Page 102 of The Girlfriend

“What have you got against her?” said Wendy, voice raised.

Laura laid her hands on the table. “Wendy. Please. Please hear me out.”

“Go on,” Wendy said begrudgingly.

Laura explained about the letter to Marianne, the puppy, and all the while, Wendy’s face tried to deny the shock.

“This is pretty far-fetched.”

“You think I made it up?” cried Laura. “I didn’t want to come and tell you this, and I certainly didn’t want to upset you or offend you, but I don’t know what she’s going to do next, and thatmakes me . . . extremely nervous.” She paused. “And I don’t know how to stop her.” Laura looked at Wendy, hoping she’d have some word of comfort, some solution to make the nightmare go away, but she just looked like a woman whose pleasant morning cup of tea with another mother had soured beyond anything she could have imagined.

“Who do you think you are . . . coming in here, insulting me and my daughter . . . ?”

She went to stand, but then Laura did too, begging.

“Don’t go.Please.I don’t know what to do. My own son won’t talk to me. You’ve no idea what that’s like.”

Did she imagine it, or did Wendy flinch? After a moment, she sat down again, much to Laura’s relief.

“She’s moved in with him, your Daniel, hasn’t she?”

Laura nodded. “He thinks I’m so against Cherry, it’s clouded my judgment.” She looked awkward. “Recently I’ve not been too keen on the relationship.”

“Why?”

Should she tell her? It might push the insults too far. Might make Wendy fly at her. “I had a notion that Cherry might like my son primarily because of his money.”

Wendy shook her head angrily, vindicated now. “No way. She had that job—over thirty grand a year it was.”

Laura was embarrassed. “She doesn’t work there anymore.”

“No, but she’s looking.”

Laura spoke softly. “I don’t think so.”

“But Daniel, nooffense,Laura, but he’s still training, isn’t he? Not exactly loaded yet, and I can’t see him forking out for both of them. And he lives in a posh bit of London, doesn’t he? Must be one helluva mortgage.”

“He has a trust fund. And the flat . . . it’s paid for. His father bought it.”

Her eyes opened wider.

“Daniel has five thousand put into his bank account every month. Even though he has a career, which we hope will blossom, he doesn’t actually need to work.” She stopped, seeing her wordsfinally had sunk in. Wendy had colored and, for the first time, seemed out of her depth.

“Bloody hell.” Silence fell between them. She’d closed off. Embarrassed about not understanding the scale of riches. Laura had a fear she was about to lose her and took her hand and held it tightly. “Please, Wendy. I don’t know what else to do.”

The other woman didn’t seem too comfortable with having her hand held and Laura awkwardly pulled away.

“And now she’s getting married,” said Wendy to herself.

Laura reeled beneath a million tiny shards of pain, her ears ringing.

“You didn’t know.”

“Married? Daniel and Cherry are getting married? When?” she said, panic rising.

“January.”

Her hands started shaking. “No, please, God . . . I can’t . . . Please, Wendy, I know she’s your daughter, but please don’t let her do this.”