Chapter 25 #2
Maya hung her head for a moment. 'I'm sorry. You know I’d never miss this, but I had another engagement tonight and at first I didn’t realise they were the same party. When I did, I thought it would be more fun to turn up unannounced. You’re always saying that nothing surprises you these days,' Maya teased. ‘I have another one, but I’m not sure how you’ll take it. I’ve brought a date…’
Rosalie tutted and narrowed her eyes at Maya. 'I know that look. Please, please tell me you haven’t let that scoundrel Blake back into your life.’
‘Blake isn’t here,’ assured Maya, seeing the distress on Rosalie’s face.
‘Thank goodness! Blake would do just about anything for an invitation to an event like this and I wouldn’t put it past him to wheedle back into your life now I’m in it.’ Rosalie saw Maya’s appalled look and grimaced. ‘I’m sorry, but the man’s a social climber. It's about time you let someone else in. I’ve got my own ideas about that,’ she added and Maya wished she had a drink to down as this was more like the usual interrogations about her love life now. ‘Your grandmother didn’t tell me you were attending either!’
‘She didn’t know,’ said Maya, as she looked forlornly at Evan who winked at her with a grin. He knew full well how many times her family and friends went on at her about her love life, as Rosalie often spent time with Ettie, who had become her best friend in the past couple of years. ‘It was a last-minute decision.’
‘With a dress like that!’ Rosalie held her away from her again and twirled her around to take in every inch of her grandmother’s handiwork. ‘Ettie is a genius!’ she proclaimed. ‘I keep pleading with her to make the outfits for my next film, but she refuses,’ she tutted and then glanced around to see they had an audience.
‘Gran’s retired,’ reasoned Maya helpfully. ‘You’re right though. Blake might have stayed with me if he’d have thought my connections might still be useful,’ she rolled her eyes, but her good humour was returning because Rosalie was often right. ‘He’d be gutted to find out that you spend more time at my grandparents' house than your own!’ Maya laughed suddenly and it was Rosalie’s turn to chuckle.
‘Pfft,’ said Rosalie, before spotting Noah and his group and nodding to Evan to retrieve him, too. He headed off with an enormous theatrical sigh, and Maya giggled. Evan had run Rosalie’s protective detail for decades now and was pretty much one of the family, too. He put up with a lot because of her antics with Maya’s grandmother, but Maya secretly thought he was having a lot more fun himself, too. When Ettie and Rosalie got together, every moment of their time was spent making mischief.
‘Evan’s happy tonight,’ noted Maya with a sarcastic lilt.
‘He’s fed up with guarding the jewellery because he’d rather be sipping a non-alcoholic beer from the bar where he can see most of the room.’
‘Oops,’ said Maya with a grimace. ‘How long until the auction? Hopefully, he can rest after that.’
‘In an hour,’ said Rosalie as they both turned to look at the stunning diamond and white gold waterfall necklace that sparkled on a pedestal on one side of the podium. The publicity for this event had been astronomical because of the host and the auction. Security had been a bit of a headache, but Maya had been given some helpful advice from Evan, who was a pro at looking after something precious .
Before Maya could protest, Rosalie signalled to her security team that they should let Noah onto the stage as he'd moved to the foot of the stairs to see if she needed rescuing. Maya tried to send him a reassuring smile, as she curled and uncurled her hands around her evening bag. She knew what a powerhouse Rosalie was and yet Noah had been ready to jump to Maya's defence, anyway. For all he knew, she might have been trying to steal the necklace, or the plants, but he was there for her, even if it might cause problems for his own career.
Rosalie beckoned to him to join them and he walked up and through security with Evan, in a bit of a daze. 'Noah,' boomed Rosalie, as he greeted her with a kiss on both cheeks. 'This is my best friend’s granddaughter, Maya.'
Maya couldn't help but splutter at Noah's shocked face. 'Rosalie is a close family friend,' she explained, her nerves fizzing.
'You know I think of you as one of my own,' scolded Rosalie, giving Maya a stern look, which made her smile.
'I know you do,' said Maya, reaching up to kiss Rosalie's soft cheek as Maya flushed and her lip wobbled.
Rosalie enveloped her in a perfumed hug and then stood regarding them both.
Rosalie was wearing a magnificent ocean blue dress that skimmed her curves and had a long train behind it that looked like rushing water.
The décolletage glittered with tiny diamonds, and the bodice of the dress was a deep blue that faded to a lighter shade as the dress reached the floor.
It was quite beautiful.
She was also wearing the original No.1 Ethereal Lane necklace Maya had created for her years ago when they’d first met.
Her loyalty touched Maya.
'You're a big part of my family, too.
You know I love you dearly...
even if you are always causing trouble,' she inclined her head towards Noah.
‘Rosalie and my grandmother, Ettie, spend a lot of time together,’ explained Maya.
'I came here with Noah, Rosalie. He's my date.' She pulled an apologetic face at Noah, who frowned in confusion at this turn of events.
‘Sorry for not telling you before, but I didn’t want my connection with Rosalie to create problems for you at work. I thought that if the press linked us all, they might speculate about you working together again when nothing could be further from the truth. Rosalie wasn’t aware that we knew each other until just now.’
Noah still looked flummoxed but smiled finally as he digested this last piece of information. His stunned expression eased, and he reached for Maya’s hand.
‘How did you meet?’
‘Through Maya,’ said Rosalie, which made his eyebrows shoot up into his hairline again.
Rosalie’s eyes narrowed for a moment and then she waved her hand around and caught the eye of the waiting staff to ask for them to bring them all a drink, which happened quickly.
Maya sipped her delicious crystal glass of champagne and thought of what to say as Rosalie was clearly waiting for her cue.
She was one of the few people who knew about the astronomical growth of Maya’s brand and it was also how she’d bagged the best piece for auction tonight.
She wasn’t averse to the teeniest bit of emotional blackmail when she felt the cause deserved it, and Maya had caved quickly, anyway.
Especially when the bone of Leah getting the floristry contract was dangled in front of her face.
Rosalie knew Maya was a sucker for helping her friends and Rosalie loved Leah dearly too.
The museum that was benefitting from the charity piece was close to her heart and in desperate need of money to renovate.
‘Now they cause havoc everywhere they go,’ said Maya with affection. ‘They wear disguises and cause all kinds of mayhem!’ she laughed and Noah grinned too. She liked the fact that he was holding her hand in public and didn’t seem to mind Rosalie’s pretty brutal teasing.
‘They went for a steamboat cruise on Bertha a while ago to celebrate Grandmother’s birthday – for the tenth time in a month - and waved half a bottle of vodka around. Gran had a walking stick that she used to point at the seagulls, even though she has never used a stick in her life and Rosalie brought a cake that she forgot was in her bag and almost squashed. Joe and Roman thought it was hilarious, and we all had to pretend we didn’t know who they were. No one else noticed them because their disguises were so good and they made such a racket that other customers steered clear!’ she added in amusement, remembering the day and shaking her head at their antics.
‘I can’t wait to meet your grandmother in person. Is she well known?’ asked Noah, chuckling at the story and not seeming that surprised by Rosalie’s behaviour.
‘She’s certainly incorrigible!’ laughed Maya, and Rosalie almost spluttered her drink before she composed herself. ‘She enjoys the drama of the fact that Rosalie gets mobbed if she’s seen out in public because everyone loves her so much. Hence why I understood your predicament on the bridge by the river so well,’ she added, just for Noah’s ears and understanding dawned in his eyes.
Rosalie blushed and shushed her away, but Maya continued. ‘They have a huge dressing-up box left over from film sets and they use it to disguise themselves and go out in public because Rosalie is so recognisable. Believe me when I say they are like two delinquent children. They giggle, cause a raucous and leave a trail of destruction behind them,' she joked. Rosalie looked about to protest, but then she grinned and nodded.
'We have a lot of fun.'
'Grandad is just as bad because he drives them all over the place so they can misbehave and encourages them to have a wild time! They’ve even corrupted Joe and Olive now,’ she added. ‘Olive’s been talking about joining them on their next outing and Joe thinks it’s hilarious. Plus, it means the men get a bit of quiet time and a chance to sit in the pub with a glass of cold beer.'
Noah laughed, but seemed unsure if he should be in the presence of Dame Rosalie at such a grand event.
They watched the guests milling around in their finery and trays of delectable canapés being tasted by everyone as the band continued to play.
Rosalie patted his hand and smiled, her eyes sparkling with mirth.
'It's wonderful when the stars align and you meet your friendship soul mate.
Ettie and I don't cause that much mischief…’ she glanced at Maya’s sceptical gaze, ‘but we do like to solve romance dilemmas and encourage people to talk more after we've eavesdropped on their conversations or tiffs.’ Noah's jaw dropped again and Maya nudged him on the hip.
'We pretend to be doddery old women who need help and then we butt in on their chat and solve all of their problems,' she belly laughed now.
Maya shook her head in mock - despair and Noah couldn't help but grin.
'I’ve tried telling them to mind their own business, but it falls on deaf ears,' she shrugged. ‘They’ve been meddling in my love life for the past two years and keep trying to set me up on dates with “eligible” men. Hence my fear of relationships when we met,’ she explained.
'We aren't deaf!' said Rosalie with a grin. 'We have selective hearing about who is suitable and if Noah had listened to my matchmaking earlier, you'd have been together years ago! Your gran said he'd be perfect for you when she saw all that rubbish in the papers.'
'What?' Maya couldn't believe what she was hearing now. 'Gran wanted me to date a cheater?' she felt her skin growing hot and her fists bunching. 'Sorry Noah,' she said as he looked wounded. 'It’s just what the papers said. I know it wasn't true, but gran wouldn't have known that.'
Rosalie shook her head at Maya's stupidity. 'Of course not! Your grandmother only wants what’s best for you, as you well know,’ she scolded gently and Maya shrugged helplessly at Noah who grinned, but ran his finger along his dress shirt and let in some air, as this conversation was getting mightily uncomfortable. At least he’d understand why she’d joked about fake dating now. ‘I'd already worked with Noah,’ continued Rosalie, ‘I knew he was an absolute sweetheart. We thought he'd had a tough time of it like you had and that you would get on.' It was Noah's turn to flush bright red now.
'You're kind of ruining my street cred here, Rosalie,' he joked, taking Maya's hand again.
Rosalie noted their linked hands and frowned. 'I've been trying to introduce you to Maya for years,' she rolled her eyes at Noah and he blanched and then Rosalie shook her head in exasperation as if he really should keep up.
'You aren't serious? I thought you were joking. This is the friend of a friend that you meant?' He looked incredulous, then horrified, and his cheeks went pink. Maya winced and bit her lip again, trying to gauge just how mad he was going to be with her for not explaining her family dynamics earlier. The problem was, that after Blake, she was fearful of fame hunters because of her family, as much as Noah was because of his career and that had been a huge factor when she’d decided to keep parts of her business hidden. Her grandparents were pretty famous in their own right, as was her brother, with his good looks and burgeoning tech business, that had recently made him a multi-millionaire.
'I didn't think I'd be able to make the family party because I'd promised Noah I'd accompany him to a prestigious event. The dates clashed,' she told Rosalie.
It was Rosalie's turn to focus on Noah, and her eyes narrowed. 'So you chose Noah over your family? Interesting...' Maya sighed. She knew they'd all read something into this when they found out she was actually there.
'She didn't choose me over her family...' added Noah in confusion, his face perplexed.
'This was the family party I wanted you to come to,'
said Maya sheepishly, looking round for somewhere to hide, but they seemed to have a rapt audience and all she could do was fix on a smile and straighten her shoulders, taking a quick sip of her chilled champagne.
'I didn't know you'd invited me out on the same date, or until later that it was the same event.
Rosalie hosts a lot of parties,’ she tried feebly to joke, but it missed the mark.
‘Half of my family are here.’ Noah looked astounded, but then he took her hand again and moved closer to her side, his tuxedo brushing against her arm.
'You'd have missed all this for me?' he asked in awe.
'Umm... you said your event was important to you.'
'It is! But over a big family party? My parents would kill me!' He turned to look at Corey and Maya saw Noah give him a reassuring smile, but he just continued frowning as he put an arm around Tabitha’s shoulders, but she threw him off and glared at them. Rosalie, however, was beaming from ear to ear and Maya groaned as she'd just spotted her grandparents further across the ballroom. Rosalie followed her line of vision and grinned.
‘We knew you’d be perfect for each other!’ Rosalie crowed happily as if she’d personally set all of this up.
'I told you they were incorrigible!' said Maya. 'It's why I needed a fake boyfriend.' Suddenly the conversation went silent and Rosalie's features set into a firm line.
'Fake relationship?'
Noah put out a hand to reassure her. 'Once we met, we had a daft idea to pretend to date to stop our families from worrying about our relationship status. But as soon as we started spending time together, we kind of fell in love...' He looked bashfully at Maya as she gasped and stepped back. Rosalie suddenly looked as if all of her Christmases had come at once, but as they turned, they saw Maya's grandparents heading their way. Maya gulped and Noah blanched because she hadn't seemed that happy about his declaration of love. Maya's stomach swirled, and she needed some air.
'Love?' she asked, as they both took a few steps away from Rosalie and Noah put a protective arm around her.
'Too much too soon? Sorry. I wasn't planning on it, but I just blurted it out,' he said quietly.
'Another act?' she demanded to know. He faced her for a moment, but seemed to realise her response was coming from fear of being hurt again. 'No. From the heart,’ he reassured her calmly. ‘It's how I feel. Have I scared you away?' he wanted to know.
'I… um… no,’ she decided quickly as she smiled shyly up at him.
‘Not too soon at all. It was just a shock. We haven’t spoken about what the future holds for us both and I have so much more to tell you about my work and upbringing.’
Noah brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it, happiness radiating from him. ‘You keep creeping into my thou ghts until I’m happier when I’m with you.’
She felt her cheeks flush and her pulse race even faster. ‘This is special and I'm not sure I've ever felt that way,' she said bravely.
His eyes darkened, and he swooped in for a swift kiss, not caring who was staring their way.
Maya would have loved to have kept kissing him forever, but her grandmother was getting closer and they needed to step away and fast.
She glanced behind her and drew him away from Rosalie, both grinning like idiots at their secret.
Rosalie seemed thrilled to be in on it, too. This was the last thing Maya had expected to have resulted from tonight, but they were three words she'd never forget.
'Go,' Rosalie urged kindly as they stepped closer to her again. 'Enjoy the party with your love ,’ she emphasised the last word and Maya’s face was alight with joy.
‘You are just what she needs,' she added to Noah, giving him an ‘I told you so’ smile of triumph.
He grinned back and gave her another swift kiss on the cheek, before whispering in her ear that she’d been right and beginning to lead Maya back to the group he'd been standing with.
Robbie and Amethyst had just joined them and they were greeting each other with kisses and hellos.
Maya was happy to see them together again and hoped she’d played some small part in that.
As she turned back to the stage, Maya just had time to watch Evan guide her grandparents up to greet Rosalie.
She could see from her grandmother's face that she'd seen the entire performance, but was choosing to let Maya escape for now.
They walked around a few groups of people who glanced at them with open curiosity, but then went back to their conversation.
Noah nodded at some people he knew and Maya admired the bejewelled gowns and smart suits the guest were wearing.
She noted a few of her own jewellery pieces being proudly worn and loved the way the riverside was brought into the event with each scroll of silver leaf, or glittering diamond petal.
Maya knew that a popular band would play a concert for them after the auction, but she wasn’t sure how much more drama she could take for the moment.
'What the hell was all that about?' asked Tabitha within twenty seconds of them reaching their original group and catching their breath. Everyone turned to them, waiting for Maya's response.
'I didn’t realise, but this is also a family party,' said Noah, his eyes twinkling with mirth. He had his arm around Maya now and he seemed to find the whole scenario quite funny.
'Whose family?' demanded Tabitha, stamping her feet in impatience, clearly expecting to be the most informed in the room. ‘Are royalty here?’ she asked, as if this was a distinct possibility at a party of this grandeur and decadence.
'Maya’s family,' said Noah simply, waiting for the bomb of information to explode.
'Mayas?' Tabitha paused suddenly and looked at Maya as if she was an alien. 'What do you mean?'
'That's her grandmother,' said Noah, nodding towards Rosalie talking to Ettie and Tabitha gasped.
'Dame Rosalie Alton, is your grandmother?' She was incredulous.
'No,' smiled Maya, glancing back towards the stage, as Tabitha let out a tremendous sigh of relief.
'That's my grandmother,' she nodded towards the flamboyant couple who had just joined their host on stage.
Ettie was wearing a floor length lilac silk gown with a sequined bodice that shimmied as she moved.
She had an intricately laced shawl covering her shoulders in a slightly deeper shade, and Maya knew she was wearing light purple ballet shoes under the dress so that she could dance up a storm later.
The dress was subtle at first glance but struck a punch in another, which summed her grandmother up.
Owen has resplendent in a deep blue velvet tuxedo with a simple exotic pink bloom tucked into his breast pocket, that Maya was sure he’d snipped from his glasshouse before he’d left for the ball.
'Ettie Milton is your grandmother?' asked Tabitha, her facing looking puce suddenly. 'She dresses half of the Royals!'
'Isn't that the gentleman who filmed the award-winning documentary series with one of the Attenborough brothers?' asked Corey, in a stunned voice as he took Tabitha’s hand, but she shook him off.
Maya shrugged. 'Probably. Gramps is always filming something or other about exotic plants. It's his speciality. I'm really sorry,' she said to the crowd, 'but Noah… now that my family knows we're here, would you mind meeting my brother and sister as well? They are probably propping up the bar.'
'Brother?' asked Noah, straightening his shoulders and pretending to quake.
‘Arthur Lopez,’ added Maya with a beaming smile.
All of the colour drained from Tabitha’s face. ‘The millionaire tech designer?’
Maya grinned and nudged hips gently with Noah, ignoring Tabitha’s shocked face. 'It is my sister you have to worry about. She'll barrage you with questions and probably want to check you aren't a gold digger,' she winked at Robbie, who burst out laughing.
'Touché!' he said, grabbing a fresh drink for Amethyst from a passing server as her glass was dry and receiving a kiss on the cheek in return .
Maya took Noah's hand and led him through the crowd, who suddenly seemed to offer her smiles of interest instead of the earlier suspicion and angst.
‘Joe and Olive are probably here too,’ she quipped.
‘Olive’s a huge fan of your movies, so be prepared to talk endlessly about film sets while Joe regales you with his latest stories about Bertha .
He’s been wondering out loud if there should be a film written about a certain steamboat on the Thames that had a makeover and became a star!’ she winked.