Rescuing Rose (41 page)

'Well make sure you get more money out of him after all this, ' Theo advised me. 'At least an extra twenty per cent. '

'Five, ' said Ricky the next morning.

'Twenty, ' I repeated sweetly.

'That's a bit steep. '

'I don't care. My feelings have been hurt, my reputation savaged, and my word widely disbelieved. '

'Ten, then. ' Screw you, I thought. I turned and began to walk out of his office. 'Fourteen. ' My hand sprang to the door. 'Fifteen?' I opened it and stepped outside. 'Oh all right then! Sixteen. ' I was going for broke. 'Seventeen and a half?' he shouted querulously. 'Okay, okay, twenty per cent it is. '

I turned round. 'Thanks, Ricky. And the same for Beverley?'

'Why?'

'In recognition of the fact that she doesn't just do the admin, she also drafts some of the replies. '

He sighed. 'Yeah, okay, then. As it's her. '

'And she gets a transport allowance to cover her taxis?'

He nodded. 'Here, ' he said, pushing the contract at me. 'Sign on the dotted line. Another year with a month's notice on either side, not that we'd want you to leave. You're just about the best known agony aunt in the country now. Our sales have shot right up. '

As I walked back to my desk I was surprised to realise that I didn't feel elated by my new contract, just relieved that I wouldn't have to sell my house.

'How did it go?' Beverley asked. I told her. She was thrilled.

'HR are drawing up your contract right now. ' Suddenly my phone rang. '
Daily Post
Problem Page, ' I said cheerfully.

'Rose?' My heart did a flick-flack. 'It's Ed. '

'Oh; Ed, hi, ' I managed to say casually, as my stomach churned and lurched like a tumble dryer. 'How are you?'

'I'm fine. But I've just seen the papers and I simply wanted to say, well, that I'm glad at the way things have turned out. I mean, you're still my wife.

'For the time being, ' I said defensively.

'For the time being—yes—and I've hated seeing you got at like that. I know how much your job means to you and well, I'm glad you've got it back. '

I distractedly pulled out my pen tray, and two bits of stray Confettimail fluttered out. 'Thank you, Ed, ' I said as they spiralled gracefully to the floor, like sycamore seeds. 'That's very kind of you. ' I picked one of them up and studied it.
CSThinkAU
… And now there was an awkward silence in which it wasn't clear who was going to hang up first. 'Anyway, I'd better get back to work, ' I said. 'I'm pretty busy. '

'Oh, of course. I mean, you've probably got a letter from Posh Spice to deal with, ' he said with a slightly forced laugh.

'Mick Jagger actually. '

'Ha ha ha ha ha!'

'And Gwyneth Paltrow. '

'Of course. '

'So… goodbye then, Ed. '

'Goodbye, Rose. '

'Goodbye… '

'Goodbye. '

'Have we done saying goodbye yet, Ed?'

'Er, yes we have. '

'Because you're still there. '

'Oh. Well, um, that's because—there's something I've just remembered. '

'Yes?' I fiddled with the biros in my pen pot. 'And what's that?'

'Well, ' he said nervously. 'I've been doing some clearing out lately and I discovered some stuff of yours and I wondered if you'd, er… if you'd er… '

'Yes?'

'… like me to bring it round?'

On Wednesday evening, at seven, I discreetly watched for Ed out of my bedroom window, my stomach in knots, my chest heaving like an accordion, and at five past his company BMW pulled up. He got out, beeped open the boot and took out a large cardboard box. As I heard the squeak of the gate I looked in the mirror, slowed my pulse with some deep breaths, then went downstairs and opened the door. There he was, looking devastating, in cream chinos and a navy blazer and an open necked chequered shirt. But there were dark shadows beneath his expressive brown eyes, as though he hadn't been sleeping well.

'This is very kind of you, ' I said civilly. 'You
shouldn't
have. ' I peered into the box. 'You really shouldn't have!' I repeated with a laugh. 'You should have taken it to Oxfam instead!' There was a hideous painting I'd bought in Rome, an ugly ceramic pot I'd made at an evening class, my old
Doctor Who
videos, some school files, and a dozen or so vinyl LPs.

'Well, I thought some of it might have special sentimental value, ' he said gently.

'Well thanks. Actually, it does. Where did you find it all?'

'In the attic'

'Oh yes. I'd forgotten I'd put it up there. ' He handed me the box, and we stood smiling at each other awkwardly, like teenagers at a school disco. The tension was making my jaw ache.

'Er. Do you want to come in?'

'Well, ' he said diffidently. 'If you're sure it's convenient. '

'Yes. I'm not working. '

'You're
not
?'

'No. '

'I thought you worked all the time. '

'Not any more. I've got this fabulous new assistant, Beverley, who helps me draft the replies so that cuts my work load in half. '

'Gosh, well, that's great, ' Ed beamed. I put the box down in the hall, and Ed came inside. I looked at his aquiline nose, his fine, sculpted lips, and the two deep curving lines, etched, like brackets, into either side of his mouth.

'How's Rudy?' he asked politely as he followed me into the kitchen.

'Oh, he's fine. He was stolen, but returned a month later as they couldn't stand the noise. You see he speaks now. '

'Really? What does he say?'

'All sorts of things, none of it wildly original. ' I peered into his cage. 'He's asleep, he did a lot of talking today so he's tired, but he'll wake up by and by. Would you like a drink?' I added. 'You're driving so you can either have one glass of wine or—' I rummaged in the fridge '—one of these. ' I held up a bottle of beer.

'I didn't know you were a beer drinker, Rose, ' he said as he sat down at the table.

'I'm not really, they're Theo's, but we share stuff—he won't mind. '

'And, er, who is Theo exactly?'

'My flatmate. He's an astronomer; his book's coming out in May. It's called
Heavenly Bodies
—
a Popular Guide to the Stars and Planets
! I explained, surprised to feel my heart swell with a kind of pride. 'He knows all about asteroids and spiral galaxies and lunar occultations, ' I added. 'Theo's great. '

'And, urn, how old is he?'

'Twenty-nine. '

'Oh. ' A look of relief seemed to flicker across Ed's face. I flipped the lid off his beer. 'And where is he now?'

'At the Royal Astronomical Society, giving a lecture on meteor showers. He's an absolutely mesmerising speaker. I've been to hear him a couple of times. '

'I see. Nice house, ' Ed said affably, glancing round. 'It's got style. '

'It's not nearly as big and smart as yours of course, but then you can't have everything. '

'How many bedrooms have you got?'

'Three. '

'So it's about, what… 1500 square feet?'

'Haven't a clue. '

'And there's a garden?'

'Just a small one: semi-paved. ' I saw Ed's eyes range along the cluttered work-top. 'Sorry, the kitchen's a bit of a mess. I haven't got round to tidying up much lately, what with being pilloried in the national press. In any case Theo and I seem to live in cheerful chaos a lot of the time, ' I added airily. Ed looked at me as though I were ill.

'You've changed, Rose, ' he said quietly. He shook his head as if in disbelief. 'You seem so.
. . different
somehow. '

'Really?' I said vaguely. 'Yes… maybe I have. It's probably the Camberwell effect. It's all very relaxed and Bohemian around here. Are you hungry by the way? I was about to cook something. '

'What?' Ed nearly spat out his beer.

'Would you like something to eat?' I reiterated. 'I could make a quick risotto. '

'Oh, well, that would be great. But, Rose, ' he said wonderingly, 'you never cooked anything before. '

'No. I didn't know how. But Theo's taught me to make a few things. He's a brilliant cook, ' I added warmly as I got down the packet of arborio rice. 'He's an astronomer and a gastronomer, ' I explained with a smile. 'So our marriage guidance counsellor has moved on I hear?' I said as I fished out a saucepan.

'Who told you that?'

'I just heard. What happened?' I asked with friendly curiosity as I got out the chopping board.

'Oh, ' he sighed, as I began to cut up a small onion, 'it wouldn't be gallant of me to say. '

'Go on, Ed, tell me. '

'No. Well, all right then. She just… got on my nerves. '

'I must say she got on mine too, but I thought you were rather keen. She did move in with you, after all. '

'She was only there for a couple of months. '

'I see. So why did she annoy you? Don't tell me, ' I said as I got out the butter, 'she was short with you!'

He pulled a face. 'Honestly, Rose, she wasn't that small. Everyone's short to you because you're so tall. '

'I know, ' I said, 'it's mean of me. Especially as she must be feeling rather
low
,' I snorted.

'C'mon, Rose. '

'And let's face it she doesn't need me cutting her down to size!' I guffawed. 'No really, Ed, tell me, seriously, what was the problem with her?'

'She… well, she just complained all the time. '

'About what?'

'Oh, all sorts of things. It ground me down and I wasn't happy, so in the end I asked her to leave. '

I turned and looked at him. 'You dumped her?'

He reddened. 'Yes. Yes. I did. ' Oh well, I thought as I lightly sweated the onion. It was a minor deception. Male pride and all that. 'Anyway, I don't really want to talk about it, ' he added ruefully. 'It's over. '

'All right. I won't ask any more. So how's your mum then?' I enquired changing the subject.

'She's fine. '

'And the others?'

'They're… fine too. ' He seemed to hesitate for a second, 'not that I see them that much. '

'I always thought that was a shame, ' I said as I tipped in the rice. 'I was partly attracted to you because of your huge family, not having any siblings myself. And what about Jon?' I added. 'The one who sent us that lovely alabaster lamp when we got married. '

Ed shifted uncomfortably. 'I think he's… okay. I haven't seen him for years, Rose. You know that. We had our… differences. '

'Oh yes. You did tell me. ' As I say, they'd fallen out about money and hadn't spoken for over six years. I'd seen a photo of Jon once at Ed's mother's—he taught History at a school in Hull.

'Thanks for returning the divorce papers, ' I went on as I sloshed half a glass of white wine into the pan. 'And thanks for the Valentine too. ' I smiled at him over my shoulder, as I steadily stirred the rice. 'I kept finding bits of confetti for days. You
are
a dark horse, Ed. I had no idea it was from you. I thought it was from my stalker. '

'Your stalker?' He looked horrified.

'Well, not really, he was just a bit of a pest. I was furious when I thought it was from him, but then I realised it was from you. I must say I was very intrigued. '

'How did you guess?' he asked, a tiny smile at his lips.