to turn around and get a taxi straight back to Paddington to catch a train home.
It was so typical of his friend to set him up like this. Jay had been desperate to get Archie married off over the past couple of years, ever since his relationship with Kali had come to an end. Kali had been a feisty, robust Kiwi with a sense of fun and endless energy. After going out for five years, the plan had been for Archie and Kali to go and live in her native New Zealand and take over her parents’ farm, but at the eleventh hour, Archie had bottled it. The love of his own family, his own farm, and his friends combined had been greater than his love for Kali. She had understood, because that’s the sort of girl Kali was, and why he had loved her, but he simply didn’t want to live on the other side of the world.
Ever since the split, Jay had thrown pretty girls his way. He inevitably had plenty to spare. Archie had dallied with some of them. Occasionally they had lasted more than a few weeks. But since Kali, he had never felt a real spark. They had all been interchangeable, as far as he was concerned, and he wasn’t the type to string someone along if he didn’t really feel anything.
‘I’m quite happy as I am,’ he used to insist, but Jay continued to set him up, regardless. Even from beyond the grave, it seemed. And so here he was, about to meet his blind date. He supposed it could have been worse. The prize could have been a trip to Alton Towers, or Blackpool. Then he really would have had to think about reneging on his promise. At the time, he hadn’t believed there was a remote possibility that he would win, but he’d given his word.
Archie looked at the girl’s profile again and sighed. Emmie Dixon. She sounded nice enough on paper, but apart from anything, this whole rigmarole wasn’t fair on her. He hoped she wasn’t pinning her hopes on some sort of romantic adventure with a happy ending. If she had any sense, she wouldn’t. With any luck, she was just looking forward to the trip, and could see it for the public-relations exercise that it was.
The only good thing was that Not On The Shelf weren’t filming the whole wretched thing. If that had been the case, he would definitely have put his foot down. As it was, he was dreading the photo-call that was the only requirement. Archie was quite self-contained and private and he didn’t like attention.
He could only imagine how much Jay would have relished an opportunity like this. He would have milked it for all it was worth. He was a showman and an extrovert. Archie tried not to imagine him playing up to the cameras. Thinking about Jay was still too painful. He could feel the tension in the back of his neck creep up to the base of his skull. He hoped he wasn’t going to get one of the headaches that had been plaguing him recently. He hadn’t been eating or sleeping properly. His mother was driving him mad, sending him meals to warm up in the microwave. They sat in his fridge untouched, until he threw the contents in the bin and returned the dishes to her, pretending he’d eaten them. He’d lost half a stone in the past month.
He tossed his empty coffee cup into the bin, then headed for the Pullman Lounge. There was a red carpet outside, and two box trees flanking the arched glass door. Above it was a sign reading Venice-Simplon Orient Express.
He pushed the door open. Inside, the lounge was plush, with red walls and a gleaming parquet floor. He looked round at the other travellers as they checked in their luggage at the desk. Everyone was smiling, chattering, wrapped up in the romance and the glamour. They had all dressed for the occasion, and were groomed and coiffed and polished. The air was heavy with scent and cologne and expectation.
As he looked around, a woman in a grey suit surged forward, accompanied by a man with a camera slung around his neck. The woman wore red-rimmed glasses, a great deal of chunky jewellery and a rather predatory smile.
‘Are
It was so typical of his friend to set him up like this. Jay had been desperate to get Archie married off over the past couple of years, ever since his relationship with Kali had come to an end. Kali had been a feisty, robust Kiwi with a sense of fun and endless energy. After going out for five years, the plan had been for Archie and Kali to go and live in her native New Zealand and take over her parents’ farm, but at the eleventh hour, Archie had bottled it. The love of his own family, his own farm, and his friends combined had been greater than his love for Kali. She had understood, because that’s the sort of girl Kali was, and why he had loved her, but he simply didn’t want to live on the other side of the world.
Ever since the split, Jay had thrown pretty girls his way. He inevitably had plenty to spare. Archie had dallied with some of them. Occasionally they had lasted more than a few weeks. But since Kali, he had never felt a real spark. They had all been interchangeable, as far as he was concerned, and he wasn’t the type to string someone along if he didn’t really feel anything.
‘I’m quite happy as I am,’ he used to insist, but Jay continued to set him up, regardless. Even from beyond the grave, it seemed. And so here he was, about to meet his blind date. He supposed it could have been worse. The prize could have been a trip to Alton Towers, or Blackpool. Then he really would have had to think about reneging on his promise. At the time, he hadn’t believed there was a remote possibility that he would win, but he’d given his word.
Archie looked at the girl’s profile again and sighed. Emmie Dixon. She sounded nice enough on paper, but apart from anything, this whole rigmarole wasn’t fair on her. He hoped she wasn’t pinning her hopes on some sort of romantic adventure with a happy ending. If she had any sense, she wouldn’t. With any luck, she was just looking forward to the trip, and could see it for the public-relations exercise that it was.
The only good thing was that Not On The Shelf weren’t filming the whole wretched thing. If that had been the case, he would definitely have put his foot down. As it was, he was dreading the photo-call that was the only requirement. Archie was quite self-contained and private and he didn’t like attention.
He could only imagine how much Jay would have relished an opportunity like this. He would have milked it for all it was worth. He was a showman and an extrovert. Archie tried not to imagine him playing up to the cameras. Thinking about Jay was still too painful. He could feel the tension in the back of his neck creep up to the base of his skull. He hoped he wasn’t going to get one of the headaches that had been plaguing him recently. He hadn’t been eating or sleeping properly. His mother was driving him mad, sending him meals to warm up in the microwave. They sat in his fridge untouched, until he threw the contents in the bin and returned the dishes to her, pretending he’d eaten them. He’d lost half a stone in the past month.
He tossed his empty coffee cup into the bin, then headed for the Pullman Lounge. There was a red carpet outside, and two box trees flanking the arched glass door. Above it was a sign reading Venice-Simplon Orient Express.
He pushed the door open. Inside, the lounge was plush, with red walls and a gleaming parquet floor. He looked round at the other travellers as they checked in their luggage at the desk. Everyone was smiling, chattering, wrapped up in the romance and the glamour. They had all dressed for the occasion, and were groomed and coiffed and polished. The air was heavy with scent and cologne and expectation.
As he looked around, a woman in a grey suit surged forward, accompanied by a man with a camera slung around his neck. The woman wore red-rimmed glasses, a great deal of chunky jewellery and a rather predatory smile.
‘Are
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