The Turquoise Box

Last week, Lucinda Riley, author of The Orchid House, joined our Great Authors.  Her post was SO wildly popular as she left us hanging- what did her husband buy her for her anniversary? Was it in a turquoise box?

Fortunately, Lucinda is our kind of gal, so she sent me this follow up.  I have to meet her for a wine night soon as I think she is my new best BFF !  Given that I live in the U.S. and she lives in England, we may just be having virtual wine but you know what I mean!

I’m wondering if we need a guest post from Lucinda’s husband to follow up on this one…

Let me point out just one more time that I loved The Orchid House- review here.

The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley

Here’s Lucinda:

As so many of you responded to my blog last week, I thought I should give you an update on how I fared during my Dream Week in NYC. I can tell you, it didn’t start off well at all. We arrived at the hotel at midnight and still on British time, we both woke three hours later, exhausted. The Husband had obviously forgotten it was our anniversary (our 12^th, on the 12^th of 2012), and when I presented him with my lovingly chosen card and gift, he turned even paler and scurried off into the bathroom to write a card.

Turquoise bags from Tiffany (or any bag at all): 0.

I stomped into the recently vacated bathroom like a spoilt kid and shed a tear of frustration and disappointment. There hadn’t even been a promise of a kitchen gadget waiting for me back at home! But help was at hand. The kids all called to wish us a happy day and each one of them asked Dad what he had bought Mom. ‘Er… nothing… yet,’ he said, five times over. I was then texted by my eldest daughter. ‘Don’t worry, Mom, leave it to us.’

I was determined not to let this hiccup spoil my day. Central Park glimmered below us in the sunrise and New York City lay waiting for me to explore. I, tucked up cosily in my Granny’s 80 year old heirloom mink coat, was toasty-warm in the bitter 23 celsius. The Husband, however, had not even bought gloves. I’m not saying I wanted to, er, punish him or anything, but boy, he had frostbite on his ears by the time we returned to the hotel hours later.

The following day, The Husband said he had some shopping to do. I took this as a good sign, especially as I’d managed to put Tiffany on our arctic schedule the day before and had insisted he took my picture outside it, just to make sure the location and significance of the interior had registered.

I awoke on Valentine’s and Publication Day, and was un-expectant. It was no big deal, I thought, gifts were not important. I would not be disappointed. Coming out of the bathroom, I saw, lying on the pillow, a turquoise bag!

‘The kids said you’d like something from Tiffany, but you’ll probably hate it.’ Girls, if it had been a teaspoon or a silver teething ring inside that bag, I wouldn’t have cared! Finally, he’d done it, or at least, my kids had!! At that point I had an inappropriate urge to giggle. ‘I can still see the bruise where the shotgun was pointed at your head, but thank you, thank you, darling.’ As it turned out, I loved the necklace he’d spent two hours choosing… the fact he had chosen it means everything, as we all females know. And guess what? He must have been so overwhelmed by my ecstatic and very, umm… friendly reaction, he wanted more. I got the matching ear-rings on my birthday two days later!

RESULT!!!

What are you reading and where are you going?