“Don’t count on it,” muttered Vanessa.
Dafydd stepped down and the rehearsal resumed.
* * * *
“Are you going to Somerset House?” asked Lydia, catching up with Vanessa at the end.
“What do you think?”
“I don’t blame you. I don’t really want to go, but Karl-Heinz says it’ll give a bad message to the other violins if I don’t.”
“It’s fine, Lyd, I’m not telling you what to do. I understand.”
They passed through the door into the lobby, only to find Dafydd standing directly in front of them.
“Ladies,” he boomed. “I hope I can count on your presence tonight?”
Vanessa coughed as if about to choke on something. Lydia simply smiled tightly.
“Lydia, as one of my most valued team-members,” he carried on with a false affability that made her flesh crawl. “And Vanessa, to mend fences and show that bygones can be bygones. No hard feelings.”
“I have plenty of hard feelings,” muttered Vanessa.
“Funny you should say that…” he murmured, leering.
“Oh, fuck off!”
She barged past him into the hall, Lydia trotting along in her wake. At the door, von Ritter stood in conversation with a clutch of string players.
“Vanessa.” He held up a hand, arresting her progress.
“Herr von Ritter.”
“I want you come to this reception tonight.”
“I’m sorry, but ?”
“I don’t want division in my orchestra. Dafydd has promised me he will leave you alone and there will be no trouble. I want things to be dealt with in a professional and polite manner. Is that too much to ask?”
“Yes.”
“No. Bring Ben as your partner. Everybody will be there. What can he do or say? I’ll be watching him and so will Lydia. I don’t mean to dismiss the pain he caused you—Lydia’s told me all about that—but it was twenty years ago. Let’s start afresh.”
Vanessa shook her head. “You don’t understand?” she spluttered.
But von Ritter held up a hand, silencing her.
“I understand you don’t want to have anything to do with him. But he is a part of this orchestra and so are you. If you aren’t capable of having a professional relationship with him, then perhaps you should reconsider your commitment here.”
Vanessa’s jaw dropped. She could think of nothing to say in response to this.
“So you’ll be there?”
Von Ritter didn’t wait for an answer but glided away in the direction of Lydia, leaving Vanessa to kick the skirting board before storming down the steps.
* * * *
The Portico Rooms gleamed with luxury, the air fragrant with the giant vases of flowers adorning every surface.