The Way to a Woman's Heart (39 page)

There was a lot of laughter and applause. Then, as the
woman left the stage, the curtains drew back and a troupe of vividly dressed jugglers ran on.

Ella loved every minute of it. They had the jugglers with the soup, and a close-harmony choir with the main course, followed by a very clever magician during dessert.

And in between, she and Ash talked and laughed together. It was like being out on a real date. Ella couldn’t remember when she had last been so happy.

The waiters circled silently, clearing plates, refilling glasses. Ella groaned greedily over the arrival of the cheese board.

From behind the closed velvet curtains, exotic music echoed. Ella tapped her feet under the table. It sounded very Arabic: sensuous and mysterious.

A gasp went round the Masonic Hall as the curtains drew back to reveal a belly dancer, moving sinuously in the spotlight. In a tantalising costume of flimsy, draped, brilliantly coloured fabrics, and dripping with jewels, she undulated across the stage to the wonderfully evocative Eastern music.

The whole audience was transfixed.

‘Wow,’ Ella whispered to Ash. ‘How beautiful. She’s absolutely brilliant… God, I wish I could do that. Look at her – Oh… Jesus Christ! It’s Onyx!’

Ash laughed. ‘Well spotted. She always opens with “Arabian Rhapsody”, but you wait until she gets into “Disco El Sharq” – that’s amazing.’

Amazing… Oh, yes, Ella thought bleakly, leaving her blue cheese untouched. Onyx was definitely amazing…

And the dancing – not a pole or a lap in sight. It wasn’t even slightly tacky. She’d got it all so wrong.

Onyx was a belly dancer…

A clever, talented, beautifully exotic belly dancer…

The tune changed to something even more Eastern and Kasbah-ish. Ella stared at Onyx, her sensuous body moving in perfect time with the mysterious music, in abject misery.

Onyx, in a filmy shimmer of hot pink and orange, every inch of her perfectly toned and lithe and glistening, the gold and silver bells and coins dancing, and the jewels glinting, seduced the audience with her brilliance.

Dear God, Ella thought sadly, how could I ever compete with
that
?

Even supposing that she got the chance to – which of course she wouldn’t, because Ash and Onyx were rock solid.

Oh, why had he brought her here tonight? Was it to show her once and for all that she was his friend and Onyx was, well, Onyx, and Ella would never, ever be anything else but a good mate? Yes, Ella decided, probably. In fact, obviously.

Well, she thought, watching Ash watching Onyx, it had succeeded.

Four more dances, each one more complex and daring than its predecessor, and Onyx took her bow.

The Masonic Hall’s audience was on its feet, giving her a standing ovation. Ash and Ella stood too and clapped and cheered. Ash, no doubt, Ella thought bleakly, because he was secure in the knowledge that Onyx – with her beautiful body, her clever brain and her multitude of talents – was his. But Ella stood because, well, because Onyx was amazing and she truly deserved the accolade – even if she’d just finally broken her heart.

And it had all been so lovely up to then…

They sat down again as Onyx took her final bow and shimmied from the stage to be replaced by wall-to-wall music-to-talk-over.

‘So?’ Ash leaned towards her. ‘What do you think?’

‘Oh.’ Ella crumbled her untouched blue cheese. ‘She’s incredible. Totally incredible. No wonder she doesn’t want to hide herself away in some stuffy classroom teaching Shakespeare to kids who don’t give a damn.’

Ash laughed. ‘She’ll do that one day, though. I always tell her she’ll have to give it up once the varicose veins start to kick in… Would you like some more wine?’

‘No thanks.’ Ella stared down at her plate. ‘Ash, I know why you brought me here tonight now, and it’s OK, honestly. I do understand, and I’m not a child. I won’t make a scene or anything.’

‘Good.’ Ash looked slightly puzzled. ‘I hate scenes – but I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about. Oh, hi –’ he stood up ‘– come and sit down. You were great. I’ll get you a drink.’

Onyx, back to being Onyx now in her jeans and her vest and her heels, but still wearing the thick stage make-up, beamed at them. ‘Thanks, I’m parched. Soda with ice would be great.’

The men on their table all became suddenly animated, Ella noticed as Onyx slid into Ash’s vacated chair. Even the women smiled, albeit not quite so warmly.

‘You were brilliant,’ Ella said. ‘Totally brilliant.’

‘Ta – but it’s like second nature now. Not clever or anything. Just something I’m able to do easily and reasonably
well. Told you I was lazy, didn’t I?’ Onyx leaned towards Ella. ‘But I’m so glad you’re here. I told Ash you’d turned me down when I suggested you came along tonight; I knew he’d be able to persuade you. I so wanted you to see what I do.’

And now I’ve seen, Ella thought bleakly, and now I know why he loves you so much, and now I know why he wanted me here tonight, and it’s left me feeling more inadequate and foolish than I’ve ever felt in my life.

Ash came back then, bearing iced soda for Onyx and a strawberry daiquiri for Ella.

‘Oooh.’ Onyx eyed the cocktail. ‘That looks good.’

‘Thank you,’ Ella said, as Ash located another chair and squeezed in between her and Onyx. ‘But there was no need.’

‘I thought you’d like it.’

‘I do.’ Ella sighed. ‘Look, please don’t think I’m being a party pooper or anything, but would it be OK if I got a cab home?’

‘Why?’ Ash frowned. ‘Oh, God, you
are
embarrassed about the ice-cream van, aren’t you?’

Onyx shrieked through her soda. ‘Ash! You didn’t bring poor Ella in the van?’

‘She enjoyed it, didn’t you?’

Ella nodded. She’d loved it. She’d loved every minute of the evening – until…

‘Yes, it was fun. But right now I’ve got a headache and, um, I’d hate to spoil the rest of your evening. So you stay on here in Winterbrook with Onyx and I’ll get a cab. OK?’

‘Ella – wait!’

But grabbing her bag and leaving her strawberry daiquiri untouched, she blundered away from the table.

The Pink Barbie team from Cambridge was the eastern heat’s Weekly Winner. Even before the western area heats had started, everyone at Hideaway was sure they’d win the whole thing.

‘But,’ Poll said to Ella on yet another July clear-blue-sky, spiralling-sun morning, ‘I still don’t really see the problem with you and Ash… I mean, I was so pleased when he asked you out – and then you came home alone – and now…’

‘And now we’re hardly speaking at all, mainly because I don’t know what to say. It’s changed everything. He keeps saying he thought it would be a lovely surprise for me.’

‘Which,’ Poll said, ‘I suppose it was?’

‘You’re not kidding! Although I’d leave out the “lovely”.’ Ella sighed. ‘Well, of course, the evening out bit was very lovely – it was just the surprise of Onyx being the mind-blowing incredible cabaret that threw me. And now Ash just thinks I’m being unreasonable.’

‘Which you are, really, aren’t you?’ Poll said gently. ‘Am I?’ Ella looked at her as she collected up George’s dirty washing from the kitchen floor and shoved it into the machine. ‘Yes, OK, I probably am. But I felt such a fool… I thought… well, you know what I thought.’

‘Yes, I do. But Ash doesn’t. He must wonder what the heck he did wrong.’

‘He does. He keeps asking me.’

‘And?’

‘And I just said it was a lovely evening, but I’d had enough and had a headache and wanted to come home – which even to me sounds pathetic.’

‘And to me, too.’ Poll frowned. ‘Poor Ash.’

‘Oh, I know I should have been more adult about it all and not let my feelings show, but I couldn’t… I just couldn’t.’ Ella sighed. ‘And of course, that was his point, wasn’t it? To let me down gently. To make me realise that he and Onyx are a couple – and why – and there’s no way I’m going to be anything other than a good friend. Still, at least I know exactly where I stand now.’

‘But you always did. Oh, love, I’m so sorry you’re upset. But you can’t accuse him of cheating on you, or anything, can you? He’s aware of your relationship with Mark, and you did know about him and Onyx – it couldn’t have come as that much of a shock, surely?’

‘But it did! I thought, stupidly, that for once the evening was an Onyx-free zone. I really thought this time he’d asked me out because he wanted to be with me, just me, and we were there, as a couple. No Mark, no Onyx. And it was
wonderful. Really, really wonderful. We were chatting and laughing and, oh, I don’t know, it all felt right and we were so close, and he really, really seemed to want to be with me – and then…’

‘And then Onyx did her stuff?’

‘And how. God, Poll, she was amazing. I mean truly amazing. Talented and exotic and erotic, but not sleazy at all. Just absolutely beautiful. Everyone went mad for her, and I can’t blame them. Oh, how the hell could I ever have expected him to fall in love with me when he’s got her?’

Poll, clutching a handful of George’s grubby socks, hugged her. ‘Ella, I’m really sorry – and I do think he should have mentioned that Onyx was part of the evening’s cabaret – but they are a couple. As you and Mark are. And while I’m sure Ash asked you out with the best of intentions, he knows about Mark, and he has no idea that you, well, er, how you feel about him, has he?’

‘No, but I think now he’d probably twigged that I fancy him and needed to tell me to back off. But he’s a nice man, so he did it in a sort of non-verbal way.’

Poll shook her head. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Positive. I’m not stupid. I’ve been given the elbow before. I can read the signs.’

‘And what about Mark?’

Ella bit her lip. ‘I’m going to tell Mark there won’t be a reconciliation after the three months is up.’

‘Ella! Are you sure?’

‘Yes, never more sure of anything in my life. Poll, I can’t go back to Mark when I leave here. It’s not fair on either of
us. He won’t change his mind about children, and neither will I. I realise that now. We’re never going to resolve our differences. The gulf’s wider now than it was when I left. It would be so wrong to try to rekindle something that clearly died ages ago. I love Ash; I don’t love Mark any more.’

‘But Ash is with Onyx.’

‘I know. It doesn’t matter. I’d far rather be on my own for ever than settle for second best. I’m going to ring Mark tonight.’

‘Oh dear, oh dear.’ Poll shook her head sadly.

Ella sniffed. ‘I feel really awful, Poll, so please don’t tell anyone. Not Billy or Trixie – and certainly not Ash. It’s something I should have done ages ago.’

Poll hugged her. ‘Ella, love, you know I won’t say a word. But are you absolutely sure?’

‘Yes, never more sure of anything in my life. Because of the way I felt when I
knew
how much Onyx meant to Ash. I was totally eaten up with jealousy. I’ve never felt like that when Mark’s flirted with some pretty girl at a party.’

Poll was silent for a moment. ‘And once Onyx had finished her act, she didn’t mind you being there with him?’

‘No.’ Ella shook her head scornfully. ‘She knew I would be there, apparently. She’d asked me to be there before and I’d said no. And why should she mind? Look at us, Poll. I’m no competition, am I?’

‘You’re a very pretty young woman. Beautiful. And easygoing and sweet and funny and kind. And I’m sure Ash recognises that. While Onyx is…’

‘Drop-dead gorgeously, stunningly, sexily, mind-blowing?’
Ella smiled sadly. ‘Intelligent? Well educated? Amusing? Friendly? Yep, all those – and more. Not that she seems aware of it.’

‘No, she’s a really lovely girl.’

‘I know,’ Ella sighed. ‘And even if Ash
had
asked me there on a date, she wouldn’t have cared two hoots. She knows no one else is important. They clearly have total trust.’

Poll sighed. ‘It all sounds very complicated to me. Oh, why does love have to be so unfair sometimes?’

‘Dunno. Mind you, if it wasn’t, half the songwriters in the world would be broke. Oh, I’ll just have to cope with it, and as far as I know, Onyx isn’t aware of how I feel about him, either – thank goodness. She’s just so bloody nice anyway. She came and joined us after the show, and was so pleased to see me and was just her normal lovely self – damn her.’