Free Love to Hate You by Anna Premoli Page B

something suitable for a vegetarian like me.
    Elizabeth quickly notices my hesitation. “Is everything ok, Miss Percy?” she asks, the perfect hostess.
    â€œFine, thanks, I’m just not very hungry,” I re-assure her. It's a huge lie – I’m absolutely starving, I just don’t think it’s appropriate to tell your hosts that you can't eat any of the things they're serving. “And please, call me Jenny, everybody does,” I say with a smile, to change the subject.
    â€œOh thanks, Jenny – I will,” she says, genuinely pleased.
    I can’t believe it. This gaudy girl is in fact an insecure and ordinary creature. No wisecracks, no cutting wit. Worse yet, I can’t detect any irony at all. Is she really sure she wants to be with someone as cynical and cruel as Ian?
    â€œWhat do you do?” I ask, in an attempt to start a conversation.
    â€œI’m in PR!” she says, proudly.
    â€œAre you?” I say, giving Ian a knowing look. “And what part of PR, exactly?”
    â€œI organize events and parties, you know, that kind of thing,” she explains hastily, as if she wasn’t quite sure herself.
    So you don’t actually do anything, I think maliciously. Of course you don't, just as I imagined.
    â€œAnd does your job leave you enough free time?” I ask.
    â€œOh, yeah! I have
loads
of free time to go shopping, luckily,” she confirms delightedly.
    God, this is no fun at all – she’s making it too easy for me.
    â€œAnyway, I'm not planning on working all my life. Once I get married, I’ll give it up,” she explains, and as she does she turns to Ian and gives him a pointed look.
    â€œOf course. How old are you?” I ask, feigning interest as I reach over for some bread. Finally something with no meat in it.
    â€œI’m twenty-four. And I’ve already been working for nine months!” she sighs, as though already tired of it.
    For a moment, Ian remains immobile, his fork in mid air and his blue eyes looking quite upset.
    â€œAnd what about you, Jenny, how long have you been dealing with tax stuff?” she asks, trying to make conversation although obviously not out of any actual interest.
    â€œNine years,” I answer angelically.
    â€œWow! Nine years is a long time! Can I ask how old you are?” she asks, worried that she might somehow hurt my feelings.
    â€œOf course – I’m thirty-three,” I answer. Revealing my age isn’t really a problem for me.
    â€œAnd have you ever been married?” she asks, sounding slightly concerned.
    Upon hearing this question, Ian burst out with a laugh, but manages to turn it into a cough, and I give him a look as he dries his eyes which are wet from the effort.
    â€œNo, I’ve never been married,” I confirm.
    â€œI really hope I'll be married at your age. Or that I'll have
been
married,” she says.
    â€œI’ve never wanted to get married,” I state quite calmly.
    Elizabeth is so visibly shocked by my words that her father steps in immediately to re-assure her.
    â€œOf course you'll get married, my dear,” he says, but not even his words manage to put the empty smile back on her face.
    Getting to meet a career woman of thirty-three years old who’s never been married must have shaken her up, poor thing.
    Anyway, she soon remembers her mission and starts looking seductively over at the count, the future marquis and one day duke. He’s her target, as is plain for all to see.
    Ian tries to ignore her, but she is making it so obvious that there's no way he'll be able to pretend not to have noticed. The dinner goes on peacefully and without further difficulties, until there's nothing else for it but to start talking about business. Or, at least, we try to, but Beverly just doesn’t want to know.
    â€œThe entire point of this weekend is for us to have a chance to get to know one another,” he explains as we