Chapter Sixteen

"He didn't even thank you?"

Nina reached for her beer and drained half of it, then placed the bottle on the table before she looked up at Lilah, "nope. A scowl and a glare. That's about it."

"The bastard."

Nina nodded. To date she'd been more than frugal with the truth about Theo, but tonight was quite happy to sing anything but his praises. "That's about right...he has judged me since I helped Mansell go to France, and it just keeps going. I could have punched him on a dozen occasions. I can assure you."

Lilah laughed, "now THAT I'd love to see!"

Nina picked at the remnants of her dinner, "well I hope you never get the chance, because I never want to set eyes on him again."

Still laughing, Lilah made for the freezer and pulled out a couple of tubs of Ben and Jerry's, "well I hope for your sanity's sake you get your wish."

After a leisurely end to the rest of the weekend, Nina threw herself back into her work. She found she was most creative in bouts of often intense inspiration. And if that hit her almost everything else took a back seat. And late Sunday, that was exactly what happened, and so she once again became absorbed in her workshop creating individual and much sought after tokens of love for people to seal their marriages with.

Which was ironic. Really.

As Nina had never been in love. Not really.

She'd only ever known Josh McCann, when she'd gone to Sixth form at the age of seventeen, Nina had been nervous, anxious. On the first day, she'd careered headlong in to the tall dark and absurdly handsome Josh. He was a year older than her, obscenely popular, and completely intrigued by her. After three months of hounding she'd dared to date him, and that night the nineteenth of December, at the school Christmas disco, they'd kissed...and her heart had apparently stopped.

They became inseparable, as happy to sit in each other's company to study as they were to lie on his bed and kiss. After a few months more she'd finally agreed to sleep with him, to lose her virginity. And she'd only been more besotted. If she could capture confidently how happy and content she'd felt in those weeks and months, then she'd be even better in her job.

She was always someone who'd been insecure, she was short...not petite, not dainty, but short, and too curvy to get away with it. But Josh couldn't get enough of her. She had a trip planned to her grandmother's one weekend. It was almost their year anniversary of getting together. Josh was in his first year of University, but it was close, in London, and as he had his own apartment with his college fund, she saw even more of him. So she was torn between staying in London and spending more time with him, and visiting her Gran. Whilst her conscience won out, it didn't stop her returning early, late Saturday evening instead of Sunday afternoon.

As she opened the door to her family home she'd expected to find the place empty. Her father was playing golf in the Caribbean, she had no idea if Imelda had gone with him, but there was no way her socialite step mother would be in the house on a Saturday night.

She hadn't noticed the shoes and coat in the hallway, or the lights that illuminated the hallway to her father's room. Instead she'd rushed into her room and started to change before heading off to surprise Josh. She was clad in a mini skirt and her bra when she realised the blouse she'd chosen to wear had a huge make up splodge on the front of it. She had no alternative, so at a run she headed for her father's room, or more importantly one of Imelda's ten wardrobes, she had more clothes than she knew what to do with.

Again she didn't notice the light shining from under the door, or hear the sighs, the deep breaths, the soft moist sounds of kissing and more. It was only when she threw open the door that she stopped dead in her tracks. Spread out on the huge bed in front of her was the unmistakable dark locked head of Josh, the man who purported to love her, she knew it was him, instantly, even though she couldn't see his face as it was buried between the spread thighs of her symmetrical and perfect step mother.

Imelda turned her head to look at her, a smile of rapture bisecting it in a deliberate controlled gesture. Her step mother looked smug, pleased to be discovered, and that was like a lance through her heart.

Nina had stepped back, unable to believe that she'd been usurped by the only man she knew in such a personal and dramatic fashion. Imelda represented everything she wanted to be, slim, tall with proportional curves, and she oozed self confidence. It was the worst combination of things that could have happened to Nina, betrayal by the most beautiful woman she knew and the man she thought she loved. And that pain of betrayal was still real all those years later.

It was much later in the week that Nina emerged from the basement, pleased that she'd met so many of her targets, inspired, and industrious, that had been her ethos and she felt relaxed and content as she emerged like a mole, squinting at the sudden light of the day.

The only contact she'd had, either than with Lilah, had been phone call checkups on Mansell, who was making slow but steady progress. Which made her happy; she wasn't ready to lose him.

Making for the kitchen, she found Lilah there, and one thing was immediately obvious, she was panicking. That worried her, her friend had been happier since their night out, though Nina knew that she wasn't in the best place emotionally.

"You ok gorgeous?"

Lilah glanced at her then groaned, "not really."

She pointed to her cheek and Nina stared, "what?"

"A spot!"

Nina walked close and studied her for a moment, "it is barely that! What's the stress?"

Rolling her eyes, Lilah turned back to the mirror, "the Wootton wedding, this weekend. Society's finest, and I'm going to be there like a pimply teenager. I mean the man of my dreams could be there."

Nina sighed, "Lilah, there are NEVER single men at weddings, I know that for a fact, and if there were would you really want someone like Colin Wootton? I mean he has no chin and no balls, he'd last less than five minutes with you." She was hiding the grimace that greeted the thought of the wedding, she'd forgotten they were invited, and envisaged worming her way out of it way before now.

"We don't have to go..."

Lilah laughed, "you'd love that wouldn't you! NO! We are definitely going. There are no ifs or buts, even if it takes fifty quid's worth of concealer to hide this monstrosity."

Nina poured a tall glass of water then sipped at it for a moment, "I haven't got anything to wear."

That caused Lilah to laugh, "when do you EVER have anything smart to wear? That's why we're going to London on Friday, some shopping, a little partying, then we can head to the hotel for the wedding on Saturday morning. OK?"

Nina groaned, "you torture me, everyday!"

"I can't wear this!"

Nina was stood in the hallway staring at herself in the mirror, she'd never felt so uncomfortable in her life. Lilah, as always, looked demure, elegant and beautiful. Nina felt like an Oompaloompa beside her. As Lilah turned her eyes widened and she broke into a smile.

"Oh my God Nina, you look amazing!"

Nina didn't feel it, she had a dark purple dress, strapless and knee length, it was too clingy, Nina hated tight things, much preferring to hide under billowing layers. This was her idea of hell. She'd listened to her friend and smoothed her usually unruly hair in to a slick side parting, and it had immediately given her an elfin look, which Lilah was quick to enthuse over.

"I LOVE the dress, I LOVE the hair...you look the epitome of a successful jewellery designer. Fantastic. Now get those heels on, the taxi is honking outside." With a perfect spin on her spiky heels, she made for the hallway in her glamorous scarlet dress, leaving the less than confident Nina to follow in her wake.

The wedding reception was like a who's who of the up and coming London, fringe royalty, some trendy music people, and of course bankers, lawyers and architects, and the wannabes of British politics. Nina stood beside Lilah in an aisle of the picturesque church in Notting Hill and tried not to gawp. She was used to mixing in these circles, whilst her cousin Amelia was much more famous than she was, in her modelling world she'd met so many people and was recognised and known wherever they went. Yet Nina was quite naive when it came to these things, which was ironic when she'd been brought up in the highest echelons of society. But open mouthed gawping was very uncouth, so she tried to drop her head and look at the order of service rather than the plethora of beautiful people who occupied the pews.

"You're popular!" Lilah hissed in her ear, "look, across the aisle, he's PROPER checking you out."

Nina felt sick as she followed her friend's instruction, then indescribable emotions when she met the studious eyes of Theo Peterson.

Immediately spinning back to glare at her friend she shook her head, "that bastard, he's in my bloody nightmares!"

Lilah looked at her questioningly and she sighed, "that is the grandson...the rude one!"

Smiling Lilah dug her elbow into Nina's ribs, "you never said he was HOT!"

"He's not!"

She chuckled, "OMG. He SO is, and you not admitting that speaks volumes Miss Willoughby. All that chiselled jaw and surfer hair. He is H.O.T. And can't take his eyes off you, I might hasten to add."

Shaking her head Nina denied that, "he's probably making sure I'm not pick pocketing the rich people like the Artful Dodger, look - he was rude to me; he thinks I'm fishing around for his grandfather's money, then thought I'd absconded with his daughter. The man is a judgemental bastard and I don't want anything to do with him."

Again Lilah annoyingly laughed, "you keep telling yourself that girlfriend! Cos he will be seeking you out as soon as this service is over."

The service was long, and Nina was glad that they were secreted away in the back of the church, not being close to either of the bridal couple they could watch proceedings from a distance. She was aware of the set of eyes across the aisle from her, but had no intention of getting caught out by him. Instead she planned to be a limpet at her friend's side for the rest of the day, Lilah would protect her.

She looked amazing, for a moment he hadn't recognised her, that usually erratic hair was smooth, pixie like, her curves framed by that dress. Nina looked amazing. That was no lie. Then Theo sighed, he'd been rude to her, again. Daniel had read him the riot act when he'd explained who she was and all that had happened. And he was right. Twice she'd helped him out, and twice he'd treated her wrongly. He should apologise...again.

He glanced to his left away from her, his perfect bloody brother stood beside him. He hadn't wanted to come to this wedding, but as usual Daniel had assured him it was the right thing to do, and he was ALL about the right thing. Appearances. Colin Wootton was a second cousin of theirs, Mansell's cousin's son. Theo had met him once and found him a complete pain in the arse, but Daniel told him they had to be at the wedding. If no more reason than to represent their grandfather, as he was still in hospital. But the only worry before getting to the church...other than who would look after Melody was the fear that their father would be there. Hugo Gershwin, the biggest freeloading alcoholic womaniser known to man. There were a lot of wealthy women there today, influential widows and heiresses alike. This was perfect fodder for the man who had fathered both him and Daniel and Theo was dreading a confrontation, because he was yet to meet him without it resorting in a slanging match.

Now it was the woman across the aisle that occupied his thoughts, his father was a long way from his consciousness.

His mind drifted for a moment to his grandfather, he had at least started to recover, but seeing him so frail, so ill in bed, it had scared Theo, he seriously had to start contemplating life without him in it, and that was a frightening thought. Having no family as a child he had come to almost rely on Mansell being there, supporting him, just - being there.

He glanced back at Nina, he'd treated her appallingly again, was he ever going to stop acting like a complete bastard around her? He wasn't sure. With a groan he remembered how terrified he was when Nina didn't return with Melody when he expected. But there was no reason that she would take his daughter, she wasn't Sadie, and he couldn't deny that he owed her a huge apology. Melody was with his mother's sister today, at last someone he could trust. He'd lost his mother years ago, but his aunt who had lived in Chicago throughout his life and returned for the funeral and not left since, she persisted in trying to keep a relationship open with him, and as he got older, and maybe more philosophical, he began to appreciate those links.

"What's the matter with you?" Daniel nudged him and he glanced at his brother.

"Nothing."

Daniel lifted his eyebrow questioningly, then looked past him to the place in the room that seemed to have grabbed his brother's attention. He chuckled, "is that...your child abductor?"

Theo elbowed him back with a grunt, "she's not...just leave it, ok?"

Daniel started to laugh, and that annoyed Theo even more, "today suddenly got SO interesting."

The service ended and the congregation followed the newly married couple out into the sunshine. Theo cut through the crowds as fast as he could without appearing rude, but the vision in purple was nowhere to be seen.

As he stood in the road scouring the horizon, Daniel patted him on the back, "is she's invited to the wedding, she'll be at the reception. I can't WAIT to see you grovel!"

Rolling his eyes, Theo followed Daniel to his car for the journey to the reception.

Nina clutched the champagne glass anxiously, pacing as firmly as she could in her heels. Lilah was leaning against the bar smiling, sipping slowly at her own glass.

"We can't leave? Really?"

Lilah shook her head, "nope. Sorry. We promised we'd be here."

Nina started to shake her head, "but it's better that I go than cause a scene, surely?"

Pulling away from the bar, Lilah stepped towards her friend and grabbed her arm, "this is a five star hotel, there's a free bar, we have a room booked upstairs...and there will be almost three hundred people here. WE can avoid him and still have a good time, ok?"

Nina wasn't convinced, so she did all that she could in this situation, tossed back her head and drained the champagne.

They were the amongst the first to arrive at the venue, deliberately, but as the room started to fill, Nina dragged Lilah out on the riverside veranda, and they sat at a table elegantly sipping their drinks, and reaching for canapés when waiters carried trays past.

"I've never seen you this het up over a man."

Lilah threw that comment then sat back, almost like lighting a firework and waiting for the bang. Nina knew that she was goading a reaction from her, and hated that she was so predictable.

"Don't start Lilah, I am not het up over him, I'm bloody livid...and I have no intention of spending any more of my day talking about him...or to him!"

Lilah gave a knowing look then with a smirk turned back to her drink, at the same time Nina scowled.