only discreet pieces of sheet music and fabulous jewels to cover your modesty? That could be fun.’
Amber and Saskia both turned and stared at Kate in silence.
‘What? So I have a vivid imagination?’ Kate shrugged.
Amber frowned at Kate for a moment and then blinked. ‘Not exactly what I had in mind and no, it wouldn’t be fun, not even for the megabucks. But do you know what? The more I thought about it, the more I got to thinking that maybe Sam does have something we can trade with after all.’
Kate drew back and squinted at her suspiciously. ‘Go on.’
‘I need to get the past off my back. Parvita’s charity and my birthday party are going to take all of my time and energy, and the last thing I need is a troop of paparazzi making my life even more of a nightmare.’
‘You really are serious about retiring?’
‘Totally,’ Amber replied and smiled at Saskia. ‘But talking to you two has reminded me where my real priorities lie.’ And then she reached out and squeezed Saskia’s hand for a second. ‘Your aunt Margot gave me a sanctuary at Elwood House, and I haven’t forgotten it. I owe you. This is why I’m thinking of doing something rather rash.’
‘What do you mean by rash?’ Saskia asked in her low, calm, gentle voice.
Amber took a long drink of coffee, well aware that both of her friends were waiting for her to speak.
‘When you told me all about your plans to convert Elwood House into a private meeting and dining venue I was amazed that we hadn’t thought about it before. Your dining room is stunning.’
Her voice drifted away dreamily. ‘I gave my first piano recital in that house. I’ll never forget it. The crystal chandeliers. The flickering firelight. It was magical. This is why I want to do as much as I can to help make Elwood House a success.’
Saskia shook her head. ‘You have already invited half the fashion models in London, their agents, their posh friends and the music industry to your birthday party this week. I couldn’t ask for better publicity.’
‘And yet you still don’t have a decent website or booking system or photo gallery to showcase the house. And that. Is where I come in. And you can stop shaking your head; I know that you won’t take my money. So I am going to ask a professional photographer to come over and put together your full marketing package and organise the website. Free. Gratis. Won’t cost you a penny.’
‘Really?’ Saskia replied and lifted her mug towards Amber in a toast. ‘That’s fantastic. Is he one of your fashion pals?’
Amber licked her lips and took a sip of water before answering.
‘Not exactly. I think Sam Richards is calling himself a photojournalist these days. More tarts, anyone?’
Amber paused and looked at Kate, who was groaning with her head in her hands. ‘Don’t worry about Sam. He knows that he has to be on his very best behaviour if he has any chance of that interview. Saskia needs those photos and Sam seems to know which end of a camera to point. And no, I haven’t forgiven him yet. Think of this as part of the payback. So please don’t kill him. At least not in front of the party guests. Saskia does not want bloodstains on her nice carpet.’
The words had barely left Amber’s mouth and the shouts were still ringing in her ears when the oven timer bell rang and Kate shook her head slowly from side to side before diving back into the kitchen to get fresh supplies of snacks.
‘Don’t burn your mouth by eating them straight out of the oven,’ Saskia called out to Kate, but then her mouth relaxed into a half smile. ‘Payback. I suppose that is one way of looking at it and I have no doubt that he would do a good job. But sheesh, Amber. I am worried for you.’
Amber was just about to rattle off a casual throwaway remark, but instead she paused before answering one of her few real friends in the world. The old Amber would have laughed off her friend’s concern with a flippant gesture as some sort of silly joke, but the new Amber was slowly getting used to opening up to people she loved and trusted. ‘You always did like Sam, didn’t you?’
Saskia gave a brisk nod. ‘I suppose so. Not in any sort of romantic way, of course, nothing like that, but yes, I did. His dad had driven my aunt Margot around for years and sometimes he brought Sam along with him. I suppose that’s why I suggested that your mum use his limo service to take her to venues.’
Saskia lifted one hand. ‘I think I might even have introduced you. So blame me for what happened. But yes, I thought he was okay.’ Her brow squeezed together. ‘Why do you ask me that now?’
‘Because it was so weird. Over the years I sometimes imagined what I would say if I met up with Sam unexpectedly at some airport or hotel, or if he came to one of my performances. But when I saw him yesterday? All those clever, witty put-downs just fled. He was still the same Sam, working in his dad’s garage. And I was right back to feeling like a gawky, awkward, six feet tall seventeen-year-old with big feet who was trying to sound all grown-up and clever around this handsome, streetwise city boy.’
Amber looked up at Saskia and shrugged. ‘I trusted him then and he let me down just when I needed him the most. How do I know that I can trust him now? The orphanage in India is too important to me to see the real message buried under some big celebrity exposé which is around the world in seconds. Can you imagine the headlines? “Brave Bambi DuBois cheats death from meningitis. Career in tatters.” Oh, they would love that.’
‘Which is why you are taking control. Maybe there is too much history between the two of you for him to be objective. But we agreed that we would give him an audition for the job, and that is what we are going to do. Okay?’
‘Absolutely okay. If he can stand it, then so can I.’
‘Right. And on the way you can make sure that Sam gets the message that you have moved on to even more handsome and successful boyfriends. But fear not. Kate and I will make sure that we rub it in at regular intervals that he made a horrible mistake when he let you go and you are so totally over him.’
‘Saskia! I didn’t say anything about being cruel. And as for being over him? Sam only had to smile at me yesterday and I got the tingles from head to toe. Which is so ridiculous I can hardly admit it. The last time that happened I ended up on a plane to Kathmandu with a suitcase full of evening wear and piano music and no clue about what I was going to do when I got there.’
‘Mark the mountaineer?’
Amber nodded. ‘And three years before that it was Rico. Racing car driver. One kiss on the cheek and a cuddle in the pits and I smelt of diesel fumes for months.’
Amber sighed dramatically and slumped back. ‘I am a hopeless case and I know it. I mean. A mountaineer? What was I thinking? I got the tingles and that was that.’ She blinked a couple of times. ‘The only scientific explanation is that I was cursed at birth. You know how it goes. The good fairy godmother blesses me with some musical talent, and the evil one says, “Oh, that’s sweet, but in exchange you are going to fall for men who will only ever be interested in their obsession. So you had better get used to the idea.”’
‘You weren’t thinking. You were taking a chance on love with remarkable men,’ Saskia replied wistfully. ‘You know. Not all of us have had a chance to be cuddled by racing car drivers or kissed at Everest base camp.
