Twice Upon a Time (10 page)

‘Where’s Cinda?’ he asked casually.

‘Here,’ he heard and he turned to see Cinda approaching in a red bikini and straw cowboy hat.

‘Jesus,’ he said, before he could stop himself. She looked like something he’d have dreamed up as a teenager. No wonder Ludo had it so bad.

‘What?’ she asked, frowning, self-consciously adjusting her bikini.

‘You gave me a fright, that’s all,’ he said quickly, turning his back on her.

Cinda walked past him and poured herself a drink.

‘Play some tunes, bro?’ called Ludo, now standing at the edge of the pool. ‘Get out your guitar. It’s been ages.’

Gus stood still. He didn’t want these people to know about his musical side, that was strictly for his – and sometimes Ludo’s – ears only. He used to play a lot when he was a teenager. But his duties had got in the way more and more the older he got, and it had been months since he’d picked up his guitar.

‘You play guitar?’ asked Cinda, her surprise clear.

Gus looked at Cinda’s smiling face below the brim of the straw hat and he felt his stomach lurch with butterflies.

‘I’d love to hear you,’ she continued.

Feeling like a teenager, he found he wanted to impress her. ‘Maybe,’ he said, waiting to see if they pushed him enough. What was wrong with him at the moment?

‘Pleeeease?’ said Cinda, and she reached across to squeeze his arm.

‘Okay,’ he said, coughing to cover up the fact that his voice cracked a little, like he really was fourteen. What was she doing to him?

He ran up to his room to get the guitar, which always travelled with him just in case he had a little spare time. He never did, though. While he was there he changed into a polo shirt and shorts.

Back down by the pool, he sat on the edge of a sunlounge and started playing. He warmed up with some classics, but was soon itching to try out some of his own music that he’d written as a teenager.

He was rusty, but the songs were still etched in his brain, and they were still surprisingly good.

As he sang and played, Jonas lit another joint and handed it to Cinda, who took a small toke and then walked over to Gus and handed it to him.

She was moving to the music, her hips swaying, her shoulders shimmying in a subtle way as she handed him the joint, lifting her chin and blowing out smoke slowly.

Christ
, he thought, aware that he was getting turned on with her standing so close. He wanted to kiss her right then, undo her bikini top and carry her over to the double sunlounge and then slowly . . .
Stop
, he firmly told himself.

He took the joint to calm himself and took a long drag, which made him cough violently.

Cinda laughed in such a lovely way that it made him laugh, which of course caused more coughing.

He felt the buzz from the joint and he took another drag and handed it back to Cinda. She stood beside him as he went back to playing. She took another small toke and then Jonas danced over.

‘Don’t bogart the joint, kids,’ he said, and took it away from them.

‘Can you show me how to play?’ asked Cinda, pointing at the guitar.

He handed it to her and she sat beside him, holding it awkwardly. He showed her how to play a D. Her fingers curved clumsily over the strings. She strummed with a flourish.

‘Ha, I bet I look stupid,’ she laughed, and he shook his head.

‘No,’ he said.
You look gorgeous
, he didn’t say.

She handed the guitar back to him, indicating that he should keep playing. Then she got up and started moving to the music again.

Now he was hard and he made sure the guitar covered him.

She turned around and they were face to face. Her mouth was parted, he could see her white teeth glistening. He wanted to run his tongue over them, and then the rest of her.

‘Cinda,’ he started. She looked at him closely.

‘Hey!’ called Ludo, and he and Cinda turned to see Ludo approach. Something changed in the air. ‘Don’t bogart my girl,’ said Ludo. He was laughing, but there was a steely look in his eye.

Gus tried to concentrate on his playing.

Jonas walked over and handed Gus a drink. ‘She’s something else, huh?’ he said in Gus’s ear.

Gus said nothing. He just watched Cinda and Ludo, who had their arms wrapped around each other.

Ludo looked over at Gus, paused, and then leant down and kissed Cinda in a way that told Gus exactly one thing: Gus may get the crown, but Ludo got the girl.

11

Cinda woke up next to Ludo, her face buried in his armpit. It wasn’t her favourite bit of him, she decided. She tasted mojitos and the burnt aftertaste of the joint on her breath, and she moaned.

She looked down and saw she was wearing her bikini bottoms but no top. Grabbing Ludo’s T-shirt from the end of the bed, she slipped it on and sat up.

‘Shit,’ she mumbled, her head pounding. She steadied herself on the ornately carved bedside table until the dizziness stopped.

What happened last night?
She tried to piece together the memories. There was the suddenly musical Prince Gus, that was the biggest surprise. And then she and Ludo got pretty hot and heavy on the sunlounge and then they came upstairs. But after that was a blank.

She looked around Ludo’s room. It was like Cinda’s, only larger and more beautiful. An ornate tapestry hung above the bed, and a wall of windows opened out to a balcony with a beautiful view of the coastline.

She looked down at Ludo, who was lying asleep, his arms flung above his head, his chest bare. She crept over and lifted the covers, thankful to see he was still wearing his swimming shorts.

She didn’t want their first time to be when they were off their faces.

She was about to open the bedroom door and head back to her room when it opened in front of her. Gus stood in the doorway.

He was dressed in a suit and tie, and he looked extremely pissed off.

He looked Cinda up and down, obviously taking in the T-shirt that barely skimmed her bottom.

He raised his eyebrows. ‘Have a good night?’ he asked, the judgement heavy in his voice.

Just as I was starting to think he wasn’t so bad, he goes back to
being a prick
, she thought.

‘Marvellous, thanks,’ she said as she pushed past him. ‘Your brother treats a girl like royalty.’

She walked down the hallway, her head held high even though she felt anything but proud. She could feel his eyes on her and she suppressed the desire to stick her middle finger up at him as she walked down the hallway.

In her room, she got back into bed and checked her phone. Two messages from her mother. Perhaps guilt was getting the better of Allegra? She’d hardly responded to Cinda’s messages or emails, just sending quick notes about being
fabulous
and
busy
.

Cinda dialled her number.

‘Mum?’

‘Lucinda, darling!’ cried Allegra.

Cinda frowned. Her mother only ever called her Lucinda when she was angry, or when she was trying to impress someone.

‘What’s up, Mum?’ she asked as she lay back on the pillows.

’I have news,’ she said, her voice rising on the end of the statement, as though she were singing an aria.

‘Oh yeah?’ Cinda braced herself.

‘I’m getting married,’ Allegra announced. ’And this time I know he’s the one.’

Cinda was silent for a moment as she tried to take in the news.

‘Who is he?’

‘Kevin. You know, the one without a chin from the dating website? He’s a winemaker from New Zealand. He has a wonderful vineyard over there. I’m going to hold opera concerts at his winery, to bring in the tourists.’

‘New Zealand? You’re moving to
New Zealand
?’ Cinda couldn’t get her head around the news, particularly while she was so dopey from the night before. ‘Isn’t this all a bit rushed?’ she asked, aware of the irony of what she was saying to her mother. She sounded like the parent.

‘Oh, Cinda, stop being such a grown-up,’ laughed Allegra.

Somebody has to be
, thought Cinda. And then she thought about last night with Ludo. Was she being a hypocrite?

‘When’s the wedding?’ she asked.

‘Oh, there’s no proper wedding, darling. Just a marriage service at the registry office. We’re too old for all that business, and anyway, we’re heading off next week.’

‘Next week? But I haven’t even met the guy!’ Cinda knew she was speaking too loudly, but couldn’t stop herself. ‘Do you want me to come back?’ she asked, thinking of everything she’d be leaving behind. She didn’t want to leave yet; life with Ludo was too much fun. Besides, this marriage was destined to end up like the others.

‘No need, darling, it’s just a small civil service,’ giggled Allegra. She sounded like a young girl.

‘What about the house?’ asked Cinda, thinking of her room with her collection of precious art and curios.

‘I’ve got a house-sitter. A lovely woman from the UK who’s writing a book. She’s staying for six months.’ Cinda could tell from her mother’s voice how pleased she was with herself.

‘But that’s until the end of the year, Mum. Where am I supposed to live when I get back?’

‘Darling, you’re travelling. You won’t be back for ages,’ said Allegra.

‘What about Christmas?’ said Cinda, wondering why her eyes were smarting.

‘You’re welcome to come to New Zealand. I mean, you have to meet Kevin eventually,’ said Allegra, sounding less certain.

Cinda brushed the tears away angrily. ‘Don’t worry about it,’ she said.

‘Darling, I have to go, Kevin’s here. Send me a postcard!’ Allegra hung up, leaving Cinda staring at the phone in her hand.

No questions about Cinda, no address for New Zealand, nothing.

Why did she still expect anything from her mother? She was the most selfish, stupid woman Cinda had ever met. She rolled over and cried into the pillow, partly out of anger with her mother and partly because she felt so incredibly hung-over.

When she woke, Cinda rolled over and checked her phone again to see if her mother had sent any messages, but instead she had a text from Jonas.

Hello Sleeping Beauty, you’re out for the count. I’m going into
town to find rich boys who like poor boys. Call me when you
wake up. Jx

After Cinda showered she realised she was hungry, so she walked down to the kitchen, which was empty. Grabbing a cherry tomato from the earthenware bowl on the marble bench, she popped it into her mouth and walked over to one of the fridges and opened it.

Bloody hell
, she thought. It was a fridge from a TV ad. A whole chocolate cake with one piece cut from it sat on a platter, surrounded by strawberries. There was a bowl of cream beside it. It seemed to call to her, so she took it out and found a knife and plate. She cut herself a large slice, adding some strawberries and cream on the side.

‘Can I help you, Miss Cinda?’ she turned to see Basil smiling at her.

‘God, sorry. I should have asked before I helped myself,’ she said, knowing she was blushing like a naughty schoolgirl.

‘Not at all, Jonas told me you liked cake, so I made it for you,’ he said as he moved into the kitchen.

Cinda laughed. ‘I like cake, but Jonas
loves
cake,’ she said, which made Basil laugh.

‘I thought as much, but it’s hard to say no to such a lovely young man.’

Cinda smiled, happy that Basil understood Jonas and could see all the good in him.

Part of her was disappointed that Ludo hadn’t taken more interest in Jonas. Sure, Ludo and Jonas spent a bit of time lying around the pool together but, weirdly, it was Gus who seemed to talk to Jonas more. And Gus and Jonas often watched soccer together, which Cinda couldn’t understand. But she was glad Jonas seemed happy.

‘Would you like something to drink with your cake? Milk? A soft drink? Coffee?’ offered Basil.

‘No, I’m fine, thank you,’ smiled Cinda.

Basil smiled in return and headed in the direction of his office. Taking a fork, Cinda wandered out of the kitchen, through a large set of double doors and then through another set and into a huge dining room.

She counted twenty chairs lining the enormous dining table with an ornate gold candelabra in the centre.