Chapter 35
The Darlington Hotel’s masked ball is perfect! The music, the company—savour it, and leave the rest of the world behind.
#HighSociety #NoDramaJustFun #EliteOnly
Online comment by Emmeline Ridgewell
Kate
I hadn’t known what to expect at the ball, but I hadn’t imagined it would feel so ordinary, just in an outrageously fancy and criminally expensive way.
Guests ate and drank. People talked, laughed, and danced.
The band alternated between playing slow and fast songs.
Henry told me that the real party wouldn’t start until the band finished their set, the DJ took over, and everyone was tipsy.
I didn’t feel uncomfortable, but I still felt out of place, even though Henry was doing his best to include me.
Every few steps, someone stopped him to talk—and each time, he made a point of introducing me, all the while keeping an arm around my waist or holding my hand.
But nobody talked to me, and I had nothing to contribute.
The things these people were saying were so far removed from my reality that I couldn’t even pretend I knew what they were talking about.
Henry was saying goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Oldroyd, who had just spent ten minutes telling him about their horse racing track, when a bright voice called out his name.
“Henry! Finally!”
Henry turned towards the voice, but instead of shooting me an apologetic look as he had when the other guests had accosted him, something surprising happened: He smiled.
Not the fake, formal smile he had given Mr. and Mrs. Oldroyd and the others, but a genuine one, the kind of smile he’d so far only given me tonight.
“Hey! I was wondering where you were hiding.”
“I’ve been looking for you two this entire time,” replied one of the most stunning women I had ever seen, pulling Henry in for a hug. He let go of my hand to hug her back.
She looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t quite place her.
Her blond hair was styled in an elaborate updo, crowned with a tiara that sparkled as brightly as her midnight-blue dress, its bodice adorned with glittering diamonds.
She wasn’t wearing her mask like everyone else, but carried it attached to a short stick, ready to lift it to her face—an elastic strap probably would have ruined her intricate hairstyle.
The woman released Henry before doing something even more astonishing—she looked at me. After an hour of being thoroughly ignored by everyone, the weight of her green eyes on me was a shock. Just as astonishing was the embrace she pulled me into a moment later. “I’m so glad to finally meet you.”
“Oh, really?” I asked, surprised, and patted her arm. I shot Henry a confused look over her shoulder, and he mouthed a name: Olivia. Oh, it made sense. And now I knew why she looked familiar. I had seen photos of her and Henry together, both online and when I’d passed newsstands.
“I’m a big fan,” Olivia replied, letting me go. “I admire anyone who gets this sourpuss to smile.”
“Sourpuss?” I asked. Sure, Henry was often stressed and frustrated by the situation the hotel was in—understandably so—but I had never thought of him as moody or bad-tempered.
Olivia nodded. “Yes. You can’t imagine how miserable he’s been in the last few months. But since he met you, he’s a changed man.”
“Olivia . . .” Henry warned through gritted teeth.
“What? It’s the truth.”
He rolled his eyes. “I hate you.”
Olivia ignored him, focussing all her attention on me. “Henry has told me a lot about you.”
“Really?” I knew they were close friends, but close enough for the truth? Or had he fed her the same lie he’d told everyone else? I looked questioningly at Henry.
He nodded. “Olivia knows.”
“Yes. He can’t keep anything from me.”
“Oh, I can.”
“You just keep telling yourself that,” Olivia said.
We’d met barely two minutes ago, but I could already see why Henry liked her.
She had a radiance that drew people in and instantly made them feel welcome.
“I’m really glad you’re here tonight, Kate.
And I don’t want to be nosy, but I have a lot of questions.
Perhaps we could meet for a coffee sometime? ”
I nodded and tucked that annoying strand of hair behind my ear once again. “I’d like that.”
“Can I come?” Henry asked.
“No,” Olivia answered before I could respond. “It’s a girls’ date.”
He glared at her, but she was unfazed. He’d probably given her many of those looks over the years. “You want to talk about me, don’t you?”
She shrugged. “Of course. What else? But don’t worry. I’ll start with the less embarrassing stories. I don’t want to chase Kate away, after all. I’ll save the bad ones for later, when she’s so madly in love with you that nothing can scare her away.”
I laughed nervously, but I was also genuinely amused.
I considered telling Olivia that even now, nothing could scare me away, but before I could open my mouth, a man joined our group.
He had brown hair, cropped shorter at the sides than on top, and despite his mask, he was just as undeniably attractive as Olivia.
He slipped an arm around her, and Henry’s demeanour changed instantly.
I could feel the tension radiating off him.
“There you are,” the man said, kissing Olivia’s cheek.
Olivia smiled. “I told you I was looking for Henry.”
The man glanced from her to Henry, who looked anything but pleased to see him. Henry’s lips were pressed together, and he glared at Olivia’s companion from behind his mask.
“Hey, dude,” the man said. “You good?”
Henry crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Yeah. And you, Marko?”
I trawled my memory for his name, but I was pretty sure Henry had never mentioned him. Still, I didn’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to deduce that Henry didn’t like him.
“I can’t complain, not when I have such a hot date,” Marko said, giving Olivia another kiss on the cheek. He was clearly tipsy already, despite the evening having only just begun.
“Olivia looks really beautiful,” I agreed.
She smiled and looked like she was about to speak, but Marko beat her to it.
“She always looks beautiful. It’s a mystery to me why she would ever date a clown like Darlington.
” He laughed as if he’d told a hilarious joke, but no one joined in.
Marko didn’t seem to care. He sniggered again before turning his attention to the empty glass in his hand.
“I’m going to get more champagne. Are you coming? ”
Olivia shook her head. Marko turned on his heel without a word and disappeared as swiftly as he’d appeared.
Henry stared at Olivia as if she’d grown a second head. “Are you out of your mind? Marko Langston?”
“Who is he?” I asked, curious.
“Someone it’s best to steer clear of.”
“You’re only saying that because he broke your nose back then,” Olivia retorted. “He’s nice, once you get to know him.”
“He’s drunk.”
Olivia shot Henry a withering look. “He likes to party. So what? Just because you’ve become a bore doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t have our fun. And Marko is fun. A lot of fun,” she said, her tone suggesting she wasn’t just talking about partying.
Henry made a gagging noise. “I still don’t like him.”
“You don’t have to,” Olivia shot back. “I’m dating him, not you. And even you have to admit, he’s ridiculously good-looking. It’s worth it for that alone.”
“He looks average at best.”
Olivia scoffed. “If that’s average, then every other man has already lost.”
Henry rolled his eyes. “Fine, maybe he’s above average, but there’s no way he’s better looking than me.”
“Oh, but he is. Much better looking than you,” Olivia said, patting Henry’s cheek.
“Olivia, sweetie? Can you come here?” a voice called suddenly. I spotted an older couple who could only have been Olivia’s parents.
She gestured to them that she was coming before turning back to us.
“I have to go, but we’ll see each other at our coffee date at the latest!
Henry has my number. You can get it from him.
” She hugged first me, then Henry, before leaving to join her parents.
She turned back once more to wave at us before disappearing into the crowd.
By now, the ballroom was packed, and more and more people were flocking to the dance floor.
I looked up at Henry. “In case you need reassuring: I think you’re more attractive than Marko.”
His mouth twitched. He uncrossed his arms and reached for my hand again, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. My fingers felt warm and secure between his, like they belonged there. “Thank you,” he said.
“Did Marko really break your nose?”
“Yes, but it must have been around seven years ago. We were drunk and reckless.”
“And you don’t like him because of that?”
“Yes. And because he’s an arrogant arsehole.”
I laughed. “I see. But Olivia is really nice.”
“Yeah, she’s the best. Far too good for someone like him,” Henry replied, and we finally continued towards the bar. We had decided half an hour ago to get more drinks, but we’d been stopped several times along the way.
“Should I be jealous?” I teased, but I wasn’t entirely joking.
Olivia wasn’t just nice; she was also exceptionally pretty, and she had known Henry far longer than I had—and knew him far better.
It was only natural that I felt a twinge of insecurity, even if I hadn’t sensed the slightest spark of chemistry between them.
“No, we’re just friends.”
“But you used to be together, right?”
Henry sighed, as if tired of the topic. “Not really. We went on a couple of dates years ago because our parents liked the idea of it and kept pestering us about what a great couple we’d make. So eventually we caved, but it never felt right.”