Having a Ball (20 page)

He did indeed look wonderful in a tuxedo. The jacket showed off his
broad shoulders while the cummerbund emphasized his trim waist. His hair had
been washed and tamed so that it no longer tumbled lazily over his forehead,
somehow making his eyes bluer. The top button of his collar was undone. He
hastily did it up so that she could put the tie round his neck.

Stevie blinked and tried to concentrate on the job at hand. She could feel
the warmth radiating from his skin as she slipped the tie round his neck. Tom put a
hand on the back of a chair and lifted his chin.

She concentrated on pulling the fabric of the silk tie through the correct
knot. After a moment she found herself staring at the freshly shaved skin on his
throat. There was a tiny nick just under his chin. All she wanted to do was kiss it
better.

Blood was pounding in her head and she felt hot all over. She couldn't
possibly be this close to him and not have her head explode out of sheer lust.

Tom swallowed. The movement of his throat reminded her that she was
supposed to be tying his tie, not staring hungrily at his throat like some demented
vampire. She noticed that he was breathing faster than usual. She forced herself to
look away, and saw that he was gripping the back of the chair so hard that his
knuckles were white. Could he be finding this as difficult as she was?

She finished tying the bow, barely able to think for wanting him. As she
finished, she gave into temptation and let her finger lightly brush his throat. Tom
inhaled sharply and his eyelids fluttered shut. Stevie pulled the knot tight,
straightened it and let her hands drop.

He lowered his chin and his eyes met hers. For a moment he gazed at her
with such pure naked lust that she forgot to breathe.

The moment stretched. They were only inches apart, yet he made no
move to close the gap.

Alice's phone beeped. They both jumped. Stevie had completely forgotten
about Alice.

Tom cleared his throat. "Thank you." His voice was deeper than normal.
"You're a star." He took a step back.

Stevie was suddenly embarrassed that Alice might have witnessed the
look that had just passed between Tom and herself, but the teen, who was still
blowing on her nails and texting with one hand, seemed oblivious.

Evelyn came in, carrying a large tray of canapés still wrapped in
cellophane. "There you are darling. You found the bow tie then." She carefully put
the tray down.

"Yes. And Stevie tied it for me."

"Ah," said Evelyn. "It suits you."

There was something in Evelyn's voice that made Stevie look at her and
mentally change gear. Evelyn's normally steely eyes were misted. "You look so
handsome." She stepped close to Tom and straightened the already straight tie. "So
much like your father." Her voice cracked completely then. There were tears in her
eyes.

Tom kissed his mother on the cheek. She put her arms around him and
hugged him. Stevie felt a lump form in her throat. She knew that Evelyn, normally
so capable and business like, was seeing this ball as a tribute to her late husband. It
would launch the house in its new incarnation as a B&B. The culmination of a
project he'd started. It was clearly an emotional moment for her.

A chair scraped as Alice went over to hug her grandmother too. Tom put
his arms round both of them and they stood together in the kitchen, a tableaux of
family affection.

Stevie quietly left them to it.

* * * *

Back in her room, Stevie decided there was no time for her to have a bath
as planned and had to settle for a shower instead. The incident in the kitchen had
left her feeling unsettled and very much alone. She missed Marsh. She even missed
having Louise around to bounce ideas off.

Sitting in front of the mirror to dry her hair, her thoughts turned to Tom.
She now had no doubts that she wanted him. Madly. And after the look he had given
her, she was sure that he wanted her too, just as much. Yet something was holding
him back.

If he'd wanted to kiss her, he'd had plenty of opportunity. Something was
bothering him, but what? Stevie brushed out her wet hair. With it pulled away from
her face, she looked fresh and young.

Tom kept making comments about youth. Was that it? Did he think she
was too young for him? Eight years wasn't that much of an age gap. By the time he
was seventy, she'd be sixty-two. That was barely a difference.

Or maybe it wasn't that at all. There was also Vienna. Despite Tom's
protests that Vienna wasn't his girlfriend, she obviously had some power over him.
Perhaps some sense of loyalty to Vienna was stopping him.

She freed a knot in her hair with a vicious tug. "Ouch!"

She would have to try to watch Tom and Vienna that evening and see how
they interacted. She'd only seen them together fleetingly. Maybe seeing them in a
setting like a ball, which they claimed was the sort of thing they did together, might
shed some light on how Tom really felt about Vienna.

Stevie sighed and raised her hands to her hair to tie it up. Suddenly she
remembered the night in the library when Tom has asked her what she wanted
from life. She thought back to her answer. Was that it? Had her suggestion that she
wanted something stable for her life made her sound like some sort of needy sad
case?

If Tom thought she was after a husband and nothing else, no wonder he
was running away. She studied her face. A year ago, she would have had no
problem with jumping on Tom and having a few days of fun and then moving on. It
would hurt, but she'd go in accepting the risk. But now, the idea of a frivolous
relationship seemed wrong for her. What had happened in a year to change her so
much?

Pursing her lips, Stevie returned to doing her hair. She knew the answer
to that question. In the last year, she'd left uni to start work in the real world,
moved into her own flat and her brother had got married. She had taken for
granted the fact that Marsh would always be there for her and now suddenly, he
had his own family to think about. It was as though a safety net that she'd not even
been aware of relying on had suddenly winked out of existence. It left her feeling
shaken and vulnerable. Needy, even.

She tethered her hair with a clip and loosened a few tendrils to frame her
face. Reaching for her makeup, she told herself to stop being silly. She wasn't needy.
Even if she was, she didn't have to let it show. And anyway, she told herself as she
swiftly applied her makeup, tonight was all about her setting up herself as a
professional. This ball was important to her future and more than that, it meant a
lot to Evelyn, who had been nice to her. She couldn't let her down.

After slipping on her dress and matching shoes, Stevie gave herself one
last check in the mirror. The dress was blue silk and fell in a flattering swish around
her hips. Coupled with her subtle make up, she looked smart, fresh and
professional. She gave herself a reassuring smile and stepped out to take over her
job as organiser.

* * * *

From: Tom Blackwood

To: Olivia Gornall

I think Mum's missing Dad.
She had a moment of weakness earlier. I hope this ball goes well for her
sake as well as Stevie's.
Tom

##

From: Olivia Gornall

To: Tom Blackwood

What progress with Stevie?
How are you getting on with keeping your natural tendencies in
check?

##

From: Tom Blackwood

To: Olivia Gornall

Well, if you are trying not to
fancy someone, getting them to tie your bow tie for you is probably not
a clever idea. It was probably the single most erotic experience of my
life.
I nearly seriously embarrassed myself. Luckily, Mum came in
and had a small wobbly which distracted me.
Although, now I think
I've confused her even more.
I just have to get through a couple
more days and she'll be gone forever and I can go back to my
comfortable arrangement with Vienna.

##

From: Olivia Gornall

To: Tom Blackwood

I think you'll find your
arrangement with Vienna isn't quite as comfortable as it used to
be.
I'm so looking forward to the moment she realises that you're
in love with Stevie.
The train's just pulling into Oxford. I'll be there
in a few minutes.
OG

* * * *

Stevie reached the landing and found Tom and a tall girl with spiky
blonde hair manoeuvring a board under Priya's direction. The girl gave Stevie a
grin, before turning back to her task. They put the board by the front door where
everyone would have to walk past in order to get to the main rooms.

Priya had created a display showing the devastated site of the old
hospital and the plans for the new one. Photos showed the construction that had
already taken place. There was a price list showing what various sums of money
would buy and explaining how the equipment would save lives. Finally, there were
some pictures of children who would benefit from the hospital, all heartrendingly
cute.

Stevie nodded with approval. "That's good. We need a collection box." She
dragged Evelyn's writing desk out so that part of it stuck out beyond the display.
"In case people want to make a donation."

Tom turned and saw her for the first time. He seemed to freeze into
place.

The blonde girl glanced at Tom, and then looked Stevie up and down.
"Have you got a bike chain or something?"

"Pardon?" She was completely thrown by the question.

"You might want to lock the collection box down. In case it walks."

"That's a good point. I'll sort that out." Tom placed a hand on the girl's
arm and tried to move her along.

She stayed where she was and smiled at Stevie. "I'm Olivia. You must be
Stevie. I've heard a lot about you."

Stevie wondered who this woman was. Olivia was nearly as tall as Tom
and wore a smart trouser suit and killer heels that made her seem even more
willowy. She and Tom were clearly very comfortable in each other's presence, but
Stevie sensed no chemistry between them.

Tom gave her a quick grin and turned back. "Come on Og, I thought you
were helping."

Og. The friend from school. That made sense.

"I'll see you later." Olivia allowed Tom to shoo her out of the room.

Priya was straightening up the display. She was wearing a beautiful red
and cream sari and had her hair up. The image was spoiled somewhat, by the large
apron she'd tied over the front. She was frowning slightly.

"You okay, Priya?"

Priya nodded. "Yes. We're all good to go in the kitchen. I've press-ganged
one of my nieces into helping with the food. Apparently, she's a fan of this pop star
you have coming."

Stevie nodded. She glanced at her watch. "It's nearly time for people to
start turning up. Is Lady Beryl here?"

"No."

Stevie rolled her eyes. "I need her to do door duty."

"I know. Beryl doesn't really do 'helping out'. She thinks it's beneath her."
Priya gave Stevie an apologetic smile. "I know Tom buttered her up again this
morning, so perhaps he helped changed her mind."

Stevie hoped so. Lady Beryl was a royal pain, but she needed her
approval if she was going to get more commissions based on this ball. If Lady Beryl
was late, Stevie would have to step in and do the meet and greet without a murmur
of disapproval. She sighed and ran off to do a last check that everything was under
control.

By the time the first guests arrived, Stevie had checked that everything
was in place and that private areas were cordoned off and, where possible, locked.
She flew to answer the door. The early birds were friends of Evelyn and Priya.
Stevie ticked them off her list and marked their tickets. She had time to direct them
to the bar where Tom was waiting with glasses of champagne, wine or juice, all
ready and poured out. Most people headed off into the garden.

A text arrived. It was from Marsh. Stevie opened it with some
trepidation.

Good luck with the ball. Hope all goes well. Marsh. x

She stared at it for a moment. She had behaved very badly towards Marsh
lately. She hadn't called or texted. This was the longest time she'd been out of touch
with him. And it was the longest time she'd stayed angry with him. She'd been a
real shit to him and Jane, dragging Jane's name back into contact with
Cause
Celeb
, yet here was Marsh, thinking of her and wishing her luck. A lump rose in
her throat. She missed him. She really, really missed him.

She pressed reply and stared at the blank screen. The doorbell rang.
Stevie pressed
cancel
and answered the door. Vienna stood there, dressed in
a perfectly cut pin stripe suit and stilettos.

"Hi," said Stevie. "Have you got your ticket?"

Vienna stared. "Um. Damn. Not on me. It's in the Tom's room with my
dress."

Briefly Stevie thought about turning her away. The idea of being able to
bar Vienna from the ball was delicious. But she wasn't that petty.

"Tom will vouch for me," said Vienna, while watching her carefully.

Stevie took a deep breath. "Okay. You're lucky you got here before Lady
Beryl took over door duty. Can you bring me your ticket once you've found it
though. I need to mark it and cross you off the list before Beryl checks."

"Absolutely," said Vienna, giving her a toothpaste advert smile. "Thanks.
You're a star." She picked up her briefcase and headed in.

"Tom's in the bar," Stevie shouted after her. "In case you need his
keys."

Vienna raised a hand in thanks, but didn't turn round.

Stevie returned to her task, smiling. She knew it was childish, but it was
fun to bait Vienna.

Lady Beryl arrived a few minutes later. Stevie opened the door to find her
glowering. "There is nowhere for me to park."