One Hundred Names (Special Edition)

ever received. No offence, you guys.’
    There was none taken, as nobody else at the table had brought a gift, hadn’t even known they’d be attending a wedding. A few people mumbled a few incoherent embarrassed responses to that effect but it didn’t matter, the groom wasn’t listening. Tears had gathered in his eyes.
    ‘And we’re so glad Philipa is gone,’ Gemma added in a hushed voice.
    Eva blushed.
    ‘My father and my grandfather, if they were still alive, would have been so proud,’ the groom said in his strong Carolina accent, nostrils flaring and lip quivering to beat the tears.
    ‘Oh, baby,’ Gemma said, kissing her husband on the lips.
    ‘Jesus, what did you get them?’ Mary-Rose asked as soon as they’d left the table, the groom rubbing his eyes roughly with a handkerchief.
    ‘I designed a new family crest for them. I took things from both sides of the family and also items representing their own life, all stemming from a grapevine because they’re a wine region family and live on a vineyard. He was so desperate to find out more about his family name but I couldn’t come up with anything so I designed a family crest and had it hand-stitched and printed onto some items: linen, stationery, that kind of thing,’ Eva said almost embarrassed. ‘I had been trying to find some family members for him but there was no one.’
    ‘That’s because there’s no such thing as the name O’Logan,’ Molly hissed quietly, and for the first time she saw Eva laugh, though she looked a little guilty for it.
    ‘Molly, stop.’
    ‘What? I don’t think it’s occurred to him that his great-
grandfather was a con artist who changed his name as soon as he landed in America, was probably running from the law and just made up some bullshit name to start his new life.’
    Edward started laughing loudly.
    Kitty thought it was the first time she’d seen his serious face soften so much.
    George headed straight for Eva’s table, took her by the hand and led her out of the room, Eva’s cheeks flushing. Kitty contemplated following them but her phone lit up. It was on silent but it was as though it was screaming at her to be answered: Richie Daly, the slimeball, whom she’d helped get a publishing deal. She had to take this. She slipped away from the table and out the French doors to the garden, which overlooked the river.
    Her heart was thumping in her throat as she answered.
    ‘Kitty,’ he said.
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘I didn’t think you’d answer.’
    ‘I wasn’t going to.’
    Silence.
    ‘Well, I called you to say,’ he sighed. ‘I don’t know where to start.’
    ‘Just get to the point, Richie.’
    ‘I want to say thank you, for what you did. For sending my book into the publishers. After what I did to you … well, I didn’t deserve your help and if you hadn’t done it well then I probably never would have. It’s been finished for a long time but I just didn’t have the confidence, I suppose, to send it to anyone. And, well, so thank you. I don’t know why you did it, but thank you.’
    If only he knew why she’d really done it … She was seething.
    ‘But really why I’ve called is to apologise for what I did to you. It was despicable. No matter how much I try to dress it up and justify it, I can’t. It was really low, you were a college friend and I shouldn’t have done that to you. Hand on my heart, I’m truly, truly sorry for any harm I caused you, any upset or—’
    ‘You humiliated me, Richie,’ she interrupted.
    ‘I know. Well, I didn’t know that, but I can understand how you feel that you were—’
    ‘You humiliated me and used me and made me feel worse than I’ve ever felt in my whole life.’ She felt the emotion in her throat and she stopped before she cried. He would never hear any of her words if she cried.
    ‘I know. I’m so sorry. I want to make things right, really I do. I’ve spoken to my editor and I want to write a favourable article about you. He’s agreed to it, agreed to the whole thing, and I can write what I want. This time it will be anything you want me to say.’
    ‘What makes you think I’d ever want to speak to you again?’ she asked, shocked by his proposal. ‘I couldn’t give a crap what you write about me from now on, I never did, it was the fact you lied to me, slept with me and betrayed something very precious.’ Kitty was far from virginal but she did think some things were precious, and sleeping with someone for information was beyond