Page 7 of Escape to the Country

Lucas’s eyes suddenly frowned as he stared down at the wine glass on the coffee table. ‘Is that the Villeroy and Boch?’

‘I don’t know,’ she replied, suddenly on edge. He could be a bit precious about his belongings, most of which appeared to come with a high price tag.

‘Jesus, Eleanor!’ He picked up the glass and glared at her. ‘You know I only use them on special occasions. You’ve already broken one. Do you know how much they cost?’

She rolled her eyes. She didn’t need another bout of nagging about how accident-prone she was. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘But I didn’t think it was that important considering Ilost my job.’

Lucas was holding up the wine glass to the light, checking for damage, when her words appeared to register with him. ‘You lost your job?’

She nodded miserably. ‘Yup.’

He looked shocked. ‘What happened?’

‘The magazine’s downsizing.’ They locked eyes. ‘I found out last night but you were asleep when I came home and then you left early. I wanted to tell you face to face.’

‘You should have text me.’ Lucas ran a hand through his short black hair. ‘I don’t understand. Why you? I thought that new girl had less experience.’

Eleanor ground her teeth. ‘Yes, but Kourtney’s Dad owns a grand prix team. She’s going to have better access to celebrities than I ever will. These things make a difference apparently. Compared to, I dunno, real actual experience.’

‘Wait a minute.’ Lucas frowned. ‘Does this mean that those Silverstone tickets are gone as well?’

‘Well, yes,’ she told him. ‘I would think so, seeing as I won’t be going there to cover all the parties anymore.’

Eleanor stood up to receive a hug, whilst waiting for words of comfort regarding her own predicament.

But the only thing Lucas said was, ‘I’d better call my boss. Damn. I’d promised them to him. There goes my massive bonus. What a godawful day this has turned out to be.’

Eleanor blanched at his brutal words but tried to remain calm as she sank back onto the sofa. They were two peas in a pod, her and Lucas. They lived and died with their careers.

After a short phone conversation, Lucas wandered back into the lounge. ‘It appears I’m unscathed, thank goodness.’

‘Oh, goody,’ said Eleanor sarcastically, her calm posture suddenly snapping. ‘Any kind of sympathy would be great, you know, when you get over your own personal loss.’

Lucas looked sheepish. ‘Sorry. It really sucks. You know I’m upset for you. It’s just things are tight at the bank at the minute as well and I could have done with your connections. Look, I’m sure it’ll turn out okay.’

He had just stepped forward as if to take her into his arms when her phone rang.

Eleanor snatched at her mobile eagerly, hope surging inside that it was about a job. But it was only her mother.

‘Hi, Mum,’ she said, picking up and automatically fixing on her smile. ‘How are you?’

Expecting to bluff her way through the rest of the call as normal, she was horrified when her mum began to cry down the line.

‘What’s the matter?’ said Eleanor, feeling frantic with worry. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Oh, Ellie. I’ve done the most stupid of things,’ she said in a shaky voice. ‘I’ve broken my foot.’

‘Oh my god! How?’

‘Tripped over one of the kittens,’ said her mum.

Eleanor rolled her eyes down the line but didn’t say anything. There was no point trying to nag her mum about the number of animals she had in her house at any one time. That battle had been lost many years ago unfortunately.

‘Are you okay?’ she asked. ‘Where are you?’

‘I’m back home now,’ said her mum. ‘I’ve spent all day in A&E getting X-rays and then having the plaster put on.’

‘Poor you. Look, it’s late now,’ said Eleanor, checking the time. ‘I’ll come down on the train tomorrow and see you, okay? Maybe I’ll stay until the weekend.’