Twice Upon a Time (15 page)

Thank god Cinda didn’t stay in my bed last night
, he thought. Then he checked, just to be sure.

‘You have gone too far this time,’ said Gus.

Ludo sat up, noticing he was still in his swimming shorts. He didn’t even remember flying back last night.

‘What now?’ he asked wearily.

‘The footage from the Blue Marlin is unacceptable,’ Sofia said.

Ludo swung his feet to the floor and stood up, stretching.

‘Hang on.’ He padded over to the bathroom and closed the door while he used the toilet. Heading back out of the bathroom, he pulled on a T-shirt and sat down on the sofa, waiting for the lecture. ‘What footage?’

Gus handed him an iPad and pressed play. A video of himself, nude on the diving board, yelling about Cinda being the one, started to play.

Cinda was standing to one side, laughing but looking embarrassed at the same time.

‘She’s lovely, isn’t she? You have to meet her, Mamma,’ said Ludo, knowing he was taunting them both.

Sofia almost snarled. ‘She is leaving.’

Ludo stood up. ‘What?’

‘This video is everywhere,’ said Gus.

A few details of the night started to emerge in Ludo’s still-foggy brain.

‘What happened?’

‘After you left, some Russian paparazzo cornered a few minor celebrities, planning on blackmailing them by taking photos of them doing drugs. He was caught by the club’s security but he seems to have managed to send some of his photos to a secure computer for safekeeping,’ said Gus, looking closely at Ludo. ‘You weren’t involved, were you?’

‘No way,’ said Ludo as he turned from his brother and sat down again. The events of the previous night were coming slowly back to him.

‘At least that’s something,’ said his mother with a sigh, sitting opposite him. ‘But still, she has to go home now, Ludo. You’ve had your fun, now you need to get back to your life.’

‘And what life is that, Mamma? Doing whatever you tell me to do?’

Sofia scoffed. ‘You do whatever you want. Stop being so ridiculous.’

Ludo was calm. ‘No, I fill in time. There’s a difference.’

‘Then what do you want to do, Ludovic?’ she asked, clasping her hands in her lap in that slightly menacing way she had.

Gus put his hands in his pockets and stood behind their mother, looking at Ludo expectantly.

‘I don’t know, but it’s not this,’ said Ludo, gesturing at his mother and brother in his bedroom. He wished he were anywhere but there.

There were actually a lot of things Ludo wanted to do –
would
do, if he were in charge. But his ideas had never been taken seriously. All that was expected from him was to stay out of trouble and stand behind his brother whenever appropriate.

‘Your friends are taking advantage of you,’ said his mother. ‘Perhaps Gus and I are the only ones who can see that.’

‘That’s not true,’ said Ludo, frowning. He glanced at Gus. ‘You like Jonas and Cinda, don’t you?’

Gus looked away guiltily and Ludo felt a familiar stab of anger at his brother. Selling him out to their mother, yet again.

‘I’m not saying I don’t like them,’ said Gus carefully. ‘I simply feel they have outstayed their welcome.’

‘She’s not going anywhere,’ said Ludo firmly. ‘She’s the one for me, I’m sure of it.’

‘You said that about the last . . . ’ Gus paused and counted on his fingers. ‘The last three girls you’ve been with. You confuse sex and love.’

‘We haven’t had sex.’

Gus looked surprised, but said nothing.

‘I don’t want to talk about that side of things,’ said Sofia with a stern look. ‘Although that’s all anyone is talking about, now you’ve put the crown jewels on display so dramatically.’

Ludo smiled at his mother’s attempt at humour, but her face was serious.

‘Tell me what you want to do, Ludovic,’ she said, her voice gentler, her face softening.

Ludo paused. Besides being with Cinda, he couldn’t think of anything in his current state. ‘I don’t know,’ he finally admitted.

Sofia looked as though she had come to a decision. ‘I am sending you to Africa,’ she announced.

‘Oh great, another punishment trip,’ Ludo muttered.

Sofia leant forward. ‘This time it’s not just a punishment, Ludo, although your behaviour last night warrants it. The trip is with some other young royals who want to set up projects,’ she said. ‘You will learn from this trip.’

Ludo sat in sullen silence, his mind ticking over. ‘How long would I be away?’ he finally asked.

‘A month. You’ll need to leave tomorrow. The program started last week, but I don’t think they’ll mind you joining them a little late.’

‘Tomorrow?’ he cried. ‘I can’t leave tomorrow. What about Cinda?’

‘I’ll take care of her,’ said Gus.

‘I’m sure you will,’ said Ludo, standing up. He turned to his mother. ‘I’m not going. You won’t solve our family’s problems by sweeping them under the rug.’

‘You are going,’ the Queen said calmly.

‘No, I’m not. I’ll leave here with Cinda and Jonas, and you will never see me again.’ He was unsure how this would actually work, but it seemed like his only option.

‘Stop being such an idiot,’ said Gus, pacing the room.

‘It is the only way,’ said Sofia, shaking her head. ‘It will be good, Ludovic, I promise you.’

Ludo was silent, trying to piece together an escape plan but coming up short. His planning skills had only ever really extended to what he was doing that week, never for the rest of his life.

His mother and brother stared at him and he glanced down at the iPad and then back to his mother. He knew he wouldn’t win this argument, so he had to salvage what he could.

‘I promised Cinda I would let her paint my portrait,’ Ludo said to his mother. ‘As a gift to you. She’s an amazing artist and a great person, if you could overlook your snobbery for a moment and get to know her.’

Sofia said nothing.

‘I told Cinda she could stay here while she worked, and that I would pay her for the portrait.’

Gus rolled his eyes.

Ludo felt like punching his brother, but instead he ran his hand through his dirty hair. ‘If I go, you have to promise not to send Cinda away. Promise you’ll keep her safe until I return.’

‘That’s unacceptable,’ said Gus quickly.

‘Why?’ said Ludo, glaring at his brother. ‘I made a promise, you can help me keep it. It’s one thing. Do it or I won’t go. Maybe I’ll do some interviews.
Hello
and the
Daily Mail
and the like. Tell people all about you and Perrette and her addiction to diet pills.’

Gus stepped forward, but their mother put up her hand.

‘Stop it, the pair of you,’ she commanded.

Ludo sighed. ‘If you knew what Cinda had done, you wouldn’t fight this one small kindness.’

Gus and Sofia stared at him apprehensively.

‘I would have gone with that paparazzo,’ Ludo said. He paused for effect. ‘But Cinda stopped me. Got me out of the club and away. If it wasn’t for her, you’d be dealing with a much bigger crisis than that video.’

Gus and Sofia glanced at each other.

‘She can stay at the guest apartment in Paris until you return from Africa,’ said Sofia finally.

Gus glared at his mother.

Ludo nodded, satisfied. ‘Thank you for understanding.’

Sofia rolled her eyes. ‘I don’t understand any of this, Ludo. I just wish you’d accept that your family line and money don’t entitle you to act like an idiot in public.’ She stood up and exited the room without a backward glance.

Gus crossed his arms, and Ludo looked at his brother. ‘You have no idea, do you?’ Gus asked, wonderingly.

‘Better than living the life of a boring old fart,’ Ludo retorted.

Gus turned to the window, looking down at the pool below.

‘What if I promise not to mess up again?’ Ludo pleaded. ‘Can’t you speak to Mamma?’

‘I actually agree with her,’ Gus said calmly, turning to face him. ‘I think Africa will be good for you.’

‘You’re not my freaking father,’ spat Ludo.

‘And thank god for that. I certainly wouldn’t be proud of you. You’re a national disgrace.’

‘And you’re a national bore,’ retorted Ludo. ‘I’d rather watch paint dry than spend time with you. You’re like an old man with no idea how to have fun.’

‘What does fun have to do with anything?’ Gus yelled.

‘Doesn’t that say it all,’ said Ludo in a low voice. ‘You know, I hate you.’

‘I don’t care about what you think of me,’ replied Gus as he walked towards the door.

‘Keep your hands off her while I’m away,’ called Ludo.

Gus laughed as he opened the door. ‘As if I’d do anything with that trashy Australian gold-digger.’

He turned to leave, coming face to face with Cinda in the hallway.

‘Good morning, Gus,’ she said with a tight smile.

She stepped into Ludo’s room and closed the door behind her. She looked at Ludo. ‘You know, I really dislike him.’

‘Join the club,’ sighed Ludo as he sat down on the sofa. He patted the seat next to him. ‘Come sit. I need to talk to you.’

Cinda sat down, frowning. She looked at him, worry etched across her face.

‘I have to go to Africa,’ he said. ‘Tomorrow.’

‘This is because of Ibiza?’

He nodded.

‘For how long?’

‘A month.’

‘Oh,’ said Cinda, and she clasped her hands in her lap as she digested the news. Then she stood up. ‘I should pack, then.’ She smiled sadly and leant over to kiss his cheek.

‘No,’ he said grabbing her by the shoulders. ‘Wait for me.’

‘What?’ she looked at him as though he was crazy.

‘Cinda, I really, really like you. You make me laugh and you don’t want anything from me but my company,’ he said, his hands dropping from her shoulders to take her hands in his. ‘You don’t know how refreshing that is. You can have the guest apartment in Paris while I’m away. It’s all arranged. Mamma says it will be a month but she’ll repent after two weeks, she usually does,’ he said as he pulled her to him.

‘I think there is something real between us,’ he continued. ‘I know you’ve held back from sleeping with me, and I respect that,’ he said, taking her face in his hands. ‘What about we write and email while I’m away. Skype if the signal is strong enough. Find out if this thing between us survives the distance?’

Cinda paused. ‘I won’t be a freeloader.’

‘I’m not suggesting that. I am paying you for the painting. And you can be my correspondence assistant while I am away.’

The truth was he couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving; he was lonely. He’d been lonely for much of his life, really, even when surrounded by people. Cinda – and Jonas, in his own way – had softened that loneliness, had filled that empty space these last few weeks. They didn’t talk about their yachts or bitch about everyone they knew, the way most of his circle did. They were funny and they were kind.

‘Please,’ he pleaded with Cinda, leaning forward and kissing her, tasting the minty toothpaste she had recently used.

When they pulled apart, she looked at him, tears in her eyes. ‘Okay,’ she said. ‘I’ll wait.’

And Ludo kissed her again and again until she was out of breath.

‘You’ll wait,’ he repeated, smiling that such wonderful words might fall from that delicious minty mouth.

17

As Cinda packed her bags the next day, she reflected on her conversation with Ludo. She realised the reason her eyes filled with tears when Ludo asked her to stay was because she’d just remembered she didn’t have anywhere else to go. It was an awful feeling, like suddenly losing your sense of direction.
Home is
always your North Star, and without it you are aimless.
Her mother had been fond of telling her that as a child, and now her behaviour to the contrary made Cinda’s heart ache.

Jonas burst through her door. ‘I’m coming to Paris with you,’ he announced dramatically.

‘You don’t have to do that,’ she said as she wadded a dress up into a ball and shoved it into her backpack.

‘I know, but I will because I am such an amazing friend and also because Petra got me an interview at Dior.’

‘Ha,’ said Cinda with more good humour than she felt. ‘And all this has nothing to do with an apartment on Rue de Royalty or wherever it is, either?’

Jonas shook his head emphatically. ‘You know the trappings of royalty don’t pierce my socialist heart.’

‘You’re so full of it.’

‘But seriously, I do have this interview. And anyway, I’m not leaving you,’ he said firmly. He sat on her bed.

Cinda looked at him and smiled. ‘I’m glad you’re coming,’ she said. ‘I’m not sure I can cope with all this weirdness alone. What the hell am I doing?’

She sat heavily on the bed next to Jonas and took his hand.

‘I honestly don’t know if I’m doing the right thing.’

‘Do you like Ludo?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you love him?’

‘I don’t know,’ she said honestly.

‘Then it’s worth waiting to find out.’

Cinda thought about that. She knew Jonas was right. ‘Okay.’

‘Have you heard from Allegra?’

Cinda shook her head. Clearly her marriage to Mr Winemaker from New Zealand was more of a priority.

‘When is Ludo leaving?’ asked Jonas.

‘Tonight,’ said Cinda, examining her chipped toenail polish.