SPARKS 28

We are still chatting when I notice uncle Will’s eyes are caught by something behind my back and I feel someone grabbing my arm. It takes me a split second to recognize his touch and my heart skips a beat.
“Excuse me your Highness” he hisses and bows mocking him “I need to have a word with your escort”
I give my uncle a pleading look mouthing “don’t”, he looks back at me and just stands there carrying on with his conversation.
I barely have the time to excuse myself when Howard walks me, or better pushes me, toward the terrace. I look around me, smiling and nodding “let go off my arm, you’re hurting me” I whisper *I still haven’t seen his face, what am I going to do when I look into his eyes?*
“What goes around comes around my dear” his tone his cold but his lips are so close to my ear they send shivers down my spine *remember Dawn’s word, he would never forgive me, ever*
He finds a hidden spot at the end of the terrace and there he lets me go. I stay there, with my back at him, trying to catch my breath and rubbing my arm.
“At least have the decency to look at me!”
And it hits me *He’s mad at me? What the heck is going on here? Have I missed an episode? He’s the one who’s having a child and not with me*
“Damn it Bea!” he grabs my arm again and has me turn around so we are face to face.
“Stop it, I will be covered in bruises tomorrow” I complain keeping my head way down, his smell, so good, so close
“Don’t play the delicate damsel with me. I know you and I clearly remember what you did with me in your room only few days ago” he smirks “So cut the act. I’m not buying it anymore”
I look at him and I know he’s hurt. He looks so pale and sad.
“You … you” he’s so mad he cannot find the words. Runs his fingers through his hair. Takes a step forward, our bodies almost touching and he lays his hand on my necklace rubbing it with his fingers.
“Nice dog collar” he hisses - I feel like he just hit me - “do you bark too if he orders you pet?”
I look at him in disbelief *what is going on?* while his hand slides from the necklace to my breast groping it “I don’t have much cash with me, do you accept credit cards? I have an hour to kill and you’re good in bed”
That’s when I slap him, with all the strength I have. The echo of my palm hitting is cheek is still in the air. I’m breathing heavy, he’s rubbing his face.
“Pretentious bitch. Now that I think of it I believe I’m entitled to another free trial. You should be grateful to have a nice break from the old fart that pays for your accessories”
I blink *he thinks I’m uncle Will’s lover. That’s why he’s so mad. Oh God Howard, I am so sorry*
My mouth is dry, I try to find my best neutral tone “I don’t need a break; I don’t consider it a job anymore. I like him. He’s very good to me and generous. You asked me if I bark, I do, I do anything he wants me to” and I stress the anything part. Can’t look straight at him, so I focus on a green leaf coming out from a thin break on the wall in front of me. “This necklace alone is worth my year salary. I’m not stupid”
His hand now rests on my hips, his thumb rubbing it “Who are you? What did you do with Bea?”
Instead of kissing him and cuddle him I say “She’s standing right in front of you. You just can’t see her. Don’t touch me” and I smack his hand “Shouldn’t you go back to your girlfriend? You should not leave her alone. I’m told pregnancy is a very delicate time in a woman’s life”
He’s no longer mad, I think his mind simply refuses to accept “Stop it” he begs
“Time’s up, I need to go back inside. He will wonder where I am”
“You are lying. You can tell me. It’s me. Do you need money? I can give you money. I’ll take care of you”
I know I must look awful to him, I know I’m hurting him “I don’t want you or your money and I don’t miss you”
“You do and you will”
“Go back to your life” I hiss.
He looks at me one last time, like he’s about to say something else but he doesn’t. He places his hand on his temple gently rubbing it. Turns back towards the doorway and slowly walks back into the main hall. I stay there, trying to fight the tears *How does it happen? One moment I am in his arms, the next we are hurting each other* I see him disappear behind the glass door *we will never make love again; I will never speak to him again. You better take good care of him Marie*. I sit on marble bench, resting my head against the wall and that’s where uncle Will finds me.
He places an arm on my shoulders “the car is waiting, let’s go home”
Once we’re in the car I start sobbing “is he him Beatrice?”
I nod
“Why was he so mad? I assumed he left you. What happened?”
“I cannot talk about it now, I can’t. If I keep it in my mind I can just pretend it’s a nightmare and I’ll wake up soon. Please try to understand. Don’t ask me to”
He kisses my hair “that’s fine” but he is already thinking why in the world his niece is in love with a member of Take That and how the hell they met. That scruffy pop-singer with no manners is not the kind of person she hangs out with.



I knock on my uncle’s study door and I open it. “Buongiorno!” and I walk to him.
“Martin has already put my bags in the car, I’m catching a plane in less than 2 hours and with all the security measures I will have to go through at Gatwick I better hurry up. I’ll miss you and I’ll see you on Sunday” and I kiss his cheek.
The look on his face is not good. “What?” I smile and put my hands on my hips “I’m Julie’s bridesmaid, witness, and queen of all wedding planners. I need to make sure everything is perfect, flower decorations, wedding cake, music. Everything has to be perfect! Besides Gordon’s mother has a terrible taste, so tacky, I need to be there before anybody else and make sure she does not mess with MY wedding! The girls will join me later today and we will have a hell of a hen night!”
He’s still staring at me, not talking. “What?” and I stomp my feet on the carpet “why are you looking at me like that? What did I do this time?”
“Beatrice have a sit”, his voice is calm
“Need to seat down? It must be bad. Whatever it is, it wasn’t me, and if it was me I didn’t mean it. Cross my heart”
He takes few pictures from a large brown envelope sitting on his desk and places them in perfect order in front of me so I can see them.
I swallow and take a deep breath “nice ones, where did you find them?”
“This is serious Beatrice, could you please explain how you can fancy someone like ….” I can see he’s struggling not to curse “him?”


I scan the images, one by one, pictures of Howard almost naked on stage, till I see the last one and my mind goes blank, or better goes hot *how come I’ve never seen it, oh god, need air, need a shower*
“Beatrice!”
I jump on my chair and blush “you cannot read minds, can you?”
“Do not even think about turning this into a joke. How did you meet him?”
I smile and do my puppy eyes, but it’s not working *good job queen of the idiots, you managed to piss off the only decent member of your family* “I just thought I could enjoy a career change…”
He sighs “Tell me there are no pictures of you wearing latex costumes; tell me you did not use your 5 years of expensive ballet classes to jump up and down on a stage with … them”
He pronounce ‘them’ as he’s about to puke.
“No, I worked as a nanny for Gary Barlow, that’s how I met him” *not big on quick thinking, need to think before opening your big mouth you silly cow, he’s gonna have a stroke and I will be alone in the world*
He looks at me like I’m out of my mind “you are kidding me right?”
“No” probably he didn’t hear it, because I manage to keep my voice very very low.
“Of all the stupid things you have done in your life this is the dumbest”
*die hard* “It’s not, it was fun, and I enjoyed spending time with Emily and Daniel, they are fantastic. And it was such a relief just to be me, no strings attached. It was over in less than a minute so no one knows about it. You can relax now”
“Are you in love with him?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s over. I need to go now; I’ll call you when I get to Edinburgh” I walk to the door and look at him “You’re not mad at me are you? I could not stand it, say something please”
“So it is over, I mean you give me you word there is no chance my grandchildren, your children, might have blue eyes and a lisp”
“Not one in a million”
“Good” he stands up, walks to me and kisses my head “you scared me for a minute. Have a safe trip to Scotland”

I’ve just had an argument with the florist which I fear may lead to a bloody war between Italy and Scotland. I’m driving to the airport to pick Caro and Tricia up and I decide the bride has the right to get the story from me first.
“I think we might have a problem Jules”
“Who did you piss off?”
“The florist, it seems like your beloved mother in law had the brilliant idea to order chrysanthemums. I saw your bouquet and I lost it”
“Shit, I hate them”
“That’s not the point! In Italy they are cemetery flowers! Do you think I can turn my best friend wedding into Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride? I tossed a couple of ‘f’ words here and there, swiped my credit card and I saved the day my dear! It’s going to be heliotropes and stephanotises. See, growing up in an original Italian garden finally paid off”
“…Thanks…”
“Well, I’m sorry to bother you with details about YOUR wedding, are you busy?”
“I’m at John Lewis, the one on Sloane Square, shopping for Tricia’s twins. I’ll miss their birthday since I’ll be on my HONEYMOONNNNNNNN”
“Don’t mind me”
“And I’m shopping for them. I’ll give their present to Tricia and they’ll consider me the one and only fairy godmother. Shit!”
“The ‘s’ spell. Did you study at Hogwarts too?” I laugh “What happened?”
“Kids floor, scary dreadful little creatures everywhere. I think I might be sick soon”
“You can puke and lose weight but you cannot, and I repeat, cannot put any weight on. I was looking at your wedding dress this morning and it looks really tight”
“Looking at it or trying it on?”
“Who do you think I am? I tried it on and I also pretended to walk down the aisle”
“Freak”
“Ungrateful”
I can picture her looking at children’s clothes “How old are they, 2?”
“They are 4, for the love of god Julie, they are 4”
“Wrong section then” I can hear her walking around and lots of kids in the background
“I’m picking Tricia and Caro at the airport and let the fun began my dear! I guess you will need to catch a taxi if you want to make it to your hen night”
“No prob…” and her mobile slips off her hand, Howard standing right in front of her. He’s holding a couple of pink t-shirts and he’s staring at her like she’s Jabba the Hut.
“Julie, are you ok? Julie? What was that noise? Talk to me!”
He recognizes my voice, squats and picks the phone up handing it back to her “you better talk to her, the bitch seems concerned”
It takes Julie few seconds to understand the word he just used to describe me, looks into his eyes and pick up the phone “I think I found what I was looking for. I’ll call you later honey”
“Ciaoooooooooooo bride!”