Friends & Rivals (53 page)

Authors: Tilly Bagshawe

BOOK: Friends & Rivals

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The service went off beautifully, with both the bride and groom visibly glowing with love in front of their close friends and respective families. But the reception was the main event, with over five hundred people, many of them world-famous celebrities, milling around the hotel's famous wedding garden, while paparazzi helicopters swarmed overhead. There was a vodka ice fountain that proved very popular with many of JSM's acts, especially The Blitz's Brett Bayley, who was so drunk by the cutting of the cake he had to be carried out on a stretcher.

âDo you think it's because of Stella and you-know-who?' Martina Munoz asked Ben Braemar, the lead singer of Land of the Greeks, as Brett was carried away.

âI doubt it,' said Ben. âI think it's probably because he's a raging alkie. You're totally hot, by the way. D'you have a boyfriend?'

The big gossip of the reception so far had been Ivan Charles, Kendall's ex-husband, turning up arm in arm with Stella Bayley, one of her closest friends.

âCan you believe Stella and Ivan are dating?' Lex asked Kendall, incredulous. âIsn't that, like, insanely incestuous?'

âInsanely,' Kendall agreed. In a simple Alice Temperley gypsy-style wedding dress and bare feet, she looked more radiantly beautiful than even Lex had ever known her. Every time he looked at her he was torn between the urge to rip her clothes off and the urge to take a picture. That sort of perfection deserved to be immortalized. And it was all his. Sometimes, most of the time, he still had to pinch himself to believe it.

âYou're not upset, are you?'

âUpset?' She beamed at him, physically unable to emerge from her happiness cloud, even for a second. âOf course not. Why would I be? Stella's an angel, and she knows all his faults. If anyone can keep him on the straight and narrow, she can.'

Catriona agreed. Stella was already proving to be a good influence on Ivan if his civility towards Jack today was anything to go by. With half the world's press on standby for fireworks between the old Jester partners and well-known rivals, Cat had been nervous about attending the wedding. But Jack had insisted â âwe've got nothing to hide' â and in the end it had been a wonderful day, a party full of love and laughter and old friends, and Ivan on his very best, most charming behaviour.

âYou're much nicer than you were when we were married,' Catriona teased him good-naturedly.

âHitler was much nicer than I was when we were married,' joked Ivan. âAnd
you're
about twenty times more gorgeous now that you're with Jack. What's that about?'

Catriona grinned. âLove, I guess. We're very happy.'

At the bar, watching her chatting with her ex, Jack felt a painful stab of jealousy. He and Catriona weren't married. They'd both agreed that at their age, and having known one another so long, they had no need of the formality. But when he saw her around other men, especially Ivan, the fear that he might lose her easily transformed into full-blown panic. When she left Ivan and headed straight for the ladies loo instead of coming to find him, his head filled with ridiculous thoughts.
She's going to text him. She's sending him a private number. Seeing him with Stella has made her question everything.
By the time Catriona finally emerged, smiling from ear to ear, Jack was in a paroxysm of self-doubt, paranoia and outright terror.

âYou took your time,' he snapped at her.

Catriona's smile faded. âI didn't realize it was a race. I was in the loo.'

âDoing what?'

âJack! What on earth's got into you?' she frowned. âI was having a pee. What did you think I was doing, snorting cocaine?'

âOf course not. Don't be ridiculous.'

âYou're the one being ridiculous,' she told him crossly. âWhat's all this about?'

âOh, God. Nothing. I'm sorry.' Jack pulled her into his arms. In a pale-yellow empire-line dress with white roses sewn along the bust, she looked like a Jane Austen heroine, pure and lovely and timelessly elegant. Just looking at her made his heart crack. âI'm an idiot. Forgive me?'

âYes, well,' she kissed him. âYou
are
an idiot. But I suppose we'll have to forgive you.'

She looked up at him knowingly. It took Jack a few seconds to register the âwe'. And quite a few more seconds to process the implications of that innocuous-sounding two-letter word.

âYou aren't â¦?'

Pulling him to one side, Catriona pulled the pregnancy test out of her bag and showed him the two pink lines.

âWhat do you think?' she smiled nervously. âI know it's unexpected, and we're both a bit long in the tooth for nappy changing. But it's good news â¦ isn't it?'

Tears of happiness rolled down Jack's cheeks.
Good news?

It was the best news ever.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

With thanks to my wonderful editor, Sarah Ritherdon, and all at HarperCollins for their support, talent, hard work and willingness to move deadlines around yet another Bagshawe baby bump. To my agents Tim Glister and Luke Janklow, also to Kirsty Gordon, Claire Dippel and everyone at Janklow & Nesbit. And to my âmanny' and dear friend Vasile Cozmici, for taking such good care of my children while I write. Without you there would be no books.

Finally, huge thanks as always to my family, especially my husband, Robin, who makes my life an adventure. After sixteen years and four kids, you're still everything to me. And to think they said we'd never last â¦ I love and adore you.

TB.

About the Author

Tilly Bagshawe is the internationally bestselling author of seven previous novels. A teenage single mother at seventeen, Tilly won a place at Cambridge University and took her baby daughter with her. She went on to enjoy a successful career in The City before becoming a writer. As a journalist, Tilly contributed regularly to the Sunday Times, Daily Mail and Evening Standard before following in the footsteps of her sister Louise and turning her hand to novels. Tilly's first book, Adored, was a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic and she hasn't looked back since. Tilly and her family divide their time between their homes in Kensington and Los Angeles and their beach house on Nantucket Island.

Also by Tilly Bagshawe

Adored

Showdown

Do Not Disturb

Flawless

Fame

Scandalous

Sidney Sheldon's Mistress of the Game

Sidney Sheldon's After the Darkness

Sidney Sheldon's Angel of the Dark

Copyright

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

HarperCollins
Publishers

77â85 Fulham Palace Road,

Hammersmith London W6 8JB

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Published by HarperCollins
Publishers
2012

Tilly Bagshawe asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Source ISBN: 9780007326532

Ebook Edition Â© September 2012 ISBN: 9780007341894

Version 1

FIRST EDITION

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