Page 36 of Dead to Me

‘Only a pleb would say that,’ Ryan countered with a grin.I shook my head at him, sure that this was all just an excuse not to drink but also thinking the language was a little… off.It was, I realised, the first time I’d heard any of them sound snobby about anything.

James had drifted over to us by this point, and was watching us consideringly.

‘I’ll leave you all to it,’ Ryan went on, ‘and go and chat up the elderlies for a bit.Get it out of the way.’

He squared his shoulders and moved towards the cluster of fifty- and sixty-year-olds, where he was immediately accosted by the well-tailored man who’d been talking to James.

‘Ohhh, is that Ryan’s dad?’I asked, delighted.‘Explains so much.’

‘Er, no,’ James said after a momentary pause.‘That’smydad, trying to charm everyone, as usual.’As I looked at him, startled, he added, ‘Sorry.Can’t really… do anything about it.’

I wasn’t sure if Kit’s expression was pure amusement, or also glee at my mistake.But either way, the only thing for it was to apologise to James without any visible embarrassment.I was clearly already in trouble with him, anyway.

To be fair to me, Reid, there was virtually no similarity at all between the powerful, skiing-and-horses build of Philip Sedgewick– a man who seemed to ooze confidence– and the delicate handsomeness of the son.I guess they were both handsome, in their way, with Philip still young enough to be a looker.But the dad was all broad cheekbones and merriment.None of James’s delicate poet-from-a-bygone-age thing.

Now that I’d seen Philip Sedgewick for myself, I was alsosurprised at Dad still being friends with him.He seemed like the kind of ultra-connected ex-public-school guy he’d been avoiding at the cricket.

I watched Philip for a few moments and then told James, ‘You have to be a changeling.’

‘I’ve often hoped so.’James gave me a smile, which was a positive note.He didn’t seem angry, now I came to think of it.‘There’s worse, you know.’He nodded towards the very pretty young woman I’d seen him with before.‘That’s my super-in-every-way sister.’

I couldn’t help staring.‘Wow.’I shook my head, looking her over again.‘She looks great, but you’re prettier than she is, you know.’

‘Thanks,’ James said.‘I think.’There was a pause in which Kit moved to murmur something to Esther, something I badly wanted to hear.But James was saying, ‘I’m… sorry I didn’t come to say hello on Sunday.’

‘Sorry?’I blinked at him, and then realised what he meant.‘Oh, at the cricket?That’s OK.You were with friends.’

‘Honestly, it wasn’t that,’ he said.‘I would have come and got you.It’s just… I had a bit of a falling-out with Tess Withnell a short while ago and I didn’t want to make things awkward.’

‘Ohhhh,’ I said.‘Is that because she’s a shit-stirrer?’

And there’s a big irony in that, Reid, because obviously I was only saying it because I was, myself, shit-stirring.But in my defence, I was doing it for a good reason.

James’s mouth tightened, and then he sighed.‘Yes,’ he said.‘So I’m guessing she told you her usual crap about me and Holly?’

I gave him a grimace.‘Yeah.I’m sorry.I shouldn’t have mentioned that I’d met you, but I was just trying to think of something to say that wasn’t “Wow, you’re so athletic.”’

James gave a short laugh and said, ‘It’s honestly not your fault.But for what it’s worth, she knows very well that what she’s saying isn’t true.The conversation she loves to share was about someoneelsetagging Holly in something, not me.Holly was totally justified being angry.It was a girl at Holly’s college trying to make out that Holly was friends with a right-wing commentator just because they’d been standing near each other at a dinner the college had hosted.It was a really gross attempt to make her look bad.She was furious and angry, and I was there for her, because that’s what you do when you’re someone’s boyfriend.’He looked away from me, his expression flat.‘I also asked Kit, as our pet lawyer in the making, to threaten the girl who shared it with legal action, and she took it down.But it caused Holly a lot of hurt at the time.’

‘I’m sorry,’ I said, both because it was the sensible thing to say and because it was the right thing to say.It was hard to tell whether James was telling the truth or spinning me a tale and acting it perfectly.But I both needed to make him trust me and felt how hard it must be to lose your partner.‘For what it’s also worth,’ I added, ‘I’ve met people like Tess before.The kind who are dying to tell you gossip about everyone you mention.I’ve learned not to listen to it, so you don’t need to worry.’

I put a hand briefly on his shoulder, and he gave me a half-smile.

‘Good,’ he said.And then, lifting his head, he added, ‘Do you want to meet the family?Mum’s here somewhere, too.’

‘Of course.’

I gave James a smile but felt a returning jolt of anxiety.Pulling off the Aria Lauder act in front of James’s well-connected family was, in many ways, likely to be a harder job than managing it with the students.And the friendship between Dad and Philip Sedgewick made it feel more risky.

But I was also keenly interested to meet the parents of these absurdly privileged kids.It had struck me already that covering up a crime was a difficult enterprise and that a wealthy, well-connected parent might have stepped in to help.I think most of us would do more than we’d like to admit to protect the people we love.

I followed James towards the silver-haired man, and Philip lit up with delight the moment he heard my name.

‘Oh, you’re Seaton’s god-daughter!What an absolute pleasure to meet you.’

‘Thanks,’ I said, taking his offered kiss on the cheek and feeling incredibly grateful that Dad had thought to lay proper groundwork.‘I’m surprised he’s willing to admit to the connection.’

‘Not at all, not at all,’ Philip said, warmly.‘He’s immensely proud of you.He’s told me all about your rowing achievements.What an impressive thing, to be rowing for Great Britain.’

---