Page 46 of The Way We Are Now

‘Anna,’ I replied, taking it.

‘Theo’s guest for the evening?’

I nodded. ‘So are you going along too?’

‘With all that lot?’ Graham pulled a face. ‘Not me. Although, to be fair, I was invited. No, but I’ll be around as usual later on to sort out the drunks.’

‘Drunks?’

‘And disorderlies.’ Graham grinned. ‘Always a few I have to haul out of the bushes and the ha-ha…’

I laughed ha-ha in return, not understanding.

‘…even had to pull one out of the lake one year.’

‘There’s a lake?’

Graham nodded. ‘Takes a hell of a lot of maintenance to keep it up to standard. But not my job, thank the lord. Get Theo to take you down there. It’s very, very beautiful. But watch out for the geese…’ He trailed off as Wayne returned with a clothes brush and towel, and Theo finally dismounted.

‘I’ve missed that,’ Theo breathed. ‘He’s in great shape, Graham. Thank you so much…’ He stopped as Wayne began swiping at his breeches with the clothes brush, alternating flapping at him with the towel.

‘Fuck’s sake, lad,’ Graham bellowed, elbowing him and taking the brush from him before handing it to Theo. ‘The towel’s to give McCallister a rub down, not Theo.’

Theo laughed, thanked Wayne and began the job himself.

‘Am I decent at the back?’ he asked me, handing me the brush while trying to look over his shoulder. ‘D’you mind? It’ll be someone allergic to horses who’ll have the misfortune to be sitting next to me.’

I took the brush and moved behind Theo, lifting the red coat and admiring – because how could I not? – his well-muscled thighs and backside in the tight white breeches.

‘You’re fine,’ I said after a good thirty seconds of manhandling Theo’s bum and legs before reluctantly removing my hand.

I flushed again as I saw Graham grinning knowingly across at me.

Theo shot his white cufflinked sleeve from the red jacket and took my hand. ‘You ready? Let’s go.’

15

‘Theo, you made it!’ A tall and very attractive blonde made her way over to us as we went through heavy oak double doors and into a vast hall. No wonder it was called the Great Hall. Bigger than our assembly hall at school and more spacious even than the town’s fabulous library, the imposing oak-clad walls seemed to go on for ever. ‘Ma said you’d arrived. Where’s Su…?’ She broke off as she noticed me bringing up the rear but at a standstill, having stopped to gawp at the high chandeliered ceilings. She stepped forwards, holding out a hand.

‘Anna, this is my eldest sister, Vivienne,’ Theo said, kissing the girl’s cheek. ‘Vivienne, this is my friend Anna from university.’

‘Hello, Anna. Do you have a drink?’ She turned, stopping a young girl dressed in black and carrying a trayful of champagne. ‘Here,’ she said, ‘get one of these down your neck. We’re already two in front of you.’ Vivienne took a long look at me, almost stepping back as she did so, before smiling as though she’d weighed me up and I’d passed muster. ‘I love the dress. Is it an Azzedine Alaïa? I recognise the design.’

I was very tempted to say, ‘Chelsea Girl, actually,’ but on my best behaviour, as my mum had taught me when heading off to birthday parties as a kid, I smiled politely and lied, ‘You’re right, Vivienne. How clever of you.’

‘Ah, I usually am when it comes to designers. Have to say, I’m amazed Theo managed to find anyone willing to come with him from Leeds. Thought these northern unis were all hotbeds of radical student protest? Full of damned antis. This is the last place most of them would want to find themselves, without losing face.’

‘You didn’t go to a northern university yourself then?’ I asked. ‘Like Theo, I mean?’

‘University? Me? Good God, no. Thick as two short planks, me.’

‘Don’t believe a word of it, Anna!’ Theo tutted. ‘Vivienne has now taken over the financial side of the estate…’

‘No, I did North of England,’ Vivienne interrupted. ‘Bit of a bore but…’

‘What? All of it?’ I wanted to laugh. What on earth was North of England?

‘Oh, you are funny.’ Vivienne gave a tinkle of laughter. ‘Half the girls here…’ Vivienne waved a hand as more and more couples entered the hall, ‘…did North of England at some point.’