“Come on, I’m not asking for the moon, after all.”
Before she starts making me feel guilty, I offer her my arm to help her stand. God, why did you give me this cross to bear?
“Don’t you find it strange that these parties are so crowded with people who crave an invitation, and then most of them look for an excuse to disappear and have a moment of peace?” She observes. “Lewis, you, me—”
“Actually, I was looking for my wife.”
“Did you lose your beloved bride?”
“She was in the ballroom with Loxley. I went to get a drink and when I got back, both of them had disappeared.”
“Loxley is a terrible person. Everyone I know barely tolerates her.”
“She’s odd, but Jemma gets on very well with her.” Although Cécile is not in my top ten favourite people, I don’t want to talk badly of her with Portia.
“You and Harring are great friends too, although you’re not much alike.”
“We complete each other. We’ve been friends for twenty-five years now.”
“And how long have we known each other?” She asks.
I sit her down one of the stone benches of the large balcony surrounded by ivy.
“I don’t know.”
“I met you at my brother’s first match at the polo junior championship, fifteen years ago.”
“Wow, double digits!” Should I care?
“You already stood out, back then. It has always been a natural gift of yours.”
I don’t reply to Portia’s compliment, with which she’s trying to flatter me, so she shrugs and changes the subject.
“You men are so lucky! You’re always well covered in your suits and dinner jackets, whereas we women spend our time freezing, wrapped in our silk and taffeta!” She says, rubbing her arms with the palms of her hands. “I would ask for your jacket, but then you’d be cold.”
With a light snort of annoyance, I take off my jacket and hand it to her. Why does every word she says sound manipulating, as if I owed her something for ditching her? If I didn’t feel obliged to be polite to her, at least in public, I would have left her on the staircase.
“Come on, sit down, there’s no point in standing there! Sooner or later Harring, Loxley or your wife will pass by. You’re more likely to find them if you wait here, rather than search throughout Greer Manor.”
I sit down just to please her, but I decide to be very clear with her. “I hope that no one starts making things up or puts strange ideas in Jemma’s head after seeing us here.”
“Does she know about us? Did you tell Jemma?”
“Yes, I did. As you can imagine, she wasn’t happy at the idea, and I can’t blame her.”
“If she really loves you, she must believe what you say, not the gossip she hears here and there.”
“You know this is a difficult environment to live in.”
“Oh, look! An eyelash!” She says, touching my cheekbone with a finger. “Blow and make a wish.”
Before I can push her hand away from my face, I hear people muttering in the party hall, and I see that the guests have gathered in front of one of the glass doors of the balcony.
79
Jemma’s Version
When I open my eyes, everything is spinning. I am dazzled by the candelabra and I feel the cold marble floor against my back, while an indistinct number of people are bending over me.
