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I followed the direction of her gaze. “Edward?” My hysterical laughter attracted a few looks.
“Oh, you know him? Very well educated. I could tell.”
“He’s a solicitor.”
“Is he?” The whites of her eyes showed as she regarded Edward with even greater liking. “Of course,” she said. “Some of these professional men have a fetish for ballet dancers, don’t they?”
I backed away. “I need some air.”
The entrance hall was quiet and dim, the back passage even more so, providing a calm intermission for the senses. I let my fingers slide over the cool of the wall tiles, some of them bobbled with patterns, and paused to examine one that was a veritable work of art. It depicted a three-storey house surrounded by trees. I could imagine the wind rushing through the branches, all fresh and wild and free.
“You are finding the party bad?” asked Aleks, appearing at my side.
“Mmm…” But his kiss was good and his body enticingly warm against mine. My hand found a doorknob beside us. The door opened to a large room that was full of boxes. An old armchair cast a long grey shadow in the moonlight. “Ooh, we should definitely go in here,” I said.
“No, you have to return to the hall. This is your night.” He closed the portal to the silvery kingdom of joy. The passageway felt dark and dismal in comparison.
“Fine.” I uncupped my hand from the front of his trousers, where it had somehow found itself, and turned away, the rejection stinging all the more in the aftermath of maternal derision.
“Malphia, don’t—”
But I was gone, straight into other arms in the foyer. Actual maternal hands held me back as their owner examined me.
“I saw you speaking to your parents,” said Carolyn, Justin’s mum, her sparkling green eyes studying my face. “You were beautiful, my darling, completely beautiful. Don’t listen to anyone who says anything else.”
“Justin was good, wasn’t he?”
“Oh yes,” she said enthusiastically, then spotting Aleks.
I introduced the two of them, and they shook hands.
“I hope you’re looking after my children properly?” she said to him. “I can be quite fierce to anyone who hurts one of my own.” She knew about our relationship. Justin was close with his Mum. Not much got left out of their long phone calls. “So, how are you enjoying teaching?” she asked Aleks, reverting to her usual kindness.
As we headed back to the party, he told her how proud he was of us all, how it gave him great joy to see us do well.
“Good,” she said and squeezed his arm. “A new direction in life can be daunting. Phi, I’m going to speak to your parents.”
Aleks and I joined Justin, Will and Edward at the buffet table. I introduced Aleks to the philandering one who was looking smooth and suave as ever, not a slicked-back ginger hair out of place.
“Is it all right if I keep your phone?” Justin asked, having been keeping it safe in his suit pocket during the show. “To take pictures of the party. It’s better than mine, and we need some good shots. You never take pictures, and there’s actual famous people here tonight.”
I nodded my agreement as Edward held out a red-wrapped box.
“I have a present for you,” he said to me.
“Oh, great, thanks,” I said, deadpan, and regarded the box with slight unease.
“Go on, open it,” urged Edward. “I saw them and thought of you.”
Ribbons and paper fell to the ground, and I laughed at the chocolate nutcracker princes. Justin told the others about our trip to a less than brilliant production ofThe Nutcrackerone Christmas, where I had expressed the idea that it would be more enjoyable if the dancers were made of chocolate.
“If you date one of these two, it’s better if the other one likes you,” said Edward, with a glance at Aleks. “So, I keep trying.”
“I like you,” I said, removing the foil from one of the princes and offering the box round. “Sometimes. A little bit. Thank you for the gift, anyway.” I bit the head off a small chocolate man.
“It’s good to see you having fun, Amalphia,” said Michelle, arriving beside us, and accepting one of the chocolate princes. “And it’s just as well you two are my favourites, isn’t it?” She pointed at Will and me as she spoke, then narrowed her eyes. “You naughty little things.”
Paul, who had arrived with her, was more animated and connected than I had ever seen him. “Yes, yes,” he said, actually looking me in the face. “It’s time for your round of glory, Miss Treadwell.”
