Kidman held up his hands and started laughing. ‘I know. I know. Just never done this whole interior design thing before,’ he smiled. ‘It’s a bit nerve-racking, sorry.’
‘OK, so why don’t we start at the beginning?’ said Venetia, rising. ‘Tell me why you’re here. Tea? Coffee?’
‘Espresso, if you have it,’ said Jack as Venetia moved to a jet-black Gaggia machine behind her desk. Jack watched her busy herself with the tiny cups and decided that the crisp, cool blonde in front of him was just the woman he was looking for.
‘Well, I have bought a finca just outside Seville,’ he began, clearing his throat. ‘I’m selling my business and the plan is to leave London, part time at first. After that, who knows? Might turn into my home, might not. Anyway, it’s a fantastic building. Old olive press with a few stables and outbuildings, twenty acres of land. Plum trees, apple trees, everything.’
He reached into a leather holdall he had left by the chair and took out a handful of large photographs, spreading them out on Venetia’s desk. They were interior and exterior shots of a crumbling stone building standing in the parched grounds of a neglected Spanish farm. The walls were white but faded, the brickwork exposed and frayed. The courtyard was a ruin except for huge patches of wild lavender. Still, Venetia nodded appreciatively, it had enormous potential. Bags of character, she thought, flipping through the photographs. I’d love a place like this, she mused, imagining the hot rays of Spanish sunshine burning down onto her bare skin … She coughed suddenly.
‘Um, very nice ceilings,’ she said, flushing slightly. ‘Beams in every room, lovely.’
‘Absolutely,’ said Jack, bringing his head closer to hers and pointing at the photographs. ‘Look at this wonderful turret, and that staircase,’ he said, trailing a finger over the prints.
‘Pretty run-down, though,’ said Venetia, turning towards him, unwilling to step too far away.
‘It is, but I have a Spanish architect and team of builders working on it now,’ said Jack. ‘Structurally it will be sound in a matter of weeks, so now I’m thinking about the interiors. I’ve never done a renovation project before.’ He paused with a smile, ‘You can probably tell.’
Venetia was excited despite herself. She knew she was looking at a long, expensive but fascinating job. She was sick to death of tarting up boutique hotels and chi-chi restaurants that closed down after a matter of months. This house was an organic beauty and she also knew that Jack Kidman had the money to do it justice. She had read in the Guardian Media section about the sale of Kidman Agency – the cutting-edge advertising agency that had ridden out the nineties’ recession to become one of the industry’s biggest players. Apparently Tempest Communication – the huge French media conglomerate – were rumoured to be buying it for £75 million.
She looked up and Jack’s dark, laughing eyes met hers. ‘Interested?’ he asked her, downing his espresso in a gulp that left him with a cute moustache of brown froth.
‘I just might be,’ said Venetia. ‘I just might be.’
Venetia rarely turned down the opportunity for a spa treatment at the Knightsbridge Mandarin Oriental, but after Jack Kidman had left her office she suddenly felt unsettled, an excited nervousness running round her body. The mood she was in, she couldn’t sit still for five minutes, let alone lie back for an hour having Decleor’s finest oils massaged into her face and skin. She picked up the phone, cancelled the appointment and her car, slipped off her Yves Saint Laurent slingbacks and pulled on a pair of soft Tod’s driving shoes, which resided permanently under her desk in case of emergencies like this.
Despite having the luxury of a driver, Venetia liked to walk home when she wanted to clear her thoughts. Leaving the office, she weaved through the back streets of Mayfair, past the casinos, the gentlemen’s clubs and society hairdressers, avoiding Mount Street where she would have had to walk dangerously close to the Balcon Gallery. Even though Oswald was rarely there, it wasn’t worth the risk; she certainly wasn’t in the mood to talk to him.
Hyde Park looked crisp and hazy in the late April afternoon. The grass was lush and punchy while a rash of bluebells lined the walkways, which were busy with joggers, Rollerbladers and nannies pushing pushchairs. It was surprisingly warm, and Venetia took off her jacket and let the light sun warm the sleeves of her shirt. Seeing a small crowd of children playing, she took a moment to sit on a bench and watch them. A little girl with red patent shoes chased another child, her pigtails bouncing up and down as she ran away laughing. A little boy began crying as his nanny took away an ice lolly that was melting down his anorak. Three slightly older children were comparing toys, each trying to impress the other. None of the well-groomed mothers standing nearby, Venetia noted, were watching the children, preferring to gossip with the other yummy-mummies. Why aren’t they paying attention to the children? thought Venetia sadly. What could be more interesting than watching them run and laugh? A tear ran down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. So she’d had a great day, a juicy design project with a handsome owner had just appeared from nowhere. But Venetia knew that the reason she worked so hard was no burning desire to succeed like Camilla, but to escape from her day-to-day loneliness. In a heartbeat, she would gladly swap all the high-powered meetings and the wealthy private clients for one afternoon with a child – her child – playing in the park.
She walked briskly the rest of the way home. She was angry at herself for crying, angry with Jonathon for being so insensitive over her infertility, even angry at Jack Kidman for making her think she could get away from all this misery. Slamming the front door and running up the stairs, she was surprised to find Jonathon lying on the bed in his bathrobe. His hair was wet from the shower and he smelt of musky soap.
‘What are you doing back so early?’
‘I could ask the same about you,’ said Jonathon sharply, picking up on Venetia’s mood. ‘Aren’t you playing tennis this evening?’
‘It was the spa actually,’ said Venetia testily, ‘I didn’t feel like it.’ She pulled off her jacket and threw it on the chaise longue in the bedroom. ‘Anyway, you didn’t answer my question, what are you doing back so early?’ It wasn’t the first time she had caught him back at home when he should have been at the office and it was beginning to make her suspicious. Of what, she couldn’t pinpoint.
‘Am I not allowed to get home before eight now, is that it?’ barked Jonathon, getting up off the bed to walk into the dressing room, still rubbing at his hair with a towel. He tossed it carelessly on the floor and began flipping through a rail of clothes before selecting a pink Charvet shirt and a pair of dark beige chinos. ‘I had a dinner with a potential client who cancelled, if you must know.’ He stopped in front of the enormous Venetian glass mirror, examining a couple of stray nose hairs with distaste. ‘Anyway, we may as well take advantage of the reservation. Do you fancy Cipriani for some supper?’
Venetia sighed to herself, feeling the anger slowly subside. She walked up behind Jonathon and, resting her chin on the shoulder of the white towelling robe, she wrapped her arms around him and began to undo the belt. ‘I thought we could stay in,’ she whispered into his ear. ‘It’s a good time.’
‘A good time?’ said Jonathon, pulling away from her slightly, ‘for what?’
‘Well, I’m ripe,’ she responded a little awkwardly. ‘Darling, do I have to spell it out? We have to do it!’
He pushed her hands off and looked at her coldly. ‘I do wish you would stop treating sex like some military bloody operation. I don’t particularly want to do it on command.’
Venetia’s anger instantly came flooding back. ‘I didn’t realize you were such a bloody romantic!’ she spat, her eyes blazing. ‘I don’t need to remind you that we are running out of time.’ Her voice started wobbling and she could feel hot wells of tears rolling down her face.
‘Oh Jesus,’ growled Jonathan, walking away from her.
Venetia snapped. She grabbed hold of the robe and spun him round. ‘This