‘Great.’ She smiled too brightly.
‘Well, the marriage is past tense, actually. It didn’t quite work out as I’d hoped. Ended rather badly in fact.’
Sasha raised her eyebrows. ‘A horror story you wish to share?’
Philip pulled a face. ‘I wish it was something original,’ he said, ‘but it was just plain common-or-garden infidelity. Natalie, my wife, is English. We moved out to Sydney together, had Lily, our little girl. And then Natalie had an affair. End of story, really.’
Sasha touched his arm. ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
He shrugged. ‘The day she told me she was leaving me and taking Lily, it was such a blow, I wrote a cheque for half of what we had in the bank and told her to get out.’
‘Very dramatic of you,’ said Sasha. ‘Like an eighties mini-series.’
Philip laughed. ‘Turns out it was a big mistake. In Australia, you can’t begin divorce pr
oceedings until you’ve been separated for twelve months, by which time she’d spent all the money I gave her and came after me for another half. I got screwed twice.’
‘Gosh, Phil, that’s so not like you,’ said Sasha. ‘At Rivera you watched every pound, shilling and pence.’
‘Love makes people do the strangest things.’
She nodded, hating the thought of Philip being hurt so badly again. He deserved better.
‘And what about you?’ he asked. ‘I’ve watched from afar, of course. I’m proud of what you’ve done with the company, Sash, but then again, I always knew you’d fly high.’
She snorted. ‘Well right now, I’m about to crash and burn.’
‘Really?’
Sasha quickly filled him in about Assad’s takeover and being forced to leave the company.
‘I thought something was wrong. You look worn out.’
If anyone else had said it, Sasha would have felt insulted, but from Philip it had the quiet intimacy of someone who knew her well. She reflected that he probably knew her better than anyone else. That’s a tragedy on its own, she thought.
She looked out beyond the gardens, towards the darkness of the Thames and the twinkling South Bank and the soaring, majestic London Eye on the other side of the river. It was a romantic, inspiring vista.
‘Listen, I’ll understand if you say no,’ said Sasha, ‘but could we go out and talk about it?’
He chuckled. ‘You want my advice?’
She touched his arm again. ‘I can’t let my company go without a fight, Phil. Besides, I always valued your advice. I just didn’t show you how much I appreciated it.’
He looked at her for a moment, then smiled. ‘What are you doing tomorrow?’
‘Wallowing.’ She grinned.
‘I have a house in Tetbury. Nothing fancy. But it’s quiet. There’re horses, fields, long walks. It’s the perfect place to convene a council of war.’
‘So you’ll help me?’
‘Sasha, I’ve never stopped wanting to help you.’
She wanted to hug him, feel his reassuring warmth against her, but instead she just said, ‘Thanks.’
He chinked his champagne glass against hers. ‘I’ll pick you up at five o’clock. And be ready for once, OK?’
‘Oh I’ll be ready,’ smiled Sasha.