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For a moment Gabriel managed to put on his best hurt expression, then burst out laughing. “Ah, promise me you won’t ever change, you magnificent Irish bastard.”
Finn maintained his scowl for another few seconds, then his mouth began to twitch and he gave Gabriel a genuine warm smile. “Good to see you Fauntleroy, you great fuckin’ tart.”
Gabriel threw his head back and gave a great roar of laughter as he took a seat next to Niamh and from that point on I knew I could truly relax and enjoy the rest of the night. The happiness radiating from Niamh would have been sufficient for us all anyway, but there was real joy to be had in sharing time with my new family.
Gabriel was on top form; full of anecdotes and an exuberance that, to my relief, had nothing to do with any illicit substances whatsoever. When I’d first contacted him about arranging something to celebrate Niamh’s birthday I’d hoped for a phone call or maybe a flying visit, however in typical Gabriel James style he’d suggested a full private concert and given us an entire evening of his rare free time in the middle of his European tour and now he was treating Niamh and Feargal as his closest confidantes. I guessed that for once in this ongoing car crash I’d done good.
*****
The night had to end some time, and all too soon Gabriel gave a huge feline stretch and yawned. “Right you utterly adorable people, as much as I would happily stay with you to strip naked and dance to welcome the dawn, it’s time for me to head to the airport. Got a soundcheck in Berlin at midday tomorrow and I’ve got to get a bit of beauty sleep in before then.” He reluctantly pushed his chair away from the table.
Finn snorted. “Bit late to worry about that, isn’t it?”
“Oof, you wound me,” Gabriel pouted. “Not everyone’s got your cheekbones, you know.”
“Sucks to be you, eh?” Finn shrugged.
“Tack, stop being rude,” Niamh interjected, and Gabriel put his arm around her. I wondered if she’d ever wash again.
“See? At least someone in your family has got manners.” He gave Finn’s sister a last hug and leapt to his feet. “Okiedoke, my friends,” he announced, the consummate showman once again. “Time for the last waltz so grab your partners please.”
Gabriel started to play and Niamh sighed. “Oh, this one is beautiful! What is it?”
“Lili might know.”
“Might?” I glared at him. “You insult me, Strachan. Shostakovich. Waltz Number 2.”
“Hm. Actually, this one isn’t bad at all. So, do you dance, Ms Bresson?” Finn asked, with sudden formality.
It reminded me of question from another time. Do you ride, Ms Bresson? On that occasion it had been asked with as much venom as a single human could inject into a five-word question. This time it was asked with a cocky smile that I couldn’t resist. There was only one correct reply.
“Of course I fucking dance.”
“Excellent.” Finn nodded his approval then stood and extended his hand. “In that case, may I have the pleasure?”
Finn
One of the few things I knew I could do was dance. Blaine had paid a small fortune for an instructor to teach me in order to add a touch of class to the sordid bacchanal that was Albermarle, and by all accounts it was something I had a talent for. Just a few months earlier I couldn’t have dreamed that I’d actually be dancing simply for the joy of it, but here I was confidently offering my hand to the woman I loved.
Lilith could naturally dance beautifully, but tonight there was a rare and vulnerable grace to the way she yielded to my touch and trusted me to lead. Her incredible, pliable body leaned into mine as the rest of the world melted away. For a few seconds I shut my eyes and felt the soft thrum of her heart against my chest and breathed in a soft cloud of Chanel No.5 and that clean, pure scent that had always appeared to be part of her from the first time we’d embraced. She matched me step for step, and I didn’t want the music - or the moment - to end and neither, it seemed, did she. As Gabriel played the last notes she broke our formal hold to link her hands behind my head and pull me down into a kiss. “Thank you,” she whispered, her words butterfly-soft against my ear.
I pulled away and gave her what I hoped was a courteous bow. “It was my absolute pleasure.”
“Oh, that was just the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen,” Niamh sighed. “Honestly, the pair of you look so gorgeous together! I honestly think this has been the best night of my life - Lilith, thank you so much.”
My sister gave her a spontaneous bearhug, and this time Lilith barely even flinched.
Lilith
As we stepped out into the night to say our goodbyes camera flashes lit up the night sky like lightning.
“Oh you fucking bastard arseholes!” I howled at the gathered paparazzi. Sol screeched in protest at the glare and Niamh and Feargal automatically curled themselves around him to shelter him from the intrusion. Finn pulled me close to him, but whether this was to protect me or the press I couldn’t tell.
As his car drew up Gabriel turned to me. “This wasn’t me babe, I swear to you,” he said. “This was my night off too - last thing I wanted was for these wankers to turn up. And I would never do this to you.”
I gave a terse nod. “Yeah yeah, I know - I’m pretty sure I know who tipped them off. And look, this isn’t how things were meant to end, but thank you so much for tonight. You were amazing.”
Gabriel eased himself into the back seat of the anonymous black Lexus that would take him to the airport and gave me one last grin and a lascivious wink. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear you say those words, darl,” he said, then mouthed “Let me know if there’s anything I can do about this.”
