marriage, the launch of her cosmetics range and her brilliant, public acceptance of Jack Neil’s proposal the other month. Search Annie and you’d get her design company and her successful transformation of The Dandelion Cafe from failing business to Cherry Pie Island landmark. Search Jane and what would you get? Maybe the order of service of her mum’s funeral. Perhaps, at a push, her year studying Textile Design but that had probably never even made it onto a computer. There wouldn’t be anything else. She had nothing to show for her life. No great success stories. She could hardly shout from the rooftops that she made sure her mum died happy.
Hey, guys, that was my life
.
And then she realised as she marched past Oxford Circus and onto Regent Street that he – or some secretary, knowing what she did of him – would have searched for her birth certificate. They would have seen Father Unknown and stupidly that made the embarrassment more. There was William from his Blackwell legacy. And there was her with just her mum on her family tree and a grandmother she had learnt from the diaries was called Kate.
She felt stupid and ashamed and she hated herself for it.
‘Wait.’ There was the sound of Will’s out-of-breath voice again. ‘Wait! Please stop walking off. It’s a nightmare.’ He finally fell into step with her as she marched towards the flags of Hamley’s toy shop. ‘Listen, I don’t understand why you left just then. I know nothing about you. You’re an enigma to me and my team,’ he laughed. Jane looked away. ‘I was quite impressed that you don’t have a Facebook page.’
She paused. ‘A Facebook page?’ she said.
He nodded.
That’s what he was looking for? That’s what they cared about?
‘I thought everyone had a Facebook page,’ he said with a shrug. ‘I’m impressed that you haven’t succumbed. Made me almost tempted to delete mine.’
A slight smile played on her lips. ‘No,’ she said. ‘No I don’t have a Facebook page.’
William narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. ‘Does that make everything better? Sorry I just, I feel like I’m about ten steps behind. Bring back Heidi,’ he said with laugh and Jane raised a brow as if that wasn’t funny.
‘Where are you going?’ he asked.
She shook her head. ‘I have no idea.’
‘
Please
can I show you something?’ he said. ‘Something that you wouldn’t normally go and see? Something kinda cool.’
Jane bit her lip and watched him as he spoke. He’d run his hand through his neat hair so it was now a bit skew whiff. He’d taken his jacket off to run and catch up with her and rolled his sleeves up. His tie was in his pocket. He looked more approachable than he had in The Ritz. Less of a Prince Charming with a stormy past, more just a normal bloke who wanted, for some reason, to show her around his city.
‘OK,’ she said.
‘OK?’ he repeated, almost incredulous. ‘OK, it’s that easy to get you to agree?’
‘OK, let’s get on with it,’ she said with a shake of her head and started walking confidently on.
He stayed where he was. ‘You’re going the wrong way.’
The Tube was rammed. They were pressed up against each other amid a mass of bodies. She was so close to Will she could smell the sharp freshness of his aftershave. He glanced down at her just as she was breathing it in and raised his eyebrow in question when he caught her eye. She looked down at the floor, holding in a smile.
‘OK, we’re here,’ he said as the doors opened at Charing Cross. As Will just marched his way through the crowds, manoeuvring past tourists with suitcases and families studying the tube map, walked up the left-hand side of the escalator and asked people to move to the side who were blocking the way, Jane followed, remembering her earlier dilly-dallying at Green Park tube and thought how he would have been one of the people to storm past her tutting.
She was right behind him now, though, and it hadn’t taken her
Hey, guys, that was my life
.
And then she realised as she marched past Oxford Circus and onto Regent Street that he – or some secretary, knowing what she did of him – would have searched for her birth certificate. They would have seen Father Unknown and stupidly that made the embarrassment more. There was William from his Blackwell legacy. And there was her with just her mum on her family tree and a grandmother she had learnt from the diaries was called Kate.
She felt stupid and ashamed and she hated herself for it.
‘Wait.’ There was the sound of Will’s out-of-breath voice again. ‘Wait! Please stop walking off. It’s a nightmare.’ He finally fell into step with her as she marched towards the flags of Hamley’s toy shop. ‘Listen, I don’t understand why you left just then. I know nothing about you. You’re an enigma to me and my team,’ he laughed. Jane looked away. ‘I was quite impressed that you don’t have a Facebook page.’
She paused. ‘A Facebook page?’ she said.
He nodded.
That’s what he was looking for? That’s what they cared about?
‘I thought everyone had a Facebook page,’ he said with a shrug. ‘I’m impressed that you haven’t succumbed. Made me almost tempted to delete mine.’
A slight smile played on her lips. ‘No,’ she said. ‘No I don’t have a Facebook page.’
William narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. ‘Does that make everything better? Sorry I just, I feel like I’m about ten steps behind. Bring back Heidi,’ he said with laugh and Jane raised a brow as if that wasn’t funny.
‘Where are you going?’ he asked.
She shook her head. ‘I have no idea.’
‘
Please
can I show you something?’ he said. ‘Something that you wouldn’t normally go and see? Something kinda cool.’
Jane bit her lip and watched him as he spoke. He’d run his hand through his neat hair so it was now a bit skew whiff. He’d taken his jacket off to run and catch up with her and rolled his sleeves up. His tie was in his pocket. He looked more approachable than he had in The Ritz. Less of a Prince Charming with a stormy past, more just a normal bloke who wanted, for some reason, to show her around his city.
‘OK,’ she said.
‘OK?’ he repeated, almost incredulous. ‘OK, it’s that easy to get you to agree?’
‘OK, let’s get on with it,’ she said with a shake of her head and started walking confidently on.
He stayed where he was. ‘You’re going the wrong way.’
The Tube was rammed. They were pressed up against each other amid a mass of bodies. She was so close to Will she could smell the sharp freshness of his aftershave. He glanced down at her just as she was breathing it in and raised his eyebrow in question when he caught her eye. She looked down at the floor, holding in a smile.
‘OK, we’re here,’ he said as the doors opened at Charing Cross. As Will just marched his way through the crowds, manoeuvring past tourists with suitcases and families studying the tube map, walked up the left-hand side of the escalator and asked people to move to the side who were blocking the way, Jane followed, remembering her earlier dilly-dallying at Green Park tube and thought how he would have been one of the people to storm past her tutting.
She was right behind him now, though, and it hadn’t taken her
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