Having a Ball

by Rhoda Baxter

  Stevie cleared her throat. "Okay, everyone." They all turned toward her, apart from Lady Beryl who was still talking. Priya gestured to her that Stevie wanted her attention. Lady Beryl finally turned to Stevie.

  "Firstly," Stevie said, "I wanted to thank everyone for the hard work you've been doing." She made a point of not looking at Lady Beryl. "You'll be pleased to hear that all the tickets have now been sold."

  There was a small cheer round the table.

  "I thought you said we were behind on sales," said Beryl.

  "We were, but Alice and I did some judicious advertising," Stevie said.

  "How, exactly?"

  "Stevie got Pete from Triphoppers to come. He's this awesome pop-star," Alice said. "And I mentioned this on a forum and suddenly everyone wanted tickets."

  "What? You mean you sold tickets to any old riffraff?"

  "Oh come on, Beryl," said Evelyn.

  "You have, haven't you? I knew it was a bad idea to enlist an amateur who had no idea of the sort of--"

  "Lady Beryl," Stevie said, "when I was told about the remit of this ball, I was told it was to raise money for a charity. You told me about the budget and the cause." She gave Lady Beryl her sternest glare. "At no point did you mention of how 'exclusive' you wanted this event to be, nor did you give me any criteria on which you wished the attendees to be vetted."

  "Well, I'd have thought it was obvious to anyone with half a brain--"

  "Actually," said Evelyn. "It isn't obvious to anyone. Just because you're--"

  "Ladies. Ladies," Tom said, "I'm sure this is merely a case of crossed wires." He turned to Lady Beryl and gave her a charming smile. "Lady Beryl, you have, as we all know, taste and style that is superior to most people's."

  "Well..." Lady Beryl seemed less affronted than charmed.

  "Now, we're not all as gifted as you are," Tom continued, with his gaze never leaving her. "So you must make allowances."

  "I suppose--"

  "And it is true that we never stipulated what social standing the guests should have. So I don't think it's fair to criticize Stevie for that. It isn't her fault if she was given incomplete information."

  "I'm just saying this wouldn't have happened if we had Sally helping us," Lady Beryl said.

  Evelyn made an explosive noise.

  Stevie remembered that the reason Sally left was a disagreement with Lady Beryl.

  "Actually," said Priya, quickly, "considering the position we were in a few weeks ago and where we are now, I think Stevie has done a great job. She's managed to sort out the menu, the entertainment, the ticket sales and all sorts of bits of sponsorship, which we'd never have thought of. She's managed to sell all the tickets, and I couldn't help noticing that she was happy to get down to it and do whatever odd jobs that needed doing, no matter how hot or dusty. I, for one, am glad we enlisted her help and I don't think we could have done half as much without her." She stopped speaking and took a gulp of wine.

  There was a moment of silence as everyone absorbed this long speech from the normally quiet Priya.

  "Hear, hear. She's certainly worked as hard as any of us." Evelyn looked pointedly at Lady Beryl, who ignored her.

  Stevie smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Thank you." She checked the notes in front of her. "Now that's cleared up, there are a few things we need to go over." She glanced round the table for any dissent. Sensing none, she carried on. "First of all, there are tasks for the event itself. Lady Beryl, I'd like you to do the meet and greet."

  "What? Like some sort of butler?"

  Stevie gave her the sweetest smile she could muster. "Not at all. More like the hostess. After all, you will know all the important people who will be coming. It would be best if you were there at the entrance, greeting people and setting the tone."

  "Ah." Lady Beryl appeared mollified. "I see what you mean. Of course."

  "We will need you to be here an hour or so before the ball starts, so that you can go through the list of attendees and to catch any early birds."

  "Of course."

  "I'm sure Tom will be on hand to help you out if anything goes wrong." Stevie glanced at Tom, whom she hadn't got round to asking.

  He gave her a nod. "I doubt there'll be much that Lady Beryl can't handle."

  Lady Beryl preened.

  "Priya, can you be in charge of the food leaving the kitchen? We'll all help put out the cold stuff, but the warm stuff will need someone supervising. Also, once you're done, you could do some PR work for the charity, you know, mingle and talk to people."

  "Gladly," said Priya.

  "Tom, can you man the bar?"

  "Sure."

  "Alice, Evelyn and I will do things like circulate the food, help people flow through the different rooms, introduce people to each other, that sort of thing. Of course, Lady Beryl will be able to do a lot of that too, once most of the guests have arrived."

  There were nods all round.

  "Have you arranged serving staff?" said Lady Beryl.

  "No," Evelyn snapped. "Unless you've got a fleet of volunteers hidden up your sleeve."

  "I could ask a couple of my nieces. They might not do it for free though."

  "We have to rely on volunteers," said Stevie. "It won't hurt to ask."

  She ran through a few other points of her list, answered questions, made notes on last minute things to be done. After a while, Alice excused herself and left the room, already on the phone.

  Tom took another glance out of the window. "Stevie. Can I have a word?" He nodded towards the door leading to the main house.

  Stevie saw that the others were chatting amongst themselves. There was nothing more she needed to say. "Of course." What on earth did Tom need to talk to her about?

  "Follow me." He led the way up the stairs.

  "Actually, Tom. I need to talk to you about manning the bar."

  He said over his shoulder, "I've been a barman before."

  "It's not that." Stevie lowered her voice. "A lot of these tickets were bought by fans from the Triphoppers forum. They're likely to be quite young."

  Tom frowned. "Okay. I'll bear that in mind. I suppose we'll have to have some non-alcoholic punch or something to hand out then."

  "It's on my list of things to do tomorrow."

  "You seem to have thought of everything." He sounded impressed.

  Stevie felt a surge of pride. She had done a good job so far. "It's my job. Now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

  "It's more something I want to show you." He lifted a finger. "Just a sec." He pulled out his phone and made a call. "Alice? Two minutes." He put the phone away and grinned. "Follow me."

  She started to follow.

  He stopped. "Actually, better still, close your eyes."

  "What?"

  "Close your eyes. I'll guide you."

  She stared at him, perplexed for a moment, her common sense warning against this. But the red wine was starting to have its effect. "Okay." She was still suspicious, but she closed her eyes.

  He took her arm. The touch of his palm against her elbow was a like a jolt of fire. It was all she could do not to gasp. His fingers curled gently round her arm, he guided her through the house.

  With her eyes closed, the warmth of his skin was all the more intense. A tingle of arousal spread through her body. She had to concentrate hard on walking without stumbling. A slight breeze told her they'd gone outside.

  "Stairs," he said. "Keep your eyes shut."

  He helped her down the metal stairs, one hand still on her arm, the other near the small of her back. A careful touch, Stevie thought. Low enough to be suggestive, but too high to be accused of being sexual. At the bottom of the stairs he led her across the gravelled path.

  "Okay." When he released her arm, she felt bereft. "Open your eyes."

  The moon, though no longer full, was bright enough for her to see that she was in the rose garden. The gazebo loomed up, an ethereal monument in the rose scented air.

  Suddenly fairy lig
hts twinkled from the within the plants and along the gazebo walls. Millions of points of light, shining and dimming, turning the rose garden into a magical fairyland.

  "Oh!" Stevie took a step forward. She had known the garden would look lovely in the daytime, but had assumed it would have to remain dark at night. She clasped her hands together. "It's...amazing!"

  She spun round, taking in the beauty of it.

  Tom was standing there, his hands on his hips, a smile on his face. "D'you like it then?" His smile widened.

  "It's beautiful."

  He took a step closer and it suddenly occurred to her that the garden was also incredibly romantic. Was he trying to lower her defences by creating this fantastic spectacle? If he was, she decided, he was succeeding. In the soft glow of the lights, his face was gentle and gorgeous and so, so kissable.

  "I told you I'd take care of the garden," he said.

  "Where did you find so many lights?"

  "Alice and I did a frantic ring round for outdoor Christmas lights."

  "Wow."

  "Impressed?" He seemed closer than ever now, even though neither of them had moved noticeably.

  Stevie realised she was leaning towards him. Her gaze moved from his lips to his eyes and back again. "Very." Her voice was barely a whisper. She could feel the warmth of his breath and smell his shampoo. Her lips tingled with anticipation. She closed her eyes.

  Evelyn's voice cut through the night air, making them jump apart. "Tom!"

  Stevie's eyes flew open. Tom's face, wearing a slightly horrified expression, was moving away from hers.

  "I'm sorry," he whispered.

  Before she could ask him what he meant, Evelyn arrived. "My word, is this your handiwork, Tom? It looks wonderful."

  "Thanks." Tom had retreated to a safe distance and shoved his hands in his pockets.

  "Is this why you were looking for Christmas lights?" Evelyn looked inside the gazebo. "Very nice indeed."

  "Did you want me for something in particular?" Tom's voice held a trace of impatience.

  "Oh yes," said Evelyn, from inside the gazebo. "That girlfriend of yours. What's her name? Austria? Anyway, she's here. Seems to have brought a garment bag with her. Said you were expecting her."

  Tom muttered something under his breath. "Right. Yes. I'd forgotten. She was going to drop her dress off here tonight, so that she could come straight here from her client meeting tomorrow."

  He set off back to the house. At the edge of the roses, he paused and half turned, as though he was about to say something. He seemed to change his mind and stomped off, taking the metal steps two at a time.

  Stevie watched him go, torn between annoyance and relief. She really couldn't afford to fall for Tom. Clearly, for all his talk of non- commitment, Vienna clicked her fingers and Tom responded. She sighed and sat down next to Evelyn.

  "I wish he'd get shot of that girl," said Evelyn suddenly.

  "Pardon?" She looked at Evelyn in surprise.

  "That Vienna girl. She's not good for him. As long as he's got her at his beck and call, he's never going to find himself a proper partner. It's almost the opposite problem to Dan. He married Laura as soon as they finished their degrees and he was just starting his PhD when Alice was born." Evelyn sighed. "It's all worked out in the end. Dan doesn't spend as much time with Alice as he should, but she seems not to mind."

  Stevie continued to stare. Evelyn had always seemed disinterested in her sons' lives. To the point that Tom thought she found him a disappointment. She wondered if she should mention the nervous breakdown.

  "Don't look at me like that," said Evelyn. "I may be scatty, but it doesn't mean I don't care." She gestured toward the library, where Vienna was visible, talking animatedly. Tom was out of view.

  "Dan was lucky. He found his calling at first attempt. Poor Tom. I know he's good at his job and he works hard at it, but I don't think he loves it. And it does so make a difference to love your job."

  Not knowing what to say, Stevie remained silent.

  "What makes it even more of a shame is that he seems to have put his personal life on hold to devote himself to his job. It's a thankless way to be. He's going to burn himself out soon, if he's not careful." She stopped and looked at Stevie. "What do you think?"

  "Me? About Tom?" Obviously she couldn't say what she really thought. Not to his mother. "I think..." she began carefully. "You're right that he's too obsessed with work and it doesn't make him happy."

  "Poor Tom."

  "Evelyn," said Stevie. "I know it's none of my business, so tell me to butt out if you want to, but have you tried talking to Tom about it? I think it would mean a lot to him if he knew what you think. That you are proud of what he's achieved so far."

  Evelyn looked astonished. "He knows I'm proud of him. I don't need to tell him that, surely?" She shook her head. "I don't hold with that sort of touchy feely, 'Let's talk about our feelings until everyone's sick of hearing about them' nonsense."

  "Ah," said Stevie. "I see. Sorry."

  "You young people watch too much American TV." Evelyn patted her arm. She looked round at the gazebo. "Tom and Alice have done a lovely job with the garden, haven't they?"

  "Yes, they have. It looks wonderful." She had trouble feeling anything but depression.

  "Ah well. Best get back to the house. Paperwork to do, you know." Evelyn sprang up and headed off. "Coming?"

  "I'll be along in a minute." Stevie looked at her twinkling, dreamlike surroundings. What had seemed like such a beautiful and romantic setting a few minutes ago was now reduced to mere rose bushes and fairy lights. Yes, it was lovely. But it was no longer special.

  She shook her head and sighed. She had done her best not to fall for Tom Blackwood, but it looked like it was too late. The best she could do now was accept that she'd made a mistake and keep a lid on her feelings until this ball was over.

  Making her way back to the house, she paused at the top of the stairs. She could easily see into the library windows. Tom had moved close to Vienna and appeared to be picking something up. He straightened up and Vienna reached up to tuck a stray curl of his hair behind his ear. It was such an intimate gesture that Stevie felt like she'd been punched. She willed Tom to move away. He said something, turned and moved out of view and Vienna, flicking her hair over her shoulder, followed him.

  Stevie reached the conservatory door in time to see Tom, carrying a garment bag over his arm, open the door leading to a staircase she'd never explored. He said something to Vienna. Her laugh tinkled as she followed him up the stairs. No prizes for guessing where they were going. Stevie hadn't realised her heart could sink any further, but it did.

  Feeling unbearably depressed, she went back to the kitchen to gather her things. She made her excuses to the ladies and, pleading exhaustion, took herself off to bed before Tom returned from his tryst with Vienna.

  Chapter 15

  From: Olivia Gornall

  To: Tom Blackwood

  How did the surprise go? Did she love it?

  ##

  From: Tom Blackwood

  To: Olivia Gornall

  She did love it. She was so pleased it seemed to fill the whole of her body. Like little kids do when they're happy. I think she even gave a little hop of delight. Seeing her so pleased made me feel like I'd achieved something wonderful. It was quite a buzz. I could get addicted to seeing that look on Stevie's face.

  ##

  From: Olivia Gornall

  To: Tom Blackwood

  Oh my God. You're in love. Finally. After all these years of breaking hearts, you've lost yours. To a twenty two year old!

  That's so sweet, I don't know whether to laugh or throw up!

  What happened after that? Did you try to kiss her again?

  ##

  From: Tom Blackwood

  To: Olivia Gornall .co.uk>

  No. I didn't get the chance. Vienna turned up and Mum came to find me.

  I was pissed off at first, but I guess it's best that nothing came of it. I can't give Stevie the sort of commitment she needs and I don't want to hurt her.

  ##

  From: Olivia Gornall

  To: Tom Blackwood

  You keep saying that, but what's stopping you? Don't tell me it's work. Only an idiot would give up on love because of work.

  ##

  From: Tom Blackwood

  To: Olivia Gornall

  Well, it is work, sort of. If I get the Doha job, I'll be leaving in the next couple of months. I'd bring her hopes up and then dash them. That would make me a total shit. I know I'm not great boyfriend material, but I like to think I'm not a total shit.

  Before you go off on one, my work is important to me. I need to succeed at it. This job in Doha is exactly the right next step for my career plan.

  ##

  From: Olivia Gornall

  To: Tom Blackwood

  Fine. It's your life.

  So, what did the delightful Vienna want then?

  ##

  From: Tom Blackwood

  To: Olivia Gornall

  Vienna was just dropping her dress off so that she didn't have to bring it round tomorrow.

  Actually, she was coming on a bit strong this evening, even for Vienna. She's normally so laid back. Not sure what's going on with her. Ordinarily, I'd have been more than happy to oblige, but I just couldn't muster up any enthusiasm. Probably just tired from all this work I've been doing.

  ##

  From: Tom Blackwood

  To: Olivia Gornall

  PS: Did I really just say that? Jesus, I must be getting old!