It Had to Be You (33 page)

Lizzy gazed around her. ‘I do love this time of year.’

Elliot neatly pulled her round a pile of orange-coloured vomit. ‘You mean a month of forced merriment and hangovers culminating in major organ failure on Christmas Day?’

‘No, Ebenezer Scrooge.’ Lizzy watched a woman in a sparkly party dress hugging a
Big Issue
seller’s dog. The animal was wearing a knitted red Santa Claus hat. ‘I mean that everyone stops being so
London.
’

‘Hark at the beacon of eternal hope and joy.’

‘Listen mate, one of us in this outfit has to be.’

Elliot chuckled. His hand skimmed across Lizzy’s bottom. ‘Are you staying at mine tonight?’

‘If you play your cards right.’ Who was she kidding? She was putty in his hands.
Not literally I hope
, Lizzy thought, clenching her buttocks.

Piccadilly was lit up in an avenue of arctic-blue lights. Something on the right caught Lizzy’s eye. ‘I know where we should go!’

She started to drag Elliot towards the entrance to M&M’s World.

‘Are you being serious?’ He ground to a halt. ‘I am
not
going in there.’

‘I’m telling you, you’re missing out.’

‘I doubt it. Funnily enough M&M’s World wasn’t in my “Ten Things I Must Do” when I moved to London.’

‘Come on.’ She tugged at his hand. ‘All the culture vultures come here.’

Despite the late hour the place was packed with tourists. Lizzy quickly lost Elliot in the crowds and blinding glare of primary colours. She thought he’d walked straight back out again, but a quick look outside proved fruitless. He wasn’t answering his phone either. Had he gone and locked himself in the toilet in protest?

She eventually found him on Level Three in the Pick ’n’ Mix section. He was standing in the corner on the phone, talking intently. Judging by the serious expression on his face, it was a heavy conversation. He spotted Lizzy and did his imperious pointy finger thing to say,
I’ll be with you in a minute
.

Charming
, she thought as he turned his back on her. She wandered round the Pick ’n’ Mix section, her eyes straying back on Elliot every thirty seconds or so. Who was he on the phone to? ‘Sorry about that,’ he said a few minutes later, tucking his phone back in his pocket.

‘Everything all right?’ Lizzy asked him. ‘I’m not keeping you from breaking another financial world exclusive?’

‘Not this time.’ He gazed at the wall of different coloured M&Ms. ‘Jesus. Willy Wonka has nothing on this place.’

Twenty minutes later they staggered back out into the fresh air. Elliot was looking faintly nauseous. ‘I can’t believe I’ve just spent fifteen quid on Pick ’n’ Mix.’ He gazed at the bulging bag in disbelief.

Lizzy was feeling mildly sick herself from the confectionery fumes. ‘Here, I got you something.’ She gave him the personalized ‘Elliot’ sticker book. ‘It’s a present, so you have to pretend to like it.’

‘I got you something as well.’ He pulled the notepad out of his back pocket. ‘“Libby” was the nearest they had.’

‘Aw sweet, thank you!’

‘You’re welcome,’ he grumbled. ‘Now can we get out of here?’

Luckily a brisk walk in the fresh air seemed to perk him up, and Elliot performed to new heights in the bedroom. Afterwards Lizzy lay in his arms, feeling blissfully content.

‘Have you had any new offers on the Hall?’ she asked. The bedroom blinds were still open, casting a pinky-mauve hue into the room.

‘Why do you ask?’

‘I was just wondering.’

Elliot stopped tracing circles on her back. ‘That tone makes me suspicious. Have you and my mother been conspiring again?’

Lizzy pushed herself up on one elbow. ‘I’ve been doing a bit of research into stately homes. There’s loads of stuff you can do, like hiring the land out for shooting and fishing. You could convert the stable blocks into holiday lets and your mum could have her artists’ retreat. There’s even this place in Northumberland that hires its land out for battlefield re-enactments.’

‘Sounds like you’ve been giving it a lot of thought.’

‘All I’m saying is, is selling the only option? I really think Beeston Hall could be turned into a profitable business.’

‘That takes time and money. Neither of which we have any of.’

‘If you did a proper business plan, I’m sure you could get financial backing. You must have loads of contacts,’ Lizzy persisted. ‘I could do the PR. I really think you could make a go of the place.’

‘Are you sure my mother hasn’t put you up to this?’ he said amusedly.

‘I promise. This is all me, a hundred per cent.’

Elliot gave her a long appraising look. ‘You’re really serious, aren’t you?’

‘Deadly.’

‘We wouldn’t have a hope in hell. Do you know how many places like Beeston Hall go under every year?’

‘Will you just think about it?’

‘I’ll think about it but that’s it. And don’t go off putting ideas in my mother’s head and giving her false hope.’

Lizzy made a
zip
motion. ‘My lips are sealed.’

‘Battle re-enactments.’ He shook his head.

‘They look
amazing
. We could all take part.’

‘Er, no thanks. M&M’s World is as far down as I’m letting you drag me. Over my dead body are we ever going back to that place.’

‘I have the photographic evidence from that; I could blackmail you into wearing chain mail.’

‘After the rollerblading I think I’ve done enough damage to my reputation,’ he sighed.

They grinned goofily at each other.

‘Lizzy Spellman, you mad woman.’ Elliot twisted his finger round one of her curls. ‘You’ve come into my life wreaking your havoc. What am I meant to do with you?’

‘Someone’s got to pull you down from that pedestal you’ve put yourself on.’

‘Right, you’ve asked for it.’ He went for her ribs.

‘Elliot!’ she screamed. ‘Stop it!’

Lizzy was no amateur in the tickling stakes but Elliot played dirty. ‘Mercy!’ she panted, as she ended up dangling head first over the bed. ‘I’ll do anything!’

His eyes glinted. ‘Anything?’

‘Not
anything.
A girl has to have some standards …’

Elliot pulled her on top of him. ‘Unfortunately I’m not quite so saintly.’

Something strange was happening to Lizzy. She found herself standing by the radio waiting for it to boil in the mornings, and had tried on several occasions to tune in the kettle. She was walking round with a permanent smile, despite the fact that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d got eight hours’ uninterrupted sleep. For the first time in living memory the chocolate in her advent calendar held no appeal. Technically she was running on empty, but Lizzy had never felt more full of energy. A magic had entered her life that had nothing to do with Christmas.

Things were happening so fast between her and Elliot that Lizzy felt helpless – and unwilling – to stop it. Ever since they’d kissed by the riverbank she’d been like a helium balloon, floating along unanchored and out of control, powerless to control her destiny. She’d started subscribing to the
ft.com
and would read Elliot’s articles word for word, even though most of the time she hadn’t got a clue what he was talking about. Along with her regular TV shows, Lizzy had series-linked the
News at Ten
and would sit at home endlessly replaying clips of Elliot talking about the Eurozone debt crisis and tax thresholds, her heart swelling with lust and pride. ‘You know that good-looking chap Elliot Anderson off the news?’ she felt like announcing to people in the morning queue at Starbucks. ‘He’s only my bloody boyfriend!’

Bianca had asked her several times why she was in such a good mood, but Lizzy didn’t feel like sharing it with people yet. Things were so happy and uncomplicated between her and Elliot at the moment, and as soon as she told people the scrutiny and inevitable gossip would begin. Lizzy could just see the
MailOnline
headline now: ‘From Designer to Bargain Basement. Jilted Elliot Moves on with HeadButt Girl.’

It would have to come out at some point, of course, but hopefully by then people would have lost interest in them and wouldn’t care. For now, Lizzy was perfectly content to float around in her bubble of pheromone-fuelled euphoria.

There was one dark spot in Lizzy’s current state of bliss. Nic. Knowing there was bad blood between them made Lizzy feel lopsided and weird, like she was a triangle with one side missing. Poppet hadn’t seen or heard much from Nic either – apparently they were launching a new hotel in Beijing and Nic had barely been in London. ‘She just bites my head off whenever I bring your name up,’ Poppet lamented to Lizzy. ‘I don’t know what’s got into her.’

The more it went on, the more Lizzy started to fear that Nic had cut her out of her life for good. The worst thing of all was that she had no idea why.

After work Lizzy went to meet her mother for a coffee in a packed Caffè Nero just off Regent Street.

‘That place is like a zoo.’ Her mother was laden down with M&S bags from the superstore at Marble Arch. ‘There were no checked shirts left with a sixteen-inch collar, and the only black leather gloves I could find had tassels on the front of them. I thought they were a bit much for your father. I’ve been to five Marks’ now and they’ve all sold out of decent plain ones. I got stuck in traffic for
two hours
coming out of Bluewater.’

‘Why don’t you do your Christmas shopping online?’ Lizzy suggested.

‘Oh, I don’t want to bother with all that. It’s far too much stress and bother.’

The subject soon turned to Robbie. ‘He told your father the other night he’s thinking about going off travelling.’ Mrs Spellman indignantly stirred a sachet of Canderel into her filter coffee. ‘And your father’s not exactly discouraging him.’

‘What’s wrong with that?’ Lizzy asked.

‘What’s the point in him sitting all those accountancy exams only to throw it all away and go off backpacking around Australia a couple of years later? Jacqui’s sister’s cousin’s boy did exactly the same thing, gave up a really good job with Admiral and when he came back he couldn’t find a job for love nor money. Even McDonald’s wouldn’t have him.’ Mrs Spellman shook her head. ‘He ended up working at a mobile aquarium selling fish food until he’d saved enough money to go off gadding round the world again.’

‘I’m sure Robbie will think through anything he does properly,’ Lizzy said reassuringly.

‘Humph.’ Her mother didn’t sound convinced. ‘I suppose I can be thankful that your sister has a good job that she takes seriously.’

‘I do too, Mum.’

‘I meant you as well, darling.’ Mrs Spellman got her diary out of her handbag. ‘What time did you say you’d be coming home on Saturday?’

That weekend Lauren and her boyfriend Perry were arriving for the pre-Christmas get-together. More planning had gone into it than a state visit.

‘We’re having Christmas drinks at midday and sitting down to lunch at one o’clock. Can you be home by ten?’

Lizzy’s immediate thought was that it would eat into cosy sex time with Elliot. ‘That early?’

‘I need you to help me with stuff,’ Mrs Spellman said. ‘I can hardly ask your sister to start hoovering after she’s flown in from America, and I can’t rely on your brother.’

‘I’ll be there, Mother, don’t worry.’

‘Good girl.’ Her Mother put her diary away. ‘You’re looking well,’ she told Lizzy.

‘Is that another way of saying I’ve put on weight?’

‘Quite the opposite.’ Mrs Spellman inspected her daughter with an expert eye. ‘You’ve got a real glow about you.’

Lizzy decided to take the plunge. ‘I’ve met someone.’

Her mother instantly went on to red alert. ‘Have you?’

‘Yeah.’ Lizzy toyed with her coffee.

‘And?’

‘And what?’

‘I can’t read your mind, darling! Has he got a name? What does he do for a living?’

‘His name’s Elliot and he’s a journalist for the
Financial Times.
’

‘A financial
journalist.
’ Mrs Spellman looked very impressed.

‘
And
he’s also an economics correspondent on the
News at Ten
,’ Lizzy said proudly.

Her mother looked impressed. ‘You’re dating a television personality! Has he been on
I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!
?’

‘Mum, he’s a serious news journalist, not a reality TV star!’

‘When are we going to meet him?’

‘Whoa, there. I’m not thinking about things like that yet.’ The thought of letting her mother loose on Elliot filled Lizzy with a cold horror.

‘Don’t be so silly. Your father and I don’t bite.’

That was debatable, on her mother’s side at least. ‘Er, there is something else.’

Mrs Spellman looked up sharply. ‘Oh?’

‘He was – Elliot, I mean …’ Lizzy braced herself, ‘he was engaged before we met.’

Her mother’s eyebrows moved up precisely half an inch, before settling back down again. ‘Oh right,’ she said.

‘Is that all you’ve got to say? I thought you’d go mad.’

Mrs Spellman brushed some crumbs off the table. ‘I was engaged when I met your father.’

‘What? I didn’t know this. Who to?!’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said casually, as if the fact that Lizzy would never have been born if she’d gone ahead with the first engagement was entirely inconsequential. ‘What I mean is, these things happen sometimes. I’m not saying don’t be careful, darling, but we’re all allowed to make mistakes. Sometimes people get engaged for the wrong reasons.’

Her mother never ceased to amaze her. ‘Thanks Mum. That means a lot.’

‘Well, you’re not getting any younger, darling, are you? Beggars can’t be choosers.’

‘Mum!’

‘Is that the time? I need to get a move on.’ Mrs Spellman started putting her coat on. ‘I assume you’ll be bringing him along with you to Lauren’s Christmas lunch?’

‘No way! It’s far too early for stuff like that.’

‘No arguments, Elizabeth.’ A steely glint entered her mother’s eye. ‘I want to meet this Elliot for myself.’

Lizzy took a deep breath and rang the bell. Karen Jones came to the door after what seemed like an age.