The evening was lovely – warm and velvety, and we took our time.
The landlord, Joe Nelson, met us just inside the door. I’d known him since I arrived at St Mary’s. As a trainee, this place had been my second home. He was short, blocky, and his head of thick, dark hair could not disguise ears like satellite dishes. He had a sickle-shaped scar on one cheekbone. I knew he and Leon had been friends for years. Like obviously called to like, because here was another one who never said a lot.
‘Leon.’
‘Joe.’
The world’s two chattiest men stood for a while, possibly exhausted by the effort.
Eventually, he stirred. ‘I thought you might like some privacy, so I’ve arranged for you to be in here.’
He led us down a corridor to a door on the left.
‘The breakfast room,’ he announced and threw open the door with a flourish.
I stepped into Fairyland.
Only one of the three tables was laid. A crisp white cloth covered a small table near the fireplace. Gentle candlelight winked off crystal and cutlery. A low arrangement of golden roses in the centre of the table filled the room with their scent.
“The Moonlight Sonata” played quietly in the background.
‘This way, please,’ he said and led us to our table where a perfect Margarita awaited me. The years rolled back to a hotel in Rushford, when I’d worn this dress and he’d looked a sensation in that suit and we’d danced and taken the first steps towards a tentative understanding. Looking back over the last twelve months or so, we hadn’t made a lot of progress. But he was trying and I had promised my assistant, David, just before he died, that I would try too. I still missed him every day.
‘Leon, this is just perfect.’
‘Thank you. Drink this.’
‘What is it?’
‘Alcohol.’
‘Great. Why?’
‘Because I want to talk to you.’
‘In that case, alcohol might not be the way to go.’
‘I want you to drink this and then listen to what I have to say.’
‘You’re plying me with alcohol so I’ll say yes to something horrible?’
‘No, I’m plying you with alcohol so you’ll listen. I tried to talk to you about this after Jack the Ripper. And again after Nineveh, but there were more important things to be said then. I don’t want an answer from you now. I just want you to listen calmly and without panicking and alcohol seems the best way to go.’
‘OK. Hit me.’
I sipped, felt the familiar warmth spread through my limbs, and sucked the salt off my bottom lip.
He peered at me. ‘How do you feel?’
‘Pretty damned good.’
‘OK. I have a proposal for you.’
No, no, no. Not marriage. I really thought I’d made my feelings on marriage perfectly clear. Asked once what was the ideal quality in a husband, I’d replied: ‘Absence.’ No one ever asked again.
‘No,’ he said, hastily topping up my glass. ‘Calm down. Drink this.’
I sipped again and felt my panic dissolve in the tequila.
‘Get on with it, then.’
‘What?’
‘Well, this is me. One drink and I’m happy. Two drinks and I’m unconscious. You have a window of about eight seconds. Get on with it.’
‘All right, here goes. I’d like you to leave St Mary’s.’
I stared at him in dismay. ‘What? Why? What have I done? Are you breaking up with me? Why should I be the one to leave? If you’re uncomfortable having me around then that’s your problem, not mine. I’m not giving up my job just because we’re over. You leave.’
‘Yes,’ he said, removing my glass. ‘Something tells me I may have missed the window.’
‘What window?’
He sighed heavily.
‘I have no sympathy,’ I said. ‘You gave me alcohol.’
‘Yes, I brought this on myself. Let’s just give it a moment, shall we? And then I’ll have another go.’
The first course arrived – seafood platter.
I concentrated on my food. Something that comes easily to me. ‘These prawns are delicious. Do you want yours?’
‘Yes. You look very pretty tonight.’
‘Thank you, that’s very kind. I wore this dress to that hotel in Rushford. Do you remember?’
‘I do. I think that was quite a night for both of us.’
‘And at the end of it, you walked away.’
‘I had to,’ he said, matter-of-factly. ‘You have no idea of the effect you have on me, do you?’
I swallowed. ‘Or you on me.’
He took my hand. The room swayed a little. My heart rate kicked up.
The door opened and they brought in the next course. ‘Everything all right in here?’
‘Yes, thank you,’ said Leon.
I nodded, speech being beyond me just at that moment.