‘How long have you been seeing Zac?’
‘Since the summer. I’ve always been an absolute sucker for dark hair and blue eyes. I shouldn’t be superficial, but he’s bloody poetry to look at, and he’s got the body of a Greek statue.’
‘It’s completely understandable, Tor.’ I indicate two more cocktails to the waitress.
‘It’s not something I could tell the others. They’re quite moralistic. But I always get the feeling you’re more worldly-wise.’
‘We’ve all got to find a way to get by,’ I say, although I now know she chose me because she has so little respect for the views of Cait, Sophie or Aisha. But why tell anyone? There must be something more.
‘Is everything going well with your dalliance?’
‘Well, actually, not really. I made a mistake. Something you must never do if you stray. I fell completely and madly in love,’ says Tor, and she clasps her gold-entwined fingers together, and holds them to the place where a heart would usually sit.
‘Oops,’ I say. I conclude that Zac is unusually good in bed and she thinks it’s love. Easy mistake to make.
‘Head over heels, Lalla. I wasn’t in Switzerland, you know. I was in bloody Madrid with Zac, having the most glorious time.’
‘Well, it’s clearly as good as a spa, because you were glowing when you came back.’
‘He makes me feel amazing. I know there’s an age gap, but it feels so right. I think I love him.’ I look at her and wonder what this wordlovemeans to an over-privileged woman like Tor.
‘So what’s the issue? You want a divorce?’
‘No, there’s something worse.’
She is about to reveal her secret when my phone rings. I take it out, apologizing, and see Stephen’s name. I shake my head, silence the call, sip my drink and stare intently at Tor.
‘It’s only Stephen. He’s probably lost a sock or something. Do go on,’ I say, but I wonder if the testosterone gel has got him into trouble with Aimée, or Madeleine has told him about my visit.
Tor smiles nervously, drinks the rest of her negroni and says, ‘I’m being blackmailed.’
Although I’ve learned to control my expressions, my eyebrows rise in delight.
‘Tell me more,’ I say.
Tor is about to reveal all, when my phone pings. Stephen’s messaged me, and it makes my pulse race:
Urgent. Please come home. Bad news.
Chapter35Mother
Having rushed home in an Uber, trying to get in contact with Stephen most of the journey, I am not in the best of moods. It’s not the most thoughtful of messages. It’s liable to create all kinds of worries, if you are prone to such things.
I have only one thought – Nathan and Nelly. I know I’m not as traditionally connected to them as most parents, but if I had to save anyone in the world, it would be them first. Well, not first. But once I’d ensured Purdy was OK, it would be Nelly first, then Nathan, then Sophie, and Stephen would be next.
I am also drunk, which means that I am not as clear-minded as I usually am. At home, I find Stephen rushing from room to room, looking quite dishevelled.
‘Are Purdy and the children OK?’ I ask immediately.
‘Yes. Yes. The children are fine,’ he says. ‘Couldn’t give a fuck about the cat.’
‘Unkind,’ I say.
‘Well, priorities, you know.’
‘Your text said it was urgent. I sent you several back.’
‘I’ve been on the phone since.’ Stephen stares. His face is not obviously sad, but there’s a dilation to his pupils and a slight pallor around his eyes.
