Part 10 (1/2)

The words were out before she even considered telling the truth. Kate thought it was sad that Mia had no idea how much children brought to your life. Mia thought it was sad that she couldn't tell even her best friend how much she wanted a child brought into her life. But she couldn't afford to reveal her plan yet. It would ruin everything.

'Imagine little Richards running around,' said Jayne. 'They'd be too darling.'

Jayne smiled at Tash, but Mia noticed that the smile didn't reach her eyes. What was Jayne playing at? She certainly wasn't playing it straight. That was for sure.

'Give us a moment,' laughed Tash. 'We're not even married yet.' Mia was just thinking that she'd escaped lightly and no one was going to talk about the b.l.o.o.d.y wedding.

'No. You're not,' said Jayne, and then to Mia's surprise and momentary relief she changed the subject. 'Are you going to book lessons at the school?' Mia glared her response and tried to weigh up whether Jayne was being rude. Was she saying that Mia needed lessons? She did, of course, but she wasn't sure if she wanted anyone else saying so. Jayne didn't wait for a response. 'I think I might check in for lessons just because Pierre, the instructor, is so ruggedly handsome. I would so love to fall into those arms.'

'I saw him. You're right, he's to die for,' added Kate.

Mia was torn. She wanted to encourage Jayne in that direction any direction away from Jase actually. After all, a fling with a ski instructor was almost mandatory for women such as Jayne, a perk of finis.h.i.+ng school, but she found herself snapping, 'I'd hate that. There's nothing worse than being taught something by a man who is infinitely better than you, other than being taught something by a man who is infinitely better than you and good-looking.'

The girls giggled, and started to guess the girth of Pierre's forearms. They hotly debated the subject for a long ten minutes.

'So you've skied often?' Kate asked Tash.

'Boarded,' Tash corrected, not for the first time. 'Oh, yes, I got into it when I was about twenty.'

'Where have you been?'

'All over. Courchevel, Pas de la Casa and Les Arcs in France. Limone in Italy. Narvik in Norway and Sugar Bowl, California.'

'She'd never been to Avoriaz, though. Had you, Barbie Babe?' interrupted Mia.

Tash didn't respond to the interruption. 'Not like this, of course. Never in a hotel. More often than not I've stayed in a huge self-catering apartment block with a big gang of mates, acquaintances and relative strangers. About ten in beds and another half-dozen overload floor-scammers, who paid their way with beer. Lots of smelly bodies, and steamy wet clothes, fights over the shower and stealing food from the fridge. That has been my usual boarding holiday.'

'You paint such an irresistible picture,' said Mia.

'I've always had a lot of fun,' insisted Tash.

'Did you enjoy Pas de la Casa? I've heard it is pure holiday camp, designed for the world's dole cheats.'

'It is noisy and rowdy. It's lively. Good fun. You should go one day.'

Mia glared. People were always implying that she could do with a dose of fun, as though it could be administered in the same fas.h.i.+on as cod liver oil.

The girls chatted about the hotel, specifically the rooms and the treatments they fancied at the spa. They discussed the pizza toppings and gently argued about the number of calories in a hot chocolate. Tash noticed that Mia seemed fractionally less compet.i.tive when the boys weren't around. She didn't seem compelled to talk about the latest Pulitzer Prize novel she'd just read or art exhibition that she planned to visit. The conversation was not so liberally scattered with phrases such as 'sourly forceful' or 'thoughtfully compelling', as though she were a walking art compendium, and Tash was grateful. They drifted into the occasional lull as they watched other groups of friends and families order pizza and drink beer.

Tash thought what a wonderful moment this was. She loved her limbs feeling tight and exhausted after a workout on the slopes. She felt high on fresh air, and there was no better sensation than the sun s.h.i.+ning on closed eyelids. She felt relaxed and happy. This was a good moment. She wallowed in it, then blurted, 'Don't you think it's funny that I am a Richardson, Natasha Richardson, and I'm marrying a Richard. Sort of exchanging one Richard for another? It's that kind of thing that makes me believe in fate.'

Kate and Jayne nodded and smiled genially.

'You are not serious, Barbie Babe?' snapped Mia, who clearly hadn't grasped the concept of politely-going-along-with-the-bride-because-after-all-she-is-the-bride in the same way as the other guests had. 'So you are marrying Action Man because his name coincides with your surname?'

'No, she's marrying Rich because he's hot in the sack,' interjected Jayne.

'Barbie Babe, what did you do? Look up the birth registry for, say, 1969 to 1973? In which region?'

'I didn't say that, exactly.' Tash suddenly felt like an idiot. The relaxed atmosphere instantly vanished. She wanted to beat herself with a huge stick and wear sackcloth and ashes for the rest of her days as a punishment. Why did she say such stupid things? It wasn't because of a coincidence to do with names that she believed in fate. It was for a number of reasons to do with how her life had panned out so far, reasons that suddenly had become elusive and ephemeral, and she couldn't explain to Mia. Mia who was supposed to be her friend, but seemed distant and discouraging. She couldn't explain here at this lunch, which was supposed to be a hen-party lunch, but now seemed about as much fun as a condemned man's final meal.

'Hey, Barbie Babe, did you limit it to the UK, or did you include Europe, just to see how many boys were named Richard in that period? Did you then drop them all an e-mail until you got lucky with our Richard? Inspired.' Mia was laughing. Kate, who didn't think Mia was being funny, and Jayne, who did, both joined in to varying degrees. 'I might do the same search with Philip, as my surname is Philips. I hadn't thought of it before.'

Tash knew that she should probably count to ten. She should remember that Mia was one of Rich's best friends, that she was here as a guest to celebrate her wedding. That's what she should do. f.u.c.k it. Mia was a b.i.t.c.h, and Tash had had enough.

'Really, how odd, when you seem to have done everything else, including Internet dating, small ads in Time Out and sleeping with every guy you meet, including the groom and best man,' snapped Tash.

G.o.d, that was satisfying.

'How do you know that?' Mia demanded.

'Well, obviously, Rich told me,' replied Tash. She felt a smidgen shamefaced. After all, it was never nice to know that people had been talking about you. 'Don't think we were gossiping, we were just... chatting.' At least she'd managed to keep quiet about Ted, but that was more out of respect for Kate than respect for Mia.

'You've slept with Rich?' asked Jayne.

'Yes,' muttered Mia.

'And you knew?' Jayne asked Tash. Tash nodded. 'And you still let her come here?'

Kate looked around for the waiter. She hoped that by the time she ordered another bottle of wine the conversation would be forgotten.

'We don't keep secrets from one another. I fiercely believe in honesty. I don't much care what Rich has got up to in his past. He's a good-looking, clever, funny guy. It would have been odd if he hadn't s.h.a.gged around a bit. But I do believe that we have to be honest with one another about our past s.e.xual conquests because past s.e.xual conquests say a lot about a person, don't they?'

Mia shrugged. Tash thought that it had probably been such a long time since Mia had had an intimate conversation with a lover that she probably couldn't relate to Tash's theory or practice. Mia and her lovers swapped saliva not stories.

'Our entire relations.h.i.+p is based on trust. No secrets, no lies, just 100 per cent respect and honesty. Aren't all relations.h.i.+ps?'

'So you know everything there is to know about Rich's past, then?' asked Jayne.

'Yeah, pretty much. I could just about name every one of Rich's significant exs and detail the circ.u.mstances of the most interesting seductions. Well, at least as clearly as Rich can. He's sometimes a bit vague about names or the order of his flings. Spread himself a little too thinly at times.' Tash grinned. 'Don't worry. I'm fine with it,' she added, turning back to Mia. 'Well, it was all such a long time ago and it was just '

' a s.h.a.g,' stated Mia.

'Yes, that's what Rich said.' Tash closed the conversation with a guilty sense of triumph.

25. 95 Per Cent Honesty.

'Hi,' Jayne beamed at Rich and waved excitedly.

'h.e.l.lo,' he replied, nodding in her direction, but not breaking away from the queue for the ski lift.

'Are you trying to get in one more run before the lifts close?' she asked.

Rich nodded again, then started to fiddle with his goggles.

'All the other girls gave up at lunch time. I've been boarding on my own since then. Do you mind if I join you? I was just deciding whether to go back to the hotel or try for one more run.'