Alice Alone by Amanda Brookfield

Author:Amanda Brookfield [Brookfield, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books

As the months went by it became easier to have lunch or a drink with her without feeling himself to be the object of scrutiny. His cover story had been successfully bought. It was common knowledge that Peter had decided to take the Rutherford girl under his wing and people were used to seeing them together. Meanwhile, his real feelings seemed to get more and more encouragement. Every time he saw Denise on her own, she appeared more open and friendly, and their conversations became increasingly personal. At least Denise’s side of them did. She even started talking to him about Billy, her boyfriend of two years. They were in the midst of a trial separation, she said. Peter’s heart soared.

‘It’s just that we met at college where everything was so easy. Do you know what I mean?’

He nodded knowingly.

‘So maybe coming from that to living together in London wasn’t something we thought about enough. I mean, I still feel the same way about him and all that, but I don’t feel we’ve really tested each other. I don’t want to be like the rest of them: setting up camp together in the seedy bits of Battersea, trying to carry on exactly as it was at university, lending each other teabags and things. It’s so childish, really. Don’t you think?’

He smiled, trying to look as worldly-wise as possible, enjoying her energy, her confidence about how she wanted to live.

‘I want to give London the chance it deserves – to make the most of everything. And to do that, I need to be free.’ She stared pensively into her half pint of beer.

‘I understand exactly,’ said Peter, wishing he could think of an inspired way of capitalising on this moment of intimacy.

‘I wish Billy did,’ she sighed. ‘I can’t explain it exactly, but he somehow seems much younger here than he did at university. There he was head of everything, very sure of himself and so on. But in London he’s sort of shrunk. That sounds mean and it’s not supposed to. But I think he misses all the running of committees and things he used to do. Now he’s just a tiny part of an enormous bank where he doesn’t seem to do much more than serve coffee from what I can gather. He hates it really but won’t admit it. Anyway, it’s made him go all shy and unsure of himself. Funny, but I feel quite the opposite.’ She gave him a beaming smile and added: ‘You’ve helped a lot, of course.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ He blushed and felt about twelve years old.

‘Oh, but you have. You’ve helped my confidence enormously – not to mention everyone else’s confidence in me, which I suppose is almost more important. Seriously, I really am grateful. In fact, I’m so grateful, and somebody told me it was your birthday not so very long ago, that I decided to buy you a present. Just a silly, stupid little thing as a memento of my profound gratitude.

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