Losing You (61 page)

What the hell should he do? He couldn’t leave Olivia and Hans to cope with this alone. For all he knew Sylvie was already fleeing their home on her way back to her boyfriend. He had to call and speak to Olivia again. He must warn her about what Sylvie had said on the phone, in case she hadn’t heard it for herself. His head went down as frustration and fear overwhelmed him. Maybe what he really needed to do was tell Olivia that he was on his way.

He thought of Oliver and how much it meant to his son to be introducing his father to Lauren tomorrow. The boy had talked about nothing else for days, and was so thrilled with the gift he’d chosen that Russ just knew that if he wasn’t there to see him hand it over then some of the pleasure would be gone. He thought of Lauren and how much he was looking forward to meeting her, and of how pleased Emma was that he’d agreed to join them. He thought of what he’d bought for Lauren, and how it would surprise both her and Oliver.

It was a birthday; there would be others, and these were only gifts.

In Sylvie’s case it was her life; but it could always be another empty threat.

What the bloody hell was he going to do?

Chapter Thirty-One

THE FOLLOWING DAY
Emma was leaning against the window ledge in Lauren’s room, surrounded by balloons and birthday bunting and living every minute of Lauren’s joy as she opened a huge pile of cards and passed them round for everyone to see. She was seated on the edge of the bed with Berry one side of her, and Oliver the other. Phyllis, Polly and Melissa had brought in chairs for themselves from the dining room. Berry’s face was aglow with pride, since Lauren had insisted on changing into the exquisite kaftan top she’d brought her from Italy. Being fiery shades of crimson and gold shot through with dramatic indigo swirls, it went with Lauren’s bronze-coloured jeans perfectly. (Though her right leg was still in a splint and unable to be fully bent at the knee, there was now no longer any need to cut her trousers in order for her to get them on.) Her hair was glinting beautifully in the sunlight, cascading down over one shoulder in all its former glorious hues, with the shorter side held up by the jewelled combs and clips that Melissa had bought for her birthday, and had come early to put in for her.

So far her presents had consisted of a new laptop from Emma, a generous selection of Lancôme beauty products from Phyllis, an expensive hairbrush from Polly and a box of her favourite white Belgian truffles from Mrs Dempster, who’d been invited along this morning, but had had to back out at the last minute. There were more presents and cards from Harry, Jane and the children, Adolfo and his family, and what seemed to be every friend she’d ever been to school with, and plenty of the teachers too. Thankfully, Philip Leesom hadn’t had the gall to send a card, or to add
his name to anyone else’s. If he had, Emma would simply have ripped it up. Part of her had wanted to do the same with the others, as though to protect Lauren from the pain of who she’d once been, but it would have been unkind to hide so much affection and thoughtfulness from her, even though she didn’t appear entirely sure who everyone was. Donna’s name had certainly given her pause; however, so far she hadn’t asked anything about her.

Nor had she mentioned Will, who’d sent nothing at all, for which Emma could have happily stabbed him.

As yet Oliver hadn’t handed over his gift, though Emma knew all about the long, slender package with its elegant gold and silver gift wrap and matching bow, because it was currently safely tucked away inside her handbag. She was guessing it was a necklace or bracelet, but it didn’t appear she was going to find out until his father arrived.

‘You know, Lauren,’ Berry was saying with the sparkle of a tease in her eyes, ‘I’m surprised your mother never told you that there are other ways to go about finding yourself a nice young man.’

Lauren’s eyes lit up with laughter as she turned them to Oliver. Her cheeks flooded with colour, and the sobbing merriment in her throat was so touching that Emma felt her own tightening with emotion.

‘And the same goes for you,’ Berry told Oliver. ‘I don’t know what the two of you were thinking, I’m sure. It was never done that way in my day, oh no.’

‘That’s because they only had horses and carts back then,’ Phyllis informed the gathering.

Emma wasn’t sure whether it was the comment or the look on Berry’s face that made her laugh more.

‘Mm-mm nye in shi-shi mer,’ Lauren declared, holding on to Oliver’s hand.

Clearly realising no one had quite got it, Oliver said, ‘She’s telling you I’m her knight in shining armour, which makes her my damsel in distress.’

Lauren beamed joyously as she nodded.

‘I was going more for Sleeping Beauty myself,’ Emma commented.

Lauren’s curious laughter, which had greatly improved
from the strangled gulps of a few weeks ago, widened everyone’s smile with as much affection as pride. ‘Do-do li my noo wheel-s?’ she asked Berry, pointing to her wheelchair.

Oliver looked at Berry to see if she needed help, but this time she didn’t.

‘They’re divine, darling,’ Berry assured her. ‘If I didn’t think your awful granny would come up with something tart, I’d say I’d love one myself.’

Phyllis looked mightily tempted, but in the end resisted.

Squeezing Oliver’s hand, Lauren said, ‘Te-eeell Gr-nee Be-eh-ree mee-meeters.’

Nodding, he said, ‘She wants me to tell you that she ran the hundred metres yesterday and won.’

As everyone laughed and Lauren slapped him playfully, he went on, ‘Actually she walked a hundred metres on her crutches, and if any of you have ever tried walking with those things, you won’t be surprised when you start seeing her biceps getting bigger than mine.’

‘A hundred metres,’ Berry gushed ecstatically. ‘That’s marvellous, my darling. You didn’t say anything,’ she chided Emma.

‘She wanted to tell you herself,’ Emma replied.

Lauren nodded awkwardly, but happily. ‘Annnd flew,’ she added.

‘You flew!’ Berry exclaimed.

Lauren gave another of her halting laughs. ‘Flew-
t
,’ she said.

Berry’s eyes rounded. ‘Are you saying flute?’

Lauren nodded.

‘Have you played it?’

Lauren looked at Oliver. ‘Yooo ooo.’

‘Yes, she’s played it,’ he answered proudly, ‘and she was brilliant.’

Lauren gasped. ‘No-ot tr-trooo,’ she protested. ‘Pr-pr-pr-tiss.’

‘Practice,’ he explained for Berry.

Emma wondered if he was going to tell them how he’d managed to catch the flute as Lauren had hurled it at the wall in frustration, but it didn’t seem so, and she wasn’t
going to mention how bitterly Lauren had cried after Oliver had gone, when she and Emma were alone.

‘But it’s marvellous that you’ve picked it up again,’ Berry was declaring, glancing at Emma. ‘She’s doing so well.’

Emma wasn’t going to deny it, but she did say, because she could see that Lauren was keen for some truth to out, ‘She’s still having a little difficulty holding it properly, but she’s definitely getting there, and she’s made fantastic progress with the guitar.’ She didn’t add that the doctor felt doubtful that she’d ever play to the standard she’d achieved before, there was no need, and anyway, doctors could always be wrong.

‘Ho-ow Ad-Ad-olfo?’ Lauren asked Berry.

Berry looked delighted. ‘He’ll be thrilled when I tell him you asked.’

‘F-f-crse.’

Berry glanced uneasily at Oliver.

‘Of course,’ he translated.

Berry threw out her hands. ‘Of course,’ she repeated in a way that made the others laugh. ‘Silly me. He’s not doing too badly at all, thank you, my darling. He can get around fairly well now, but the beastly stroke’s robbed him of his confidence, so he’s not quite the dashing blade we used to know. Honestly, old age! I don’t think I’ll bother with it myself. Much better to be young and gorgeous like us,’ she insisted with a wink at Lauren.

Phyllis’s snort of laughter set everyone off again, and as the light-hearted banter continued Emma noticed Oliver glancing worriedly at the time, clearly wondering what was keeping his father. Realising he probably didn’t want to break up the party to go and find out, Emma was about to pop out to call him herself when, to her relief, he appeared in the doorway. He looked a little dishevelled and his frown was very tense, but as soon as he realised he was in the right place whatever was bothering him seemed to melt away.

‘Sorry I’m late,’ he said, going straight to Lauren to shake her hand. ‘I’m Russ, Oliver’s father, and it’s a very great pleasure to meet you.’

As she put her much smaller hand in his Lauren couldn’t
have appeared more thrilled. ‘Annnd yooo-oo,’ she said. ‘Golllden annngels.’

He grimaced. ‘More my mother than me,’ he told her.

‘Yoou llook li-ike Oll – ver.’

His expression filled with irony as he said, ‘Really? I thought I was better-looking than that.’

Lauren’s eyes shone with laughter.

‘His jokes were never any good,’ Oliver informed her.

‘No-oor yours,’ she informed him.

Russ gave a cry of mirth. ‘So I believe Happy Birthday is in order?’

Lauren nodded. ‘Ni-ine – teeeen.’

‘Then may I say you are the most beautiful nineteen-year-old I’ve ever seen.’

Oliver groaned at his corny line as Lauren beamed happily, and turned to her mother with a wave of her hand.

Understanding her instruction, Emma dutifully made the introductions, while Lauren and Oliver, with their fingers linked, watched Russ greeting everyone and managing, Emma had no doubt of it, to win her mother and Berry over as much with his past fame as with how polite and charming he was.

‘OK, it’s my turn with the birthday gift,’ Oliver declared, turning eagerly to Emma.

Quickly opening her bag, Emma passed over the carefully wrapped box and watched with the others as Oliver handed it to Lauren. ‘Happy birthday,’ he said softly.

Putting her fingers to her lips, Lauren then touched them to his. This was often how she said thank you, though only to him. With everyone else, she generally touched their cheeks.

No one spoke, or took their eyes from Lauren’s fingers as she fumbled with the ribbon which, Emma realised, had been tied in such a way that it would come off at a single tug. And the box wasn’t taped together, so Lauren was easily able to remove the lid.

Oliver’s cheeks were turning crimson as he watched her, and as Emma caught Russ’s eye she felt sure he was thinking the same thing, that perhaps Oliver was regretting doing this in public. It should have been a special moment for him and Lauren to share on their own.

‘Oh – oh, Mmm-um look!’ Lauren gasped, holding up a delicate gold chain with the single letter ‘L’ dangling from it. Her eyes went back to Oliver, and as she pressed her fingers hard to her lips, then to his, Emma heard Melissa give a little sob.

‘Isss beaut-ifullll,’ Lauren whispered. ‘I lo-ove soooo much.’

Oliver’s eyes were full of emotion as, regardless of the audience, he leaned forward to brush her lips with a real kiss.

‘Pu-ut on,’ Lauren insisted.

Oliver took the chain.

‘Actually, before you do that,’ Russ interrupted, ‘I have a little something for you too that you might want now,’ and reaching into his pocket he drew out a tiny red box.

When Lauren opened it she gave a gasp of tearful delight. It was the letter ‘O’ in gold, ready to be slipped on to the chain beside the ‘L’.

Oliver looked at his father in amazement.

‘Oh my, oh my,’ Berry murmured, taking out a hanky to dry her eyes.

‘Do you have another?’ Phyllis asked.

‘And for me?’ Polly added.

Passing Lauren’s box of Kleenex, Emma watched Oliver adding the letter to the chain, then going behind Lauren to fasten it around her neck. Melissa quickly came forward with the dressing-table mirror so Lauren could take a look.

As she touched the letters Lauren looked up at Russ, saying, ‘Oll-ver’s nishls.’

Oliver’s initials
.

Russ smiled. ‘Indeed, but I was thinking of them more as Lauren and Oliver.’

Lauren turned back to Oliver. ‘Thisss bessst birth-day ever,’ she told him as he took her hand.

Thinking of all the jubilant and reckless celebrations she’d had in her short life, particularly in recent years, Emma could only love her the more for being able to take what she had now and make it so special.

‘Sho-ow yr dad oth-errr presents,’ Lauren instructed Oliver.

Deciding now would be a good time to make a discreet disappearance for a few minutes, Emma took her phone outside and quickly dialled Mrs Dempster.

‘Hi, it’s me, Emma,’ she said when the old lady answered. ‘How’s everything going? Any sign of them yet?’

‘Oh yes, they’ve been and gone,’ Mrs Dempster told her with great satisfaction. ‘They were very quick, no trouble at all. How’s the birthday coming along?’

‘Fantastically well,’ Emma smiled. ‘I’m just sorry you couldn’t be here.’

‘Yes, but it was more important for me to be here today. Have you told Lauren about it yet?’

‘No, but I will.’

‘I thought this would have been her best present of all.’

Thinking of the necklace that Oliver – and Russ – had given her, Emma said, ‘It will be, tomorrow. I’m going to wait until then, I think. Now, I’m afraid I have to go. Mum and I will pop over to see you when we come home.’

After ringing off she quickly checked her emails, replied to those who couldn’t wait, then spoke to Hamish Gallagher’s assistant who was gamely doubling up as hers now that the festival was only six weeks away. She truly didn’t have a minute to call her own these days, but nothing in the world would have kept her from Lauren’s little party today. Luckily, Hamish was very understanding about her family commitments, as he called them, and even weighed in himself to help out if needed, as he was most of the time now. Should everything go to plan over the next two weeks he might just find himself taking over altogether, she thought, while knowing she could never leave him in the lurch like that. She’d simply have to find a way of splitting herself in two.

After making a final call to a caricaturist who’d submitted a late application, she was about to head back inside when she heard someone calling her name. Fearing she already knew who it was, she turned around and felt her heart sink like a stone to see Will jogging along the road towards her.