Part 37 (1/2)

'I'm not...sure.'

'But it proves that you were telling the truth.'

'But my problem is that Jimmy names himself on it, so I don't want to. I'll have a think.' I handed the recorder back to her. 'Thanks. Thanks, Daisy-for everything.'

'It's a real pleasure.' She screwed up her sandwich wrapper and threw it into the bin. 'I'd love to see Jimmy brought low.'

'I guess I would too-but I feel that it's not for me to do-it's for David. We'll have to see what he does.'

'So still no word from him?'

My heart sank. 'No. But how are you?' I asked, as Daisy pa.s.sed me a Mars Bar, then unwrapped one for herself. 'What about the llama hen party? My mum's dead keen to do it.'

'I know she is, but I'm just not sure...'

'Aren't you going to have one then?'

'I guess so,' she said absently. She still wasn't wearing her engagement ring.

'And have you decided which church?'

'Oh. No. At least...not yet,' she said vaguely. 'Nigel wants me to decide, but... I don't know...' Her voice trailed away.

'What's the matter, Daisy?' She didn't reply. 'This isn't just post-engagement stress, is it?' I said softly.

'Well, I...' She sighed, and Herman trotted up to her with a sympathetic expression on his face. 'I just feel a bit...distracted, that's all.' She picked him up and cuddled him. 'So I'm finding it hard to plan the wedding.'

'How odd, when you're so brilliant at planning other people's.'

'I know. But it's as you said-I can't quite take in the fact I'm engaged. It makes me feel strangely...flat. Plus...'

'Plus what?'

'Well, something happened yesterday, Miranda. Something I really didn't like. I would have mentioned it last night, but you were too upset about David.'

'And what was that?'

'Well, at lunch, Mary was there. In the pub.'

'Yes. You told me she would be. And...?'

'Someone mentioned the wedding, and she said to Nigel, ”Well, you should get your Equity Partners.h.i.+p now.” She said it in this jokey, inoffensive way, but the underlying meaning was clear. That Nigel would gain professionally by getting married.'

'That's b.o.l.l.o.c.ks! It makes no difference these days.'

'But Bloomfields is a traditional firm, so it might.'

'Yes, but they can't not promote someone just because they disapprove of their lifestyle.'

'But his new head of department is very old school. And Nige has been trying to get Equity Partners.h.i.+p for quite a while now-that's why he's been working so hard. And I suspect that if it came down to a choice between Nigel and another similar candidate who was married with kids, then the married one would win out. And Nigel's very ambitious, as you know, so he's twigged this. That's what Mary was implying.'

'I wouldn't pay the slightest attention to what she said-she'd like to spoil things for you because Nigel was never interested in her.'

'But when she said it, he blushed and instantly changed the subject.'

'Look, Nigel loves you, Daisy, and that's why he wants to marry you. I really think that's all there is to it.'

'Hmm,' she said. 'Maybe you're right. I don't know. But in any case it isn't just that. It's...something bigger, actually.' She heaved a deep, painful sigh, which caused Herman to emit a compa.s.sionate whimper. 'Oh Christ, Miranda, I feel so silly even saying it, but...'

'What?'

'Well, do you remember when we were chatting in my garden a few weeks ago, and I said that I felt that I could tell you anything-anything at all-and that you'd never judge me?'

'Yes. Of course I do.'

'Well, there is something that's really bothering me, actually, and I would love to tell you about it, even though it'll sound totally bananas, and I know you'll think I've completely lost it...' Her voice trailed away.

'You can tell me, Daisy. What is it?'

'Well, I kept thinking about what you said-that day.' She fiddled with her pen-pot. 'Recently, it's obsessed me.'

'Really? And what did I say?'

'You said that, maybe, if it didn't work out with Nigel, it was because-' Suddenly my mobile trilled out.

'Oh, sorry, Daisy, let me just get that. I'll tell them to go away.' I rummaged in my bag. 'h.e.l.lo?'

'Is that Miranda Sweet?' said an unfamiliar female voice.

'Yes.'

'It's Karen Hall here.' Who? 'From the Pet Slimmer of the Year compet.i.tion.'

'Oh s.h.i.+t!' I leapt to my feet. 'It's today, isn't it?'

'Yes. It is. Where are you?'

'I'm so sorry!' I gasped. I was panicking so much I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

'We've been expecting you since half past eleven. The lunch is almost over.' In the background I could hear the gentle clink of cutlery and the babble of voices.

'I'm so sorry,' I repeated. 'It slipped my mind.'

'We guessed that's what might have happened, but we couldn't find your mobile phone number, then someone looked it up on your website. But could you please make your way over as soon as possible, as you have to announce the result at two fifteen and the press are all here.' I glanced at my watch. It was twenty past one.

'I'll jump in a cab. Where is it again?'