“How strange.”
Sunny shrugged. “Perhaps he is over there,” she said, pointing to the building, teeming like a hive with builders.
“I’ll go and ask them,” she replied, already feeling a little sick, expecting the worst, envisaging Olivier’s rage. She wrapped her coat around her and hurried across the street. The snow had melted on the road, but the pavement and gutters were still white—as white as her anxious face. She approached a builder standing in the doorway in grubby overalls. “Excuse me,” she said. The man looked her up and down appreciatively. “Is there anyone who works here called John Stoke?”
The man frowned. “No John Stoke. John Desmond, but no John Stoke.”
“Carpenter. Young, blue eyes. Charming?” She faltered a moment, before continuing optimistically. “Is there, by any small chance, anyone called Steve?” The blank look on his face made her stomach swim. “No Steve,” she murmured helplessly.
“No Steve.” He smiled at her sympathetically. “Madam, have you been had?”
19
The outer world is a reflection of your inner, so focus on the beauty within you.
In Search of the Perfect Happiness
When Angelica called Candace and told her what had happened, her friend erupted into peals of laughter. “Oh my God, Angelica!” she exclaimed, catching her breath. “What on earth possessed you to let a strange man into your home? With your children in the house? Are you crazy?”
“The builder opposite says he’s notorious. The clever thing is he never asks for money. He didn’t ask me once.”
“But you offered anyway.”
“I was being kind.”
“I do love you, Angelica!”
“I’m not loving myself a great deal this morning. And Olivier’s going to love me a lot less.”
“You’re not to tell him!”
“I have to . . . It’s his favorite navy Ralph Lauren coat. I am in such deep shit.”
“You know what? I wouldn’t tell him. I know I don’t often advocate lying, but in this case, when his reaction is so predictable, I’d make something up. You lost it at the dry cleaner’s.”
“That is believable.”
“I’m not sure telling him the truth will do your marriage any good. Especially when you’re about to go off to South Africa.”
Angelica ignored her insinuation. “How could I be so gullible?”
“It’s not in your nature to be cynical.”
“I even pretended Olivier was upstairs.”
“So you didn’t totally trust him.”
“I tried to think what you would do in the same situation.”
“You know exactly what I would do. I’d send him down to the nearest pub to ask the publican to borrow his phone. A woman alone in the house with children? You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“If he’d just run off with my money, I wouldn’t have minded. Whatever possessed me to give him Olivier’s coat? Why didn’t I give him one of mine?”
“At least you were sane enough not to do that.”
“I’m such an idiot.”
“Don’t torment yourself! It could have been so much worse. He could have taken the children.”
“Now you’re really frightening me.”
“Good. Now you won’t be so naïve again. You can’t go around trusting people, just because they have nice faces and seemingly honest blue eyes.”
“Do you think he’d been watching me?”
“Of course he’d been watching you. He chose you because he knew you were a sucker.”
“I hope he won’t come back.”
“He’s too smart to make that mistake. But you have to go to the police and tell them exactly what happened. He’s probably working his way through Kensington and Chelsea. They have to catch him before he gets to Kate’s!”
Angelica spent an hour at the police station on the Earls Court Road, telling a nice young officer exactly what had happened. It was of little consolation that the man was a notorious thief, preying on the kindness of women like her, who felt sorry for him. The fact that she had lost Olivier’s coat remained. However, she resolved not to tell him. She’d make something up when he discovered that it was missing. His wrath over her vagueness was a lot better than the alternative.
She did, however, tell Jack. His reaction was unexpected. He didn’t laugh like Candace. His first thoughts were for her safety. “It could have been really nasty, Angelica. You mustn’t ever let anyone you don’t know into your home.” He sounded really anxious. “Promise me you won’t do that again!”