‘St Moritz?’
I took a deep breath, let it out slowly as I attempted to count to ten, made it to five and hoped for the best. ‘The library. In Shrewsbury. Where Mum was just talking about.’
‘Oh! Sorry, no.’
‘Have you heard of it?’
Finn looked up from the menu. ‘Shrewsbury? Of course.’ His mouth was set in a line.
‘The library,’ I replied.
He straightened his back and put down the menu. ‘No, I haven’t.’
‘That’s a shame. Charles Darwin was educated there and it’s renowned for being well worth a visit.’
‘Then I shall have to put it on my list. Sorry.’ He gave a small head tilt. ‘My secondary school education didn’t extend to offering such knowledge.’ His eyes flashed at me in annoyance. My intention had been to bring his mind back to less exotic destinations, to point out that Shrewsbury was just as valid a destination as the glamorous ones we’d overhead and that he, apparently had focused on, but instead he’d taken it as a dig that his education was somehow less than ours. I hadn’t, and would never imply such a thing. The fact that he thought I would added to my irritation.
‘Are you ready to order?’ A waiter appeared beside us, preventing the conversation from escalating, at least for the moment.
Yep. One taxi to go please.
Sadly that wasn’t on the menu so we all chose something from the exclusive choices available made up of unusually named foods. I’m not sure any of us had the faintest idea of what to expect on our plates, perhaps with the exception of Finn who appeared if not familiar, then at least more confident with the menu choices than the rest of us. Although the food – the small amount of it that arrived on the plate – was delicious, the evening had not been an unmitigated success and I hated that this was not the joyful experience I’d hoped for before leaving my parents and returning to London the following morning. Now that Mum and Dad had discovered a new, wider, lease on life, it was harder to think about leaving. And then Finn had chosen to bring us here where we felt, and were made to feel, out of place and uncomfortable.
‘Have you been here before, Finn?’ I asked as he finished his pudding. None of us had the appetite for one but Mum and Dad had insisted he have one.
‘Yeah, a few times,’ he said, placing the fork carefully on the side of the plate before it was quickly whisked away by an efficient server.
‘Oh.’
The tension of before still rippled between us. ‘What does that mean?’
‘Nothing especially.’ I lowered my voice. ‘It’s just that you said your friend ensured it wasn’t a snobby atmosphere and clearly it is. I assumed you hadn’t been here so didn’t realise but I guess not.’
His intense gaze fixed on me. ‘It’s only you making yourself uncomfortable, Elizabeth.’ His voice was low but distinct.
Mum and Dad suddenly found great interest in the textural weave of the fine Irish linen tablecloth.
‘No, Finn. It’s not,’ I replied, my voice equally quiet but equally steady. ‘The only one comfortable here is you and that’sbecause you’ve been fawned over since we walked in. If that chap out there had had his way, the rest of us would have been thrown out on our ears for not fitting the bold and the beautiful theme Melanie has cultivated here.’ I turned to my parents. ‘No offence. Personally I think you’re both fabulously bold and beautiful but you know what I mean.’
‘I’m sure it’s just us, darling, like Finn said.’ Dad made a concerted effort to dispel the gathering storm.
‘No, Dad. It’s not.’
From the corner of my eye, I saw Finn give a small headshake.
‘Oh, are you joining in the general atmosphere of condescension to mere mortals like us that they nurture here?’
‘You’re being ridiculous, Elizabeth. What’s up with you?’
‘Nothing isupwith me!’ I whispered angrily. ‘I’m just furious that you brought us to such an up-itself place, and if you can’t see it for what it is, I’m afraid you’re the one being ridiculous.’
He opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a woman striding across the restaurant, glad-handing various people until she got to our table whereupon Finn stood and wrapped her in an enormous hug which she returned. Pulling back a little, she cupped his face. ‘Oh, it’s so lovely to see you again. How are you? Did you enjoy the meal?’
‘It was great, as always, Mel. It’s good to see you too. Looks like things are going well here.’
She put her hands to her own face this time. ‘I can’t believe it. I mean it was going well before but since I got the star, it’s just gone whoosh!’ She illustrated this by soaring her hand up in an angle akin to a ski slope.
‘Richly deserved,’ Finn said, catching her hand. ‘You worked for it.’
