Sophia opened her mouth to say something, hesitated, put her champagne glass down and looked Rachel up and down. ‘No, that’s not it,’ she said with a matter of fact tone. ‘Do you know how many people have tried to get on a flight with that man?’
Rachel shook her head, careful to supress her smile of achievement.
‘Look around you.’
It was early in the day and the club wasn’t busy. Rachel looked through the glass doors into the garden. A few women like she and Sophia were sharing a bottle of fizz and enjoying the first sunshine of spring.
‘You must have something about you.’
‘Her, over there?’ Rachel asked pointing to a blonde woman in skin-tight jeans.
‘Probably,’ Sophia said.
‘Alicia?’ Rachel asked. She had spoken to Alicia in depth about William, and she had never said anything, but then they were not that close. She hadn’t seen her or Bonnie in ages, but with their wealth she wouldn’t be surprised if one of them had had a fling with William in the past.
‘God no, not Alicia.’ Sophia smirked. ‘Now Bonnie certainly has the looks Willy would go for. I haven’t seen her in a while. Could be because she’s moved out of London. Wouldn’t surprise me if she had a thing with him.’
Rachel bristled. It made her skin crawl when she thought of William with another woman, especially a good-looking one like Bonnie. But she realised Sophia didn’t really know who William had dated. She was just speculating.
Sophia took a sip of her champagne. ‘He isn’t making you do ghastly things in bed, is he?’
Rachel leaned away from Sophia. ‘God, no! What an awful thing to say.’
‘Oh lighten up luvvie. It wouldn’t be the first time someone like that had an unusual fetish. Willy was certainly above board when I knew him, but there was a colourful time in the history of The Emerald Rooms when all sorts used to go on.’
‘Like what?’ Rachel said, draining her glass and pouring another. There was something about hanging around with Sophia that made her want to drink like a fish. She thought about going to the bathroom and doing a line but she was trying to cut back during the day, especially as it was so freely available whenever she was with William. How did the super rich stay focused when their kind of money allowed them to buy cocaine as if it were a packet of sherbet? No wonder The Emerald Rooms on a Friday night was so full of excess. If you ever saw one of the private parties in the suites after an event, you would see a plethora of half drunk bottles of champagne, white residue by the Jacuzzi and most probably someone’s panties.
‘This club had a reputation for swingers. But The Emerald Rooms is in the middle of a residential area so the local neighbours complained. What spoilsports. Must have been “The Emerald Room widows”, as we used to call them. This place is notorious for luring young men away from their dull wives.’
Rachel pursed her lips. She tried stopping herself from asking, but she just couldn’t. ‘So were both you and William members back then?’
Sophia sipped her champagne. ‘I love bubbles in the afternoon, don’t you? Where is Willy?’
‘Away, again.’
‘Well, he can’t help that. He has to earn his living and so has to put in the hours,’ Sophia said, with a coy smile. ‘Let me guess, away for months at a time and only ever in London for a couple of nights.’
‘These days, yes. Is there anything I need to know?’
Rachel had been dating William for over a year now, but she still felt like there was so much she didn’t know about him. He had told her about his boarding school upbringing and his brother, the apple of his father’s eye, but he was cagey when it came to talking about exes. He was also pretty evasive when it came to business trips abroad. He only seemed to tell her his itinerary a couple of days before he had to fly somewhere.
On several occasions she had asked him about the numerous trips he had to make but he always had a valid answer. There were factories to visit, business meetings to attend and potential land purchases to be made. Sophia was right, William had his finger in several pies. But like he always said to her, you have to work hard to get what you want in life. She couldn’t fault him there.
Her friend Bella had said she was lucky because his job meant they never spent too much time together. ‘You’ll never get bored of each other.’ But then Bella had commitment issues. Rachel certainly didn’t feel lucky. She felt as if her relationship was just a stopgap in William’s life. But what could she do? She had fallen in love.
Sophia laughed. ‘Nothing you need to worry about.’
‘Worry?’
‘Most of the men at this club are the same. I’m surprised he doesn’t have a private jet. Give it time.’
It wasn’t the answer Rachel was hoping for, but she had come to expect this of Sophia. Plus, she had to be wary of her. There was never any truth in what came out of her mouth. She didn’t know why she had even bothered to ask. William had already warned her that Sophia was a woman scorned.
‘So, what was Paris like? Did he spoil you rotten?’
‘He bought me this,’ Rachel gushed and pointed to the black and gold bag slung on the back of her chair.
Sophia flashed her teeth in a bid to smile. ‘A trip away and a Louis Vuitton. Must be serious, Rach. You’ll be moving in soon.’ Sophia held her gaze as if she were waiting for an answer.
‘He’s asked me to move in.’ Rachel watched the bubbles in her glass as they rose to the top.
Sophia’s eye’s widened. ‘The country place?’
‘His apartment, around the corner from here.’
‘So, just the apartment?’
‘We’ve talked about it, but it’s not right for William,’
‘Ah, so you know.’
‘I know what he’s like, yes.’ Rachel knew William was not going to be tied down just yet. Yes, he had said he loved her and had asked her to move into his apartment to save him travelling into Zone two – or ‘the rear end of London’ as he put it. But William wasn’t ready for the full commitment of moving into his country abode. The trip to Paris had been her first small step to getting a ring on her left hand. Now it was only a matter of time.
‘The location is better suited to my work too.’
‘Oh yes, that.’ Sophia leaned back in her chair. ‘So this is what you have that other women haven’t? Staying power.’
‘I told you I was persistent.’
‘I’m glad. All I had was a fling with Willy. God, he was a good lover, but not that good.’
Rachel poured herself another glass. It gave her goosebumps every time Sophia mentioned her thing with William. Jealousy was unbecoming, and according to William his relationship with Sophia lasted the duration of a taxi ride from Mayfair to Regent’s Park. No wonder she had it in for her. Spiteful wench.
She could see a flicker of hesitation in Sophia’s eyes. ‘Is there something about William that I should know?’
‘William,’ she said, absentmindedly. ‘You tell me.’ Sophia looked around the room before returning her gaze to Rachel. A smile formed on her lips. ‘Oh dear, you don’t know.’
Rachel opened her mouth, not sure what she was about to say, but she didn’t get the chance in any case. Two regulars at The Emerald Rooms, Ali and Patrick, walked in and crooned around Sophia completely taking away her chance. Instead, Rachel finished her glass of champagne whilst she reflected on just how malicious her so-called friend was.
27
2nd April 2009
Mid-Levels, Central and Western District, Hong Kong
As soon as Celeste walked into their new apartment she knew that Hong Kong was no longer just a change of scene, it was her home.
Alex laughed as she ran towards the panoramic glass wall in the lounge and put her hands up, flat against the window. From the thirty-ninth floor the view overlooking Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong side and Kowloon was breath-taking. The Hong Kong and Shanghai building with its diagonal white lights stood out – an iconic building that was c
lose to Celeste’s heart. It seemed apt that she could now look out at it every day.
She turned back to Alex, scanning the lounge. Kealana had left her mark – white lilies on the entrance table. Her enthusiasm waned a little, but then she noticed the stairs close to the entrance leading both upstairs and downstairs. In her initial excitement she hadn’t noticed them, but now she was curious to see where they led. The apartment was larger that any other she had seen on her quest to find them a perfect home, and it was in the Mid-Levels – the Beverly Hills of Hong Kong, or so Jinny had once said. ‘It’s fantastic,’ she said, resisting the urge to run around the flat and find their bedroom.
‘Told you, you’d love it,’ he said, tapping on his phone. ‘I did good.’
Celeste walked back to him, put her hand around the back of his neck and kissed him. ‘You did more than good.’
Alex slipped his phone back into his pocket, took off his suit jacket and dropped it on one of the chocolate leather sofas. ‘Champagne?’
‘You’ve stocked the fridge?’ She followed Alex to a room at the rear of the lounge. ‘Ah, the kitchen’
‘Upstairs is our bedroom and en-suite and the door to the terrace. Downstairs is a room I’m going to use as my office and another room we can use as a guest room. There’s also a gym down there. Give me a drink and I’ll give you the grand tour.’
Celeste smiled. She was waiting for this. Alex liked to be in control, show her things on his terms. He hadn’t appreciated it when she had torn around their London mews looking in every cupboard and drawer, squealing excitedly and not giving him a chance to talk. He never said anything, but she could tell. She kicked off her shoes, found the bottle of Krug in the fridge and passed it to Alex. He opened the bottle, poured and handed her a glass.
She eyed Kealana’s signature flowers out in the entrance and pouted. She didn’t want to say anything to spoil the moment, but she just couldn’t let it slide.
‘You’ve furnished the place.’
‘Kealana did it. She’s good at this. Well, she should bloody be by now. Been with us long enough. Knows what we like.’
‘What you Renshaws like, you mean.’
‘You’re a Renshaw now,’ Alex said, raising a single eyebrow. ‘Did you want to go traipsing around in this heat looking for the right kind of furniture?’
She fiddled with Alex’s collar. ‘I guess not,’ she said, biting her tongue. She would have loved rummaging through antique shops to find the perfect lamp, or stumbling across the perfect shoji screen. It was like Alex kept forgetting one small fact – that she was a designer, a clothes designer, but a designer nevertheless. Anyway, it was done now. ‘Jinny was telling me about this place in Ap Lei Chau which has twenty-eight floors of furniture.’
‘Where do you think we got most of this stuff from?’
‘You went there?’ Celeste asked incredulously.
‘Kealana did.’
Celeste’s shoulders dropped. ‘Of course she did. I’m surprised your dad never married her.’
Alex laughed. ‘She certainly knows the man’s tastes.’
Celeste swallowed the lump forming in her throat with a large sip of champagne. She had been getting ahead of herself. This may have been presented to her as her home, but it was nothing more than a Renshaw asset.
Alex put his arm around her and pulled her close. ‘She’s done it tastefully, don’t you think? It reflects the essence of Hong Kong,’
‘There’s quite a bit of red and black going on.’ Celeste looked up at an oppressive, red glass chandelier that hung in the lounge above the dining table. ‘But I like the koi carp picture in the living room. Not like Kealana at all.’
‘If you don’t like it, change it. It’s your home. So, if you want to rip it all out and start again, you can. I only wanted to make it easier for you. Let’s go upstairs. I want to show you what’s up there,’ Alex said, taking her hand.
She lifted her glass of champagne to her lips. So what if the place had already been furnished? Like Alex had said, it was one less job for her to do. He was being thoughtful, and she was acting like a spoilt brat. She turned to Alex and kissed him, tasting the Krug on his lips. ‘I couldn’t ask for a nicer home.’ Alex lifted the bottle of champagne with his free hand. They were about to turn towards the kitchen entrance when Celeste heard an unfamiliar voice, making her jump.
‘Sir,’ the voice said. ‘Let me take that for you.’
Celeste swivelled on her heel, nearly head-butting Alex in the process.
‘Ah, Lada.’
Celeste looked at the small, plump woman with short hair and small eyes who stood before her, her hands outstretched.
Alex passed Lada the bottle of champagne.
‘Pop it in a cooler, would you, Lada.’
Lada nodded. ‘And glasses?’
‘We’ll bring them up. Lada, this is my wife.’ Alex turned to Celeste. ‘Lada lives here. Look, that’s her room,’ he said as he walked out of the kitchen.
Lada blushed and bowed her head. ‘Sir, I was taking nap. No hear you come in.’
‘Never mind that.’
Lada lifted her head and returned Celeste’s startled gaze with a smile before she went into the kitchen.
She felt awkward. They had a cleaner in London, but a live in maid? This was alien to her. She peered into the small room. She hadn’t even noticed the door just outside the kitchen.
‘Don’t stare, it’s rude. We’ve had help before.’ Alex put his arm around Celeste’s waist and gave it a squeeze.
‘It’s tiny!’ Celeste whispered. ‘I bet the smallest bathroom in this apartment is bigger than her room. It’s a bloody broom cupboard.’ She followed her husband upstairs towards the terrace.
‘It is a lot bigger than most of the rooms the staff get in Hong Kong.’
‘Never.’
‘Do you remember the first Sunday we got here, and there were a bunch of Filipinos sitting outside the MTR stop near IFC?’
‘And?’ She asked. At the time she had wondered why so many people had gathered in the walkway that linked the metro to the main road. Hundreds of women had been sitting on old bits of cardboard, playing cards and eating from tiffin boxes. She had assumed it was some sort of protest. But she had noticed that it was a weekly affair and she had meant to ask Jinny about it.
She stood behind Alex whilst he wrestled with the door handle. Eventually he opened the terrace door and she followed him out into the humidity.
‘Those women live in rooms so small you can touch the sides with both hands - elbows in some cases. Sunday is their day off and they need space, so they go and sit outside. Terrible problem for the government. Hardly tourist friendly. They should improve employment laws here.’
Celeste put her hand to her mouth. How naive she had been. A protest! Ha! ‘But we must offer her a bigger room. We’re not expecting guests anytime soon.’
‘Lada’s worked for us for over ten years. Don’t you think we’ve offered her something bigger?’ He shook his head ‘Don’t make out like we are the bad ones here.’
She frowned. ‘What do you…’ she started, but Alex shot her a look as Lada arrived at the top of the stairs and placed the champagne bucket on the table with a bowl of nuts.
When she had disappeared down the stairs, Alex hugged Celeste. ‘You care hon and that’s what I love about you,’ he said, before he kissed her so deeply she almost forgot what they were arguing about.
‘I suppose Kealana doesn’t stay in a room like that when she’s in Hong Kong.’
‘She stays in the staff apartment my father has in Wan Chai.’
Kealana had an easy life, thought Celeste. Jetting around the world on someone else’s coin, but then she held her tongue. It couldn’t be easy looking after all the requirements of the Renshaws. She probably had to ignore the needs of her own family just to make sure that the Renshaws had white lilies in the entrances to their homes.
‘So what do you think about the terrace?’
> She looked out into the shimmering night-lights of Hong Kong. ‘Beautiful,’ she said, turning to take in the full view. A bubbling noise caught her attention, making her turn towards the far left corner of the terrace. ‘Oh my god, Alex,’ she said, spotting the spa pool. She put a hand on his chest. ‘This is so Playboy.’ She walked over to the hot tub and sat on the edge then she dipped her hand in the warm water.
Lada appeared again with towels, which she placed on one of the wooden recliners before she disappeared again. Celeste looked at the towels. It would be odd having someone in their private space all the time. Would they ever get any alone time?
‘What are you thinking?’
She took another sip of her champagne. ‘Nothing.’ Alex seemed so comfortable in the presence of Lada. She supposed he had been used to having staff constantly around him since he was a child. She remembered him telling her that if it wasn’t for boarding school, he wouldn’t have known how to make a bed. She smiled now, remembering when she first met him in Thailand. She had thought that he was travelling on a shoestring like her. But how wrong she had been. Life with Alex was certainly different to anything she had ever known. Some days in London she had felt like an impostor, living the life of luxury. But Hong Kong was going to be a different league altogether. It would certainly take getting used to, but she really couldn’t complain. Having someone to cook and clean for you was an indulgence. This way she could spend more time with Alex. And she could perfect the new capsule collection for Cross she had been working on. Wasn’t this what she had always dreamed of, all those years ago, growing up in East Row?
‘I want you to like it here. Screw that. I want you to love it here. It’s our home. Change whatever the hell you want.’
‘I can’t say Kealana has decorated it the way I would have, but it’s fine. I don’t need to change anything. Not just yet.’
Alex walked over to her. He bent his head towards her and lifted her chin with the tips of his fingers. ‘I’ll have someone bring our stuff from the rental tomorrow.’
‘Urgh, I need to pack. I hate packing.’
Poison in the Water Page 11
