True Colours (10 page)

‘You’re wrong. You’ve been different for some time.’ Suddenly all the anger went out of him and he sat down at the kitchen table. ‘All
that fire and enthusiasm you used to have – it’s all turned to bitterness and it doesn’t suit you, Sophie.’

‘You don’t even see that I’m exhausted most of the time.’ I threw down the bags of shopping and sat down opposite him. ‘You don’t even care that I’ve worked like a dog all through the summer holidays, decorating this house while you did next to nothing. Then after all I’ve put into it you humiliate me by asking my parents for the money to do your share of it.’

‘Oh, your Christ’s sake, put another record on, can’t you!’

‘It’s over, Rex.’ I leaned forward. ‘The money gets paid back as soon as possible. Shall I tell you something, Rex? The reason you were attracted to me was because I was different, a girl with
well-off
parents who went against all the things
you’d
been brought up to respect. You wanted to kick out at all that conventional respectability and you thought I was the one to help you do it. Well, you were wrong. I’d have given anything for the childhood you had even though you like to pretend it was poverty stricken. And for your information, all that student rebelliousness was just a way of trying to shock my parents into noticing me.’

He sprang up. ‘Oh,
poor little rich girl
! For God’s sake, Sophie, you don’t know you’re born. Why don’t you grow up and face the fact that your folks did their best for you. Stop punishing them because they didn’t put you on a pedestal and fawn all over you!’ He stood looking down at me. ‘You know, I don’t think I can take much more of this,’ he said, his voice frighteningly calm. ‘I think I’ll pack a bag and move in with a mate for a few days. I think we both need time and space to think things through.’

My heart gave a lurch. ‘Just because I’ve had my hair cut and bought a few new clothes?’

‘You know it’s not just that.’ In the doorway he turned to look at me. ‘It was just the match that lit the fuse.

‘Fuse?’

‘Yes. It finally proved just how much you’ve changed. I don’t know who you are any more, Sophie. I don’t like this new you and I’m not even all that sure that I want to.’

Rex didn’t come home. I waited a week, then ten days and nothing. I was determined not to ring him. After all, he was the one who’d
walked out, but as the days and nights went by I missed him more and more. Was our marriage over? Could a trivial thing like cutting my hair and changing my look have made him want to leave? How shallow was that? But if I was strictly honest with myself I knew deep down that it was more, much more than just that.

Looking in my diary I saw that the date Fran, Katie and I had arranged for our next meeting was in a few days’ time, just before I went back to school. In a sudden panic I toyed with the idea of cancelling the meeting. But then I changed my mind. It would be good to see them both, a little respite to cheer me up before starting the new term. Since we’d bought Greenings most of my friends had dropped out of my life. Also I wanted to see how they would react to my new image. Rex’s response had given my confidence a battering and I badly needed reassurance. I’d have to keep quiet about our temporary split of course. (Given that it was temporary.) Anyway I knew there was a strong possibility that I’d cry if they showed me any sympathy. How humiliating would that be?

We’d picked a Thursday because it was Katie’s half day and arranged to meet at Napolitano, the Italian restaurant where we’d met last time. I was there first, wearing a slim beige skirt and apricot top, and of course the suede jacket. I sat at a corner table with a gin and tonic, watching the door. I didn’t have to wait long. They both arrived together. I steeled myself, waiting with bated breath for their reaction to my new look.

Fran had picked Katie up at Fantaisie on her way to their lunch date and they arrived at the restaurant together. Katie scanned the tables for Sophie.

‘Looks as if she isn’t here yet,’ she said. ‘Maybe her train was late.’

But Fran was smiling. ‘She is here. Look, over there at the corner table.’

‘Where?’ Katie frowned. ‘I can’t see her – unless – oh my God! Is that really Soph?’

Fran nudged her. ‘I don’t think that’s quite the reaction she expects,’ she whispered.

‘But she looks so – so
different
!’

‘That’s probably the idea. Look, she’s seen us, wave! Come on. Let’s join her.’

Fran took the chair opposite Sophie. ‘Well, well, look at
you
! We didn’t recognize you at first.’

Katie sat down in silence and, noticing her quietness Sophie turned to her. ‘You look stunned, Katie.’

Recovering quickly, Katie laughed. ‘Well, I am – a bit. What made you decide on such a drastic change?’

Sophie shrugged. ‘I wasn’t aware that it was all that drastic,’ she said. ‘I’m still me. It just suddenly occurred to me that I was too old for the whole arty thing.’

‘Oh, I loved that gorgeous ethnic look. It suited you beautifully. Not many people could get away with it. I always used to admire your individual style.’

‘Well I think you look fantastic,’ Fran said, kicking Katie under
the table. ‘I love your hair. And that jacket is to die for.’

Sophie smiled, relaxing a little. ‘I know, I couldn’t resist it.’ She slipped it off and hung it on the back of her chair. ‘Right, who’s for a gin and tonic?’ She beckoned to a waiter. ‘Let’s see what’s on the menu. I don’t know about you but I’m starving!’

They each ordered and during the meal Katie talked about the new exclusive wedding dress hire service they were planning at Fantaisie and how hard she was finding life, what with the travelling and her designing work out of hours.

‘How about you?’ Sophie turned to Fran. ‘You must be missing Harry. I expect the house feels empty without him.’

Fran took a sip of her drink. ‘I miss him of course,’ she said. ‘But I’ve been offered a job and I’m giving it some serious consideration.’

The other two looked at her with interest. ‘What kind of job?’ Sophie asked.

‘Selling swimming pools.’

They looked at her speechlessly for a moment then Katie said, ‘Wow! So, what would you have to do?’

‘Drive out to the potential customers’ homes, look at the site and advise them on which of the firm’s models would suit them best. Look at the possible location and then play them a demonstration DVD.’

‘Sounds like fun,’ Katie remarked. ‘So how did you come to find it?’

‘We bought a pool from this firm earlier this year. The boss came out to check if everything was satisfactory the other day. We chatted and he offered me the job.’

‘So what qualifications do you need for that?’ Katie asked.

‘None really. There’d be full training and the salary is generous too. I’ve promised to give him my answer at the end of this week.’

‘What does your husband think about it?’ Sophie asked.

Fran’s smile slipped slightly. ‘Well, I haven’t actually told him about it yet.’

Katie pulled a face. ‘Are you afraid he won’t approve?’

‘He wouldn’t let me go back to work for him,’ Fran said defensively. ‘So he can hardly say much, can he?’

‘S’pose not. If you ask me, husbands are all very well until they
start telling you what to do,’ Katie said. ‘Ouch!’ She winced under her breath as Sophie kicked her ankle.

‘So….’ Eager to change the subject Fran looked at Sophie. ‘Back to the grind next week, eh? I wonder what your colleagues will think of the new image.’

‘It doesn’t matter what they think,’ Sophie said. ‘It’s here for keeps now so if they don’t like it they can do the other thing.’

Sensing the tension in her friend Fran reached across the table to touch her hand. ‘They’ll love it. I guarantee it!’ She picked up her handbag. ‘I’m going to freshen up before we choose our dessert. Anyone coming?’

Katie shook her head. ‘I’ll look at the menu while you’re gone. I don’t eat desserts very often and I’m going to make the most of it.’

‘I’ll come with you.’ Sophie got up and followed Fran.

The restaurant was quiet and the Ladies was empty. Fran went into one of the cubicles and when she came out she was disturbed to find Sophie standing in front of the mirror dabbing tears from her cheeks with a tissue. She slipped an arm round her shoulders.

‘Sophie, what is it?’

With a great effort to compose herself Sophie managed a smile. ‘Oh dear, I didn’t want to do this,’ she said. ‘Especially in front of Katie. She wouldn’t understand.’

‘What wouldn’t she understand?’

‘It’s Rex. He’s left me.’

‘
Oh no
! Oh, my poor Sophie. Was it the strain of restoring the house? We weren’t doing the work ourselves but I know how stressful it can be.’

‘That was partly the problem. It was important to me that we did it all ourselves. Rex knew that. First he employed a firm of builders to finish the work without discussing it with me and then I found out that he’d asked my parents for financial help behind my back.’

‘I see. Is that so bad?’

‘It wouldn’t be except that they were only too keen to
give
us the money. Rex had already committed us to taking it, employing the builders and everything. So I insisted that we take it only on condition that it is paid back the minute the house is finished and we’ve sold it.’

‘You’re going to
sell
it? Doesn’t that rather defeat the object?’

Sophie shook her head angrily. ‘I didn’t want money from them anyway. I don’t want
anything
from them. They’ve never been like real parents to me and I wanted to prove to them that money doesn’t buy you love and respect.’

Fran was shocked. ‘I never realized you felt that strongly. When we were kids I always envied you all those luxuries you had. They gave you everything.’

‘Except the one thing I wanted – a proper family life like everyone else had.’ Sophie looked at her friend. ‘If you’d only known how much I envied you. Every day after school your mum was there waiting – to take you shopping or to the park. I’d have given anything for that.’

Fran stared at her. Sophie had envied
her
! If she only knew how stifling it was. ‘So, is Rex in agreement with selling the house?’ she asked.

Sophie shrugged. ‘He thinks I’m being unreasonable. We had an awful row when I found out what he’d done. But the thing that finally tipped him over the edge was
this
, believe it or not.’ She pointed to her reflection in the mirror. ‘Me having a make-over. Changing the way I look seemed to be the final straw for him. He accused me of trying to prove something. He said a lot of other things, stuff I’d rather not think about but it boils down to the fact that in his eyes I’m no longer the person he married.’

‘And he just walked out?’

‘Yes,’ Sophie sighed.

‘When was this?’

‘Almost a fortnight ago. I’ve heard nothing since, no phone call, no e-mail, not even as much as a brief text. Nothing.’

Fran tried to make light of it. ‘He’s probably just making a point. Have you tried to ring him?’

‘His phone is permanently switched off. I’ve no idea where he is. It looks as if….’ Sophie swallowed hard. ‘As if it’s over.’

‘Oh, surely not. He’ll come to his senses. Look, surely you could pay your folks back in small instalments if you really feel you have to. Why sell your dream house?’

Sophie sniffed. ‘It’s been more like a nightmare over the past few months. Rex never really wanted it anyway.’

‘Give it time,’ Fran advised. ‘Don’t do anything rash. And keep
ringing him. He can’t keep his phone switched off indefinitely, can he?’ She grinned at Sophie’s reflection in the mirror. ‘Cheer up, love. It’ll all come right. You’ll see. Hey, what about Katie then. She’s designing wedding dresses for the elite now!’

Sophie smiled in spite her herself. ‘I know. Same old Katie. I wonder why she always feels the need to embellish everything?’

‘Maybe it all stems from feelings of inadequacy,’ Fran speculated. ‘I don’t think she had a very happy childhood. She always tried to make things sound better than they were at school. Old habits die hard.’

‘Poor little Katie,’ Sophie said. ‘She’s such a dear you can forgive her anything, can’t you?’

Fran picked up her bag. ‘Speaking of which, she’s had time to learn that dessert menu by heart. We’d better get back.’

Each of them chose the richest dessert on the menu, assuring each other that they’d diet for the rest of the week. They drank a leisurely pot of coffee between them then Sophie looked at her watch and announced that she’d have to leave to catch her train.

‘The builders are still working at Greenings,’ she explained. ‘And I’d like to be back before they leave for the day.’

When they’d said their goodbyes Fran looked at Katie. ‘What are you going to do with the rest of your half day?’

‘Work! I’ve got loads to do at home,’ Katie said. ‘If the wedding dress hire service really takes off I might even have to get someone in to help me. At the moment I’m working weekends and burning the midnight oil through the week.’

‘You’re making all the dresses yourself?’

‘Yes. They’re exclusive; that’s the speciality. Designs no one else will have.’

‘I hope your boss is paying you well,’ Fran remarked.

‘She’s not my boss,’ Katie corrected. ‘I told you before – we’re partners.’

‘Mmm.’ Fran looked thoughtful. ‘I’m wondering if that was possibly a shrewd move on her part.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Think about it. What would she have to pay a designer to provide her with exclusive dresses to hire out – not to mention what the actual making would cost?’

Katie bridled. ‘Well I’m happy with it,’ she said. ‘Fantaisie is an upmarket outlet for me. I couldn’t have a better showcase for my work.’

Fran smiled. ‘That’s true.’ She looked at her watch. ‘So, you don’t fancy a film or something?’

‘Better not.’ Katie shook her head. ‘By the way, what was the matter with Sophie? She looked a bit down – ’specially when you came back from the loo.’

‘Oh, I think the house renovation is getting her down a bit,’ Fran said lightly. ‘She hasn’t really had a break these holidays and she’s tired.’

‘Tell me about it!’ Katie stood up. ‘I can’t remember the last time I had a break. I’d have thought Soph’s mum and dad would have helped her out. After all, they always seemed to be loaded. She never wanted for anything as a kid, did she?’

Fran shrugged. ‘Well, who knows? I expect she’d rather be independent.’

Outside the restaurant they said goodbye, promising to keep in touch. Fran looked at her watch. It was three o’clock. Better make her way across to St Pancras to catch the train home. She had started to walk towards the Underground station when her mobile began to ring in her handbag. Moving into a doorway she took out the phone and saw, to her surprise, that the call was from Adam Fenn.

‘Hello, Mr Fenn.’

‘Mrs Grayson. Hi! I wondered whether you’d had any more thoughts about the job?’

Her heart gave a jerk. ‘Well, I’ve thought about it a lot.’

‘Yes, and…?’

‘I like the idea very much.’

‘You seemed quite keen when we last spoke. Am I to take it that you’re going to accept the offer?’

‘Well, I….’

‘Is there a problem?’

‘No. It’s just….’

‘Look, I’m in London today, interviewing prospective staff, but maybe I could pop over to see you, tomorrow perhaps?’

‘I’m in London today too.’

‘You
are
? How lucky is that? If you’re free why not meet me for a cup of tea and we could have a further chat – see if we can iron out any snags.’

‘Yes, all right. Where do you suggest?’

‘Where are you at this moment?’

‘I’m in Kensington High Street. I’ve just had lunch with some friends at the Napolitano.’

‘Couldn’t be better. I’m ten minutes away. Hang on there and I’ll come and pick you up.’

Fran ended the call and replaced the phone in her bag. For some reason she found that she was trembling. She badly wanted the job but how could she make a decision when she hadn’t even broached the subject with Charles yet? And just what was she letting herself in for?