‘Well, you can forget about that, because it’s not going to happen. What you need now is a good night’s sleep. We’ll talk some more tomorrow. On the way home.’
Later, Gabrielle lay on her bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling of the hotel room, thinking. She picked up her mobile phone from the bedside table and scrolled to Anthony’s number. Late as it was, she should call him and tell him where she was, and why. Then she stopped and sighed. It was all so complicated, and she felt so tired. What if Anthony had decided it was over between them, because of Leo? She didn’t think she could deal with that. Not tonight. She put the phone back on the table and closed her eyes. Tomorrow. She would find out the worst tomorrow.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The next day, Leo and Gabrielle caught the late afternoon flight to London, and talked for the entire journey, mainly about Anthony.
‘The difficult part yesterday, talking to Anthony about you, to try to find out where you were, was telling him that you’re my daughter.’
‘Why? I mean, why was that difficult?’
This stalled Leo. Gabrielle could have no possible inkling about his relationship with Anthony. At last he said, ‘Perhaps not difficult, but it was always going to be a bit of a surprise.’
‘If you’re such close friends, I don’t know why you hadn’t told him before.’ Gabrielle felt a little sorry for Leo, but it irritated her that he seemed unable to utter the truth. One of them was going to have to. It looked like it was going to be her.
‘It’s complex.’ Leo knew it was lame, but it was the best he could do. Then after a moment he asked, ‘Why didn’t you tell him? He seemed surprised that my name had come up in conversation between you two, but that you’d never said anything.’
‘Oh, Leo …’ Gabrielle sighed. ‘It’s because I know there’s something going on between the two of you. And I didn’t want to have to … I don’t know … confront it. Or mess it up.’
Leo looked away. Then he said, ‘I take it Anthony has said something.’
‘Nothing. I mean, apart from lighting up when he talks about you. No, it was one night when I was – well, not stalking you, but following you about, trying to summon up courage to speak to you. You and he had come out of the bar in Middle Temple, and you stopped and talked for a bit. And then you kissed him. I mean, properly. It wasn’t hard to work out you were more than just good friends.’
‘I see.’
There was another long silence. Then Leo turned to Gabrielle and said, ‘You knew that, and yet it didn’t deter you from starting a relationship with Anthony. I find that odd. Or maybe it was the reason you did.’
‘How d’you mean?’
‘Some perverted kind of curiosity?’ He saw from her face that he had hit a nerve. ‘We’re not so very unalike.’
At length Gabrielle said, ‘How close are you?’
‘Close. More so, once upon a time. But Anthony made a deliberate choice. He doesn’t want to operate in my strange world. I suppose I’m glad, in the long run. It’s not easy.’
‘All this – will it make Anthony feel he has to choose between us?’
‘It might. I don’t know. It shouldn’t. I think you’ll have to give him time, though. Do you love him?’
‘Yes. Yes, I do. If he decided to end our relationship because of this, I’d be desperately miserable. And I would feel hugely guilty.’
‘Not quite so guilty as I would, believe me.’
‘But I’d get over it. As one does.’
‘As one does.’ Leo was disconcerted to see his own emotional pragmatism reflected back. ‘I can talk to him. He shouldn’t feel he has to choose, or give you up, or anything of that kind. What exists between Anthony and myself is very deep, emotionally, but it goes no further.’
She closed her eyes. ‘I’m beginning to feel that my coming into your life has caused you nothing but trouble.’
‘The trouble is not of your making. It’s just luck, fate, call it what you like. And having you in my life makes me very happy, believe me.’ She opened her eyes and smiled at him, and he added, ‘We’re rather a strange pair of people, though, aren’t we?’
They arrived at Gatwick a little after seven, and Leo drove them back to West London.
‘Holland Park or Kensington?’ he asked, as they headed across Battersea Bridge.
‘Kensington, please.’
Leo nodded. ‘I should think your mother will be very pleased to see you.’
‘Maybe. But it’s Anthony I intend to see first. I need to find out what he’s thinking, whether it’s going to make a difference to us.’