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Authors: Julia Williams
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person to make her change her mind about settling down. Which just goes to show how wrong you can be …
‘So go on then,’ Josie cut bluntly into Diana’s reverie. ‘What’s the story with you and Ant?’
‘There is no story with me and Ant,’ said Diana. ‘We worked together once. It was years ago.’
‘Yeah, right,’ Josie said. ‘Which is why you both looked as though you’d seen a ghost when you met.’
Diana had been dreading Josie’s interrogation since the morning. Josie had clearly given her some leeway about Ant, and not asked too many questions so far. Besides, she was happy to chat for England about what kind of flowers she was having, and Diana had kept her talking for as long as she was able. But it was clear Josie wasn’t prepared to be fobbed off anymore.
‘It was just a shock to see him,’ mumbled Diana. ‘It was years ago.’
‘Spill,’ said Josie, looking accusatory.
‘There is nothing
to
spill,’ protested Diana. ‘I worked with him one Christmas when I was doing the ski chalet thing. I barely know him. There is nothing to tell.’
‘Oh my God!’ Recognition suddenly dawned on Josie’s face. ‘Ant’s Teflon Tone, isn’t he?’
Diana felt the bottom fall out of her world. She really didn’t want to have this conversation.
‘No,’ she said unconvincingly.
‘You don’t fool me,’ continued Josie mercilessly. ‘Ant, Teflon Tone. No way.’
‘Yes, way,’ said Diana, realising there was no point denying it any longer. ‘Now can you see why I’m so freaked?’
‘He’s the one who —?’
‘Yes,’ said Diana. ‘That’s him. The bastard of all bastards.’
‘Oh bloody hell,’ said Josie. ‘If I’d had any idea, I’d have told Harry not to have him as best man, and I
certainly
wouldn’t have invited him for the weekend. God, Di, I’m so sorry. I’ll tell Harry he has to get another best man. It’s not as if Ant’s even that interested in the job.’
‘Not your fault. You weren’t to know,’ said Diana. ‘Just my godawful luck, as usual. Besides, whatever’s happened between Tony and me, it’s nothing to do with you two. Harry has to choose his own best man. I’ll cope.’
Josie sat looking thoughtful.
‘I still can’t get over Ant being Teflon Tone. What on earth possessed you? Or was he different when he was out there? At uni he always had a terrible reputation with women.’
‘Youth, stupidity, vodka?’ said Di. There’d been more to it than that of course. But she couldn’t bear to let her friend know quite how foolish she’d been. She’d heard Josie rant often enough about the idiocy of women who’d fallen for Ant’s charms and didn’t want to admit quite how easily she had done the same. It had all seemed so different back then …
‘Anyway, it was ages ago. All forgotten now.’ Diana looked round, desperate to change the subject; when talking to Josie about Tony in the past, she’d always played up the bad stuff, never mentioned any of the good, but there had been a reason why she was in love.‘Where are the boys with those drinks? The bar isn’t that packed.’
‘Oh,’ said Josie. ‘Look. Seems like we’ve got more than one local celebrity.’
Di looked to where Josie was pointing, to see Harry and Ant standing on the patio, deep in conversation with none other than Freddie Puck, the famous TV illusionist.
‘So go on,’ Ant was saying, clearly puppishly in awe of his childhood hero. ‘Spill the beans. How does the candle trick work? Is it sleight of hand, a false candle, what?’
‘You should know by now that I never speak of how the show works,’ said Freddie with a mischievous smile. ‘Shh, it will spoil the magic.’
‘He said it!’ Ant roared in delight.
‘Shh, it will spoil the magic,’ had been Freddie Puck’s catchphrase back in the day, solemnly chanted in playgrounds up and down the country every Monday morning after the show was aired the previous Saturday.
‘Yes, brilliant,’
‘So go on then,’ Josie cut bluntly into Diana’s reverie. ‘What’s the story with you and Ant?’
‘There is no story with me and Ant,’ said Diana. ‘We worked together once. It was years ago.’
‘Yeah, right,’ Josie said. ‘Which is why you both looked as though you’d seen a ghost when you met.’
Diana had been dreading Josie’s interrogation since the morning. Josie had clearly given her some leeway about Ant, and not asked too many questions so far. Besides, she was happy to chat for England about what kind of flowers she was having, and Diana had kept her talking for as long as she was able. But it was clear Josie wasn’t prepared to be fobbed off anymore.
‘It was just a shock to see him,’ mumbled Diana. ‘It was years ago.’
‘Spill,’ said Josie, looking accusatory.
‘There is nothing
to
spill,’ protested Diana. ‘I worked with him one Christmas when I was doing the ski chalet thing. I barely know him. There is nothing to tell.’
‘Oh my God!’ Recognition suddenly dawned on Josie’s face. ‘Ant’s Teflon Tone, isn’t he?’
Diana felt the bottom fall out of her world. She really didn’t want to have this conversation.
‘No,’ she said unconvincingly.
‘You don’t fool me,’ continued Josie mercilessly. ‘Ant, Teflon Tone. No way.’
‘Yes, way,’ said Diana, realising there was no point denying it any longer. ‘Now can you see why I’m so freaked?’
‘He’s the one who —?’
‘Yes,’ said Diana. ‘That’s him. The bastard of all bastards.’
‘Oh bloody hell,’ said Josie. ‘If I’d had any idea, I’d have told Harry not to have him as best man, and I
certainly
wouldn’t have invited him for the weekend. God, Di, I’m so sorry. I’ll tell Harry he has to get another best man. It’s not as if Ant’s even that interested in the job.’
‘Not your fault. You weren’t to know,’ said Diana. ‘Just my godawful luck, as usual. Besides, whatever’s happened between Tony and me, it’s nothing to do with you two. Harry has to choose his own best man. I’ll cope.’
Josie sat looking thoughtful.
‘I still can’t get over Ant being Teflon Tone. What on earth possessed you? Or was he different when he was out there? At uni he always had a terrible reputation with women.’
‘Youth, stupidity, vodka?’ said Di. There’d been more to it than that of course. But she couldn’t bear to let her friend know quite how foolish she’d been. She’d heard Josie rant often enough about the idiocy of women who’d fallen for Ant’s charms and didn’t want to admit quite how easily she had done the same. It had all seemed so different back then …
‘Anyway, it was ages ago. All forgotten now.’ Diana looked round, desperate to change the subject; when talking to Josie about Tony in the past, she’d always played up the bad stuff, never mentioned any of the good, but there had been a reason why she was in love.‘Where are the boys with those drinks? The bar isn’t that packed.’
‘Oh,’ said Josie. ‘Look. Seems like we’ve got more than one local celebrity.’
Di looked to where Josie was pointing, to see Harry and Ant standing on the patio, deep in conversation with none other than Freddie Puck, the famous TV illusionist.
‘So go on,’ Ant was saying, clearly puppishly in awe of his childhood hero. ‘Spill the beans. How does the candle trick work? Is it sleight of hand, a false candle, what?’
‘You should know by now that I never speak of how the show works,’ said Freddie with a mischievous smile. ‘Shh, it will spoil the magic.’
‘He said it!’ Ant roared in delight.
‘Shh, it will spoil the magic,’ had been Freddie Puck’s catchphrase back in the day, solemnly chanted in playgrounds up and down the country every Monday morning after the show was aired the previous Saturday.
‘Yes, brilliant,’
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