Chapter 17 #2
For the next hour I was transported to Christmas heaven as the musicians played a sweeping range of pieces from carols such as ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ to family favourites, including ‘Frosty the Snowman.’ For the final piece, the conductor turned to the audience and told us it was our turn to join in.
She picked out twelve people, one of them Minty, and gave them large boards with a picture of each of the presents from ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’.
These they had to hold up at the right time so that the rest of us could join in.
Perhaps predictably, it all fell apart around ‘nine ladies dancing’ and there was much laughter as the conductor untangled us and skilfully set the song going again.
The atmosphere in the room couldn’t have been more perfect for the time of the year as Bridget Montgomery came onto the stage, a genuine, wide smile on her face, and thanked them, then announced how much had been raised for the charity that evening.
Tingling with Christmas cheer, we returned to the White Drawing Room, where round tables, each seating ten people, had been set up for dinner.
A large seating chart showed us that Nick and I were at the same table, but not sitting next to each other.
I had Hugo on one side, with Steph next to him, and a man called Sim Waykes on my other side. Nick was next to Minty.
‘Seems kind of unfair that Steph and Hugo can sit next to each other, but we can’t,’ I whispered as we walked to the table. I was beginning to feel persecuted.
‘To be fair to Bridget,’ said Nick, ‘she’s following the rules. Engaged couples can sit together, but others are usually split up. Doesn’t mean to say we have to like it, though. Shall I swap the name cards?’
‘No, don’t do that,’ I replied. ‘It’ll be all right.’
Hugo and Steph were already there when I sat down, and my sister greeted me with little enthusiasm.
I made dull small talk with Hugo for a few minutes, before the seat on my other side was taken by a tall, debonair man with thick black hair, tanned skin and the most come-to-bed eyes I had ever seen this side of a movie screen.
‘Good evening,’ he said, holding out his hand, which I shook. ‘I’m Sim.’
‘Laura,’ I replied.
‘Well, Laura, I’m very happy to meet you. Very happy. Did you enjoy the concert?’
I barely noticed the first course, a delicious beetroot soup with a swirl of cream on top, being served, as Sim engaged me so totally in conversation, asking me questions about myself and making me laugh with his gently bitchy anecdotes of the Montogomery family, who he seemed to have known forever.
He kept my wine glass full, complimented my dress and made thoughtful comments about the state of our National Health Service, having learnt that I was a nurse.
As the second course, a rich and fragrant winter vegetable Wellington, was put in front of us, I glanced over to Nick for, much as I was enjoying Sim’s company, I still would have preferred to be sitting with him.
He waggled his thumb at me, a questioning look on his face, and I gave him a firm ‘thumbs up’, not wanting him to worry that I wasn’t enjoying myself.
By the time we started on the mini pavlovas with spiced stewed pears, drenched in an orange-brandy sauce and topped with whipped cream, I had not only had enough wine, but was beginning to think I’d also had enough of Sim’s company, which was tipping over from the friendly to the flirtatious.
As coffee was served, I took the opportunity to turn to Hugo, instead finding that he had moved and Steph had taken his place.
‘Enjoying yourself, are you?’ she said, raising her eyebrows pointedly in Sim’s direction, although speaking too softly for him to hear. ‘Please don’t embarrass me here.’
I pressed down my anger and said mildly, ‘We were just talking. I’d rather be sitting next to Nick, but I wasn’t given the choice.’
‘Well, I’m sure Bridget knows what she’s doing with the placement,’ replied Steph. ‘She obviously thought that you and Sim would get on, and she was right, apparently. Anyway’ – she took another sip of her wine – ‘you don’t want to put all your eggs in Nick’s basket, do you? Very sensible.’
I knew I shouldn’t take the bait, but I couldn’t resist.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well,’ she continued, pushing her barely touched pavlova aside and picking up her coffee cup. ‘He’s moving back to LA after Christmas, isn’t he? Everyone knows that. At least there’s no danger of spoiling our plans of you being my maternity nurse.’
I gritted my teeth.
‘I think they were your plans rather than ours, Steph.’
She looked at me as if I had suggested something so outlandishly funny that I must be going slightly crazy. Poor, dear, widowed, crazy sister. This was followed up by the classic tinkly laugh so beloved of her and her friends.
‘Oh, Laura! You surely can’t think that this…
’ She twirled her hand in the air as if trying to think of some suitable word for the abomination she was trying to describe.
My sister is not much of a wordsmith. ‘…this thing with Nick Prince is anything more than a fling, can you?’ I tried to keep my expression neutral, but she must have seen the hurt in my face, as she moved on to the next step of the routine: the concerned head tilt.
‘Oh dear, you do.’ She put the tips of her perfectly manicured fingers to her lips as if to hide a smile that couldn’t help escaping.
‘Dear Laura, Nick isn’t going to give up his lifestyle for you.
He’s barely at Lyonscroft as it is, and everyone knows he’s dying to sell it so he can cut ties even more and be completely carefree.
He’s the catch of the county now Giles and Hugo are taken, and he’s had a parade of girlfriends, none of whom have managed to hold on to him; I can’t imagine what you think it is about you that might be different. ’
This final barb was said with such confidence in its truth that I could almost accept there was no malice behind it.
Steph simply believed what she was saying: that there was nothing special about me.
I reached for my wine glass, full again even though I had been ignoring Sim for the last five minutes and took a hefty gulp; maybe I hadn’t had enough, after all.
I opened my mouth to begin stumbling out some reply, some sort of defence, when a hand touched my shoulder.
I looked up: Nick. How much of the conversation had he heard?
The bland smile he was giving, with his eyes fixed on my sister’s face, suggested to me that he had heard enough, and wasn’t happy about it.
He transferred his gaze to me, and the smile became warm.
‘Laura, darling,’ he said, sliding his hand down my arm to take my hand. ‘I have a surprise waiting outside for you – if you’re not too busy?’
‘Definitely not,’ I said, putting my napkin on the table and standing up as Steph gave me a deeply pitying look.
‘Sim will be at the wedding,’ she said. ‘Seeing as you got on so well tonight, I’ll make sure you’re sitting together again.’
At the mention of his name, Sim turned, then stood up as well.
‘Nick!’ he said. ‘I haven’t seen you in years, how are things?’
The two men shook hands warmly and briefly exchanged news.
‘I had no idea you were together,’ he said. ‘Bloody Bridget and her table settings, gets a man’s hopes up. Ah well, lovely to meet you, Laura, and let’s get our heads together soon over a coffee, Nick – I have a business proposal that might interest you.’
‘I’d like that,’ said Nick. ‘I’m planning on staying around for a while, so we should be able to find a time.’
As we said goodbye, I barely dared glance at Steph, who now looked furious. Nick and I found our hostess and thanked her for the evening, then we stepped out of the front door.
‘I hope you don’t mind,’ said Nick. ‘But I haven’t ordered a taxi home.’
‘Are we walking?’ I said rather doubtfully. The idea of a snowy, moonlit stroll with Nick was appealing, had it not been for the outfit, in which I was already feeling chilly.
‘No,’ he said. ‘Our lift should be here any minute.’
I heard a gentle tinkling of bells and the sound of hooves before the most beautiful red sleigh, pulled by two white horses, turned into the drive and stopped in front of us.
‘Your carriage, madam,’ said Nick, helping me step up into the back, which was deep with cosy faux fur blankets for us to snuggle into. A word from the driver and the horses started off again.
‘I thought we’d take the long way home,’ said Nick, putting his arm around me. ‘We probably both need to recover from the evening we’ve had.’
‘The music was stunning,’ I said. ‘And so was the food, but this is the perfect ending.’
We were drawn through the quiet lanes for about half an hour before we pulled up outside Lyonscroft. We thanked the driver and patted the horses before letting ourselves into the quiet house. Nick drew me close to him, and we kissed, our faces cold.
‘Would you like a nightcap?’ he whispered, winding a strand of my hair around his fingers.
I shook my head.
‘I’m okay.’
‘Upstairs then?’ he said, and I nodded, knowing what he was suggesting.
Indeed, he took my hand and led me to his room, lit softly by the moon filtering through the snow that had started falling again. There he kissed away the cruelty of Steph’s comments, Bridget’s disapproval and my grief for Paulo, leaving only the joy of how right it felt to be in each other’s arms.