Hang on a minute. He"s totally turning this into a positive PR event. He"s hijacked it!
"You snake!" I say furiously, putting my hand over the microphone. "You completely misled them!"
"The field is saved." He shrugs. "The rest is details, surely."
"No! That"s not the-"
"If your crew had done their research in the first place, we wouldn"t be here and I wouldn"t have to be saving the situation." He leans down and calls to Gary, who"s been handing out literature to the crowd. "Gary, see the Arcodas folk into their car, will you? Tell them I"m staying on for some further negotiating work."
Gary nods, and gives me a cheery wave, which I choose to ignore. I"m still outraged with them both.
"So . . . where is the shopping center being built?" I demand as I watch the rejoicing crowd. Kelly and Jess are hugging each other, Jim is clapping Robin on the back, and Edie and Lorna are waving their pink wigs in the air.
"Why?"
"Maybe I"ll go and protest outside it. Maybe I should start following the Arcodas Group around and making trouble! Keep you on your toes."
"Maybe you should," says Luke with a wry smile. "Becky, look, I"m sorry. But I have to do my job."
"I know, I suppose. But . . . I thought I was making a difference. I really thought I"d achieved something." I heave a morose sigh. "And it was all for nothing."
"For nothing?" says Luke, incredulous. "Becky . . . just take a look at what you"ve done." He gestures at the throng. "Look at all these people. I"ve heard how you transformed the campaign. Not to mention the village . . . and this party you"re throwing . . . You should be proud of yourself. Hurricane Becky, they"re calling you."
"What, I leave a trail of devastation everywhere?"
Luke looks at me, suddenly serious, his eyes warm and dark. "You blow people away. Everyone you meet." He picks up my hand and looks at it for a moment. "Don"t be like Jess. Be like you."
"But you said . . ." I begin, then stop myself.
"What?"
Oh G.o.d. I was going to be all grown-up and dignified and not mention this. But I just can"t help it.
"I overheard you talking to Jess," I mumble. "When she was staying with us. I heard you say . . . it was difficult to live with me."
"It is difficult to live with you," says Luke matter-of-factly.
I blink at him, my throat a little tight.
"It"s also enriching. It"s exciting. It"s fun. It"s the only thing I want to do. If it were easy . . . it would be boring." He touches my cheek. "Life with you is an adventure, Becky."
"Becky!" calls Suze from below. "The party"s starting! Hi, Luke!"
"Come on," Luke says, and kisses me. Over his shoulder I see Edie nudging Lorna and pointing to us, agog. G.o.d, I"m going to have to put them all straight. Otherwise they"ll think I"ve been unfaithful to my husband with the evil Arcodas man.
"Let"s get you off this ladder." Luke"s strong fingers weave round mine, and I squeeze them back.
"By the way, what did you mean just now when you said you were frugal?" he asks as he helps me edge down the steps. "Was it a joke?"
"No! I"m frugal! Jess taught me. Like Yoda."
"What exactly did she teach you?" says Luke, looking a bit wary.
"How to make a water sprinkler out of a milk carton," I say proudly. "And gift wrap out of old plastic bags. Also, you should always write a birthday card in pencil so the person can rub out your message and use it again. It saves ninety pence!"
Luke looks at me wordlessly for a few moments.
"I think I need to get you back to London," he says at last, then helps me down the stepladder, holding my crutch under his arm. "Danny called, by the way."
"Danny called?" In my excitement I miss the last step of the ladder. As I land on the gra.s.s, everything goes a little swirly.
"Ooh!" I clutch on to Luke. "I"m all dizzy."
"Are you OK?" says Luke in alarm. "Is it the concussion? You shouldn"t have been climbing ladders. . . ."
"It"s all right," I say, a little breathless. "I"ll sit down."
"G.o.d, I always used to get like that!" says Suze, pa.s.sing by. "When I was pregnant."
Everything seems to empty from my mind.
I dart a startled glance at Luke. He looks equally jolted.
No. I mean . . . I couldn"t . . .
I couldn"t be- All of a sudden my brain is doing frantic sums. I haven"t even thought about . . . But the last time I . . . it must have been . . . It"s been at least . . .
Oh my G.o.d.
"Becky?" says Luke in a strange voice.
"Um . . . Luke . . ."
I take a deep breath, trying to keep cool.
OK. Don"t panic. Do not panic. . . .
WEST c.u.mBRIA BANK.
45 STERNDALE STREET.
COGGENTHWAITE.
c.u.mBRIA.
Ms Jessica Bertram 12 Hill Rise Scully c.u.mbria CA19 1BD12 June 2003Dear Ms Bertram,I was surprised to see today that a sum of one thousand pounds has been taken from your account.This is most unusual activity for your account and for this reason I am contacting you to ensure that a mistake has not been made.Yours sincerely,Howard Shawcross Customer Account Manager
WEST c.u.mBRIA BANK.
45 STERNDALE STREET.
COGGENTHWAITE.
c.u.mBRIA.
Ms Jessica Bertram 12 Hill Rise Scully c.u.mbria CA19 1 BD22 June 2003Dear Ms Bertram,I was shocked and grieved by the tone of your last letter.I do "have a life" as you put it.Yours sincerely,Howard Shawcross Customer Account Manager
Rebecca Brandon 37 Maida Vale Mansions Maida Vale London NW6 0YF
Manager Harvey Nichols 109125 Knightsbridge London SW1X 7RJ25 June 2003Dear Sir,I am doing a piece of hypothetical research. I was wondering whether it is true that if you give birth in Harvey Nichols (accidentally, of course!) you are ent.i.tled to free clothes for life.I would be very grateful if you could let me know.Obviously, as I have mentioned, this is a completely hypothetical inquiry.Yours sincerely,Rebecca Brandon (nee Bloomwood)
Acknowledgments.
Hugest grat.i.tude to the endlessly wise and supportive Susan Kamil, to Irwyn Applebaum, Nita Taublib, Barb Burg, Sharon Propson, Susan Corcoran, Cathy Paine, and Margo Lipschultz.
Thanks as ever to the fabulous Araminta Whitley, Celia Hayley, Kim Witherspoon, and David Forrer. A special thank-you to Joy Terekiev and Chiara Scaglioni for a wonderful welcome in Milan and some essential Italian!
Thanks to the members of the Board. To Henry, for everything. To Freddy and Hugo for suggesting I write about pirates instead (maybe next time).
And a big thank-you to my parents for taking me in off the streets so I could finish writing this. . . .