And she was happy now. Even if Jamie had surprised her, the globetrotting, rebellious son had come back into the fold: both sons were back in her orbit – the family together at last.
I could hear them all now, the Taylors, their muffled laughter downstairs, as I lay on that king-sized bed, alone. A little later, the laughter was punctuated by clinking glasses, the awakening chorus of early evening. Joy would be starting on dinner and expect me to join her in the kitchen, so I brushed my hair and washed my face. I thought of Ella’s beautiful dress, her tanned legs, the way she lifted her hair to cool her neck, and looked through the clothes hanging in the wardrobe. What had seemed fine when I took them out of my case now looked frumpy, but I alighted on a pink cotton dress that I’d bought specially for the holiday. I’d loved it in the shop and imagined myself wearing it with a tan, which hadn’t happened yet because I’d been too busy with kids to sunbathe. I pulled it on over my head, remembering how slimming it had been when I tried it on. I wandered over to the mirror, and instead of a golden, slimline version of me, a hot, chunky, middle-aged woman in pink looked back at me. It hadn’t mattered yesterday, or the day before, but now Ella was here, I worried we’d be compared and I’d come out badly. I told myself I was being silly, and digging out an old silk scarf, I wrapped it around my head and tied it in a lose bow at the top. I could carry this off, I was sure. I’d seen one of my younger colleagues wearing her hair like this, and perhaps it was time I did something a little different with my look.
Whatever I told myself, the presence of this beautiful woman was putting me under pressure. She was bound to turn up for dinner in something fabulous with a full face of make-up. A scarf tied in a bow might be edgy, but it wasn’t enough, and coupled with my face, red from the heat and this morning’s sitting by the pool, I wasn’t at my best.
I suddenly heard someone coming up the stairs, not frantic little children’s feet, or the heavy landing of men’s squeaky sandals, but dainty heels tapping lightly on the wood. It was so quiet in my room, I soon worked out that the footsteps were heading into Joy and Bob’s room. Joy had probably popped upstairs to freshen up before cooking the evening meal.
I wondered if perhaps she had some miracle foundation I could use. She loved to offer a solution, always had a tissue in her handbag for wet-nosed children and weeping daughters-in-law. Joy had the medicine for any occasion: the ointment to eradicate a nasty rash, the plasters for a grazed marriage… the script for the phone call to remove the other woman.
I’d go and ask if she had any calming cream, and see if she was okay – support her through this shock news about Jamie’s wedding. So, I spritzed some water on my face to cool down and went to see her in her room. The door was almost closed, and I didn’t want to walk in on her getting dressed, so I just peeped through. But, to my amazement, instead of Joy, I saw Ella, standing at Joy’s dressing table. I moved closer to the crack in the door so I could see what she was doing. Was she alone? Like an answer to my question, I heard Joy shout at Bob for helping himself to something in the fridge. ‘That’s for supper,’ she yelled from downstairs.
I continued to lean in as close as I could and saw Ella pick up Joyce’s jewellery wrap, then take out a pair of diamond earrings. I knew which ones they were and even from that distance I caught the sparkle as the sun from the window hit them. I watched, fascinated, as she put them to her lobes, like she was seeing how they’d look on her. I was confused – what was she doing? Who would go into someone else’s room when they weren’t there and go through their jewellery? Perhaps Joy had asked her to fetch them for her? But why would she do that? No, this was very dodgy, and became even dodgier when I saw her look around and then slip the earrings into the pocket of her sundress. I was open-mouthed in shock. Had she just stolen her husband’s mother’s jewellery?
I didn’t know what to do; I tried to rationalise what I’d just seen. Had Ella really taken the earrings and put them in her pocket? I couldn’t take in what I thought I’d just seen as I continued to peer through the crack in the door. I watched her look around again, like she was checking no one had seen. I stepped back from the door slightly, causing a floorboard to creak, and through the mirror I could see her swing round and glare at the door. I kept flat against it, really still, not breathing, but sure she could hear my heart beating. Through the mirror I saw her continue to stare at the door, and then, apparently satisfied no one was there, she folded up the jewellery roll and put it back exactly where she’d found it. When she turned to leave, I quickly ran back to my room, trying not to make a noise, cursing the creaking floorboard and the sound of my flip-flops on the landing. Once safely inside, I locked the door so I could think. I had to say something, didn’t I? Ella may be Jamie’s wife, but they’d talked vaguely in terms of ‘weeks’ when describing their romance earlier. How well did he know this woman?
Chapter Six
I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d seen and kept trying to work it out. Eventually, I had to go downstairs and join everyone, but seeing Ella made me feel rather strange. I felt like I was watching the others through glass. I didn’t feel like one of them, I was like an observer trying to analyse everything Ella said, the way she behaved.
‘And the flowers… did you have a bouquet Ella?’ Joy was asking questions about their wedding, clearly still stung by the exclusion.
‘This explains why you suddenly want to join the family firm,’ Bob said, lifting his glass in a ‘cheers’ gesture. ‘You’ve finally settled down, our Jamie.’
‘Yes. I expect you’ll want to buy a house…’ Joy added brightly. Jamie may have a wife, but the silver lining for Joy would be the prodigal’s return, no more travelling.
‘You’ll probably want a few of these too?’ Dan pointed in the direction of Freddie and Alfie, now rolling along the rug and shouting at each other.
Jamie laughed and, I noticed, squeezed Ella’s knee. It was subtle, but I wondered if she was already pregnant.
I sat on the arm of Dan’s chair, feeling like a spectator watching a love story unfold. Ella permanently had her hand on Jamie’s arm and he had his on her knee. And if one shifted in their seat or moved an inch away from the other, they’d move closer again. It was like a game of twister, where at least one of their respective body parts had to touch the other. Their eyes were always meeting, dancing, their own private conversation happening underneath the public one. I remembered feeling like this once upon a time.
I glanced at Dan, but he didn’t see me. He was looking at Jamie and Ella, nodding at their words, smiling at their stories. But Dan and I weren’t touching at all.
‘This place is, like, so cute,’ Ella said, an upward inflection on the word cute, like it was a question. ‘Joy, is it nineteenth century?’
‘I… Do you know, I’m not sure.’ I could tell Joy was mortified that she didn’t know, she liked to be an authority on everything. ‘It’s original, but some of the building has been extended,’ she offered, desperately trying to be informative. Her face suddenly lit up as she remembered something, had a fact to impart: ‘Oh, and the marble is Carrara.’