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‘Would you like us to organise flowers?’
Daniil accepted. He had not a clue as to protocol in the dancing world and nodded grateful thanks for the suggestion.
Libby stood, biting down tears as the bell went and it was time to take their seats again. Tonight was supposed to be about them, about working things through. Yes, she was well aware that she hadn’t been the best company, but did she deserve him walking off and leaving her alone? She looked at the happy couples, all hand in hand, heading back for the second half. Yes, Libby thought as she saw Daniil approaching, gesturing for her to hurry up, she had been a fool to come.
‘Where the hell were you?’ she asked, but there was no time for a reply as they were being ushered to take their seats quickly.
‘I’ll tell you later,’ Daniil said, just as the curtain went up.
‘Do you get a thrill out of keeping me waiting?’ she whispered.
‘I said that I—’ he started, but was shushed by a woman behind them.
Yes, he had left her standing, and as soon as he had a proper chance he would explain.
All of it.
Tatania truly came into her own in the second half.
Maybe next month, or next year, Libby would be delighted that she’d witnessed such an amazing performance, that she’d been there the night Tatania Ilyushin had been discovered by the world.
She was holding back tears as she clapped and Tatania curtsied, scooping up flowers, and Libby didn’t like the jealous part of her but, yes, here it was, sitting on her shoulder and whispering dark thoughts.
She couldn’t get out quickly enough.
She took her bag, but as she turned to go Daniil was speaking with one of the ushers.
‘Come on,’ he said.
‘Where...?’
He didn’t answer and they were led down stairs and through a rabbit warren of corridors, pausing so that he could pull a hefty tip out of his wallet and collect a huge bouquet of flowers.
She wanted to stop him. Really! Was this supposed to be some sort of special treat?
Meet the cast!
Come on, Libby, come and see, up close, exactly what you didn’t achieve.
‘Daniil...’ She stopped dead outside a dressing room, like an angry donkey refusing to budge. When she saw Tatania’s name she wanted to turn and run but it was simply too late.
He pushed the door open and there, about to remove her make-up, was, she presumed, another ex-lover of Daniil’s.
Libby knew that for certain as Tatania looked into the mirror and saw him and let out a small keening cry as if she had mourned Daniil forever.
That sound had come from her soul and Libby watched as Tatania jumped up and turned around and ran to his arms.
Oh, they’d been lovers, Libby knew, because the dancer’s arms wrapped around him and her mouth did not seek, it just homed in, but possibly the words said in Russian by Daniil warned her of the company they were in and Tatania’s shoulders drooped briefly and she rapidly stepped back.
‘Libby,’ Daniil said, ‘this is Tatania...’
As if Libby didn’t know.
‘Excuse me,’ Tatania said in a husky voice, ‘but I have not seen Daniil in a very long time.’
What was she supposed to say here? Libby wondered.
Not that they would notice—they were back to speaking in Russian, voicing low urgent words until Libby could stand it no more.
He was cruel.
Unnecessarily cruel.
No, Russian wolves weren’t kind, she decided there and then. Russian wolves were beautiful and beguiling and the most dangerous of them all.
She had started to believe in him.
And though she’d been warned both about him and by him, she had chosen to believe in good. She knew that she hadn’t been at her sparkling best tonight, but she also knew that she didn’t deserve this. Was this Daniil’s idea of a good night out, to bring her backstage, to point out what she could never be and throw in one of his ex-lovers to boot?
She walked out of the dressing room, salty rivers of tears falling down her cheeks as she turned and looked at the empty corridor behind her. She didn’t need to run. Daniil was so locked in conversation with Tatania that he hadn’t even noticed that she had gone.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
IT WASN’T JUST because she was unable to face Rachel and her ‘I told you so’ that she asked the taxi to take her to the studio.
It was more that she had to know.
Letting herself in, Libby locked the door behind her and, without turning on the main light, raced through to the back, opened her locker and took out the pregnancy test kit.
