to help Victoria, they could even get rid of Victoria’s staff. She would hardly need a live-in nanny when there was a live-in sister on hand. And of course, if Annie were to stay in London, then Edward Goddard would have more of a chance to wear down her anti-romantic notions. In fact, she could ask Annie to get more involved in the business meetings – where she could keep her eye on the burgeoning relationship. She predicted an announcement by the New Year. Oh yes, it was perfect.
‘My darling,’ she said sweetly. ‘That is a generous offer that makes me proud of you.’
Annie hadn’t finished. If the company was really in dire financial trouble, she might be able to help. And helping might ease the sense of impotence that always overcame her when she was with her family.
‘And I have some savings that might be useful.’
‘Savings?’ asked George, insulted. ‘What the devil have you got savings for?’
Annie coloured. ‘A rainy day? Emergencies? A world cruise when I’m old and bored of daytime TV? Why do most people have savings?’
Susannah intervened while George stared, baffled, at his flushed daughter.
‘Another unsurprisingly generous gesture, my dear. It would make your mother proud,’ she said. ‘But I don’t think we’ve come to that quite yet.’ She smiled indulgently at Annie. ‘Keep your savings for that rainy day.’
For a flash, Annie felt herself dangerously near confessing her one secret from Susannah – she realised none of them had any idea how much money she really had.
OK, she thought. Your loss. My secret. I quite liked the idea of a cruise anyway.
‘But my dear,’ continued Susannah gently, ‘we may have to re-address Markhams’ sponsorship of your lovely little artists.’
Annie’s face fell. She could easily give up her home, but not that, surely? Using a fraction of Markhams’ money to transform the lives of impoverished, gifted artists had been one of the few satisfactions in Annie’s life. Markhams’ money had single-handedly spring-boarded three young artists on to respectable careers by funding their first exhibitions in the two years that Annie had started doing it in conjunction with her boss’s gallery. For Annie, this was the only worthwhile thing Markhams had ever done. But it didn’t make profits and it didn’t hit the glossies, so of course, it would have to go. If she had more guts, she’d use her own money to fund the artists, but that silent, growing nest egg of hers was her protection against life and its uncertainties. It was her secret weapon.
She looked calmly at Susannah. ‘Of course,’ she said quietly. ‘I understand.’
George buzzed Shirley. ‘Shirley get your roller-blades on. Prepare the New York apartment to accommodate three, book three first class flights to New York and put Victoria’s flat on the market. Oh, and call my barber, I want a trim this afternoon.’
He looked smugly round at everyone as if the entire idea had been his.
‘To accommodate
three
, George?’ Asked Susannah as mildly as she could. ‘
Three
flights to New York?’
George looked over at Davina and patted her elegant hand. ‘Think it’s high time Davina saw the New York office,’ he winked, touching the toe of her stilettos with his Gucci loafer. ‘And she can live with us at the apartment.’ He coughed. ‘Nice for Katie.’
Katherine and Davina both screamed and hugged each other, while Susannah and Annie looked on, mute, helpless.
Katherine turned on Susannah.
‘At least this will make up for sacrificing everything else and getting a furred colon.’
Susannah forced herself to look motherly at her eldest god-daughter.
Within half an hour, the meeting was adjourned. Charles was preoccupied with returning to his game and giving Victoria the good news about the move. Once they were safely ensconced in the family mansion, she would stop resenting him for having moved her down the social ladder. This could transform their marriage. Katherine, Davina and George were preoccupied with the delights of temporarily living in New York. And Susannah was preoccupied with maintaining a bright façade. Annie alone was terrified for their future.
5
TWO WEEKS LATER,
Annie felt no less terrified. She stared at the mirrored wall of Markhams’ office lift as it carried her up towards another meeting. Was it the unreal smoothness of the lift or the thought of facing her family that had thrust a clenched fist in the pit of her gut?
The door slid open and Shirley appeared before her, smiling, proffering a cup of black coffee that, should Annie grow bored during the meeting, she could try to stand her teaspoon up in.
Annie jumped. She’d never got used to the fact that the lift opened into Shirley’s office and more often than not, into Shirley’s face.
‘They’ve just started,’ whispered Shirley, her shoulders hunched for maximum volume control.
‘Oh,’ whispered Annie, hunching in response. ‘Shall I wait for the interval?’
Shirley smiled a little uncertainly. ‘There is no interval. They’ll just keep going until—’
‘It was a joke.’
Annie unhunched, gave Shirley a warm smile as an apology,
gratefully took the coffee cup and pushed opened the heavy door with her free hand. The smell of polished wood and cloying perfume made her feel almost instantly claustrophobic.
Susannah stood at the end of the table, dressed in a sharp business suit, her hair scraped back off her perfectly made-up face. George sat next to her, his Savile Row suit so pristine it almost glowed. To his right sat Davina, pert and pretty, and beside her sat Katherine, dressed head to toe in stylish black. Beside the empty chair sat Charles, looking wistfully out at the bright blue sky.
None of them turned to look at Annie.
Just your average cosy family, she thought, as she squeezed past them all to take her seat in the far corner. When she’d sat down, Susannah paused fractionally, and recapped quickly.
‘I was just explaining that we’ve been exceptionally lucky and managed to get the crème-de-la-crème of management consultants to come in and help Markhams’ back on its feet. They don’t come cheap but, well, I’m sure you’ll all agree that they’ll be worth every penny.’
Davina was the only one who turned to Annie and smiled. Annie felt the corners of her mouth lift as her stomach plunged.
Susannah started passing round copies of the proposal from the man who was to save their future. Annie was the last to receive a copy and she watched it as it made its way round to her. She eyed it with some scepticism. Luminous lime-coloured borders framed each page and at the top of every one jumped out a large, distinctive logo that looked to her like a squashed cockroach.
Then as she sat there, trapped by her family, a slow sense
of significance burned its way through to her consciousness, like dynamite igniting.
First, there was merely a feeling of mild distaste at the colour of the print. Next, as her eyes scanned the name that was making its way towards her, came a sense of disbelief and foreboding. And then, as the proposal was plonked gracelessly in front of her, Annie’s fuse – seven years’ worth of it – finally went.
She stared at the lurid lettering:
JAKE MEAD ASSOCIATES.
She stared some more at it. She blinked carefully.
Nope. It was still there.
Jesus Christ. It was Jake. Jake Bloody Mead, the boy who’d abandoned her, who let her spend her entire final year at college wondering if he’d turn up any minute, apologise, explain himself and let her continue with her life.
She sat in blank disbelief while her body did a remarkable impression of swimming away from her.
Was her family really going to entrust their entire fortunes into the hands of a pathetic, obnoxious, immature, self-obsessed
boy
? A boy they wouldn’t trust her to elope with? A boy who fainted at the mere thought of making her pregnant? Who accused her of …? Who ran out when …? A boy who wore baggy jeans, for God’s sake?
‘Are you all right, my dear?’ she heard Susannah ask her. ‘You’re whimpering.’
Annie made a valiant effort at a smile. She glanced round. Charles was looking longingly at the clock; Katherine was checking her nails; her father was nodding confidently, which meant he was confused. Davina was still looking pert and pretty.
Annie realised that Susannah and Cass were the only ones
who even knew about her past – and Cass was the only one who even knew Jake’s name. Good, she thought. That should make it easier for her to keep it a secret. And this had to stay her secret – there was no other way she’d be able to survive. She just had to keep calm, maintain a mask of serenity, a barricade against the world.
‘Are you gagging, Annie?’ asked Susannah, somewhat impatiently.
Annie shook her head violently.
‘Would you like to leave the room?’
Yes please, thought Annie. Do you have a stretcher?
She shook her head and Susannah continued.
‘Jake Mead Associates are internationally renowned for their ability to turn around troubled companies. There is a staggeringly high demand for them, so we’re extremely lucky to get them at such short notice. Jake Mead, the chief exec, is proposing to give us his ten top consultants in the UK and ten in New York.’ She sighed. ‘At £3,000 a day per consultant we have about three months at the very most for this to work. Put it this way – if there aren’t signs by the New Year that we’re going to be saved, we’ll just have to try and find a buyer.’
Annie forced her frozen fingers to flick through the proposal.
Bloody stupid font, she thought.
Girly
font. Typical.
‘Jake Mead and co will be living and sleeping with the company for the next few weeks,’ continued Susannah.
Annie’s heart stopped. Oh my God, she thought. I’m having a cardiac arrest.
‘We plan to negotiate that as many consultants who need to will move into what are now the two bottom floors of the family home – now that George will be in New York,’
Susannah went on, nodding graciously to George. ‘This year those floors will become a smart business apartment. When Victoria and Charles sell their place, they will be living above the consultants in what is at the moment Katherine’s penthouse apartment. And, of course, so will Annie.’
Annie’s ears started whistling.
‘We decided on this,’ continued Susannah, ‘rather than keeping those floors empty and paying for various consultants’ accommodation expenses. And that way, the whole house stays in the family once they’ve gone. It all makes perfect financial sense.’
Oh yes, it all makes perfect sense, thought Annie. We’re going to hand over all our money to a twat in baggy trousers. Excellent.
‘The owner of the company, Jake Mead, is most impressive,’ continued Susannah.
Oh you’ve seen his trousers then? thought Annie. Even better.
‘I’m sure you’ll all like him.’ Susannah looked at her watch. ‘He’ll be here any minute.’
There was a dull thud from the corner.
When Annie woke up, two seconds later, no one had even noticed she’d passed out.
She was vaguely aware that Susannah was still talking.
‘His reputation, his previous results,’ continued Susannah.
His vanishing act, thought Annie …
‘His discretion and his grasp of what we needed made him the only possible choice. It’s nothing short of a miracle that we’ve been able to secure him so quickly. I’m sure you’ll all be very pleased with what you see.’
Why? Is he bringing a friend?
Just then Susannah’s mobile went.
‘Excuse me,’ she said and took the call.
She looked over at Annie.
‘Oh dear,’ she said.
You can say that again, nodded Annie, her eyes wide.
‘Apparently you were meant to meet Cassie half an hour ago at the Tate Modern.’ Susannah looked over at George. ‘Will you allow her to go George? Cassie’s been there for forty minutes.’
George glanced at Annie. ‘Don’t see why not, I’m sure this Jack Meads—’
‘
Jake
Mead,’ helped Susannah.
He squinted at the name on his copy of the proposal while Annie’s heart rate shot up so fast it almost took her with it.
‘Quite so, quite so. Jake Mead. Don’t see why Annie would want to stay to meet him. Can’t see as she’d miss him.’
Miss him? thought Annie fiercely. I’d get a bloody bullseye.
Annie didn’t risk giving herself away by trying to speak, and for the first time in her life she was grateful that her family wouldn’t show any interest in whether she stayed or left. She simply got up, pushed her chair slowly out from under the desk, and moved her deadened limbs past everyone and out of the door.
Once outside the office, she closed the door firmly, leant against it and breathed very, very deeply. Deep, calm breaths, she thought. Deep, calm breaths.
Hundreds of new thoughts surfaced in her mind, but Annie knew she had to push them all to the back of it. First and foremost she had to concentrate on getting out of there.
‘Are you all right, dear?’ asked Shirley, suddenly beside her.
Annie rocketed out of her skin. Shit, she wished she wouldn’t do that.
‘Oh yes,’ managed Annie. ‘I’m just,’ she couldn’t catch her breath. ‘Leaving.’
‘I’ll call the lift for you,’ said Shirley, and pressed the button.
Annie stared at the lift. Jake could be in it. Now. On his way up.
The mere thought of him was having a bad enough effect on her body, God only knew what the actual living presence of him would do. She had to avoid him. She could take the stairs but they were usually locked. No one was ever encouraged to use them as they were nowhere near as impressive as the lift. She turned to Shirley.
‘You know what?’ she said, trying to sound relaxed. ‘I think I’m going to take the stairs.’
‘Nonsense, dear,’ instructed Shirley. ‘The lift’s nearly here now.’