Free The Girl at the Bus-Stop by Sam Aubigny Page B

house at all,’ he replied. ‘So it’ll be a nice surprise for her when she returns from holiday. Although I don’t know why I’m bothering, her contribution to the Rudge family’s income has been zero. I think she only married me so she could give up working.’
     
    Becky selected an Indian menu and started to run her finger down the choices for each course.
     
    ‘Won’t she be a bit suspicious about where all the money came from to do the place up?’
     
    Rudge stood next to her and read the menu over her shoulder.
     
    ‘She knows I’ve got this new and very well paid London job, and one of the perks I mentioned to her was very low-interest employee loans as part of the package.’
     
    ‘I’ll have the chicken Madras I think,’ she said, ‘plus pillau rice and a plain nan.’
     
    ‘Okay, I’ll go for the lamb biryani and a plain nan. Do you want any extras like samosas or Bombay potatoes?’
     
    ‘Okay, let’s push the boat out, we can get some chips as well.’
     
    Reuben walked over to the breakfast bar and picked up the telephone.
     
    ‘But you know your wife, Reuben, she’s not stupid. She’s bound to find out sooner or later about you not having a city office job.’
     
    ‘Not really,’ he said dialling the number of the restaurant, ‘the accountant pays me a salary, my pay slips get posted to my home address and the money gets paid into our joint bank account each month. She’ll be quite happy with that, with the added bonus that I’ll be working away during the week so I won’t be in her way.’
     
    On Saturday morning Rudge took Becky on a trip around some of London’s main tourist attractions. They started with the reconstructed Globe Theatre, which was right next to their apartment block, and a few yards further on to the Tate Modern and over the Millennium Footbridge to St Paul’s Cathedral. After coffee and doughnuts at a pavement café, the Mercedes pulled up and Harry drove them to the Tower of London. After a guided tour they hopped on a pleasure cruiser to take them down river to Greenwich, where they enjoyed a pub lunch sitting outside in the autumn sunshine.
     
    Afterwards Harry drove them to several exclusive shops, dropping them off immediately outside. Rudge treated Becky to several new outfits and various accessories.
     
    ‘I feel like a tart, sponging off you’ she said, as they emerged from a designer boutique clutching several carrier bags, ‘and I don’t like it one bit.’
     
    Rudge stopped walking and turned to face her.
     
    ‘Look, Becky, you can get those thoughts out of your head right away,’ he said looking sombre. ‘You’re Raspberry Caine, a successful author for goodness sake and you need to look the part. It’s the company, Raspberry Caine Limited which is paying for all this stuff, not me.’
     
    ‘Can’t I just buy my own stuff?’
     
    ‘You could, but why the hell should you?’ he said sternly, ‘Don’t forget you’re going to Gale Buckingham’s for afternoon tea on Monday, and you’ve got to look good in the company of a famous film star.’
     
    ‘I’d forgotten about that,’ she replied, ‘but that’s another thing, I don’t even know what salary I’m on. How can I mix with the rich and famous if I don’t even know what money I’ve got coming in?’
     
    Rudge shook his head, and held his head in one hand before replying.
     
    ‘I’m sorry, Becky, I should have told you. I must have forgotten in all the excitement of the last couple of days. The accountant worked out your salary and your take home pay will be two grand, plus expenses of course.’
     
    ‘Blimey, that’s five hundred quid a week, that’s not bad at all.’
     
    ‘It’s not per month, Becky, it’s two grand a week.’
     
    Becky dropped the bags and did a little war dance around them before throwing herself into Rudge’s arms.
     

     

     
    On Sunday morning, Rudge left Becky undisturbed in her wing of the apartment and took a walk