Two's Company by Jill Mansell

Author:Jill Mansell [Mansell, Jill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-04-04T21:00:00+00:00

It didn’t take long for the gossip to filter back to Cleo when she arrived home from Milan three days later. Due to appear at a charity fashion show at the Four Seasons that afternoon, she turned up early. Linda, one of the other celebrity models doing their bit for Children in Need, greeted her with delight.

‘You’re back! Oh, I’m so glad to see you again. You’ll never guess what I did the other night—’

Cleo sincerely hoped she couldn’t. Unable to face playing along, she said flatly, ‘It’s Sean, isn’t it? Linda, whatever it was you did, you must never do it again. I can’t believe you even spoke to him. What did I tell you,’ Cleo wailed, ‘about getting involved with bastards?’

‘I know, I know,’ Linda gazed at her in earnest, ‘but that’s just it . . . he isn’t a bastard. Oh Cleo, he’s really nice—’

‘Balls,’ said Cleo, terrifying one of the show’s organizers. The little man backed away in alarm.

‘Sean said you’d say that.’ Linda shook her head in sorrowful fashion. Her raspberry-pink taffeta frock crackled in sympathy. ‘Well, maybe not balls exactly, but he knew you’d get funny.’

‘Believe me, I’ll get even funnier when I see him.’

‘You could at least be a bit pleased for me.’ Cut to the quick by Cleo’s unsympathetic attitude, Linda’s heavily mascaraed eyes swam with tears. ‘You know how unhappy I’ve been since—’

‘Since you gave Colin the boot.’ Such gratitude, thought Cleo despairingly. ‘Yes, yes, I do know. But getting involved with my brother isn’t the answer. He’ll make you unhappier than Colin ever could. You’ll end up unhappy beyond your wildest dreams.’

‘You’re only his sister. How can you possibly understand?’ Linda was sticking obstinately to her guns. The other evening with Sean had been one of the most wonderful of her life. ‘He made me feel so alive, so special . .

‘It’s a gift he has.’ Cleo knew she had to be brutal. ‘Some people can play the piano, some can do card tricks. Sean’s talent is for making girls feel special.’

‘Ahem,’ coughed the nervous organizer behind her. ‘Miss Mandeville, we’re ready for you in the dressing room if you’d like to come with me?’

Linda, who was trying to be assertive, was finding it hard going.

‘OK, so maybe lots of girls are mad about him,’ she blurted out in desperation, ‘but he has to fall in love and settle down some time. Why not with me?’

‘Oh for heaven’s sake!’ Exasperated beyond belief, Cleo shouted, ‘What’s he done, brainwashed you or something? What about Pandora?’

‘Who?’ Linda began to shake. ‘Who’s Pandora?’

‘Oh, come on! The girl Sean lives with.’ Cleo glared at the cringeing organizer then returned her attention to Linda. "The one who’s about to have his baby.’

‘No,’ Linda whimpered, violet eyes wide with disbelief. ‘You aren’t serious.’

‘You mean you don’t know? It’s been in all the papers!’

Linda, before her, was deflating like an old balloon. The taffeta frock crackled once more as she sank into a chair at the side of the stage.

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