Celebrity Bride (19 page)

'Yeah, in her expensive Gucci wallet,' snorts Sophie.

'To be honest, Kell, she does sounds pretty crazy when she answers the phone, and refuses to allow us to talk to you. She wouldn't let us into the house when we came to visit, you know,' Mandy chips in.

'I didn't know about any of that until today,' I say. 'I didn't know you'd been sending letters or anything. I'm sorry, Mand. I thought the two of you were pissed off with me and weren't answering my calls.'

'I told you she wouldn't know anything about it,' says Mandy, loyally, looking over at Sophie.

'We've been calling non-stop,' says Sophie. 'But, like we said, Elody answers and says you're not available. We assumed you didn't want to talk to us. We thought you were too busy with your flash new friends.'

'Why didn't you just ring the mobile?'

'That's what we were ringing,' says Sophie. 'It's the only number we've got. You said you'd text us your home number but it never came through. We must have rung that mobile about 550 million times. When you missed our lunch then bumped into us in Richmond and we had that horrible argument, I was ringing you constantly the next day.'

'I don't understand. Try it now.'

Sophie dials my number and hands me her mobile. The phone rings and goes to Elody's answerphone. What?

I look up at the girls. They are looking as confused as I feel.

'Elody, it's Kelly here,' I say. 'Can you give me a call back straight away? I'm completely bloody confused about this . . . why are all my calls diverting to your phone? Why are you doing this? These are my friends. You've stopped them from calling me even though you knew I was desperate to talk to them. Fucking hell, Elody, this is just ridiculous. I'm really pissed off.' I hang up dramatically and look over at the girls. 'That'll show her,' I say.

'I thought you were remarkably calm given the circumstances,' says Sophie. 'I'd have gone and found her and rammed the bloody mobile down her throat.'

'No, I'm too scared of her for that,' I say.

'Why, what's she done?'

'She kicked me and pulled my hair and got really angry with me. We've completely fallen out. It's awful.' I look up at the girls and scream loudly, I feel so bloody fed up with everything.

The doorbell rings in the distance, somewhere beyond the anger releasing itself from its pent-up position in every fibre of my body. Mandy opens the door and I hear galloping up the stairs as Henry comes flying up to see if I'm OK.

Strangely, after that cathartic outburst I feel better than I have for ages.

'Sorry,' I say. 'Henry, nice to see you. It was either scream blue murder or actually commit murder. In the end, I went for screaming. Less bloody.'

'Ah, Elody on the phone was she?' he asks, shaking his head and giving me a sly smile. 'We really should be heading towards the airport in about fifteen minutes. I'll be waiting in the car for you.'

'Thanks.'

Henry walks downstairs and I sit back down on the sofa.

'There's something else,' I say cautiously.

'Oh God,' says Sophie, with prescience. 'What on earth's coming now?'

'Well, I went through all of Rufus's drawers and cupboards and boxes and files and personal stuff to check if there were any signs he was having an affair. You know – doing due diligence.'

'Doing what?'

'Due diligence.'

'Isn't that what you do if you're going to buy a company or something?'

'Yes, but it's essential for a girl to do it if she's about to commit herself to a guy. The truth is that you have to be sure what you're getting yourself into.'

'Fuck me, Kelly. What have you turned into?'

'Elody said that it's . . .'

'Elody? There's a surprise.'

I accept that Elody's name does crop up a great deal in connection to everything bad that's been happening in my life. Too much of a coincidence?

'Anyway, what did you find when you were doing this "due diligence"?'

I pull out the beautiful bracelet.

'Shit! That must have cost a fortune!'

The girls start ahhing and cooing over the chunky chain and dazzling diamond stars.

'Amazing!' they are saying, while stroking it as if it were a fluffy newborn kitten.

'He probably bought it for you,' says Mandy. 'He probably hid it away and was planning to give it to you when he gets back tonight.'

'But it matches a necklace that Elody wears all the time. I can't help it – I'm convinced he's bought it for her.'

'No way!' they both howl. 'Why would he be interested in that harridan?'

'Look,' says Sophie, taking my hands, 'there's one thing I'm absolutely sure of: he loves you. I'm convinced of that.'

'So why's he being so secretive about the fact that he's starring in a new film alongside his glamorous exgirlfriend? When I ask him on the phone he says that she's not his ex.'

'Who? Elody?'

'No Cindy Kearney, the girl he's starring alongside in the film.'

'She's not his ex-girlfriend. We Googled her straight away, didn't we, Mand? We wanted to know all about her.'

'Yes, she was. They were madly in love and they just kept it from the press because they didn't want the press to intrude on their love story.'

'Who said this?'

'Elod . . .'

'Fucking hell, Kelly. Elody is a nightmare. Why couldn't you see that? I think she wanted you to feel horrible and vulnerable. She tried to weaken you as much as possible so you'd rely on her, and you could be the friend she wanted, needed.'

'Yep, so I'm starting to realise,' I say, and I am. I kind of wondered about Elody's intentions from the start; instinctively it didn't feel right the way she took me under her wing and insisted on coming everywhere with me, but I overrode those instincts because I thought I could learn from her (because she told me I could) and because I was lonely (she had made sure that I was isolated from all my friends) and because I thought it would please Rufus. Shit. She thought I'd be a tailor-made friend who'd just slot into her life and be there for her, regardless of my needs.

The rain pounds away at the window as my two friends dispense sharp splinters of wit to burst the bubble of gloom and depression settling around me. I know it's time to go to the airport and I know that Henry is too polite to keep knocking, so he'll be sitting downstairs, getting all worried about whether we'll be on time. I reach over for my bag and hug the girls goodbye, promising them that I'll call my phone operator and get my mobile calls and texts sent to the right phone. I take Sophie's new number and promise I'll text to say that Rufus is safely home.

'Can I leave you some money to help out for a while?' I ask. 'Pleeeaassse. I remember how tough it always was, and I've got loads of money now. Please let me help.'

'No, Kell. We're fine,' says Sophie, but I look down at the Post-it notes, then up into her face. 'This is me you're talking to.'

I leave them £100 plus an extra £20 and ask them whether they'll go out and buy me the beautiful dove-grey dress that they bought me as a leaving present with the £20. I really loved that dress but Elody threw it away. It's time for me to start doing and wearing what I want to instead of pandering to the increasingly bizarre wishes of a mad French fashion stylist with trouble seeping out of every perfect pore.

It's lovely and warm and snug in the car, and Henry's his usual doting self, checking whether the temperature's right, whether I want the radio on or whether I'd prefer a CD. 'Can we talk instead?' I ask him, and I can see the raise of his eyebrows. It might be the most peculiar request ever made of him.

'Do you know Elody very well?' I venture, and I see the eyebrows rise again. I haven't known Henry long, but I think I have the answer to any question I might ever ask about Elody, wrapped up right there in those eyebrows, lifting up towards his hairline.

'I wouldn't say I know her well,' he says.

'Would you say that Rufus knows her well?' I try.

'No,' he says, without hesitation. 'I wouldn't think so.'

Henry's too bloody discreet for words. Perfect quality in a member of staff, of course, but makes him utterly useless for gossiping with. Instead of grilling the old man any further, I suggest some music, and call the phone company to find out how on earth I rejig the phone setup so that my phone calls come to me instead of drifting off to a phone manned by a crazy fashionista. Turns out it's remarkably easy to do, which is alarming. You just press a series of buttons on someone's phone and all their calls come to you. Bloody hell. Who knew?

'Can I interrupt?' asks Henry, suddenly, cutting through the gentle sound of violins wafting through the car.

'Sure.'

'If you want to know anything about Elody, try Dr Bronks-Harrison. I think she knows her well.'

'Thanks,' I say, and since Henry never says anything without considering the consequences and ramifications, and utters nothing without first debating the appropriateness of speaking out, I realise that Isabella must know plenty about Elody and have a view that I should probably hear. Certainly, it would be worth me calling to find out.

'Hi, Isabella, it's Kelly Monsoon,' I say sheepishly. I'm not very good on the phone and I hate the idea of disturbing her when she's probably just got back from work. 'Are you OK to talk? I mean, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?'

'Don't be silly; it's lovely to hear from you,' says Isabella. 'Isn't Rufus back tonight?'

'Yes. I'm just on my way to the airport now,' I say. 'Can I ask you something?'

'Go ahead.'

'What do you think of Elody?'

'Aaahhhhh,' says Isabella. 'I think it's obvious to everyone what I think of Elody. I think she's bad news. I think she's bitter and twisted and there are times when I want to kill her. What do you think of her?'

'I thought she was a friend, but I'm feeling used,' I say. It's a relief to talk to someone like Isabella about it. 'I've just found out she's been alienating all my friends and making me rely on her more and more. And you know you asked me how I'd lost so much weight so quickly? Well, you were right; I have been taking diet pills. Elody gave them to me and told me they were harmless, but they've been making me feel just awful. Really awful.'

I burst into tears as I'm talking to her; I can't help it. I feel all this emotion come tumbling out again.

'OK. Don't take any more of those pills, and don't see Elody again.'

'I won't,' I say. 'My friends took the pills off me and threw them down the toilet, so I can't take any more of them, and Elody and I had a row and I threw her out of the house, so I won't be seeing her again. Sorry, I shouldn't be saying anything but . . .'

'Of course you should be saying something. I'm very glad you called. I feel terrible that you didn't tell me sooner as perhaps I could have helped. I should have come round to check you were all right, but you seemed to be out and about going to parties all the time with Elody. When I saw you at our little "wine-tasting" you were on great form, and when you didn't return my calls afterwards I assumed that you were busy.'

'No, that was Elody. She had my phone calls diverted to her phone so I never knew people were calling me. I would definitely have called you back. I always call people back.'

'I can't believe she did that. What an absolute bitch. Have you managed to talk to Rufus about all this while he's been away?'

'I've spoken to Rufus,' I say. 'But I haven't told him about Elody diverting my calls because I've only just found out. Something's just occurred to me. He was texting me every day from LA, but I never received the texts. I thought it was something to do with texts not coming through properly from LA, but that's it, isn't it? It was Elody's fault; that's why they didn't come through. Christ.'

'How have you managed to talk to him at all, if all your calls are diverted to Elody's phone?'

'He always calls on the home phone,' I explain. 'He thinks it's safer not to use mobiles unless it's absolutely urgent. Apparently a tabloid journalist once managed to listen in on his mobile and he's never trusted them all that much since.'

'Sounds like he's right,' says Isabella. 'I wish I'd called you at home.'

'Why would Elody do this?' I ask in dismay. 'Why would she want me to feel so bad?'

'Because she's a very sad woman who's desperate because her career is on the slide and she's got nothing else in her life except for that career and the distorted memory of a boyfriend who died years ago. Her ex made her, and she knows it. She'll never get back the life she had with him, and she takes it out on everyone she meets who's in any way happy.'

'You mean Jon, the fashion designer,' I say.

'Yep . . . I think he's the only person she ever loved. She has no close friends . . . except you and Rufus and I think he just tolerates her because he's too kind not to.'

'Yes,' I say weakly, promising Isabella that I won't worry any more and will call her very soon.

'Text me to say that Rufus is back safely,' she says. 'And make sure you tell him everything, or I'll be round to tell him myself.'

'OK?' asks Henry.

'Fine,' I reply, thinking that everyone seems to have worked out that Elody was a witch except for me. 'I've been a complete bloody fool. I could kill her. Sorry, Henry, but I could.'

'No problem, ma'am,' he says and we roll on through the traffic, heading for Heathrow.

How my moods seem to swing these days. A few hours ago I was in tears and now I'm wrapped up in Rufus's arms and have never felt happier.

'God, come here now,' he said, when he saw me standing there. We were rushed out of the airport via a series of back doors and escorted to the car away from fans and photographers. 'I've never missed anyone as much as I missed you. But look at you! How did you get so skinny? You're tiny, Kelly. Have you not been eating properly?' He holds me so tightly I fear he might squash me. 'Next time you're coming with me.'

'OK,' I say, delighted by all this affection and attention. Still, I can't quite let myself relax and enjoy it completely.

'Did Olivia enjoy it?' I can't help myself. Elody's horrible little voice is wedged in my head, chipping away at my self-esteem.

'Who's that, sweetheart?' he asks.

'You know – Olivia, Lord and Lady Simpkins's daughter.'

No. It turns out Olivia wasn't there. She never planned to be there. And Cindy? No, she's not an ex-girlfriend; Rufus would never go out with someone like that.

'Kelly, why are you so worried about other women? You're the only one for me. I fell in love with you the first time I met you. I adore you and I'll love you till I die. Please stop worrying. There's nothing to worry about.'

'I'm sorry,' I say. 'It's been horrible while you've been away. Elody kept hinting that you were off with all these other women, and I just became paranoid about it all. I'm sorry, Rufus. I know Elody is a friend of yours, but we really fell out. She gave me these diet pills because she said you wouldn't love me if I didn't lose weight, and even though I know that's not true, I still took them and they made me feel horrible. Anyway, I ended up having a huge row with her and throwing her out of the house. I haven't seen her since, but I worked out that she diverted all my mobile phone calls and texts to her phone. It's been horrible. I mean – she was nice to me sometimes and took me shopping and everything, but then I ended up feeling guilty about spending your money, so I took most of the clothes back and that made her cross.'

'OK,' he says gently, stroking my hair and pulling me close to him. 'Tell me all about it, but promise me you'll never worry about spending money. We have lots of it, and I want you to enjoy it. In fact, I'm going to put some into an account for you tomorrow, for you to spend however you want. Now, tell me everything . . .'

It's 3 am in the morning now and we're wrapped up in bed. Everything is wonderful. I want us to stay like this for ever; all entwined. It's funny; we just seem to fit together so well, as if we were designed to be like this: all snuggled up. Just as I'm starting to drift off to sleep, he strokes my hair gently, then sits up slowly, being careful not to disturb me.

I turn to face him as he stands on the carpet next to the bed in all his naked glory. Even after some eight months of being with him, the sheer bloody beauty of his body drives me nuts sometimes. As I'm staring at his thighs rather unashamedly, he drops onto his knees next to the bed, his eyes not leaving mine.

'It's been a difficult few weeks for you, hasn't it?'

'Yes. It hasn't been too much fun,' I confess. Though, to be honest, the happy combination of Rufus coming back and me being off those bloody horrible diet pills means I feel about 150 times better now.

'I hate the fact that you've been so miserable. I love you,' he says.

'I love you too.'

'How can I prove to you how much I love you?'

'You don't have to prove anything,' I say.

But he seems determined to try. He looks into my eyes. 'Kelly, I love you. I'll always love you. Please will you marry me? I want you to be my wife. I want us to grow old and grey together. I want us to have children and grandchildren. Please say yes.'

'YES!' I squeal. It comes out more loudly than I'd intended, and Rufus jumps a little, if I'm honest. Suddenly my problems have dissolved into nothing. There are no problems. There is no Elody. The press don't matter. There's no worry. I'm no longer a sad unemployed girl whose boyfriend is running around with every other woman in town. Funny how much difference thirty seconds can make. As far as I'm concerned, there are no problems in the world anywhere. Right now – in this moment – everything is more perfect than ever. I've never felt so calm, at peace, happy or sure of anything in my life before.

'I will,' I say once more, just in case there was someone in West London who didn't hear me last time. Then I throw myself into his arms. 'Of course I will.'

'Then you'll need this,' he says, and he opens his hand to reveal the most beautiful and enormous diamond ring I've ever seen. 'I was going to continue the theme and get you a ring with three diamonds in a row on it, but I fell in love with this one, with twenty on it,' he says.

'I've never seen anything so beautiful,' I tell him as I study the ring sitting elegantly on my finger. 'It's amazing.'

'
You
are amazing,' he says. 'You're super-amazing.'

'I have to tell the girls,' I say. 'They'll kill me if I don't tell them straight away. You have to let me call them.'

'But it's 3 am.'

'I'll text them then.'

'Go on then,' says Rufus indulgently. 'But then you switch your phone off. Deal?'

'Deal,' I say. 'As long as you switch yours off.'