Page 102 of Pride and Privilege

Roscoe let out an eloquent breath of laughter. “I know the feeling. Believe me.”

“Not that it mattered. Everyone still thinks it was your doing.”

“Fucking rumours. How I hate them. Harshini’s astute enough to see through it all anyway, so don’t worry about that. The only thing that matters is whatyouknow. Mabel said something similar to me the other day. And I’m sure there’s some saying about there being a fine line between the wisdom of crowds and the madness of mobs.”

“Are you about to break into Latin again?”

Roscoe laughed. “No. Fear not.”

“Pity. It’s kind of hot.”

He turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “I can speak fairly decent Italian, too, if you like that sort of thing?”

She blushed, laughing, and muttered, “Not in public.”

“Noted,” he promised in the sort of low voice that sent her mind to inappropriate places.

“So,” she said briskly, swinging their joined hands in an effort to bring them back to some sort of topic. Shouldn’t this be a serious moment? “What do we do now?”

“I can think of one thing,” said Roscoe. “But not in public.”

“I was trying to be grown up and give this occasion the sense of gravitas and respect it deserves.”

“I have no idea where your mind went, Poppy, but I was merely going to suggest we return home to practise interview questions for LibertyBrooks.”

“Ah-hah. In Italian?”

“It seems unnecessarily challenging, but if you wish.”

They both laughed, exchanging a grin. And she was sure that Roscoe was realising the same thing she was: that somehow, out of their nonsense and laughter, they always managed to create a world that perfectly fitted the two of them. Somehow, together, they always found the brightness in the dark.

“But if you do want to talk about serious things,” said Roscoe. “I do have some ideas about what to do next. Even in the midst of it all, I was coming up with an escape route. It might surprise you to learn I’m a bit of a workaholic.”

“No! Really?”

“‘Fraid so. But I’m going to create my own ethical investment firm—full due diligence, created from the ground-up. Something that supports really innovative companies and only takes on clients who are really committed to an ethical model. I can sell the flat to liquidate some assets as seed money, and I already have some potential clients in mind. Leo Orton-Grey,for example, is looking to restructure his entire asset blend for philanthropic purposes, particularly arts funding. Maybe even Lionel Chen—”

“Roscoe, Roscoe…” interrupted Poppy. “Chill.”

He pulled a face at the word.

“Chillax, Ross,” she said, just to wind him up. “But seriously. Look up at the sky. What do you see?”

He squinted up at the periwinkle-blue sky. Flimsy white clouds drifted hazily, streaked here and there by the white lines of contrails.

“Erm. The sky? It’s the same sort of blue as your eyes.”

“That’s lovely.” It really was and did all sorts of things to her insides. “But,” she pressed, “do you see the planes? Do you ever wonder where they’re going? And don’t say a client meeting in Brussels. Come on, you’re a smart guy. What other reason might one have for getting on a plane?”

“Cheap overseas dental work,” he deadpanned.

“Right,” said Poppy, fighting to keep her face straight. She made a rolling motion with one hand. “And other than having your teeth pulled, can you think of any other reason for getting on a plane?”

He scratched his jaw, pretending to think. “I have heard rumours…” he said slowly.

“Yes?”

“Of these things… Begins with an H… What was it again…?”

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