‘Sorry I’m late,’ Elle apologised again. ‘I have to go on somewhere afterwards, and I was in meetings all day.’
It was the wrong thing to say. Rhodes’s nostrils flared. ‘Melissa, you should know we’re lucky Elle’s been able to drop by, even for a few minutes—’
Melissa cut in, smiling again. ‘Wonderful that you’re here, anyway!’ she said. ‘And wonderful to meet you all.’
There was another silence. The last time her family had been together was when Elle had graduated from Edinburgh, over four years ago. Before that, God only knew. She stole a glance at her father, immaculate in his dark blue wool suit. He looked older than Elle remembered, but he always did. In her mind, he was ten years younger, around the time he’d left. It was strange, how ageing affected people. It was in his eyes, around his mouth. An expression; she couldn’t explain it. Elle smiled at Melissa.
‘So, welcome to the UK!’ she said brightly. ‘What have you been doing since you arrived? Have you been on the London Eye?’
‘Actually, I did a Masters at LSE so I’ve spent a lot of time in London’, Melissa said, one slim, perfectly manicured finger fiddling with the pearl earring in her finely scrolled ear. ‘And I just love it. It’s my favourite city, you know? So I’ve been catching up with some old friends, and we saw the Tate Modern, and Rhodes took me to Jamie Oliver’s new restaurant on Sloane Street, which is truly amazing.’
Next to Elle, Mandana nodded politely, the tiny circular mirrors on her fabric waistcoat flashing as they caught the light. Elle could tell she wasn’t really listening though; neither was her father, nor, in fact, was Rhodes.
‘So you’re missing the US election!’ Elle said, aware that, like her mother, her voice was slightly too loud. ‘That must be weird.’
Melissa gave a tinkling laugh. ‘You know what? It’s crazy, my girlfriends all think I’m insane for being here instead of there, but I told them, you know what? I have to meet Rhodes’s family, I just have to, and there were reasons – well!’ She smiled, and leaned forward to finish her drink.
‘How wonderful,’ Mandana said automatically.
‘So Elle, Rhodes tells me you work at a publishing house,’ Melissa said, smiling in a friendly way. ‘That’s so fascinating! What do you do there?’
Elle thought back to the book she’d been editing that evening, Romance with a Soldier of Rome, a time-slip erotica novel. Time-slip erotica novels were all the rage at the moment. ‘Well, I started there as a secretary, and I’m now an editor,’ she said.
‘Wow,’ Melissa said. ‘That is amazing. So, you edit the books? What does that mean?’
Elle said, ‘Oh, I’m just a junior, it doesn’t mean very much. It’s our romance list. Doctors and nurses, sheikhs and girls lost abroad, Regency heroines and dashing dukes. All that. A couple of werewolves, sometimes.’
‘Romance!’ Melissa laughed. ‘Oh, wow.’ Then she realised Elle was serious, and her expression changed. ‘That must be fascinating.’
Yes, fascinating, Elle wanted to say. I spent two hours on the phone to Regina Jordan listening to him whinge about sales and how he wasn’t going to change a scene in which a girl is chained up in a Gothic dungeon for two weeks and repeatedly has sex with the sinister Duke yet orgasms every time.
‘What do you read in your spare time, then?’ Melissa asked.
Elle didn’t want to say that she was currently rereading I Capture the Castle for the seventh time. ‘Oh, manuscripts,’ she said.
‘Elle’s done very well,’ her father said, as the drinks arrived. ‘I’m very proud of her.’
‘So am I,’ said her mother softly, beside her, and Elle felt a pain in her chest. ‘They’ve promoted her, she’s obviously very good.’
Elle picked up her drink. ‘Not really,’ she said, not wanting to sound rude but also not wanting to look like a vain bitch. ‘They made me junior editor last year, just so they could offload some work. My friend Libby was offered it but she left, so they gave it to me. I’ve been there over three years, they sort of had to.’
‘Libby?’ Rhodes, who had been looking bored throughout this exchange, sat up. ‘What, that girl I met? You … lived with her, something like that?’
‘I didn’t live with her, but yes, the one you met.’
‘Where’d she go?’
‘She’s gone to work for Eyre and Alcock, it’s a literary imprint at a massive publisher’s. Part of Bookprint.’
‘I’ve heard of them,’ Mandana said. ‘Well, Libby, I only met her once or twice, but you could tell she was a very ambitious girl.’ She said this as if it weren’t a good thing. Elle wondered again why you never heard men described as being ‘very ambitious’ in a pejorative way. ‘Well, it’s great, love. How’s Karen?’
Rhodes clinked his glass. ‘Actually – hurr.’ He coughed. ‘We’ve got an announcement.’
John and Mandana looked up, as Melissa raised the left hand she’d been hiding in her lap.
‘We’re engaged!’ she said. ‘Look!’ She flashed a diamond at them. It sparkled in the dark bar, along with her teeth.
‘Oh!’ Mandana said, leaping up. ‘That’s – well, that’s wonderful!’ She gave her son a clumsy hug. ‘And Melissa, welcome! Oh, welcome to the family.’
As she was hugging Melissa, who was holding her as much at arm’s length as she could, Elle caught her father looking at Mandana, and almost blanched.
My God. He really loathes her, she thought. Elle bit her lip, then stood up.
‘Congratulations,’ she said, hugging Melissa. ‘That’s such great news. I’m – so happy for you.’ She patted Rhodes’s shoulder. ‘Your diamond is so beautiful. And I love silver.’
There was a shocked pause. ‘It’s platinum,’ Melissa said. ‘From Tiffany. Rhodes chose it all by himself!’
Rhodes shrugged, his eyes half closed, and then he turned to Melissa, and kissed her briefly on the cheek.
‘Well,’ John said, as they all sat down. ‘This is great news. Have you set a date?’
Melissa and Rhodes looked at each other and laughed, in that infuriating way couples have when they want to impart what they think is fascinating news. ‘Well, yes, we have!’ Melissa said. ‘Next autumn! Maybe in September, my birthday’s in October and I definitely want to get married before I’m thirty!’ She stopped, and looked at Rhodes. ‘Shall I ask her?’
‘Go on.’ Rhodes smiled at her, and Elle nearly reared back in shock, she hadn’t seen her brother smile since the mid-eighties.
Melissa said breathlessly, ‘Elle, I would love it if you’d be my … bridesmaid?’
‘Me?’ Elle said, trying to sound delighted. ‘I’d – wow, I’d love to!’
Melissa clapped her hands. ‘Really? Oh, gosh, that’s so great. I really felt it was important to have Rhodes’s family involved too, and I want to get to know you better, you’re Rhodes’s sister!’ Elle opened her mouth, but Melissa went on, ‘My best girlfriends are Hayley and Darcy and they’re going to be my other bridesmaids along with my sister Francie, which is four, I know it’s not that many for a bridal party, but I just really don’t want it to be too confusing for the guests, and I can’t wait for you all to meet!’
Elle was touched. ‘That’s so sweet, Melissa,’ she said. ‘How exciting!’
‘Yes!’ Melissa said. ‘And I