(2012) Evie Undercover (26 page)

The thought of him and Evie together on a permanent basis was ludicrous, and she was ninety-nine percent certain that this would never happen.

But there was one percent of uncertainty, and it was that one percent that
accounted for her being in London sooner than she’d planned
.

She impatiently kicked aside the magazine
s
on the floor with a foot shod in a neat
,
black crocodile pump, stood up and went to the large, silver-framed mirror that hung above the mantelpiece.

Her reflection stared back at her. Her cap-sleeved designer black top was tucked into tailored black trousers that skimmed
her
slim hips, and a narrow, black leather belt encircled her waist, defining its slenderness. Her dark hair curved sleekly down the sides of her face, emphas
iz
ing her high cheekbones as it wound into a sleek black chignon
that was
coiled at the nape of her neck. She didn’t need to see the back of her head to know that not a single hair was out of place. Her mouth widened into a thin smile of satisfaction.

Yes, just as she knew exactly the sort of person
that
Eduardo needed to marry, she knew exactly the sort of person that Tom needed to marry
. S
he’d known it from the moment that Eduardo had told her about his English client, and had shown her the photograph of Tom standing next to the Umbrian house he’d just bought.

So convinced had she been that Tom was the man for her that she had promptly set in motion a transfer to London for a year, confident that all she needed to do was put herself in Tom’s path in order to achieve the desired outcome.

Seeing Evie and Tom through Eduardo’s eyes had given her a jolt
. It
had shown her that she must not be complacent
. If she
was going to be sure of
securing Tom for herself
, she would have to
remov
e
Evie from
his
life. The only way she could
do this
was by getting to know
the girl,
finding the weak spot
in
her
relationship
with
Tom, and
exploiting it. It
would be a kindness to Tom to do so
.

Her eyes narrowed as she
turned away from the mirror and
looked around her.
Nothing, and no one, was going to thwart the desires of a Montefiori.

Chapter Eighteen

If it’s Friday …

Evie sat back in her seat and watched in amusement as Gabriela looked around the restaurant, her eyes coming to settle on her paper place mat and the series of squiggles that the waiter had written on it.

‘It certainly is very different from any restaurant I’ve been to before,’ Gabriela
remarked
.
‘I like it very much. I don’t think we have such places in Italy, but we should. I like the way we
sit at one long table
and are given our food as soon as it’s cooked – it’s very clever the way they send
the order to the kitchen.
And t
h
e
food was
molto buono
, as we say in Italy
. I
t was very good.’

Rachel nodded. ‘We like it. I
always have
thin noodles, but Jess
goes for
the thick. And the white chocolate and ginger cheesecake is to die for. I swear I ate most of your half as well as mine, Gabriela. No wonder I’m larding it on and you’re dead slim.’

‘Larding it on?
’ Gabriela repeated.
Her
forehead
wrinkled
. ‘What does that mean? I don’t know these words, I’m afraid.’

Jess laughed. ‘Rachel just means that she’s gaining weight. Don’t
bother to
learn
it
–
it’s slang. You know, you speak brilliant English, Gabriela. Did you learn it at school?’

‘Yes, I did. I was very lucky
–
I was sent to an excellent school by my parents, who thought it as important to educate their daughter as their son. Not everyone with our social standing feels that way, but my parents did, and Eduardo and I had an equally good education. I enjoyed school
,
but he did not, and he was quite a naughty boy.’ Her voice softened and she smiled indulgently. ‘He was made to learn English,
too,
but he
learnt very little and
forgot it
all
as soon as he left the school. He is not a linguist, shall we say.’

‘It sounds as if I’ve got a lot in common with Eduardo,’ Jess said with a grin. ‘I hated school, too. And like Eduardo, I do a creative sort of job. Fingers crossed that he visits you soon and I get to meet him.’

‘Huh!
You’ll have to join the queue,’ Rachel cut in. ‘I’m ahead of you. I work for a production design
er, which is more creative than being an events’ planner, and i
t’s clo
ser to what Eduardo does.
Being
PA to
a
productio
n designer trumps events’ planning
. So there.’

All three girls laughed.

Evie noticed that
Gabriela’s smile narrowed imperceptibly.
She was protective o
f
her brother, she thought.

‘What about clubs in Italy? Do you go clubbing a lot?’ Rachel asked, turning her attention back to Gabriela. The red-lipped smile widened again.

‘There are clubs in Florence
,
as well as
in other towns, of course. M
any people go to them, although I think that the young Italians do not drink as much as the young English. As for me, though, I don’t really like clubs
. T
hey are very noisy and you cannot hear what people are saying when they speak to you.’

‘So what do you
do
when you’re not working?’ Jess asked.

‘I go to the theatre and to concerts.
But
I’ve been
engaged in
building up my career so there isn’t very much free time
for me, and i
n the last year,
I have spent
any free time that I had with Alessandro.’

Rachel threw a surreptitious glance at Jess. ‘Evie told us about you and him. It must be minging to be away from him for a whole year.
You know, unpleasant.
’

Gabriela gave a slight shrug. ‘It is better to spend a year apart now than make a mis
take that could last a lifetime,
much better. And it will not be a year without seeing him – we will visit each other.’

‘Don’t you hang around wit
h your friends
like we do?’ Jess asked in surprise.

‘And talk clothes and share secrets with them?’ Rachel added.

‘N
o, n
ot really
.
I don’t have friends like the three of you are friends. It is a big regre
t. My school was far from my hous
e and
I boarded there,
and the other students also travelled a distance. We talked and played with each other and were friends during the school term, but in the long holidays we didn’t see each other, so I never made very close friends in my school years.’

‘That sounds dead sad,’ Jess said.

‘It
is
sad. I have always felt that I’ve missed an important part of life, and when I met Evie
…’
s
he paused and turned to look at Ev
ie
,
‘… and when I met Evie, I knew that I’d met someone I could be a close friend with. I would have liked a sister very much. Eduardo is a good brother, but you can share so much more with a sister, and a really close friend would ha
ve been like having a sister. At
least I’ve always felt it would.’

Evie
felt a lump come to her throat. She
reached across and hugged Gabriela. ‘You’re right about that
,
and that’s such a fab thing to say. I haven’t got any brothers
or
sisters, but I’ve never missed having any because I’ve known Rachel and Jess since school
–
they’re like sisters to me.’

‘This is where someone comes round with a violin, and we throw our arms around each other’s necks and burst into tears,’ Jess giggled.

Evie and Rachel joined in with her laughter, and the three of them did a high five. Gabriela glanced at them, bemused; then she, too, started laughing.

‘Let’s have a peach iced tea,’ Jess suggested when they’d settled down again. ‘You’ll love it, Gabriela, I promise you.’ She turned to Evie. ‘So, have you decided what you’re going to wear tomorrow night for your first date with Tom on home territory? You said you might get something new.’

‘I’m not sure that I can be bothered now. I kept my eyes open this week every time Gabriela and I went into a shop, but nothing really struck me as a must-have.
You
got a couple of dresses and a trouser suit,
didn’t you, Gabriela,
but I didn’t try on so much as one thing. I’l
l find something in my wardrobe,
and if not in mine, in one of yours, so beware.’

‘But you must get something new for this important first date with Tom,’ Gabriela insisted, her voice registering her astonishment that Evie could consider doing otherwise. ‘A woman feels special when she’s wearing a new dress.
T
his is your chance to impress Tom
, and you must take it
. He’ll want to know
that
there’s more to you than what he saw in Italy
. I know that from the way my brother speaks about the women he meets.’

Evie gave a deep sigh. ‘You may well be right
. I
n fact, I’m certain you are. But I can’t face going into Central London again this week, unless that’s where Tom takes me tomorrow night
,’
she added
, laughing. ‘
I wouldn’t exactly leap out of his car if I saw
us following
signs
pointing in that direction
. And going up to Hampstead is totally out of the question as everything’s mega expensive there.’

‘What about Camden Lock?’ Jess volunteered. ‘You’ve got loads of good things there in the past. That vintage shop is right up your street.’

‘Now, that’s a thought. Yes,
I think
I’ll do that, even though it means getting up horribly early for a Saturday – if I don’t get there soon after ten, all th
e best things will have gone. That
’s a good idea
, though.
I don’t know why I didn’t think of it.’

‘If you are going to Camden Lock tomorrow, perhaps I could come, too.’ Gabriela’s face shone with eagerness. ‘I should love to see it. You mentioned it
in Italy. I
t sounds a very interesting place, with shops that are much different from the shops we’ve visited so far. But you must say no if I would be in the way.’

‘Of course you wouldn’t be in the way
. B
ut do you really want to get up that early when you don’t have to?’

‘I always rise early. I don’t like to stay late in bed
. I
f I’m awake, I get up. I would love to come with you. We’ve had such fun this week, and I know that this market will also be fun. And very English.’

‘And
a few othe
r countries as well
.
OK, then. I
f you’re sure you really want to come, I suggest we meet up near the market at about ten. How about in front of Camden Town tube station? We can’t miss each other there and it’s very close to the Lock.’

‘I’m very much looking forward to that. Thank you, Evie.’ Gabriela sent a bright smile around the table.

‘Be warned
,
it gets crowded,’ Evie added. ‘Wear something comfortable
. For a start,
I’d leave those killer heels at home if I were you. What about you two
–
are you coming
tomorrow
as well?’

Rachel looked questioningly at Jess, the
n back at Evie. ‘I don’t think we
will, if it’s all the same with you. Jess and I are going
on
to a club
when we leave
here, and getting up at the crack of dawn after a night out on the town doesn’t exactly appeal. What say you, Jessica?’

‘Ditto.’