Poison in the Water Read online

  ‘Unlike the Renshaws I’m not going to play games. We both know each other far too well for that. I can offer you this,’ Maryanne said, tapping a calculator with a fuchsia painted fingernail. She turned the calculator around, showed the screen to Celeste. ‘It’s a good opportunity. Take it or leave it.’ Maryanne looked at her rose-gold and silver Rolex, which was far too big on her delicate wrist.

  ‘I’ll take it,’ Celeste said without hesitation. Forget Alex’s advice to never accept the first offer. She hadn’t listened to him when he told her to document all her conversations with Maryanne, she reasoned, so she didn’t have to follow his advice on salary negotiation. She was too creative for all that. And the way Alex thought wasn’t healthy. Sometimes, the way he spoke about his business affairs was bordering on paranoia. She worried if his mistrust and compulsive need to keep records of everything would spill into his personal life too. Just today, whilst she was eating her cereal, she saw him rearrange the apples in the fruit bowl in order of size. She had never noticed him do that before.

  Maryanne picked up a gold bumblebee pin on her desk and twisted it between her thumb and forefinger. ‘As a child, someone once told me that bees represent the realisation of one’s desire. When I started Cross I chose the bee as my signature emblem because I had finally satisfied that. The Paris store has been a success from day one. This is my final chapter, Celeste. I will open a store in Hong Kong. The bumblebee never fails me.’ Maryanne stood up and walked with Celeste to the door. ‘Cross boutiques are all I have left. Now,’ she said, opening the door, ‘get out of my office, and I’ll see you bright and early next Monday.’

  12

  20th July 2008

  Mayfair, London

  Celeste had been back at Cross for seven months now and she and Maryanne had found a rhythm to their work. She found she worked best designing in the afternoon, the mornings always seemed to be taken up with selecting colours and fabrics, styling models and fitting samples. Then when Maryanne knocked on her door later in the day they would go through the new designs, making changes to a cuff here and a collar there before she went home. Lately she was lucky if she went home before eight. Today she was told she needed to stay ‘as long as it takes’ to finalise the new collection. All these long hours were beginning to tire her and weren’t something she was used to after months of travel. She tried to remember if the hours at Cross were this long before her career break. She didn’t think so. Something was going on with Maryanne but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. She looked up at her boss and helped herself to another spring roll. Whatever it was, she liked Maryanne. She would go so far as to call her a friend. A good friend. ‘I could understand if it was love, but I don’t think it is,’ Celeste said.

  ‘Bonnie just wants what she can’t have. She’s always been like that. Alicia once bought this red Gucci bag, the last in the store. Bonnie wanted it – whined about it so much that Alicia ended up giving it to her’ Celeste said.

  ‘Did she ever steal one of your boyfriends when y’all were in university?’

  ‘No. But I’m sure my boyfriends thought about it. Men find her irresistible. I think it’s her flawless skin.’

  ‘Maybe she wants a different kind of connection. One without the day in and day out of a committed relationship.’

  ‘Or she has no morals.’ Immediately Celeste had touched her fingers to her lips. ‘I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t think that of Bonnie.’ Celeste looked into a box of cold dumplings wondering why she had repeated what Alex had said the night before. Alex didn’t know Bonnie like she did, but she supposed he had reason to say what he had. Alex had only recently confided that his father, the dashing Warwick Renshaw, had been a serial philanderer and had cheated on his mother so many times that he had lost count, confirming what her friends had said. ‘Even when she was sick,’ Alex had said, making Celeste reach out to him. She had to hold on to moments like that. It wasn’t often that Alex bared his soul.

  ‘If it’s bothering you so much, kid, why don’t you speak to her about it?’

  Celeste put down her chopsticks. ‘She’s up in Edinburgh now. Alicia and I don’t see much of her anymore.’ But it wasn’t just that and she knew it. No matter where in the world she was, she always spoke to Alicia. They would call or Skype each other every other day without fail. With Bonnie it was different. She wanted to call her, but Alex had only recently planted a seed of doubt in her mind about her friend after hearing of her affair, casually assassinating Bonnie’s character. ‘Who wrecks a marriage like that?’ he asked as he dried himself after his shower. ‘She probably can’t get a man herself. So she has to take something that isn’t hers.’ She had argued back – telling him that Bonnie and Matt were meant to be, trying to defend her friend. They had ended up raising their voices at each other until Alex accused her of not believing in the sanctity of marriage, after which he had slammed the front door and walked away. As usual she ended up apologising – Alex was never wrong, or so he believed. And she had hoped that he would have changed his mind about her friend when they met. She had noticed how his eyes widened when he saw her. She couldn’t blame him. Bonnie was tall and skinny and had a natural beauty in an Angelina Jolie sort of way.

  ‘And you have Alex,’ Maryanne said, bringing Celeste out of her thoughts.

  ‘He complains that I spend more time here than I do with him.’

  ‘Make sure you give your other-half time. It’s important. I know this is rich coming from me when I’m the one keeping you imprisoned here. But I know what men can be like. Leave them alone too much and who knows what could happen. After this collection is finished and the investors have had a look, y’all should take some time out.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Take a holiday with your man. Paris is beautiful at this time of year.’

  13

  22nd July 2008

  Mayfair, London

  ‘And I thought my father was the slave driver,’ Alex said. He was sitting on their white leather sofa drinking a glass of Burgundy. The sofa had been Celeste’s idea. They had bought it from Natuzzi in the sales on Boxing Day last year. Every time she looked at it she felt a small triumph over Kealana. She expected Kealana to be aghast when she saw it, but she had taken it well, barely batted an eyelid. It was childish, but it was one of the few items she had bought for the house.

  Celeste closed the door behind her. ‘I’m learning about the ins and outs of how a boutique like Cross operates. Everything, Alex. It’s not just designing. Maryanne is teaching me so much. I’m even learning about marketing. It’s intense and it takes time. But I love it.’

  ‘You do realise she’s giving you her dirty work, don’t you? In the nineties, they called it job enrichment. It’s all the same – more work, less pay.’

  ‘You said I was on a good wage. Don’t you think that Maryanne is gearing me up to take over one day? She has no heir.’

  Alex laughed. He stood up and walked up to Celeste. Then he kissed her on her lips. ‘Or she just wants you to think that. She sounds pretty shrewd to me. I worry about you. It’s ten o’clock and you’ll be up and out by six tomorrow.’

  ‘A couple of investors came in to view our new collection yesterday. Maryanne said they were making the right noises. They asked the right questions.’

  ‘But look at how tired you are. You deserve better than this. And I spend most evenings alone or at Bill’s. This isn’t what I signed up to when I asked you to move in with me.’

  ‘How is Bill?’ Celeste asked, trying to change the topic. She didn’t want to talk about Cross. Not today. Not after what she had found out. Bill was neutral territory – Alex’s best friend. She had met him several times since they had got back from travelling and she liked him. He was loud and a bit brash, but he had a charming personality. When you spoke to him he gave you his full attention as if no one else in the room existed. It was rare these days to talk with someone who actually listened.

  ‘Bill’s
fussing after Angela and her baby bump. But this is not about Bill. It’s about your work getting in the way of our relationship and your health.’

  Celeste bit her lip. Alex was right. She felt shattered. ‘I have to do this,’ she said, walking towards the kitchen. She took out a bowl from the cupboard and filled it with cornflakes. Maryanne needs me, she trusts me. I can’t let her down. Hong Kong is going to happen.’

  ‘How many hours does Maryanne work?’

  Celeste frowned. ‘Don’t start. She’s old.’

  ‘You’re smarter than that.’

  Celeste turned and narrowed her eyes at Alex.

  ‘I didn’t mean it like that. Listen honey, what I meant to say was that if this means so much to her she should be staying late too. She isn’t that old. She’s in her fifties.’

  ‘How do you know how old she is?’

  ‘She sounds like she’s in her fifties.’

  Celeste filled her cereal bowl with milk and sprinkled some sugar on the top. ‘Late fifties, could be sixties.’ Celeste thought about the dark circles under her boss’ eyes and her frail, trembling hands when she picked up a pencil to sketch earlier.

  ‘She’s in her fifties,’ Alex said confidently. He walked up to Celeste and removed the bowl of cereal from her hand. He drained the contents in the sink and put the remainder in the bin.

  ‘I was eating that.’

  ‘You can’t go to bed on just cereal. I bet you didn’t have any lunch either. Let me make you something.’

  ‘What time did you get back?’ Celeste said, seating herself on a barstool. She watched as Alex poured her a glass of red.

  ‘Been back about an hour. I had a big lunch. One of those pointless business affairs.’ Alex put a pan of water on the hob, adding some pasta to it.

  ‘And how was work?’

  ‘Busy. Too boring to talk about.’

  ‘I’m always going on about Cross. The world of finance can’t be that boring.’

  ‘Graham is not pulling his weight at the moment.’

  ‘I thought he was the apple of your father’s eye.’

  ‘Seems he’s not the efficient elder brother I thought he was.’

  ‘Tell me more.’

  ‘I don’t want to talk about it. Not now. It’s depressing.’

  Celeste stood up, took a large sip of her wine and wrapped her arms around Alex’s waist, burying her face in his back.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Alex asked. ‘I can tell something isn’t right. Remember we promised each other – no secrets.’

  She smiled. It was true. Just two days after she had moved in with him, he had made her make that promise. She was kind of glad that he did. It made her feel secure, like when he put his arm around her on that rickety boat in Thailand. ‘I did something I shouldn’t have. I took a look at the accounts for Cross London today. Maryanne was in a meeting. I was searching for a design for a lounge pant I had created before I left to go travelling. I couldn’t find it anywhere,’ she blurted out trying to justify her actions, although she never had to with Alex. He always knew what was going on in her mind.

  ‘And?’

  ‘Her computer was open. It was left unlocked.’

  ‘Ah, so you went snooping,’ Alex said with a grin. ‘I’ll remember to put a password on mine.’

  ‘She’s normally careful with locking her computer. I thought I would look for a scanned image of the design. Maryanne is better than me at keeping copies. I wasn’t looking for accounts. The page was just left open though. It’s like she wanted me to find them or something.’ Celeste felt guilty as the words left her mouth – she knew what Alex was going to say after she told him what she had found. Maryanne wasn’t just her boss she was her friend too.

  ‘What did you find out?’ Alex asked.

  ‘I found out that my computer literacy is improving as are my maths skills. Basically, Cross is screwed.’ Celeste released Alex and sat back on her stool. ‘We’re breaking our backs on this new collection, but I think we need to sort out the finances of the London store first. I think Maryanne is having difficulty paying back some of the company’s loans this year. Surely investors will look at that sort of thing.’

  ‘From what I hear Cross has good accountants. Sometimes you can hide that sort of thing. Did you ask her about it?’

  Celeste shook her head. Alex added frozen peas to the boiling pasta. ‘I’m no business graduate, but it looks like the company is in a fair amount of debt. Her dreams of opening a store in Hong Kong are completely unrealistic. I feel like I have to say something. But Maryanne’s so stubborn. She’s going to bury herself with this.’

  ‘Happens with all businesses. You have to continually evolve. Keep your ideas fresh and new or you stagnate and die. Sounds like her advisors are not doing their job.’ Alex sieved the pasta and peas and opened a jar of pesto. He stirred a tablespoon into the pasta and poured it into a bowl. He handed it to Celeste with a fork.

  ‘My saviour.’ She took a mouthful of food.

  Alex scratched his chin. ‘If a ship is sinking, don’t you think you should jump?’

  ‘I could’ve got it wrong.’ She stopped herself from saying that she wanted to be there for Maryanne, no matter what. Alex would never understand mixing emotion with business. It was all cut-throat in the world of trading and financial investment.

  ‘Your gut’s been telling you something’s not been right for some time. Now you know.’

  Celeste scrunched her nose, regretting having told Alex. ‘I suppose,’ she said, putting her fork down. ‘But I still can’t leave. I made a promise to Maryanne and I’m sticking by it.’

  ‘You should at least take a break.’

  Maryanne had told her the same thing, suggesting Paris. She did need a holiday, but Celeste had a better idea. She had never made it to Hong Kong when they had been travelling. And if she wanted to get an idea of what designs would sell there, she had to visit. Alex had been asking her to go with him there for some time now. He had started to travel to Asia regularly on business. His brother, Graham was taking a back seat. He had a work trip coming up. It would be ideal.

  ‘Maybe,’ Celeste said with a smile. ‘Maybe I could come with you to Hong Kong next month.’

  Alex scooped her up in his arms and kissed her.

  14

  17th – 23rd August 2008

  Central District, Hong Kong

  ‘The humidity’s oppressive,’ Celeste said as they entered the hotel lobby. She had enjoyed spending the day walking the narrow streets of Hong Kong. After a trip to the fashionable Lane Crawford, they had looked in fascination at the hawkers selling black century eggs and skewers of meat alongside live goldfish on Tung Choi Street. She had been enticed by the golden ducks hanging in restaurant windows, intoxicated by the mouth-watering smell of spices and plum sauce, and they had stopped for Pi Pa duck and rice mid-afternoon. But after a few hours of roaming the streets, Celeste’s hair curled and her clothes clung to her damp skin. So she was only too happy when Alex suggested they go back to their hotel, to enter the world of cool air-conditioning and controlled humidity.

  ‘Imagine if you had to catch a bus,’ Alex said.

  ‘I know, I sound like a spoilt brat.’

  ‘It wasn’t so long ago you were backpacking in Thailand. If I remember, the Best Value Phi Phi didn’t have air-con.’

  Celeste made a face.

  ‘We were free then. Now, we’re chained to our desks.’ Alex called the elevator and then interlinked his hand in Celeste’s, kissing her on her cheek, the way he always did. She breathed in his sandalwood cologne and pulled him in a little closer. ‘Warwick’s working me to the bone and it’s not much better for you. All for a few creature comforts.’

  They stepped into the elevator. Celeste tapped his watch with her polished, pink fingernail. ‘Would you be able to give up your Breitling?’ It had cost Alex more than her dad’s car.

  ‘You win.’ Alex pressed the button for floor twenty-seven ‘I’m glad you decid
ed to come with me. If you didn’t work, you could come away with me all the time.’

  ‘Alex, we’ve been through this.’

  He put his hands up. ‘Okay, okay. I’ll be busy with this new venture Warwick is considering in Hong Kong. Your support here is priceless. That’s all I wanted to say.’ The elevator arrived at their floor and they stepped out. Alex fumbled for the room key in his pocket.

  ‘I wouldn’t call all this priceless.’ Celeste looked around. ‘It must have set you back.’ She was about to thank Alex for his generosity – again. After all, he hadn’t yet let her spend a penny on this trip earlier in the day he had insisted on buying her an expensive dress. It turned out that Hong Kong was more on-trend than she had thought. But how many times could she say thank you? Her daily existence was turning in to one long thank you. Renshaw Limited had even paid for the flights, business class! ‘It’s a fourteen hour flight. We can’t be cramped in economy for that long,’ Alex had said.

  ‘We did it when we were travelling,’ Celeste had tried to reason, but Alex had rolled his eyes. ‘We’re not travelling now. It’s a business trip. Renshaw is paying.’ The conversation had ended there, with Alex kissing her on the forehead and telling her not to worry. But Celeste had worried. The tickets were more than double the price of an economy fare, and she had wanted to pay for the flights, because the hotel Alex had chosen was way out of her price range. She ended up letting Kealana book the flights and the hotel. Alex, of course, had got his way.

  She had thanked him when they were in their luxurious aircraft seats and then again when they had checked into their plush, five-star suite. Thanking him now seemed a little over-the-top. As he had reminded her time and time again, they were a couple now – they shared everything. But at what cost? – she sometimes wondered. Alex usually got his way, not just because of his charm but because he was usually footing the bill. It was a destructive thought, one which could cause their relationship harm, so she didn’t dwell on it too much.