When Olivier appeared, he found her in the bathroom singing loudly. He came up behind her, pulled her hair aside, and kissed her nape. She laughed at him in the mirror. He was handsome in the golden glow of the candlelight. She was surprised when he placed a pendant there, fastening it at the back. The diamonds fell against her chest, glittering against the black of her dress. She gazed admiringly at the heart that rested behind the letters O, J, and I, dangling on the end of a thick white-gold chain. “You’ve been to Chopard,” she said, astonished.
“Of course. I know that there is nothing that excites a woman more than diamonds.”
“How very right you are,” she replied, turning round to kiss him tenderly. “Thank you.”
“You look more beautiful than I have ever seen you, my darling.”
“I’m ready for Mr. Wing.”
He scoffed. “As if I’d take you to Mr. Wing!”
She stared at him. “Where are you taking me?”
“A surprise.”
“Oh my God. I’m already surprised!”
“You’re going to love this one.” He took off his jacket and tie. “Give me a few minutes to shower and change, and then we’ll go. There’s a car waiting for us outside. Tonight, I intend to party hard!”
So he had never intended to take her to Mr. Wing. It had all been a ruse. She couldn’t wait to tell Candace.
Olivier appeared on the landing in a pair of jeans, a white shirt beneath his favorite gunmetal blue Gucci jacket. His skin was brown against the collar and his dark hair still wet and tousled, pushed off his forehead. He took her hand and they walked downstairs together. She decided that she would forget about his supposed affair with Kate and enjoy the evening. Tomorrow she would confront him and hopefully dispel her fear once and for all. If he admitted it, she would cope somehow. She would not let it destroy her marriage or her friendship with Kate. Anna had proved that was possible.
They climbed into the back of the car. It pulled out into the street. The trees were still bare but the park was full of crocuses and daffodils, the air warmer, the days longer and brighter. Angelica was exhilarated with the suspense. She smiled all the way down Kensington Church Street, trying to work out what restaurant he was taking her to from the direction of the car. When they turned into Thurloe Square, she realized they were headed to Kate’s.
“What’s going on?” she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
“I promised to pop into Kate’s on the way. She’s got a present for you.”
“This is all very fishy.”
“She’s bought you something special. She called me tonight on my mobile. She said she hadn’t seen you at school today.”
“No, but she could have called me herself.”
“You know Kate,” he said. Angelica wondered whether he knew her better than any of them.
The car drew up outside the house, and they stepped onto the road. Kate had changed her window box, filling it with an elaborate display of red geraniums. Before Olivier had time to ring the bell, the door swung open. A uniformed butler stood at attention. “Good evening, sir,” he said. “May I take your coat?” Angelica was more suspicious than ever. She slipped out of her sheepskin and handed it to the butler, who folded it over his arm. “Mrs. Fox is in the drawing room.”
The house was strangely quiet. Angelica noticed that the double doors were closed. She could feel the silence of a room full of people seeping out from beneath them. The butler strode ahead and flung them wide to reveal a sea of faces before her, all smiling in the semidarkness. None was more radiant or triumphant than Kate’s. “Darling! Happy birthday!” She waddled over in the sexiest little Miu Miu dress, her big stomach protruding like a globe, and embraced her affectionately. Angelica swept her eyes over her friends, all of them, even her parents, Daisy, and the terrible Jenna Elrich, who had somehow inveigled her way into the party. Kate had even found friends she had lost along the way. “Are you surprised?” Angelica nodded, dumbfounded. “I’m so pleased no one gave it away. Olivier and I have been planning this for weeks, tracking down your old friends. I had a horrible feeling Joe and Isabel might let the cat out of the bag. I could have sworn they were sitting on the landing listening to our secret meeting.”
Angelica hugged Kate again, for the guilt of having doubted her and for the relief that now overpowered her. “I thought you had all forgotten.”
“Good!”
“And it’s not a big birthday, either.”
“Every birthday is big in importance, and besides, this is my year of being generous. Make the most of it while it lasts. I’ll be back to Selfish Me next year.”