What Happens At Christmas... (27 page)

‘I like him a lot as a person. He's generous, he's kind and he's helpful. He's clearly intelligent as well and very successful at what he does. But something's not right. Something's holding him back. He's got baggage, whether it's the heart-stomping thing you were saying yesterday or something else, I just don't know. I'm sure he likes me a lot, but he's finding it hard to let things go any further between us.'

‘Well, tonight's the night, Hol. You turn up at the ball in that amazing dress and he'll be putty in your hands.' Yesterday, with Julia's prompting, Holly had bought a frighteningly expensive slinky long black dress. With the assistance of some new underwear, she knew it was going to look very good on her, particularly with her very high heels. She caught Julia's eye.

‘We'll see. I'm just afraid that when he claps eyes on that revealing dress you'll be wearing, he'll forget all about me.'

‘He won't forget you, Hol, believe me.'

As she was doing the washing up after lunch, Holly had an idea. Justin had told her his father had been a close friend of Howard Redgrave and her father. Maybe the old man might be able to help him and Amanda get back together. A vague plan started to form and she and Julia talked it through and decided that, with luck, it might just work. Operation Get Justin and Amanda Back Together was about to begin. Holly picked up the phone and called Howard.

‘Hello, Howard, it's Holly. Is everything ready for tonight?'

‘My dear, how wonderful to hear from you. Tell me, what are you wearing tonight.'

She gave him a brief description of the long black dress and then got to the point of her phone call. She mentioned Justin and Amanda and soon discovered that the old man was well aware, like the rest of Brookford, that they had broken up. She went on to outline the plan she had come up with and she was delighted to hear him immediately offer to help.

‘How brilliantly Machiavellian, Holly. That's sheer genius. Leave it to me. I'll get right onto it.'

Holly put the phone down, well pleased. The plan wasn't that complicated. Howard would call each of them in turn, telling them the other was coming to the ball and wanted to meet up. To avoid them having their meeting in public, he would put one of the hotel rooms at their disposal for a quiet talk. Holly crossed her fingers and hoped for the best.

Getting ready for the Christmas Ball took the best part of two hours. Julia very firmly insisted that Holly needed false nails for an event like this. Nails had always been a bone of contention between the two of them. Holly's hobby of pottering around with mechanical things had resulted in her keeping her nails short. Julia was a strong advocate of long nails for girls, short nails for men. Now, reluctantly, Holly submitted to Julia gluing on artificial nails. On the packet it said five minutes, but it took the best part of half an hour before all ten were secured and straight. Then there was the question of hair. Both of them had long hair and both decided to wear their hair up for the ball. This, too, took an inordinate length of time before both were satisfied with their appearance.

Before putting on her long dress, Holly took Stirling for a quick walk around the village and then gave him his food. As she washed her hands at the kitchen sink around seven-thirty, she glanced over into Jack's garden. There was still no sign of the Land Rover. She mentioned this to Julia who wasn't surprised.

‘You know how it'll be. They'll all be lolling around talking about the one that got away.'

‘Isn't that fishing?'

‘Or whatever surfers talk about – spray, foam, waves, that sort of stuff. Suddenly he'll look at his watch, do a double-take and head back here in a hurry. Unlike us, he'll probably just jump in the shower and be ready to go five minutes later.'

As she changed out of her dog-walking gear into her fancy ball gear, Holly spent a happy time thinking about Jack jumping into the shower. The thought of joining him in there also crossed her mind.

Howard Redgrave's driver, Geoffrey, arrived to pick them up just before eight o'clock. This time, instead of the Rolls Royce, he was driving a beautiful white Range Rover. He was quick to apologise for the second rate transport. ‘I'm afraid it's just starting to snow, so Mr Redgrave though it wiser to come in something with four wheel drive.' He watched as Holly and Julia came out of the house, Holly turning to hand the dog a biscuit before closing the door. Geoffrey was impressed by their appearance. ‘Would it be terribly rude if I said how amazing you ladies look tonight?'

‘Most certainly not.' Holly smiled at him. ‘When you've spent hours getting ready, it's always good to hear that the results were worthwhile. Besides, you're looking very smart yourself, Geoffrey.' And he was. He was wearing a dinner jacket and his hair was freshly combed and oiled. Holly turned to Julia and added in a whisper. ‘Just make sure you don't fall out of your dress as you get in and out.' Julia's décolletage was so remarkable, Holly had insisted upon taking a photograph and sending it to Scott to show him what he was missing. His reply had been immediate; a single long,
Wowwwwwwwwwwwww!,
followed by a number of very smiley faces.

They picked their way slowly down the slippery path to the gate, both of them treading carefully in their high heels. As Geoffrey had said, light snowflakes were beginning to fall and the road surface was already brushed with white. They climbed into the spacious interior of the luxury car. Although they had both brought coats, neither chose to wear one on the way there, for fear of spoiling their carefully-prepared outfits, and they were pleased to find the interior of the car lovely and warm. Holly's tight, slinky dress made stepping up into the high vehicle a bit tricky, but she remembered Justin's advice and managed it without incident. As they drove through the village and past the golf course, the snow started to fall more heavily, the car's powerful headlights creating a magical white curtain ahead of them, through which they sliced. The main road had been freshly salted and remained clear for now, although the Castle grounds were already covered by the time they got there. Tyre tracks along the drive indicated that a good number of guests had already arrived.

Geoffrey pulled up at the base of the steps and accompanied them to the Castle's door with a large umbrella held over them, to shelter them from the snow. Even so, as they came into the light, Holly saw that her black dress was flecked with fluffy white crystals that dissolved before her eyes in the warm interior. They surrendered their coats to Geoffrey who took them to the cloakroom, returning a few seconds later with tickets. Holly and Julia exchanged glances. Being waited on hand and foot like this was a shock to the system, but a rather nice shock. Geoffrey gave them a respectful bow. ‘Mr Redgrave's in the dining room, greeting guests. It's through that way. Please excuse me; I have to go and pick up some other guests. Have a good evening.'

‘Thank you, Geoffrey. Very much.' Holly took Julia's arm and led her into the dining room. As they passed through the double doors, the volume of background noise rose considerably. Clearly, a lot of the guests had got there before them. The room was already crowded with people and Howard Redgrave was standing just inside the door, shaking hands and receiving kisses. His eyes lit up when he saw the two girls.

‘Good evening, good evening. Welcome to you both. Thank you so much for coming.' He came over to greet them and kissed Julia's hand formally, his eyes passing appraisingly over her daring neckline. Then he turned toward Holly and took a step backwards.

‘Enchanting, quite enchanting.' He nodded approvingly as he subjected her to a detailed examination. ‘You look stunning, Holly.' He sounded as if he really meant it. Then a cheeky glint appeared in his eye.

‘And your handsome neighbour? I was expecting to see you on his arm.'

That came as a surprise. How on earth could Howard know that she and Jack were getting close? Then it occurred to her that Jack and he were good friends. Maybe Jack had said something to Howard. And, she thought to herself, if Jack was telling Howard he and she were seeing each other, then maybe this was a sign that Jack's reluctance to commit was disappearing. She reached over and kissed the old man on both cheeks.

‘I'm expecting him, and his arm, any minute now. He's up at Saunton for a surfing competition.' Howard was looking very elegant, his
Légion d'Honneur
ribbon proudly attached to his lapel. ‘And I must say, you are exceptionally well informed.'

‘Brookford's a small village, Holly, and the bush telegraph works remarkably swiftly. Anyway, I must say you both look truly lovely and I'm delighted you have graced my ball with your presence.'

Julia also went over and kissed him on the cheeks, surprising him. ‘Thank you very much indeed for letting me come along. Holly told me about this very handsome older man and I thought it only right that I should come along as chaperone.'

Howard gave her a big smile, then glanced round and leant towards Holly. He lowered his voice. ‘It worked. They've both agreed to come and there's a room at their disposal. I've taken the liberty of having a bottle of champagne put in there as well.'

‘Excellent. Let's hope it works.' Holly gave him another kiss and then led Julia onwards into the magnificent dining-room. Through the windows there was a fine view over the garden, now illuminated by floodlights. The snow was falling very heavily now and the trees and bushes already had a covering of several inches. It was a delightful scene.

A liveried waiter came past with a tray full of glasses of champagne. The girls helped themselves and Julia raised her glass in Holly's direction. ‘Cheers and a happy Christmas, and thanks for getting me an invite to this amazing party. It's so terribly posh and I've already seen several famous faces.'

Holly took a big mouthful and let her eyes roam around the room, ostensibly just as a casual observer, but in reality looking for Jack. She checked her watch. It was half past eight and there was still no sign of him. She had a sudden thought that he might have had an accident on the snowy roads, but she knew he was driving a vehicle specifically designed for these conditions, so she took heart and tried to relax. Gradually she became aware of the sound of music, coming from double doors at the far end of the room. She tapped Julia on the elbow. ‘Shall we head that way?'

They made their way through the throng of people down towards the end of the room, the music becoming increasingly loud as they did so. Just inside the double doors they stopped and took stock. This was quite clearly the ballroom. It was a big room, bigger even than the dining room, and the ceiling was double height. Chandeliers reflected light around the room and coloured spotlights at the far end illuminated the band. It was a large band, including a brass section as well as the more normal guitars, keyboards and drums. They had been playing a mixture of music, and they were very good. As Holly and Julia arrived, they just finished a creditable interpretation of Madonna's
Like a Virgin
and embarked upon
Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
. A few dozen couples were already dancing, among them a couple of faces Holly recognised from Melissa's coffee morning who were old enough to know better. Holly felt a touch on her arm and looked up.

‘You're looking very bonnie tonight, Holly. Aye, very bonnie indeed.' Holly had the distinct impression that Fergal's Scottish accent appeared to increase in intensity as soon as he changed into his kilt. He nodded towards Julia, tried and failed to pretend he wasn't awed by her cleavage, before finally raising his eyes to her face and greeting her. Holly found herself desperately trying to stifle a fit of the giggles. She took a deep breath and controlled herself.

‘Good evening, Fergal. You're looking very smart this evening.' He was wearing his formal highland attire once again which, while very elegant, still reminded her of something from one of the Austin Powers movies. She kissed him on the cheek and saw his already flushed complexion redden even more.

‘And you are both looking quite ravishing. Aye, absolutely delightful.' His eyes glanced down and noticed that both their glasses were almost empty by this time. ‘Drink up, I'll go and get you a refill. Might have another one myself as well.' He waited while they finished their drinks and then relieved them of their glasses. As he disappeared, Julia leant a little closer to Holly's ear.

‘Do you think he might be one of the famous Gay Gordons?'

‘From the way his eyes were glued to your cleavage, I hardly think so. I'm just hoping he doesn't ask me to dance. I've never danced with a man in a skirt before.'

Fergal returned with their drinks and they walked back through to the dining room with him, stopping to chat to people along the way. He made a point of introducing Holly to some more Brookford residents, among them a number of people around her own age. This further reinforced the impression she had gained from the carol singers the previous night that there was indeed a younger element in the village.

As the evening wore on, the music coming from the ballroom became more melodious and both girls found themselves dancing. Howard came along once most of his guests had arrived and demanded a dance with each of them. Holly found herself having to remember the quickstep – not easy after the best part of twenty years. Mercifully, she managed to avoid spearing him with her vicious heels. He was a charming man and he clearly enjoyed her company. When he relinquished her hand and took Julia onto the floor, Holly checked her watch yet again. It was almost ten o'clock now and there was still no sign of Jack. By now, she had started to get a sinking feeling that whatever it was that was troubling him had caused him to stay away. Maybe he had decided that he didn't want to take things any further with her and he preferred to keep his distance. She began to feel more and more depressed, in spite of the best efforts of those around her, particularly Julia when she returned from the dance floor.