Summer Night Dreams

by Alison May

  Emily folded her arms. ‘Not something like this. It’s really bad ...’

  ‘I said don’t tell me.’

  ‘She’s been to prison.’

  Dominic closed his eyes. To be fair, that did sound quite bad, but the principle still held. A person could be born one thing and choose to be something else, or even be raised to be something else. He thought about his father sitting in his chair, muttering under his breath at the football on the telly and reading The Sun or The Mail. And now his son went to parties in manor houses with fancy caterers and funny pink drinks. ‘And unless she’s actually escaped and on-the-run she’s paid her debt to society, hasn’t she?’

  ‘It’s all right for you. It’s not your dad.’

  ‘That’s true, but think about that.’ Dominic took his fiancée’s hand. ‘You’re so close to your dad. That’s incredible. I barely spoke to mine, except to get a new dose of guilt, and now it’s too late to change it. Don’t throw away your relationship with Theo by doing something that’ll make him miserable.’

  She wrapped her fingers around his. ‘It’s for his own good.’ For the first time there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

  ‘Will he see it that way? If you go to him and tell him whatever it is about Tania?’ Dominic circled his thumb gently on the back of her hand. ‘You’ve heard people say “Don’t shoot the messenger”? Well you’re the messenger. He might not thank you.’

  She shook her head. ‘He’ll understand.’

  Dominic pulled his hand away. ‘Em, I’m not sure.’

  She smoothed her dress down and wiped a hint of a tear from her face. ‘It’s not up to you.’

  ‘True.’

  ‘Good, because I’ve decided what I’m doing.’

  ‘I don’t think ...’ He stopped talking as his fiancée walked away across the room. Dominic felt a flicker of irritation. He hadn’t been telling her what to do. He thought back over the conversation. Well, maybe he had been telling her what to do. He shook his head and set off after her.

  ‘Professor Collins!’

  He stopped abruptly at the voice. ‘Nick?’ His wayward student was standing in the middle of the room holding a tray of bright pink punch.

  Nick grinned. ‘I told you I got a job.’

  ‘Yeah. So I see.’

  ‘This is like a way cool party. Have you seen the magicians?’

  Dominic nodded. He’d seen various fairies and elves performing tricks for the entertainment of the gathered guests.

  Nick pointed towards a tall, dark-haired man, dressed in green and brown, his face painted like the bark of an aged tree. ‘He’s the best. He showed us this card trick before it all started that like blew my mind.’

  Dominic watched the man for a second. He certainly seemed to have the group of guests standing round him, rapt. Suddenly the man raised his voice. ‘I need a volunteer!’ He looked towards Dominic. ‘You sir?’

  Dominic shook his head and dropped his gaze to the floor. There was no way he was going to be a magician’s stooge. Next to him, Nick had no such inhibitions. He flung his free arm into the air and thrust his tray towards Dominic with the other ‘Hold these.’

  Nick bounded forward. The magician shrugged. ‘Very well.’

  Dominic took a step forward to watch the performance. The magician had his patter down. ‘All right young man. What’s your name?’

  ‘Nick.’

  ‘Excellent Nick. And can you confirm for the ladies and gentleman that we haven’t met before today?’

  Nick nodded.

  ‘That’s great. And have you ever been hypnotised before?’

  Nick shook his head.

  ‘Very good. Okay Nick. You’re feeling very calm. I want you to close your eyes for a moment, and picture a wheel. Can you see the wheel in your mind Nick?’

  Nick nodded.

  ‘That’s great. Very slowly I want you to make that wheel turn in your mind. Watch the wheel. Round and round it goes, slowly turning, and you’re watching as it goes round and round and round. You’re feeling calm. You’re relaxed. The wheel goes round and round. And sleep.’

  Nick remained standing, but his head dropped onto his chest. Dominic took a step closer.

  The magician grinned at his growing audience. ‘Time for a little bit of fun.’ He turned to a woman in Tudor finery at the front of the small crowd. ‘Pick an animal.’

  She giggled. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Any animal? It doesn’t matter.’

  The woman shrugged. ‘A donkey.’

  ‘Excellent.’ The magician turned back towards Nick. ‘Nick, in a moment I’m going to tell you to open your eyes, and when you do you will believe that you are a donkey.’

  A volley of laughter greeted the idea. Someone off to the right shouted out, ‘How’s he going to serve our drinks?’

  The magician smiled. ‘Good point. Nick you will still be a waiter, but you will also believe that you are a donkey. You will have a yearning for carrots and you will believe that your ears have grown long and furry.’

  Another volley of laughter broke out at the image. Dominic shook his head. This was a distraction. He picked up a cup from the tray and downed it. He’d been running after Emily, but why? She’d stormed away from him. She was set on exposing some deep, dark secret of Tania’s. That was the danger, wasn’t it? If you set out on life with a part of yourself hidden away, there was always a risk you could be exposed.

  A hand tapped on his shoulder. ‘You didn’t want to be a volunteer?’

  The elf who was doing the hypnosis show grinned broadly at him, flashing glimpses of long pointed teeth.

  Dominic shook his head. ‘Not really my thing.’

  ‘Fair enough.’ The man was still smiling. ‘People get nervous about hypnosis. There’s no need. It only works if the volunteer’s up for it.’

  ‘Really?’

  The elf nodded. ‘I could demonstrate.’

  ‘No thanks.’

  ‘Humour me.’ The elf tilted his head to one side. ‘Go on. Just close your eyes.’

  Dominic sighed. He supposed it couldn’t hurt to play along. ‘No turning me into farmyard animals though.’

  ‘Trust me.’ The elf smiled broadly. ‘It’s a wedding party. From now on tonight is all about love.’

  ‘All right.’

  ‘Now just close your eyes and picture a wheel.’

  Alex

  Prime hunting ground. That was what this was. This was open savannah and he was the shark. That didn’t quite sound right in Alex’s head but the basic principle was sound. Room full of sweeties and he was the kid with a free pass to the shop.

  He grabbed two cups of punch off a passing tray and surveyed his territory. Maidens and princesses as far as the eye could see. Many of them already being squired by men they arrived with, but that was one of the traditional downsides of wedding parties. Everyone dragged along to a plus-one, which made it tricky to work out who was happily married and who was being accompanied by a reluctant cousin they’d bribed into helping them avoid social embarrassment for a weekend.

  His eyes settled on a group of women to the left of the door, gathered around the ‘Find the lady’ game. He wandered over. ‘How are you getting on?’

  The woman nearest him smiled. ‘They keep losing. They won’t believe me when I tell them it’s a fix.’

  Her friend squealed. ‘It’s not a fix. I’m going to get it this time.’

  Alex watched the guy’s hands for second. Round and round and round they went. He turned back to the girl who’d talked to him initially. Medium-height, curvy, long red hair hanging in curls down her back. Blue eyes, like Emily. He shut down the thought. Like Emily or not like Emily wasn’t the point. He was indifferent to Emily.

  ‘So you’re not having a go?’

  She shook her head. ‘What’s the point in playing if you know you’re not going to win?’

  ‘Not much I guess.’ He held out his second cup of punch. ‘For you.’

&nbs
p; She raised an eyebrow. ‘For me? Should I be flattered?’

  He offered a smile, which he hoped was more sweet than lecherous. ‘I noticed you when I was standing over there.’

  He saw her look him over, her eyes pausing for a second on his face. That was fair enough. ‘So you saw me for the first time from over there?’

  Alex nodded.

  ‘And you just had to come over and offer me some free punch?’

  He laughed. ‘So it’s not the most extravagant gesture, but I did notice you. That’s gotta count for something?’

  ‘You would think, wouldn’t you?’

  Alex paused for a second. He was striking out. That seemed pretty clear. He wondered what he could work in the way of damage limitation. So she wasn’t into him? That was her prerogative, but she was with a group of five mates. Maybe he could stay sufficiently in favour to ingratiate himself with the group. Keep her talking. That was the key thing. Keep her talking, rather than letting her fade back into her group of friends. ‘So why doesn’t it?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Well noticing you doesn’t seem to be getting me much credit. Why not?’

  Her eyes settled on his face again. ‘You really don’t know, do you?’

  Alex shook his head.

  The girl leant towards him. ‘You don’t recognise me at all.’

  He took another look. Hair. Face. Blue eyes like ... well, blue eyes. ‘Should I?’

  ‘You slept with me three years ago.’

  ‘Did I?’

  The girl nodded. ‘I’m Beatrix.’

  Beatrix? Bea? Trix? The name didn’t ring a bell. ‘I’m sorry.’

  She shrugged. ‘Don’t be. You were perfectly adequate.’

  ‘What?’ Alex was outraged. He was more than adequate in that department. His reviews to date had been exemplary.

  Beatrix shook her head. ‘You can’t be offended. You don’t even remember me.’

  His heart had somewhat gone out of the pursuit, but old habits died hard. ‘And you don’t fancy, you know ... for old times sake?’

  Another shake of the head. ‘I’ve got a boyfriend, and also no. Just no.’

  ‘Right.’ Alex turned to slope away.

  ‘Wait. Actually, there’s something else.’ Her voice was softer suddenly. She looked serious.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I didn’t have your contact details you see, and you know, we didn’t know each other that well, and I wasn’t sure how you’d react, but ...’

  Alex felt his stomach tighten. ‘What?’

  ‘It’s just that after we ... you know ... well I was left with more than the memories, if you know what I mean.’

  ‘Well you didn’t catch anything from me!’

  ‘What?’ Her face crumpled in disdain. ‘No! Not that.’ She looked serious again. ‘My son. Our son.’

  The room spun around Alex. A son. An actual son. Three years ago. She’d said three years ago. That meant, what? A two year old son. Two and a bit years of a tiny person who was part of him being on the planet without him knowing. He had a son. ‘Really?’

  The woman’s face dissolved into laughter. ‘Of course not. We used a condom.’

  Alex reeled again. ‘What?’

  ‘Sorry. I couldn’t resist. I felt like you deserved it.’ She grinned and held out a hand. ‘Even?’

  Alex shook her hand. ‘I have to go.’

  She nodded. ‘Probably best.’

  So no son. Well that was good, wasn’t it? The thing Alex was feeling would almost certainly be relief. No commitments. Nothing anchoring him to anyone. Alex staggered to the side of the room and sat down. He didn’t want a child. He was in no fit state to be a father. He had a job he detested that barely paid enough to make rent to a landlady who didn’t charge him proper rent. A woman who wanted to stay for breakfast was on the outside edge of his ability to commit. He certainly couldn’t be a father. A father was someone who stuck with things, someone who followed through. Alex had never stuck with anything.

  All around the room people were making connections. They were here with their families, their lovers, their partners. Alex was alone. At the far side of the room, Helen and Emily were standing together. What a contrast that was. Emily was worse than he was. It wasn’t that she couldn’t stick with things; it was that she didn’t know when to stick and when to let go, and yet he’d offered to stick with her. It was barely twenty-four hours ago that he’d told her he’d be hers if she’d have him. But she wouldn’t have him, and that was that.

  ‘Mate! Will you volunteer?’ A tall, slender man dressed as some sort of creature of the forest, with a face painted like tree bark, clapped Alex on the shoulder.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I need a volunteer.’

  Alex nodded. He didn’t have anywhere else to be.

  ‘Gather round ladies and gentleman. We have a new volunteer.’

  A small crowd gathered around them. The costumes, the scent of wildflowers in the air, the punch in Alex’s system – it was all swirling together to make him feel out of control. The tall man leant close to Alex’s ear. ‘Just listen to my voice.’

  He did as he was told. He closed his eyes. He pictured the wheel. He watched it spin around and around, and then everything went quiet. The sounds of the party drifted into the distance. Everything around Alex was calm.

  ‘All right mate.’ The elven man clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Thanks a lot.’

  Was that it? He hadn’t done anything. The man wandered away, and the crowd dispersed. Alex blinked a couple of times. What had he been thinking about? Of course. Getting back on the horse. Maybe he’d taken the wrong approach before. Obviously he needed to get over Emily, but maybe jumping back on the same old horse again wasn’t the right way at all. Maybe it was time to do something different. Maybe it was time to make a commitment, but this time he’d do it differently. He’d find someone who deserved it, someone who could make a commitment in return. Helen and Emily standing together. He pulled his eyes away from Emily and onto Helen. Helen. Perfect, enchanting Helen. He would make her his.

  He stopped. Maybe he’d just have another cup of punch first.

  Emily

  ‘Are you having a nice evening?’ Helen doesn’t answer. It’s noisy in the ballroom. Maybe she hasn’t heard. ‘Are you having a nice time?’

  She shrugs. ‘Fine.’

  She doesn’t really like parties. I bet she’d rather be at home marking essays than all corseted up and forced to come out and socialise. I wonder if I should tell her about Tania, but after Dom’s reaction I’m not sure. I should have known he wouldn’t understand. He’s not close to his parents. Maybe he’s right about telling my dad though. A thoughts strikes. Perhaps there’s another option. I scan the room. Tania is still wrapped around my dad. If I’m going to do this another way, I need to get her on her own. That means waiting. I look at the clock. Quarter to nine. I can’t wait too long.

  ‘Did you get that stuff for me?’

  She nods without looking at me. ‘It’s in my room. Someone must have taken my bags up.’

  ‘I need it.’

  She rifles through her bag and pulls out a room key. ‘It’s on top of my case. Help yourself.’

  I take the key. ‘Thanks.’ She doesn’t reply. ‘Are you okay?’ She’s scanning the crowded room in front of her.

  Helen glances at me and then looks away.

  ‘Seriously, what’s up?

  ‘Nothing.’ She sighs. ‘I’m looking for someone.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Isabel Sutton. I need to tell her about Elizabeth Fry.’

  ‘Off the five pound notes?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘To make your dad jealous.’

  I probably ought to ask her to explain that. I don’t. I’ve got other things on my mind. Too many other things. Tania’s still standing with my dad, so that one will have to wait. I pick one of the others at random. ‘There was something I wanted to ask yo
u.’

  ‘Mmm?’

  ‘Will you be my bridesmaid?’

  This is the bit where she’s supposed to squeal and hug me. Helen isn’t the squealing type but there should be hugging.

  She folds her arms. She’s been quiet for a long time. Too long. Of course. Alex didn’t say anything to Dom, but he’ll have told Helen, won’t he? They’re practically family. I freeze. So that’s how he’s going to find out. Alex told Helen. Helen’s going to tell Dom, unless I can persuade her not to. ‘You know, don’t you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  I don’t reply. I can’t. My heart is rushing. I put my hand against the wall to stop the world moving around me. ‘It was ...’

  ‘It was what?’

  Tears come quickly, running down my face. I take a big snotty gulp. ‘It was stupid. Really stupid.’

  ‘He’s my friend too.’

  I don’t know for a second which ‘he’ she’s talking about. It doesn’t matter. Alex and Dom. By screwing Alex, I’ve screwed them both. ‘It’ll never happen again. It was a stupid mistake. It didn’t mean anything.’

  All the things I can think of to say make me sound like a politician who’s been caught shagging his intern.

  ‘Is any of that true?’

  I nod. At least some of it is absolutely true. It will never never happen again. It was definitely a stupid mistake, and I don’t want it to have meant anything. I wipe my eyes on the weird dangly sleeve bit of my costume. ‘Are you going to tell Dom?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  She can’t. She shouldn’t. Friends are supposed to come before any bloke. She should be on my side. ‘I wanted to tell you.’

  She shakes her head. ‘I’m glad you didn’t. I wish Alex hadn’t.’

  I remember her face when Dom told her we were engaged. ‘Is that why you weren’t happy about the engagement?’

  She pauses. That momentary pause before she arranges her face is there again, but then she nods.

  I can talk her round. I know I can. It’ll be like the time I threw up on a bouncer and then persuaded him I was still sober enough to get into the club. ‘It won’t ever happen again. I think I got a bit freaked out about how quickly things were going with Dom. I got scared and I did something stupid. That’s all.’