Forget Me Knot (21 page)

The other women laughed and chorused their agreement.

“Thanks for that, Soph,” Abby came back. “It’s always good to know that I have a friend who has faith in my ability to sustain a relationship.”

Suddenly Abby was aware of Guy standing behind her, swaying. He put a hand on the table to steady himself. “Yeah.”
Belch
. “Don’t you dare let my mate Toby down— not after the way that bitch Claudia dumped him.”

Toby had always been perfectly up front with Abby about his ex, but he’d always maintained that it was he who had ended the relationship.

“No sooner had he put a rock on her finger,” Guy carried on, “than she told him to piss right off. Cow.”

Abby’s brow furrowed. She and Soph exchanged glances. “Toby was engaged?” Soph mouthed.

“No. Guy’s confused.” Abby turned back to him. “You’re drunk, Guy. Toby and Claudia were never engaged.”

“Course they were.”
Hiccup
. He raised his voice. “Hey, chaps and chapesses, back me up here. Weren’t Toby and Claudia engaged?”

Awkward looks were exchanged. Nobody spoke. Finally
one of the blonde girlfriends piped up. “Yeah, I vaguely remember them being engaged, but only for about five minutes.”

Guy went back to his seat and started calling for more spareribs. Abby could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“Well, that was humiliating,” she whispered to Soph. She could feel herself getting angry now. It must have shown, because Soph urged her to calm down.

“I am calm,” Abby protested. “I need to talk to Toby, that’s all. I mean, why the hell didn’t he tell me he’d been engaged? It’s not like I would have been particularly bothered. I’d just like to have known, that’s all.”

Soph patted her friend’s hand. “I think the two of you need to talk.”

Abby nodded. When Toby returned from the men’s room, she suggested that maybe it was time to make a move to leave. It was past eleven by now, and since other people round the table were starting to go, Toby raised no objection. They said their good-byes and walked to Toby’s car. She insisted on driving, because Toby had drunk far too much champagne. Once again, he didn’t argue.

“So,” Abby began as she turned the key in the ignition, “why didn’t you tell me you and Claudia were engaged?”

He seemed taken aback. “Who told you that?”

“Guy. While you were in the loo he came over and warned me—decent, loyal chap that he is—not to dump you the way Claudia did.”

“Look, we were engaged for less than two weeks. And then she broke it off. I didn’t tell you because it never seemed important.”

“It doesn’t matter how long you were engaged. The fact
is, you were engaged. And why didn’t you tell me that it was Claudia who ended it?”

“Dunno. Male pride, I guess. Nobody wants to admit they were dumped.”

“Not even to me? You know that I would never have judged you or thought less of you.” A beat. “And how do you think I felt in the restaurant with all your friends knowing about the engagement and me having no idea?”

“I’m sorry. It must have been awkward.”

“Awkward? It was more than awkward. It was humiliating having Guy and the others knowing something so intimate about you that I didn’t know.”

“Abby, I’ve said I’m sorry and I really am. It was thoughtless of me not to tell you, and I hate it that Guy embarrassed you the way he did, but can we just forget about it now? Claudia and I are in the past. Meanwhile, we’ve got our entire future to look forward to. Let’s just concentrate on that.” He placed a hand on her thigh. “Please.”

“All right,” she said grudgingly, “but I’m still pissed off. It’s not just the Claudia thing… Toby, why do you have anything to do with Guy, or the rest of that disgusting rabble, come to that? Their behavior tonight was unforgivable.”

“I admit it was pretty bad, and I did my best to get Guy to shut up—”

“Yes, and he called you an old woman.”

“How can you take that seriously? He’d had way too much to drink. They all did. None of them knew what they were saying. I know you don’t see it, but they’re really great chaps underneath. Guy is a very loyal friend, you know. I remember once when we were at school playing rugby and
this kid fouled me and almost broke my leg. That night in the dorm, Guy beat him to a pulp.”

“Why am I not surprised? Look, pissed or sober, Guy is a racist, sexist bully. I’d really rather have nothing more to do with him or any of them.”

“Ooh, hark at you on your high horse.”

“If I sound like an ass, I’m sorry,” Abby came back. “But it’s how I feel.”

“Look, if you don’t want to see them again, all well and good, but they’re my friends. I admit they go over the top, but like I said, deep down they are good-hearted blokes and I have no intention of severing relations.”

“Fine.” She shrugged.

Neither of them spoke for a minute or two. A strange, unfamiliar sensation was overtaking Abby. She felt a distance between her and Toby that she had never felt before, and it frightened her.

“Oh, by the way,” Toby said eventually, “when I gave you the engagement ring the other night, I forgot to give you the box it came in. I don’t know if you want it. But it’s rather beautiful. The kind of thing that will become a collectors’ item one day. I put it in the glove compartment.” He leaned forward and pulled on the walnut-veneer panel.

“Ooh, let me see,” she said, coming to a stop at a red light.

He opened a velvet drawstring pouch and produced the ring box. It was encrusted with tiny, brightly colored semiprecious stones. “Oh, Toby, this is utterly exquisite,” she drooled, taking it from him. “Of course I’d like it. When we were in the restaurant the other night, why on earth didn’t you give me the ring in the box?”

He said he’d thought about it, but eventually he had decided it was far more dramatic to produce the ring on its own and slip it on her finger.

Abby opened the lid and ran her index finger over the ruched-satin interior. The lid was also lined with satin. Since they were in a built-up area, the road was brightly lit, which meant Abby could read the name
Moyse Coote
. This was the posh Knightsbridge jeweler that had supplied the ring. Below the name and logo was a gold-embossed heart. Inside this there were two initials. These were quite tiny, and she found herself squinting. Suddenly Abby felt her stomach turn over. “Toby, could you put the interior light on? I want to get a closer look at this.”

“Abby, what on earth are you doing? The traffic lights are going to change any second.”

“Please, just do it,” she said.

He flicked the switch.

A few moments later, the traffic lights changed to green. She handed the ring box back to Toby and pulled away.

“Those aren’t our initials,” she said.

“What do you mean? I don’t know anything about any initials.”

“On the inside of the lid—there’s a heart and some initials. They aren’t ours.”

He opened the box. “I don’t think I ever looked properly inside.”

“Well, maybe you should. Our initials are
A
and
T
. These are
T
and
C.”

He shrugged. “So, the jeweler gave me the wrong box.”

“Oh, for Chrissake, Toby! What do you take me for? I’m not a fool.” She took her eyes off the road for a second
and turned to look at him. His face was suddenly etched in panic.

Abby felt her fingers tighten around the wheel. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m guessing that when you finished with Claudia, she gave you back your ring. And you kept it, didn’t you?”

He didn’t reply.

“Didn’t you?” She raised her voice.

“So what if I did?”

“And the other night you gave it to me.”

“Look, you don’t understand,” he protested. “If I’d sold it, I’d have gotten only a fraction of what it was worth. Plus, it’s a staggeringly beautiful ring.”

By now tears were trailing down Abby’s face. “Toby, you gave me your ex-fiancée’s engagement ring. How could you?”

She pulled into an empty bus stop and jerked on the hand brake. Then she ripped the ring from her finger.

“I don’t want it,” she said, thrusting it at him.

“But Claudia hardly wore it. We were engaged for twelve bloody days, for Chrissake. Please take it back.”

“No! I don’t want it.”

He shrugged and slipped the ring into his pocket.

“We’re engaged,” Abby said in little more than a whisper. “For your information, that means you’re supposed to love me.”

“I do love you.”

“Not enough to give me my own ring instead of some other woman’s castoff?”

“It’s a fifteen-thousand-pound ring,” he protested. “It’s not a bloody castoff.”

“Toby, you’re missing the point. This isn’t about money.
I’d have been happy with a cheap ring, so long as I knew that it had been chosen by you with love and that it was meant for me and me alone.”

They sat in silence. It was Abby who finally broke it. “Why did you and Claudia break up?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“I’d like to know. All you’ve ever said is that it didn’t work out.”

He shrugged. “It didn’t.”

“What didn’t?”

“I dunno. Stuff.”

“Sex?”

“That is none of your damn business,” he spat.

He was right, it was none of her business, but she’d come this far, and she couldn’t stop now. She felt compelled to press the point. “Did you reject her like you reject me?”

She looked at his face. It was taut, full of silent rage. “OK, this conversation is over.”

She opened her mouth to challenge him, but he got in first. “Didn’t you hear what I said?”

“Yes, I heard you.” He was so angry that she knew it was time to let the subject drop.

A few moments passed before he spoke. “You know what I think?”

“What?”

“I think you’re lying about not wanting an expensive ring. You are selfish and spoiled. You know I’ve got money and you just wanted your own fifteen-thousand-pound rock.”

“In which case,” she said quietly, “you don’t know me. You don’t know me at all.”

The next thing Abby knew, she was standing on the pavement, tears streaming down her face. She flagged down a black cab. It was only as it slowed beside her that she remembered how much Toby had drunk and that he shouldn’t be driving. She began running back to the car, but it was too late. The Mercedes was pulling away with a loud screech of tires.

She felt guilty about letting him drive, but not that guilty. She was too upset. As soon as she got home, she took off her coat and went into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. She’d stuck to Diet Coke all evening—knowing she would probably need to drive Toby home. Now she needed something stronger.

Forgetting that it was well after midnight, she picked up the phone and dialed Soph’s number. As the phone rang, it occurred to her she might not be home yet, but finally Soph picked up. For a few seconds all Abby could hear were muffled giggles in the background.

“Hi, it’s me,” Abby said, feeling embarrassed. “Oh, God, were you and Lamar in the middle of something?”

“Yes, but we hadn’t quite reached the point of no return. Whassup? Look, if you’ve phoned to apologize for Guy’s behavior, I’m not listening. It had absolutely nothing to do with you.”

“No, it wasn’t that. Although I told Toby I think Guy’s a total creep and I never want to see him again.”

“Good for you. So what’s going on? You all right?”

“Not really.” She knocked back a mouthful of wine. “Tell me honestly. Do you think I’m selfish and spoiled?”

“Of course I don’t think you’re selfish and spoiled. Of all the people I know, you are probably the least selfish and spoiled…. Abs, please tell me what’s going on.”

Abby explained.

“Toby gave you this Claudia’s ring? No. I don’t believe it. Who’d do a thing like that? You have to be kidding.”

“Nope. Then he accused me of being spoiled because I said I would have liked a ring of my own.”

“What?” Soph was clearly furious. “That is so bloody cruel. What are you going to do?”

“Well, at the moment I feel like ending it.”

“I’m not surprised…. Do you want me to come over? We could watch a DVD. It might calm you down.”

“No, you’ve got Lamar there. I’ll be fine.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.” Abby flicked some bread crumbs off the kitchen table. “Soph, do you think Toby could be gay?”

Soph’s silence said it all.

“The subject’s come up more than once, and he always denies it. But I’m getting more and more confused. I just don’t know what to believe. From what I can work out, Claudia broke off their engagement because they weren’t having sex.”

“Oh, God, Abby… what can I say?”

“So, you do.”

“Do what?”

“Think Toby’s gay.”

A beat. Then: “Scozz and I have discussed the possibility, yes.”

“What?” Abby cried. “The two of you have gossiped about this behind my back?”

“We never
gossiped
. It wasn’t like that. We care about you and don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“But you’re my oldest and closest friend. We don’t have secrets. You could have said something.”

“You’re right. I could have. And maybe I wimped out
because I didn’t want to upset you and put our friendship at risk. But I also like to think that I didn’t interfere because neither Toby’s sexuality nor your relationship with him is any of my damn business.”

“Scozz doesn’t see it that way.”

“I know, and that’s where he and I differ. He phoned me to tell me the two of you had a conversation and that it didn’t go very well.”

“No, it didn’t.”

Abby heard her friend draw a deep breath. “Look,” Soph began, her tone more gentle now, “it doesn’t matter what I think. It doesn’t matter what anybody thinks. Your relationship with Toby is something you have to sort out for yourself. Whatever you decide, I will always be there to love and support you.”

“Thanks. That means a lot to me. And thanks for listening. Oh, and apologize to Lamar for me. I didn’t mean to spoil your fun.”

As Abby put the phone down, she noticed the vase of white tulips on the kitchen table. The stems had drooped and the heads were wide open, their petals shiny and translucent. Two of them had fallen onto the table. Any other time she wouldn’t have hesitated to throw the flowers in the bin, but tonight she was happy to gaze at the dying blooms and let them add to her melancholy.