This was it. She was about to spend an unknown sum of Hugo’s money just to have his company for the weekend and ensure he didn’t over-exert himself, something she was being paid to do anyway. The doctor’s common room would have had a field day with that, but suddenly she couldn’t have cared less. This felt like an adventure, one that might wipe away all the slights that had hurt her so over the last year.
As soon as the bidding started, three women held their cards up. The auctioneer managed to come to a decision over who had bid first, and as his finger moved briskly to and fro the price began to rocket upwards.
Nell saw Hugo’s head turn towards her, and caught a glimpse of his worried expression. Then she held up her card, waving it to attract the auctioneer’s attention.
‘Two thousand from the lady on the right...’ Nell felt slightly giddy at the idea that she was spending this much money.
There were many more rounds of determined bidding and one by one her rivals shook their heads. When the auctioneer rapped his hammer, an unexpected burst of exhilaration made Nell catch her breath. A few people looked round at her as Hugo leaned towards her, smiling.
‘I thought for a moment you were going to let me down. Do I detect an element of risk-taking in your approach?’
Let him think that. If this was an exercise in each keeping the other off-balance, it couldn’t do any harm. Nell gave him a smile and reached for her glass, which had been refilled at some point during the bidding. Clearly one of the attentive waiters had thought she might need it.
Hugo’s lot was the highlight of the afternoon. There were a couple more, to round things off, and then the ring of a silver spoon against a crystal glass called for quiet as their hostess got to her feet. She thanked everyone for being there, and introduced Hugo.
He got to his feet, smiling, and Nell saw more than one person smile back. Taking a sheet of paper from his pocket, Hugo scanned it and then tore it in two.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, I had a speech prepared, but I find that there’s little more I can do to add to this afternoon.’
Nell took a sip of her champagne. This sounded pretty much par for the course. This afternoon was all about delighting in smoke and mirrors, not getting to grips with the serious issues.
‘First, I’d like to thank Yvette, our hostess today...’ He paused as a round of applause ran around the tables, and Yvette nodded a smiling acknowledgement. ‘Second, I’d like to thank you all for your generosity.’
He paused. Five seconds’ silence, which was enough to catch everyone’s attention. Hugo’s timing was impressive.
‘You all deserve to know what that generosity means. Under your placemats, you’ll find a leaflet...’ He held up a glossy trifold, and Nell looked under her place mat and found one just like it. ‘We’re not in the business of bricks and mortar, or of reputation, although we’re rightly proud of Montarino Hospital’s record of excellence. We deal in people.’
Hugo’s gaze dropped suddenly to the trifold in his hand. Almost against her own will, Nell opened her own copy of the leaflet, seeking out the photograph inside that he seemed to be studying. A little girl in a pink dress, cuddling a battered teddy bear. She was smiling, reaching for someone or something behind the camera.
‘I’ll let these photographs tell you how much your kindness means. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.’
Hugo sat down abruptly, seeming to be almost overcome by emotion. Applause ran around the tables, followed by a buzz of conversation, which seemed to be centred around the leaflets in everyone’s hands.
It was a great speech. Short and to the point, and tugging nicely at the heartstrings. Nell had noticed that he’d put the paper he’d torn in half safely back into his pocket. She wondered vaguely if there had ever been anything written on it.
It didn’t matter. If Nell had seen the reality of heart disease, and knew that it wasn’t all smiles and teddy bears, that wasn’t what today was about. She’d lost count of the amount of money that had been raised, and it seemed the auction was just the tip of the iceberg.
A middle-aged man in a silk suit had approached their table, and Hugo had turned in his seat to talk to him. He pressed a folded cheque into Hugo’s hand.
‘Thank you, Henri. We’ll use this well.’
The woman standing next to Henri spoke. ‘Next time, I insist on being the hostess, Your Highness.’
Hugo hesitated. ‘You’re too kind, Justine. Think about it...’
‘No, I don’t need to think about it. I’ve thought about things for too long and it’s about time I did something.’
‘I’ll have Nathalie contact you, then. She’ll talk through all the options with you.’
‘I think I have an idea that will be perfect.’ Justine brushed off any other options with a wave of her hand.
Henri smiled suddenly. ‘We must be going. It seems that my wife has a plan that needs my attention.’
‘You shouldn’t work so hard, Hugo...’ Justine frowned suddenly at Hugo and caught Nell’s eye, reverting to English. ‘Take him away, my dear. He is neglecting his responsibilities to you.’
Nell smiled, not knowing quite what to say, and Hugo bade the couple goodbye. When he turned, his face was suddenly ashen and drawn. This was the first time that Nell had seen Hugo betray any weakness, and he was obviously tired.
Nell leaned towards him, speaking quietly. ‘We’re going. Now.’ She injected as little room for argument into her tone as possible.
‘I think you’re right... Yvette will wrap things up.’
Nell glanced across at their hostess and saw that she too was accepting cheques, tucking them into a small designer clutch bag that lay on the table in front of her, which seemed to contain little else.
‘I’ll...go and make our excuses...’ Maybe something would spring to mind on the way over to Yvette’s table.
‘That’s all right. I said we might have to leave a little early.’ Hugo reached for an auction programme, taking a pen from his pocket and scribbling something on it, then beckoning to one of the waiters. The note was carried to Yvette, who read it and smiled over at them.
Whatever he’d written, it seemed that their hostess was now happy to allow them to leave with as little fuss as possible. Nell bit back the thought that they should never have been here in the first place. Perhaps this would serve as a lesson to Hugo, and he’d respect his own limitations a little better from now on.
He swayed a little as he stood, wincing in pain. Nell hung on to his right arm, supporting him as well as she could and ignoring the glances and smiles from the people who crossed their path on the way back into the house. If they wanted to jump to the conclusion that there was something between her and Hugo, then let them. She imagined that she was just the latest in a very long list, which had the virtue of rendering her unremarkable.
Ted appeared out of nowhere, and Nell breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Would you be able to bring the car round, please, Ted?’
‘Yes, Doctor.’ Ted flashed her a conspiratorial smile and hurried away.
Hugo almost stumbled at the bottom of the steps at the front of the house, and when she put her arm around him to steady him, Nell found herself almost in an embrace.
‘I’m sorry.’ He made to pull away, but Nell held him tight.
‘That’s all right. We’ll just get home, shall we?’ She could see his car now, moving towards them, Ted at the wheel.
He nodded, and she felt his arm curl around her shoulders. ‘Yes. Thank you.’