cellar.
‘What for?’ He felt his shoulders tighten.
‘To…appeal…to Laura.’
‘To not marry me?’ said Leo jokingly.
‘Yes.’
Leo sat back in his chair and his mind went utterly blank.
‘And to marry him.’ Ashley lifted her wine glass to her lips as if quickly concealing the source of the revelation.
Leo felt as if he was being suddenly pulled out of his mould. Ashley’s pained face seemed to mirror what he felt on his own features and it was clearly something she’d dreaded telling him for a very long time.
‘Ancient history,’ she said and unsuccessfully tried to sound matter-of-fact.
‘But news to me.’ Something started to pool inside him but he wasn’t sure if it was undiluted anger or pain.
‘Laura didn’t want to tell you because she knew how fragile things were between you and your brother.’
Leo didn’t hear her. He was already spooling back the few occasions Matty had been in Laura’s company. ‘But Matty hardly knew her.’
‘That’s what was so bizarre. I didn’t hear the conversation. Not that there was much of one anyway. Matty turned up at the front door and said he wanted to talk to Laura about a sensitive matter. Laura saw him in her room; she already had her dress on by then. Next thing I know, Matty is coming back down the stairs. I couldn’t believe it when Laura told me what it had been about. Apparently, once she’d said no he’d turned on his heel and gone to join you at the registrar’s.’
‘Quatro staggioni.’ The waitress announced what had just been placed in front of them but didn’t hover with the black pepper grinder when she picked up the atmosphere from the table.
Ashley pulled a ring off her napkin. ‘I’d only met Matty once or twice but watching him making his speech and acting throughout the day like it had never happened was just…unnerving.’
Leo thought that the day had been perfect. Laura had said it had been and he suddenly felt idiotic for being so oblivious.
‘Look, none of this effects how Laura felt about you,’ Ashley said as if she were reading his mind. ‘And Matty’s happily settled now. He obviously had some…issues at the time.’
Leo felt aggression solidifying. So Matty had attempted to sabotage things like he always did. How he’d expected to do it that way was beyond him though. Perhaps it had made sense in his head, like all those well-timed vanishing acts he’d used to perform. Was he really so disturbed that he’d expected to steal Laura from him?
Now he felt foolish sitting in front of Ashley, knowing she’d been more aware of Matty’s delusion than he’d ever been. And what he’d thought had been a happy day had been much less so for Laura. ‘Thanks for lunch, Ash.’
‘Leo, don’t you dare go.’
But Leo was already bumping the back of his chair into the diner behind him
‘I’ll call you tonight, I promise. I can’t…’
Leo held his breath until he’d made it to the door. Hektor was standing there chalking a special on the board as Leo scrabbled to find his coat from under the pile on the rack at the door. Hektor turned and began helping Leo put on his coat. Had he recognised him? His mind seemed to be elsewhere and Leo quickly turned his back on him so he could put his arms in the coat.
‘Come back soon, sir.’
Leo didn’t say a word and only breathed out when he was back outside in the fine spray of rain.
C HAPTER 16
‘Leo, it’s Matty. We’re worried about you and want to make sure you’re OK. I don’t know how to reach you bar kicking down your door. I’ve tried pretending that everything’s normal but that obviously isn’t working. Call me as soon as you hear this.’
The message prompted Leo to draw the curtains in the hallway window. The last thing he wanted was a surprise visit from his brother. Yeah, there certainly had been some pretence to normality. He’d never been convinced by Matty’s sudden immersion in domestic bliss and now he wondered just
‘What for?’ He felt his shoulders tighten.
‘To…appeal…to Laura.’
‘To not marry me?’ said Leo jokingly.
‘Yes.’
Leo sat back in his chair and his mind went utterly blank.
‘And to marry him.’ Ashley lifted her wine glass to her lips as if quickly concealing the source of the revelation.
Leo felt as if he was being suddenly pulled out of his mould. Ashley’s pained face seemed to mirror what he felt on his own features and it was clearly something she’d dreaded telling him for a very long time.
‘Ancient history,’ she said and unsuccessfully tried to sound matter-of-fact.
‘But news to me.’ Something started to pool inside him but he wasn’t sure if it was undiluted anger or pain.
‘Laura didn’t want to tell you because she knew how fragile things were between you and your brother.’
Leo didn’t hear her. He was already spooling back the few occasions Matty had been in Laura’s company. ‘But Matty hardly knew her.’
‘That’s what was so bizarre. I didn’t hear the conversation. Not that there was much of one anyway. Matty turned up at the front door and said he wanted to talk to Laura about a sensitive matter. Laura saw him in her room; she already had her dress on by then. Next thing I know, Matty is coming back down the stairs. I couldn’t believe it when Laura told me what it had been about. Apparently, once she’d said no he’d turned on his heel and gone to join you at the registrar’s.’
‘Quatro staggioni.’ The waitress announced what had just been placed in front of them but didn’t hover with the black pepper grinder when she picked up the atmosphere from the table.
Ashley pulled a ring off her napkin. ‘I’d only met Matty once or twice but watching him making his speech and acting throughout the day like it had never happened was just…unnerving.’
Leo thought that the day had been perfect. Laura had said it had been and he suddenly felt idiotic for being so oblivious.
‘Look, none of this effects how Laura felt about you,’ Ashley said as if she were reading his mind. ‘And Matty’s happily settled now. He obviously had some…issues at the time.’
Leo felt aggression solidifying. So Matty had attempted to sabotage things like he always did. How he’d expected to do it that way was beyond him though. Perhaps it had made sense in his head, like all those well-timed vanishing acts he’d used to perform. Was he really so disturbed that he’d expected to steal Laura from him?
Now he felt foolish sitting in front of Ashley, knowing she’d been more aware of Matty’s delusion than he’d ever been. And what he’d thought had been a happy day had been much less so for Laura. ‘Thanks for lunch, Ash.’
‘Leo, don’t you dare go.’
But Leo was already bumping the back of his chair into the diner behind him
‘I’ll call you tonight, I promise. I can’t…’
Leo held his breath until he’d made it to the door. Hektor was standing there chalking a special on the board as Leo scrabbled to find his coat from under the pile on the rack at the door. Hektor turned and began helping Leo put on his coat. Had he recognised him? His mind seemed to be elsewhere and Leo quickly turned his back on him so he could put his arms in the coat.
‘Come back soon, sir.’
Leo didn’t say a word and only breathed out when he was back outside in the fine spray of rain.
C HAPTER 16
‘Leo, it’s Matty. We’re worried about you and want to make sure you’re OK. I don’t know how to reach you bar kicking down your door. I’ve tried pretending that everything’s normal but that obviously isn’t working. Call me as soon as you hear this.’
The message prompted Leo to draw the curtains in the hallway window. The last thing he wanted was a surprise visit from his brother. Yeah, there certainly had been some pretence to normality. He’d never been convinced by Matty’s sudden immersion in domestic bliss and now he wondered just
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