Errors of Judgment(100)

‘We do. Maybe that’s why neither of us is very good at bringing things out into the open.’

‘Maybe. I just hate to think that our relationship has been damaged.’

‘Honestly, that’s not something you should be worrying about.’

‘Well, it is. I don’t want to lose you.’

She gave a wry smile. Typical. Always wanting to have his cake and eat it. ‘Leo, there is nothing to lose. That’s the way it’s always been between us. We just have to get on with our lives.’

‘That has a ring of finality about it. I’d like to think we could see one another occasionally.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I don’t think that things can ever really be over between us.’

She closed her eyes. The last thing she needed, at this point in her life, was to get drawn back into Leo’s amoral, cruel world. These were games she was no longer able to play. But she couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing him. ‘Maybe we can have lunch sometime.’ It was the best she could do.

‘That’s not—’

‘Look, I have to go. Maybe I’ll be in touch. Thanks for ringing.’ She ended the call.

Leo stood in the silence of his kitchen, phone in hand. He wandered out into the garden, bracing himself against the cold, and paced around the lawn. He wondered if she would get back with Toby. No, he couldn’t see Sarah as a teacher’s wife. She had been honest about that part. But perhaps not about losing Toby’s love. That had obviously been hard. Sarah, for all her callous ways, needed someone to love her. If she had stayed, who knew how things might have developed? As it was, they would never know.

That evening, Anthony and Gabrielle dined at Corrigan’s in Mayfair.

‘That,’ said Gabrielle, as the waiter took away the dessert plates, ‘was fantastic. But you don’t have to keep taking me to expensive restaurants. I’d be just as happy with Pizza Express.’

‘You couldn’t get wine like this at Pizza Express,’ replied Anthony, pouring the remains of the bottle into their glasses. ‘Would you like coffee?’

She shook her head. ‘I’m fine, thanks.’

Anthony signalled for the bill, and Gabrielle studied the label on the empty wine bottle. ‘Vitovska, 2002,’ she read. ‘What’s so wonderful about it?’

‘What’s wonderful is that it’s not something you’ll drink every day. It’s made from a grape that grows only in the limestone region around Trieste.’ He took a sip. ‘That slight astringency comes from the skins. I think it’s an amazing wine. Can’t you taste the wild herbs?’

Gabrielle took a sip and smiled. ‘Yes, now you mention it. I wish you’d told me I was drinking something special. I might have treated it with a little more respect, instead of just glugging it back.’ The waiter had brought the bill; Gabrielle squinted, reading it upside down. ‘My God! I can’t believe you’re paying that for a bottle of wine! Seriously, this is wasted on me.’

Anthony leant across and kissed her. ‘You’re worth every penny.’ He gazed into her blue-grey eyes. ‘Do you know how amazing you are?’

She smiled. ‘You’re pretty special yourself. But seriously, I would be just as happy with a Four Seasons and a Peroni.’

‘I’ll remember that next time.’

‘So, where did you learn about wine? All that stuff about limestone.’

‘Leo Davies, the friend I told you about. I was a very raw and callow young thing when I joined chambers, and he decided to educate me in the ways of the world. I knew nothing about anything. He used to take me to expensive restaurants, order the best wines, and teach me about the various regions, the different grapes, what to look for. It’s not difficult to learn.’

Gabrielle wished Leo’s name hadn’t come up. She knew very well that she should have told Anthony about Leo before. To say something now seemed ludicrously difficult. But it had to be done. She opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated. She had no idea how Anthony would react. Leo was clearly someone hugely special to him. What if the discovery changed things between them? She didn’t think she could bear that. She was more than a little in love with Anthony, and the idea of estranging him in some way frightened her.

‘What? You were about to say something.’

She shook her head. ‘It was nothing.’ She would find another moment. She leant forward, stroking his hand with her fingers. ‘So, what do you want to do now? It’s only ten.’

‘Why don’t we go to Blunt’s for an hour or two? It’s a while since we’ve been.’ This was true, but only in the sense that he and Gabrielle hadn’t been there together since before Christmas. Anthony himself had visited Blunt’s twice in the past week, but his conscience was eased by the fact that he’d come away a winner both times. His policy of lowering his stakes meant he hadn’t netted as much as he would have liked, but it was good to know he was finding his form. He’d always known it was simply a matter of time.