The voice startled her and she turned to see James, a curious expression on his face.
‘James! Thanks for coming.’ She smiled at him. ‘I hope Emma didn’t twist your arm too much to come and help mewith this? And yes, I’ve just hit the jackpot and found Dotty’s marriage record!’
‘Oh, well done!’ He gave her the ghost of a smile. ‘That’s a good start.’
He was dressed more smartly than when she had last seen him at dinner. He was wearing navy-blue chinos, tan leather shoes and a pale blue shirt, open at the neck. He had a black satchel slung casually over one shoulder. Clean shaven and tanned, he looked good, Annabel thought.
He came closer and bent down in her direction. Surprised by his approach and feeling unsure what to do, Annabel threw her arms around him and pulled him into a bear hug.
For the briefest of moments, he relaxed into her arms. He smelt good, she noted. But then, as quickly as he had relaxed, he stiffened and pulled away, clearing his throat.
‘I, um, was actually just trying to read what you’ve got there on the computer screen,’ he said, pointing at it awkwardly. ‘The, um, marriage record, I mean.’
Mortified, Annabel’s face turned beetroot red. James was so awkward around her at the best of times, but the boot was on the other foot now and she felt like a prize idiot. ‘Oh! I’m so sorry . . . ’ she mumbled, her usual eloquence momentarily lost.
He seemed to sense her discomfort and, after reading the details on the screen, turned back to her and relaxed his face into a grin. ‘But thanks for the hug. Shall we get a coffee?’
For all Annabel’s embarrassment, the accidental hug seemed to have broken the ice and the atmosphere between them felt lighter. James was a hard nut to crack, she mused; was this what it took to get through to him, making a fool of herself for his entertainment?
‘It’s good of you to help me with this, James,’ she began as they found a table in a nearby café. James put down the tray of drinks and handed her a cappuccino.
‘No problem at all. I might be able to dig out some useful contacts for you. I put out some feelers this morning to ask about Julia Chan. If we can find her, hopefully she’ll be able to tell you what you want to know. I’m sure her grandmother would have told her stories of her time working in the big house for the English family. Let’s hope Julia remembers some of them.’ He paused and lifted his cup to take a sip.
Annabel smiled at him. ‘Thanks, James, I really appreciate it. It’s been a long time since our uni days and I know we moved in different circles and weren’t exactly close, but it’s good to see you again.’
‘Yes, likewise.’ He seemed a little stiff and focused on his coffee cup for a moment. Then he continued with a wry smile, ‘And yes, they certainly were different social circles, you were very much part of the “cool” gang, if my memory serves correctly.’
She wrinkled her nose as he made quotation marks with his fingers for the word ‘cool’.
‘You were always with that Archie chap and his entourage of “beautiful people” as we called them,’ he continued, raising an eyebrow teasingly.
Annabel tried unsuccessfully to stifle her snort of surprise, ‘Cool? I was a complete and utter history geek! Gosh, I think you got the wrong end of the stick there, James! But yes, I did spend a lot of time with Archie. We’d been friends at school so naturally gravitated towards each other at uni, I suppose.’
‘And didn’t you date his friend, Hugo something-or-other, for a while?’
Annabel noticed James’s jaw tighten as he mentioned her ex and she felt a wave of shame wash over her at the memory. Hugo Sotheby-Waugh was the best looking guy in her year, not to mention the coolest. She had been completely infatuated and had, briefly, joined his circle of sycophants. However, the more she got to know him, the more Annabel had realised that he was actually a self-involved narcissist with a penchant for unkindness and nasty comments. They had only dated for a few weeks, but it had been a few weeks too many. She shuddered inwardly at the memory.
‘Don’t remind me,’ she muttered. ‘Anyway, you were in your own “cool” gang with the swimming team,’ she said, copying his air quotes. ‘You lot were always so damn fit and healthy; you put the rest of us mere mortals to shame! Always going off to competitions and always back with yet more silverware for the trophy cabinet . . . ’
‘Always watching our diet, never being allowed to drink and always missing socials because we had to get up ridiculously early for training? Yes, we werereallycool!’ He rolled his eyes dramatically, making her chuckle.
‘Anyway, it was a long time ago,’ he said, then cleared his throat. ‘It is good to see you again and I’m happy to help out with this; it’s an interesting story. And, to be honest, I’m at a bit of a loose end at the moment. I’ve had some stuff going on lately and the office suggested I take some leave.’ He shook his head. ‘But the truth is, I’d much rather keep busy. So I’m happy to help.’
‘Emma told me you’ve had a rough time lately. I was sorry to hear that.’ Annabel gave him a sympathetic smile.
‘You’re not going to hug me again, are you?’ He raised an eyebrow to show that he was in jest. Annabel laughed, thenscrewed up a paper napkin and threw it in his direction. She’d never seen this light-hearted side of him before and found herself enjoying the brief moments when he let it show.
‘Just one of those things, I suppose.’ He shrugged. ‘Expat life can take its toll on relationships and any little cracks can end up becoming gaping wide chasms.’ He stared into space, as if lost in his thoughts.
‘Relationships are hard enough at home,’ Annabel began softly. ‘I can’t imagine the added pressure of being away from all that’s familiar. But I suppose if it’s meant to be, you’ll find a way to make it work. And if it isn’t, then you won’t. And if one of you has a roving eye, then I guess it doesn’t matter if you’re at home or abroad.’ She shrugged and gave him a wry smile.
‘Oh?’ he began, his eyes darkening. ‘Emma told you about that, did she?’
‘Oh gosh; no, she didn’t tell me anything,’ Annabel tried to backpedal, anxious that she had said the wrong thing. She shook her head. ‘Emma didn’t tell me what happened. Sorry James, I didn’t meanyou; I was talking about my own cheating ex. Not thatyou’rea cheating ex . . . ’ She was gabbling now. ‘I just meant that I was talking about my own situation, not yours.’ She took a deep breath, feeling flustered for the second time that afternoon.
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ His eyes softened and for a moment he gazed at her. ‘What man in his right mind would choose someone else over you?’ he said quietly.
Surprised, she tried to shrug off the compliment and James returned his attention to his coffee, but the intensity of his gaze had surprised her.
