Ashford’s Version
“And so, she was petrified when she saw her.” I’m in the stables at the polo club and, as I prepare my horse for the final match, I tell Harring about the evening at Kew Gardens.
“I can’t blame her. Portia has an extraordinary power to turn people into stone with a single look, like Medusa.”
“Jemma reacted as if she were facing an exam she can’t pass, as if there were a rival she’s not up to. But all I want is to be with her, I don’t even look at other women.”
“Are you sure you didn’t give her a different impression?” Asks Harring, without taking his eyes off his mobile.
“No, never!” Then I think about it for a moment. “Well, maybe at the beginning I didn’t go easy on her, I often pointed out that her attitude and appearance were inadequate, but it’s different now! She’s perfect, she’s strong and charismatic, and she’s worth ten of those skinny broomsticks! Portia included!”
A third shadow stretches across the floor of the stable block. “You didn’t think like that until a few months ago.”
Shit.
It’s Portia, who approaches to our bewilderment.
Harring – damn him – reaches the door quickly. “I, um, I’m busy, I left the oven on and… good luck, Parker!”
“Harring… the same old fearless knight,” Portia comments, once we’re alone.
“What brings you here?” I ask, trying to look as relaxed as possible.
“My brother plays on the opposing team, remember?”
“Sure.”
“Aren’t you going to ask me how I am?”
“How are you?” I repeat, flatly.
“Fine,” she says, but her expression is impossible to decipher.
“I’m glad.”
“Sure, I see that.”
“Sorry about earlier,” is all I can say. “That came out wrong…”
“Oh, so you’re apologising about what you said a little while ago. I must have missed something, though, because I don’t remember you apologising for vanishing and reappearing with a wedding ring on your finger and a wife from Lewisham. Perhaps because you never did.” Portia is a master at disguising resentment; despite what she said, her expression is an enigma.
“Love at first sight,” I explain.
“You? You can’t believe I will buy such a pathetic excuse.”
“What do you want from me, Portia?” I ask, exasperated.
“At first, I yearned for revenge, then I just wanted to make you feel like a worm. Now, I don’t want anything. Being a woman, I’m used to whimsical men who may have passed thirty but are nothing but spoilt babies. In any case, I hope you didn’t think that I would turn a blind eye and not say a word.”
“Perhaps I should have been clearer, but you and I were never a couple.”
“And therefore you didn’t think it was necessary to talk to me. I’m okay with that. Let’s get this straight: I didn’t lose any sleep over you.”
She’s exasperating! Like a boa constrictor that wraps around its prey before strangling it in its coils.
“Peace.” Suddenly, her expression changes, showing a peaceful and diplomatic smile. “We’re adults and we move in the same social circles. Let’s do it in a relaxed way, free from embarrassment,” she reaches out her hand. “Now that we have broken the ice, there’s no point in avoiding each other at all costs. We can breathe the same air. I hope you are happy and treat your wife better than you treated me.”
I shake her hand. “Well then. See you, Portia.”
“Yes, I’d better get going. I don’t want to miss the team taking to the field. I wish you good luck, but don’t hope that I’ll support your team, this time.”
“Thanks,” I dismiss her.
Shortly after Portia left, Jemma arrives at the stables.
“Hey sunshine!” I greet her, picking her up in my arms.
“I thought you were with Harring.”
“I was, he left a while ago.”
“Portia came out from here a little while ago, not Harring,” her voice is shaky.
“Her brother plays in the opposing team. She stopped in to say hello. And to talk.”
“About what?” Asks Jemma inquiringly.
“About everything. And I told her that we never had a relationship, that I didn’t want to marry her, and that I didn’t feel obliged to justify myself for marrying you. Now that we’ve put things right, we can attend the same places without risking being caught in the crossfire of anti-tank missiles.”
“Did you tell her we’re happy?”
I kiss her to remove every doubt. “Why, isn’t that obvious?”