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‘Yes’ I try to tug her onward, but she ht ‘It was nice to see you’ I s harder ‘Come on, Nan’

‘Would you like to join ency to his tone that probably only I can detect

I stop trying to re look He’s trying to get his rerand twat ‘No, thank you’ I can feel Nan’s shocked stare drilling into entleman up on his invitation to dinner,’ Nan claims incredulously ‘It’s very kind of him to offer’

‘I don’t often,’ Miller interjects quietly, like I should be grateful It only increases ht to recall why I vowed not to see hi es of our nad bodies entwined and a replay of the coed

‘See!’ Nan screeches in one and desperation has set in She plasters a stupid smile on her face as she returns to Miller ‘She’d love to’

‘No, I wouldn’t, but thank you’ I try to pullnee ‘Cohted if you would reconsider’ Miller’s soft rasp halts h drealy handsoaze turns into slight confusion and I follow her stare to see what’s caused her sudden change in expression There’s a well- on Miller’s shoulder with a dusky-pink silk tie suspended fro down Miller’s chest

‘This one will go perfectly’ The silky-s face to confiraze froht, his tall body still ‘What do you think?’ she asks

‘It’s fine,’ Miller replies quietly, keeping his eyes on me

Nan is silent, I’ very little, but then the wo the tie and the silence is broken ‘What do you think?’ she asks Nan, who nods, not giving the tie a glance, instead keeping her eyes on this beautiful woman who has appeared fro with the diamond-encrusted cross that’s always suspended froh the layers of expensiveher territory She’s no business associate

‘It’s lovely,’ I whisper, dropping the basket and deciding to abandonheld to ranso subjected to looks of inferiority by that perfect woman Every corner I turn, he’s there This is hopeless

I weave h the various departments until I break free of the confine in soainst the wall outside I’ of hts My heart and reed or battled so furiously

Until now

Hyde Park sorts rass with a sandwich and a can of Coke and watch the world go by for a few hours I think about how lucky the people wandering past me are to have such a beautiful place to roa in less than twenty minutes and think how lucky they are to have such a wonderful sto and laughing, and runners are prancing by I feel better, like so fa unfamiliar and undesired

Undesired, undesiredcoh and unfoldmy rubbish in the litter bin

Then I take the familiar journey hoh the front door Really frantic I feel guilty, even if I should actually be feeling ratherby the coat stand in the hall ‘Livy, I’ve been so worried It’s seven o’clock!’

I erip ‘I’h

‘Don’t disappear on uilt is crippling me ‘I had a picnic in the park’

‘But you just left!’ She separates us and holds me at a distance ‘It was incredibly rude, Livy’ I can see from her sudden annoyance that her earlier panic has completely diminished

‘I didn’t want to have dinner with hientleust She wouldn’t think that if she knew the ins and outs ‘He ith another woushes, al ‘Nice woht that She’s too cute Business associates don’t shop for silk ties together ‘Can we leave it there?’ I drop etting a waft of so?’ I ask, finding George at the table ‘Hi, George’ I sit next to him

‘Don’t turn your mobile telephone off, Livy,’ he scolds quietly ‘I’ve endured hours of Josephine repeatedly dialling and cursing in between cooking supper’

‘What is it?’ I ask again

‘Beef Wellington,’ Nan chirps up as she follows behind me ‘With dauphinoise potatoes and steamed baby carrots’

I throw a confused look at George, but he just shrugs and picks up his paper ‘Beef Wellington?’ I ask

‘That’s right’ She doesn’t givetone the attention it deserves What happened to stew and du new I hope you’re hungry’

‘A little,’ I ad two bottles of red and two bottles of white on the worktop

‘Oh!’ She flies across the kitchen and grabs the white bottles, shoving the the red ‘These need to breathe’

Shifting infro what he’s been told by sitting still and shutting up He knows that I’ too quickly across the text of the paper for hi it I knock his knee withto shift his legs to avoid another purposeful nudge

‘Nan--’ The doorbell interruptstowards the hallway

‘Oh, that’ll be Gregory’ She opens the oven and sticks a long e chunk of pastry ‘Will you answer it, please, Livy?’