CHAPTER SIX
The atmosphere felt electric as Delphie and Wil danced around the room. The music resonated through the sound system, adding to the rhythm far more than when they’d danced in the barn listening to the tune on his phone.
There were times, Delphie thought, when everything felt just right for dancing, and this was one of them as the energy sparked with each move they made. It was as if they’d always been in tune, rather than only tried Wil’s tango–theme choreography once before.
Wil admired Delphie’s footwork, dancing in heels that were designed for fashion rather than such precision.
Between the staccato moves, they were face–to–face, with Wil gazing down into Delphie’s eyes, adding to the drama of their performance.
Wil embellished parts of the tango, elevating the routine to a level that impressed the guests watching them.
When it was time for Delphie to perform her pirouettes, she spun like a ballerina, her red dress spiralling in waves of chiffon and silk dusted with crimson sparkles. The fire in her dance encouraged Wil to leap into the air, turn, land lightly and then jump again, spinning with strength and agility.
As Delphie neared the mirrors, Wil swept her into his last movement, and then they continued to tango to a triumphant crescendo, finishing with an almost kiss moment in the middle of the dance floor.
Applause erupted from the guests, and when Delphie blinked out of the bubble she’d been in, she saw all the smiling faces and heard the dancers clapping. Gareth joined in, raising his hands above his head to accentuate his praise for their performance. He’d seen Wil dance with Sienna a few times, including at live stage performances, but Delphie and Wil outshone the past as a new and exciting dancing couple.
Gareth glimpsed the resigned look on Sienna’s face, and her applause was half–hearted. Any thoughts she still harboured to team up again with Wil were surely dashed on the rocks from the performance she’d just seen.
A couple of dancers that Wil had promised to train first, stepped forward, claiming that they wanted this routine.
‘Could you choreograph something else with this type of tango vigour?’ Steaphan, another professional dancer, said to Wil. Steaphan was in his early thirties with dark blond hair and blue eyes.
‘Yes, I’ll take a look at some of your latest performances and play to your strengths,’ Wil told him.
‘I don’t have a partner at the moment,’ Steaphan told him. ‘But I’m planning to find one in a wee while.’ He said it loud, hoping that maybe one of the guests would like to team up with him.
‘I’m looking for a new partner,’ Sienna told him. ‘Would you like to take a turn around the floor? ’
Steaphan’s face lit up. He’d thought that Sienna, having been Wil’s partner, wanted to reignite her success with Wil. But obviously she was now looking elsewhere.
‘It would be my pleasure,’ Steaphan said to Sienna, taking her hand and leading her on to the floor where others were now dancing, inspired by the tango performance.
‘Gareth,’ Sienna called to him. ‘I need your thoughts on me dancing with Steaphan.’
Gareth stepped forward and nodded that he would give them his full attention. He hadn’t considered Steaphan and Sienna as a match, but seeing them tango, he saw how well they danced together.
‘Thank you for going along with my impromptu plan,’ Wil said to Delphie.
She still felt euphoric from the experience. ‘I love that routine.’
‘I filmed us dancing,’ he told her. ‘I thought it would be fun to look back on.’
‘I’m glad. I was so caught up in it, I’d love to view it,’ said Delphie.
‘I’ll give you a copy to keep in your archives,’ Wil added. ‘A story to tell the grandchildren.’
Delphie laughed.
Wil looked mortified. ‘What I mean is, if you should ever settle down and—’
Delphie cut–in. ‘I know what you mean, Wil.’
He was still squirming but trying to smile.
‘I love the stories my grandparents tell me,’ said Delphie. ‘I’ve learned so much from them, and continue to learn.’ She swept her hands down her sparkly red dress. ‘This is vintage, borrowed from my grandmother’s collection of dresses that she wore when she was a dancer. There’s a lot to be gained from the past.’
‘Beautiful,’ Wil’s deep voice murmured, hinting that he wasn’t just talking about the dress.
Delphie blushed, but ran her hands through her hair and said breezily. ‘I think I’ll have a cool drink from the buffet.’
‘Mind if I join you?’ said Wil.
Smiling at him, she walked over to the buffet where Wil poured them two glasses of fresh orange topped up with sparkling mineral water.
Delphie held her glass up. ‘Cheers to you and your new studio.’
Wil tipped his glass against hers. ‘Cheers.’
‘What are you drinking a toast to?’ Sienna said, interrupting them while Gareth chatted to Steaphan. ‘Or is it a secret? Maybe planning to compete in the contest.’
‘It is a secret,’ Wil told Sienna, causing Delphie to blink. ‘But we’ve no plans to enter the contest.’
Sienna drummed her long, well–manicured nails on her glass of wine. ‘Perhaps not, but you’re up to something. You’ve got that unsettled and mischievous look in your eyes. I could always read you so well.’
This was true, so Wil didn’t try to correct her.
Sienna glanced at Delphie. ‘Love your dress by the way. I had one just like it last season.’
The ice in Delphie’s glass didn’t rattle, even though Sienna rubbed her feathers up the wrong way. ‘I doubt it. This is vintage. ’
Sienna swallowed any further remarks, smiled and went over to join Gareth and Steaphan hoping they’d come to some agreement about the partnership.
‘And vintage never really goes out of fashion, does it?’ Wil said to Delphie.
‘Nope. Even after all this time, it’s still causing mischief.’
Wil put his glass down. ‘Would you care to dance with me?’
Delphie placed hers aside too. ‘I’d love to. What routine were you thinking of?’
‘None. Just dance with me.’ Taking her in his arms right there and then, he whisked her on to the dance floor.
In a whirl of excitement and fun, Delphie danced with Wil, another memory for the archives.
Wil’s choice of music created a party atmosphere, and the evening became a resounding success as the guests enjoyed dancing everything from freestyle to classic foxtrot and cha–cha.
‘This next song is ideal for a waltz,’ Wil announced, encouraging everyone to take to the floor. They needed no encouragement, as almost everyone was up dancing.
‘Mind if I cut in?’ Gareth said, tapping Wil politely on the shoulder. ‘I’d like to have at least one dance with Delphie.’
Unable to find an excuse to refuse without causing ructions, Wil smiled and stepped aside while Gareth claimed the next waltz with Delphie. It was a classic waltz that some would consider to be romantic, and as Gareth led her around there was an element of their past love that Wil caught a glimpse of as he stood and watched.
For the first time, Wil saw the couple they used to be. They probably looked like a suitable match, on the surface. And he admired Delphie, such an elegant dancer, looking like she might still belong in Gareth’s world, especially as she was wearing a dress from the past.
Shaking these thoughts from himself, Wil was about to head over to the buffet when Sienna clasped his hand.
‘Come on, Wil. We used to love waltzing,’ Sienna said, encouraging him.
Letting himself give in to the moment, Wil waltzed around with Sienna in his arms. It served two purposes. One — it showed that they were excellent dance partners. Two — his heart longed to be with Delphie.
As the music changed to a slower beat, the evening finished with a romantic waltz.
Wil pried himself out of Sienna’s grasp, wished her luck with her partnership with Steaphan, and claimed the last dance with Delphie.
Relieved to be back in Wil’s arms, she nodded when Gareth said to her, ‘See you for dinner tomorrow night.’
Gareth left the party, accompanied by Sienna.
Wil guessed this was what Delphie had agreed with Gareth. He didn’t pry. It was none of his business why she had a dinner date with her ex–boyfriend.
Sensing the tension in Wil as they waltzed, Delphie told him about Gareth’s offer .
‘I agree with Gareth,’ Wil found himself saying. ‘With your talent as an artist, graphic designer, and background in dancing, you’re the perfect person for the job.’
Delphie’s emotions were split hearing Wil’s reaction. Here he was, backing her to the hilt. But she wished she hadn’t been put in this predicament.
‘What’s wrong?’ Wil said to her, feeling her tense in his arms.
‘Everything and nothing.’
Wil nodded as they continued to waltz slow and rhythmically around the dance floor. Under other circumstances, this would’ve been the perfect ending to a fun night. Instead, it felt like something that hadn’t been given the chance to flourish had ended too soon. Dare he believe that there could’ve been a romance between him and Delphie? Was Gareth’s arrival back on the scene something that would change what might have been?
‘It’s a wonderful opportunity to have your work recognised,’ Wil told her. ‘I’d heard a wee while ago that this show was being planned for the winter and Christmas. I was actually approached to dance one of the lead parts, but I’d already signed the lease on the dance studio, so I turned it down.’
‘Maybe it was always on the cards that we would meet,’ she said, hearing a hint of bittersweet in her tone.
‘Sienna has asked me to have dinner with her tomorrow night at the hotel,’ said Wil. ‘She wants me to create a routine for her and Steaphan for the contest. ’
‘Dinner tomorrow night for both of us,’ Delphie said, trying to sound chirpy.
Wil couldn’t muster up a smile. ‘Just not together.’
The music finished with a romantic flourish, and the guests curtsied and bowed to each other, concluding the evening.
‘Great night, Wil,’ a guest said to him. ‘We’ll speak soon about learning that new choreography.’
‘Yes, call me in a couple of days,’ said Wil. ‘And send me your latest performances. I’ll have a look at them and see what I can come up with for you.’
Giving Wil a broad smile, the guest and his dance partner left the studio.
Wil saw everyone out from the reception, and several commented on the tango painting and the portrait.
‘I recognised you instantly, Wil,’ one guest told him.
‘Excellent work, Delphie,’ another remarked.
Delphie was almost the last to leave. Collecting her bag from under the counter where she’d left it, she waved at Wil and headed out.
Wil was deep in conversation with two guests about choreography, preventing him from seeing her out, or talking to her about everything that had happened. He felt they needed to talk things through.
He heard the two dancers chatting to him about the type of moves they wanted to include in their routine. Moves that were their speciality. And yet, there was a moment of silence in him as he watched Delphie disappear into the night .
Blinking back into the conversation, Wil noted the moves the dancers wanted. ‘I’m familiar with your past routines, and I’ll bring a fresh approach to your choreography. I’ll call you when I have an outline for your routine.’
Thanking Wil, they left him now standing all alone in reception.
Taking out his phone, he fought the urge to send a message to Delphie. Not even sure what he wanted to say. Something. Anything. But he pushed his foolishness aside, put his phone back in his pocket, and went through to tidy things up before heading home.
Finally turning the lights off in the studio, he stood for a moment in the glow of the light from the streetlamps shining in, and looked at his portrait. Is this how Delphie saw him? He was pictured strong and dramatic, and she’d captured the dance pose so well that he remembered when he’d danced this routine. Or was this just her artistic talent depicting him?
Sighing heavily, he locked up the studio for the night and headed out to his car.
Driving along the country road to his house, he wondered if Delphie was painting late into the night in the barn, or if she was sound asleep.
He pulled his car up in front of his house, got out and breathed in the heavy scent of the greenery and flowers. Gazing up at the sky, at the stars, he felt truly alone for the first time since he’d moved to the town.
As he walked across the garden, he took his phone out and sent a message to Delphie.
Thanks for not running away tonight .
He blinked as his phone lit up in the darkness with an instant reply from her.
Remember to send me a copy of our tango dance. Archives are important to me .
I will. I’ll always remember our tango .
Goodnight, Wil .
Goodnight, Delphie. And thank you again for the portrait. I’ve hung it on the studio wall alongside the waltz .
Delphie clicked her phone off and continued to paint in the barn, lit by the lamps illuminating her artwork table. She knew how late it was. She was aware that she should’ve gone to bed and been sensible instead of burning the midnight oil. But some nights...well, that wildcard streak in her kicked in. Tonight was one of those times.
Obtusely, she took her time painting a quick step. Another painting for Wil. A couple more, and she would have completed everything he’d wanted. And he was under no obligation to buy all of them. She was quite happy to put the excess on her website for sale, or ask Callum if he was interested in selling them in the art shop.
But it was a fair bet that Wil would buy them all, and she’d deliberately tried to create a theme through them, whether they were acrylics or watercolours or pen and ink. The dance movements flowed, and the poses were as authentic as she could make them while retaining artist flair.
As she was steeped in thought, wondering if she should use Prussian blue and burnt umber to create the soft, muted tones she wanted for one of the paintings, she jumped when a call came through on her phone from her grandmother.
‘Your grandfather said not to call this late at night, but I thought I’d take a chance that you’d still be painting.’
Delphie showed her what she was working on. ‘I’ve got a production line going. And yes, I know I should be tucked up in bed but...’
‘I wanted to let you see where we are.’ Her grandmother held up her phone. ‘We were at another show, and now we’re taking a carriage ride through Paris.’
‘Wow! It looks amazing.’
‘We’re scallywags,’ her grandfather chipped in. ‘I suppose being late night rascals runs in the family.’
Delphie laughed. ‘I think it might have skipped a generation.’
Her grandfather guffawed. ‘Oh, yes. Your parents wouldn’t approve.’
‘Definitely not,’ Delphie agreed, giggling.
‘I got the picture of Wil’s portrait you sent,’ her grandmother cut back in. ‘It’s a timeless classic. And he’s sooo handsome. Did he love it?’
‘He did,’ Delphie said, sounding enthusiastic. ‘He’s hung it up alongside The Sweetest Waltz.’
‘A fortuitous sign,’ said her grandmother. ‘And how did your red dress go down at the party?’
‘Wil and I performed the tango, so it was the right dress for dancing.’
‘I’d love to have been there to see that,’ her grandmother said, sounding wistful .
‘Wil has it on video. I’ll send you a copy,’ Delphie told her.
Her grandfather thumbed at his wife. ‘She’ll have me dancing it in Paris. You mark my words.’
‘I most certainly will,’ her grandmother confirmed. ‘We’re here to have fun, and dancing has been the joy of my life.’
‘Ahem!’ said her grandfather, causing them to laugh.
‘Oh, and you too,’ her grandmother said playfully.
Delphie didn’t want to take the shine off their night, but she wanted to tell them about Gareth. She took a deep breath. ‘Gareth was at the dance studio party.’
Her grandparents faces both appeared in view, blinking with surprise.
‘Your Gareth?’ said her grandmother.
Delphie nodded, and explained what happened.
‘Don’t let him wangle his way back into your affections,’ her grandmother advised her. ‘Unless you’re still in love with him.’
‘I’m not. And seeing him again confirmed I’m over him,’ said Delphie.
‘So you’re having dinner with Gareth at the hotel restaurant,’ her grandfather wanted to clarify. ‘And Wil is dining with Sienna.’
‘That’s right,’ Delphie told him.
‘Romance can be awfy complicated,’ he said, and then put his arm around his wife and hugged her close. ‘I’m so glad we found each other and didn’t need to jump through all those hoops of romantic fire to find our true love. ’
‘Be careful not to get scorch burns,’ her grandmother warned her kindly, tucking into her husband’s warm embrace.
‘I’ll be careful,’ Delphie promised. ‘But I don’t know whether to take on the task of designing the artwork for the stage show.’
‘I don’t want to sway you,’ said her grandmother. ‘But if it was me, and I love that ballet, and how that’ll be portrayed on stage in the winter, I’d grab the chance. It could help boost your career as an artist.’
‘I’m really tempted to do it,’ said Delphie.
‘Then do it,’ her grandmother told her. ‘You don’t need to fall back in step with Gareth. And if Wil’s the type of man I think he is, it could all work out for the better.’
‘Thanks for the advice,’ said Delphie. ‘Now I’m going to let you two night owls enjoy your ride around Paris.’
Her grandfather waved to Delphie.
‘Remember to send us the tango video,’ her grandmother managed to say before they ended the call.
Smiling to herself, and feeling better having spoken to her grandparents, Delphie continued to paint, thinking up ideas for the show’s poster and graphic designs.