“She was pregnant?” I feel sick at the thought.
“No. No!” Luke shakes his head vigorously. “She thought she might be, briefly. But anyway, it…clarified things. And we ended it.”
“You panicked.” Venetia’s voice is suddenly throbbing, as though she can’t control a long-buried anger. “You panicked, Luke, and we lost the best relationship I’ve ever had. Everyone was jealous of us at Cambridge, everyone. We were perfect together.”
“We weren’t perfect!” He looks at her incredulously. “And I didn’t panic—”
“You did! You couldn’t cope with commitment! It frightened you!”
“It did not frighten me!” Luke shouts, exasperated. “It made me realize you weren’t the person I wanted to have children with. Or spend the rest of my life with. Ever. And that’s why I ended it!”
Venetia looks as though he hit her. For a few seconds she appears speechless — then her eyes focus on me with such aggression that I shrink away.
“And she is?” she demands with a savage gesture. “This mindless consumer little…girlie is who you’re going to spend the rest of your days with? Luke, she has no depth! She has no brain! All she cares about is her shopping, and her clothes…and her girlfriends….”
The blood has drained from my face and I feel a bit shaky. I’ve never heard such vitriol.
I glance over at Luke. His nostrils are flared and a vein is beating in his head.
“Don’t you dare talk about Becky like that.” His voice is so steely, even I’m a bit scared. “Don’t you dare.”
“Come on, Luke.” Venetia gives a mocking little laugh. “I grant you she’s pretty….”
“Venetia, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Luke says evenly.
“She’s beyond frivolous!” cries Venetia. “She’s nothing! Why the hell did you marry her?”
There’s a tiny intake of breath around the room. No one moves for about thirty seconds. Luke looks a bit stunned to have been asked such a blatant question.
God, I wonder what he’s going to say. Maybe he’ll say for my brilliant cooking and repartee.
No. Unlikely.
Maybe he’ll say…
I’m a bit stumped, to be honest. And if I’m stumped, Luke must be too.
“Why did I marry Becky?” he echoes at last, in such a strange voice that I think maybe he’s suddenly wondering himself, and realizing he made a terrible mistake.
All of a sudden I feel a bit cold and a bit scared.
And still Luke hasn’t said anything.
He walks over to the sink and pours himself a cup of water as everyone watches nervously. At last he turns. “Have you spent time with Becky?”
“I have!” says Suze, as though she’s going to win the Jackpot prize. Everyone turns to look at her, and she colors. “Sorry,” she mutters.
“The first time I ever saw Becky Bloomwood…” He pauses, a tiny smile at his lips. “She was asking a bank marketing department why they didn’t produce checkbook covers in different colors.”
“You see?” Venetia tosses a hand impatiently, but Luke doesn’t even flicker.
“The next year they did produce checkbook covers in different colors. Becky’s instincts match no one else’s. Becky has ideas no one else has. Her mind goes to places no one else’s does. And sometimes I’m lucky enough to go along with her.” Luke’s eyes meet mine, soft and warm. “Yes, she shops. Yes, she does crazy things. But she makes me laugh. She makes me enjoy life. And I love her more than anything else in the world.”
“I love you too,” I mumble, a lump in my throat.
“Fine,” says Venetia, her face pale. “Fine, Luke! If you want a shallow little airhead—”
“You have no idea, so shut the fuck up.” Luke’s voice is suddenly like a machine gun.
Mum opens her mouth to protest Luke’s language — but he looks so livid, she closes it again, looking nervous.
“Becky’s a lot more principled than you ever were.” He’s regarding Venetia with contempt. “She’s brave. She puts other people before herself. I couldn’t have got through the last few days without her. You guys probably know what trouble my company is in at the moment….” He glances at Suze and Mum.
“Trouble?” Mum looks alarmed. “What kind of trouble? Becky never told us!”
Luke turns to me, incredulous. “Becky, haven’t you said anything?”
“I knew something was up,” Suze gasps. “I knew it. All those phone calls. But she wouldn’t say what it was….”