He nods, then turns his card over for us all to see. My heart beats a little faster. It’s the Queen of Spades.
Willow inhales loudly. ‘How did you do that?’
Laughing delightedly, Simone scoops up the pile of matches in the middle of the table. ‘I told you. I can read Dom’s mind.’
At this precise moment, I can too. He has the swagger of a cockerel, his chest all puffed up. He high-fives Simone. ‘You’ve still got it, babe,’ he jokes.
Simone smiles right into his eyes, then turns to the rest of us. ‘Now we’ve proved we’re on a higher astral plane than the rest of you mere mortals, shall we crack on with the game?’
Felix puts down a pair of sevens with a shake of his head. Victoria has the eight, nine and ten of clubs. Willow has two pairs. Dominic, the Queen and King of Hearts. Barney slaps his hand down in disgust. ‘Pair of fours.’
‘And I have three tens,’ Simone says, laying hers down with precision, that knowing smile never far from her face. ‘Amber?’
I’d almost forgotten the three Jacks in my hand. I lay them down and Dominic whistles.
‘I don’t believe it.’ Felix shakes his head. ‘Way to go, Amber.’
‘Are yousureyou’ve never played before?’ Victoria asks. ‘Because you have the perfect poker face.’
‘Perhaps someone’s being economical with the truth.’ This from Barney, who is cradling his whisky glass as tenderly as if it were a baby bird he’d scooped up off the pavement.
‘I promise you I haven’t. It’s just beginner’s luck. I bet I don’t do nearly so well next time.’
We play again, this time for real. Simone takes over the dealing, flicking out cards with the speed and skill of a glamorous croupier in a Bond movie. Felix perches on the edge of his seat, a predator scenting blood. Victoria affects an air of indifference, but her eyes are sharp and calculating. Willow scrolls through her phone, only half an eye on the game.
Barney is on a losing streak.
‘Fuck’s sake, have you shuffled these cards at all?’ he gripes, as he gazes moodily at his latest hand.
‘Don’t blame the dealer.’ Felix lays a four-card flush on the table and rakes in the matchsticks cheerfully. ‘A bad workman never blames his tools. Have you ever considered the possibility that you’re just a bit shit?’
Barney’s face darkens and the air on the terrace seems to shift from convivial to hostile in the blink of an eye.
‘Don’t worry. Your luck’s bound to change soon,’ Dominic soothes, ever the peacemaker.
‘You think?’
The bitterness in Barney’s voice is jarring, but the others seem to take it in their stride and carry on playing. Maybe he’s one of those angry drunks who morph from Jekyll into Hyde after a few too many whiskies. And he’s certainly hitting the bottle tonight. His eyes are glassy and there’s a slight tremor in his right hand when he lifts his glass to his lips.
‘Tell me, Felix, how does it feel?’
‘How does what feel, mate?’ Felix says with equanimity.
‘Don’t fucking patronise me, you wanker.’ Barney’s expression turns sly and I’m instantly on my guard. I’ve seen enough drunks at close quarters to know when they’re about to pull out the pin on a verbal hand grenade. ‘How does it feel, seeing your wife and her ex mooning over each other like Romeo and fucking Juliet, right in front of your nose?’
It takes a second for his words to sink in. At first, I’m confused. I didn’t know Barney and Simone had a fling at university. I couldn’t imagine them together if they were the last people on earth. Him, short and angry. Her, elegant and self-contained. And then I notice Dominic’s face. It has drained of all colour and he is blinking rapidly.
‘Barney!’ Victoria hisses.
Barney turns to her, the picture of innocence. ‘Whasthematter? Didn’t Amber know Simone and her boyfriend were the original star-crossed lovers?’
His words hang in the warm night air. Somewhere far below the villa, waves wash onto rocks with a monotony that would be calming if everything I thought I knew hadn’t just been upended.
I can feel the heat of everyone’s gaze on me as they wait for a reaction. I place my glass of Coke carefully on the table next to the whisky decanter.
‘Of course I knew. It’s common knowledge, isn’t it?’ I smile a tight smile. ‘D’you know what, I think I might head to bed. I’m absolutely shattered. Thank you for dinner, Simone. It was delicious.’
I’m halfway to the kitchen when I hear the scrape of a chair and Dominic calls after me.
