Miranda's Big Mistake - Jill Mansell [1]
And if you were going to pay a chauffeur to run you around town, it made sense to economise in other areas, Miranda acknowledged, recognising the famous romantic novelist as she removed her dark glasses. That must be why the stingy, face-lifted old hag had only tipped her thirty pence last week.
The stamps and cigarettes weren't a problem, but the Grapefruit Zing herbal tea bags with extra ginseng took longer to track down. By the time she'd bought everything, Miranda was already fifteen minutes late.
He was there, sitting in his usual spot outside the shoe shop. Experiencing a horrid qualm of guilt, Miranda wondered if she could cross the road so he wouldn't catch sight of her, or simply rush past pretending she hadn't seen him.
Then again, perhaps she should just explain that she was in a tearing hurry and didn't have her purse on her right now, but if he hung around for another hour or so, she'd see him later.
Hung around for another hour or so, Miranda thought with a shudder. Crikey, patronising or what?
Poor chap, as if he had anywhere else to go.
Oh, but he looked so cold, so utterly miserable and chilled to the bone.
Too late to try and avoid him now anyway, she realised. He'd spotted her.
`Hi,' said Miranda, feeling rotten already. His blanket was damp, soaked through with slush. `Look, this isn't my lunch break, I'm just picking up a few things for a client, but I'll definitely be back before two.' Inwardly, she cringed. Oh, help, why did a perfectly good reason have to come out sounding like a feeble excuse? He didn't want one of her sandwiches in two hours' time, he needed something to warm him up now.
`Okay.' The man, who was probably in his early thirties, nodded and managed a faint smile. `Thanks.'
He never begged, never asked for anything. Just sat there, with his greasy black hair falling over his face and his dark eyelashes half shielding his eyes, as he watched the rest of the world march on by.
Miranda had never given him money in case he was a drug addict. The thought of her spare cash being injected into the nearest collapsed vein made her shudder. At least he couldn't fit a prawn sandwich into a syringe.
But today the circumstances were different. And there was a Burger King just across the road, selling hot drinks. What'smore, Miranda remembered, Alice Tavistock had given her a ten-pound note to go shopping with…
`Here.' Hurriedly she fumbled in her coat pocket for change and thrust seventy pence into his hand. `Buy yourself a cup of tea. Thaw out a bit.'
`That's very kind.'
Heroin cost more than seventy pence, didn't it? Worried, needing to check, Miranda said, `You don't do drugs?'
Another fleeting smile, accompanied this time by a shake of the head.
`No, I don't do drugs.'
Except… well, he would say that, wouldn't he? Miranda gave up; she had to get back. Ugh, this weather, her feet were going numb.
`Okay, see you later.' She flexed her icy toes. `Ham and tomato or prawn with mayonnaise?'
The man on the pavement shrugged.
`I don't mind. You choose.'
`Sorry I'm late.' Panting, Miranda burst into the VIP room. `Harrods was packed and the woman in front of me at the counter had a funny turn. Never mind, back now. Here we are, Mrs Tavistock.'
Fenn was putting the finishing touches to Alice Tavistock's French pleat. Not believing the funny turn story for a minute, he watched Miranda empty her pockets of stamps, cigarettes and change.
`Take the towels out of the tumble dryer,' he said, `and give Corinne a hand with Lady Trent's highlights.' Miranda wondered if Alice Tavistock might say thank
you, but getting a cigarette out of its packet and into her heavily lipsticked mouth was evidently more important. She watched the expensive silver lighter go click and the tendons of Alice Tavistock's skinny neck stick out like trapeze wires as she sucked in the first lungful of
'Miranda. Towels.'
Five minutes later, Miranda was dutifully passing rectangles of silver foil to Corinne when Fenn and Alice Tavistock emerged from the VIP room into the main area of the salon.
As Fenn beckoned