‘Not a single thing,’ Vicky murmured very drily as all six of them walked into the Prestons’ home.
For impact value, their arrival was perfect. No one, but no one, could misunderstand the statement being made when Madeline Gilburn and Dominic Stanton arrived so obviously together—but with different partners each. Forman glanced at the sea of astounded faces turned their way, then down at Vicky, who was trying hard to look nonchalant—but her fingernails were almost cutting into his flesh where they gripped the crook of his arm.
‘I did miss something,’ he murmured softly. ‘I have to assume that all this tension is caused by two certain opposing factions in our group?’ he suggested curiously.
‘You mean you don’t know?’ Vicky looked up at him in surprise. ‘I thought Perry would have explained it all to you.’
‘Not a single thing,’ he mocked her own dry answer of earlier.
‘It’s a long story,’ she whispered as their host and hostess, looking a trifle harassed, approached. ‘I’ll explain it to you later.’
* * *
‘You certainly stage-managed it all beautifully,’ Dominic was saying ruefully to her now.
Her cheeks were glowing, eyes sparkling with the success of her efforts. Over to one side of the crowded room, her parents were talking to Dominic’s parents. There was restraint there, but at least they had seen the folly of carrying on a feud their children had so obviously discarded.
Madeline had led her party around the room with the grace and charm of the true socialite, introducing, chatting, laughing lightly, always in control and knowing exactly what her next move would be.
With a diplomacy learned from the highly experienced Dee, she’d sent Perry off to dance with her mother, Dominic to dance with his, and Vicky had found herself inviting her own father on to the dance-floor while Forman took care of Diane so that Madeline could grab her own father. As if it had been well rehearsed, they all came together at the end of the dance beside a wide-eyed Nina who had witnessed the whole thing from the sidelines, her fiancé standing sentry behind her.
‘So I don’t have to prostrate myself after all. Shame,’ Dominic sighed. ‘I was almost looking forward to it.’
‘As you see,’ Madeline turned her glowing face up to him, ‘such dire actions are not necessary. And I did it without—’
‘Without needing to mount even the lightest hint of romance with me,’ he completed for her, sounding mockingly saddened about it. ‘And,’ he went on, ‘without giving all these—lovely people the nice juicy scene they’ve been so looking forward to since Madeline Gilburn arrived back home.’
‘Vicky’s glowing,’ she pointed out, forcing him to remember the main objective of the evening.
Dominic swung his glance over to where his sister was talking animatedly to Forman. ‘The poor man,’ he murmured. ‘I wonder if she’s drowning him in FT index points and the Japanese stockmarket.’
‘Dominic!’ Madeline rebuked. He just laughed; he had meant no malice towards his sister. ‘Where’s your Snow Queen?’ she asked, wishing he would just go away. People were beginning to look.
‘I’ve deserted her, for a black-hearted pagan,’ he said. ‘Where’s your faithful beau?’
‘Dancing with your Snow Queen,’ she noticed then, the amused glint in Dominic’s eyes telling her that he had seen them too.
‘Come on.’ He reached for her hand. ‘Let’s you and I do the same thing.’
‘But I don’t want to dance with you!’ She tugged protestingly as he began to draw her towards the dance-floor, her heart already beginning to hammer at the prospect.
‘Of course you do,’ he insisted. ‘You don’t want to spoil everything now, do you? They’ll have noticed, you know,’ he added succinctly, ‘that you’ve danced with everyone else in our party except for me.’
Beaten, she went silently into his arms. Dominic drew her close, the flat of his hand pressing against the base of her spine. Their bodies fitted together as perfectly as they had done four years ago, and he swung her away to the haunting sound of a Gershwin melody.
‘Do you know you are the most beautiful creature in this room tonight?’ he said suddenly, surprising her into glancing up at him. He caught her gaze and held on to it. ‘Four years ago you were beautiful, excitingly so. But now…’ His silken sigh disturbed the thick fall of her lashes, making them flutter. ‘Perhaps you needed those years with Dee to learn how to deal with it all…’ he added soberly. ‘There’s certainly more danger in the new self-controlled Madeline than there was in the younger, more easily read one.’
‘Danger?’ She picked up on the word because she wasn’t sure she liked it.
‘Danger,’ he repeated huskily, looking grim all of a sudden. ‘All beautiful women are dangerous, but you, Madeline, have the power to be lethal.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ she admonished, giving a soft dismissive laugh, her heart beginning to race. ‘You make me sound like some deadly weapon!’
‘And there is the danger,’ he said grimly. ‘When you decide to “go off”, as they put it, it promises to be one hell of a show. And I intend to be the only one around to watch it happen.’
‘Stop it, Dom,’ she whispered, glancing anxiously around her in case people were watching them.
‘What’s the matter,’ he taunted, ‘afraid this may become an action replay of the last time we danced?’