The guests, including the younger ones, had all dressed up, the women in long gowns and the men in dark suits, except the Baron, who wore a white dinner-jacket with a white bow tie. A boy sat in a corner, quietly strumming bossanovas on his guitar. The waiters moved around quietly and efficiently. The wine flowed and the level of conversation lifted as each group relaxed and enjoyed their dinner. Nobody could fault the food, except the Baroness, who only took one spoonful of her avocado and lime soup.
The diners had all but forgotten their host when the door opened and he walked in. Momentarily the room fell silent. Then an animated conversation began again. William led Laura to her table like a lover. She did not acknowledge anyone and sat with her back to the room. William fussed over her, making sure her chair was in the right position. She wore a delicate gown of silver chiffon, which fell loosely from a halter neck and swirled like gossamer. Her blonde hair was braided down her back and tied with a fine silver ribbon. Her shoes were silver, with a spiked heel and a band of silver leather around the ankle.
The adults were impressed, but disguised it by continuing to talk. The younger guests stared openly. William was wearing a white dinner-jacket, with a black, tight-collared shirt and well-cut black trousers. Now, at last, he turned to his guests. Moving around with an elegant confidence, he shook hands with them all, apologizing for not having been there to greet them but explaining he had had pressing business meetings. He came last to Angela and Matlock.
‘Angela, what a long time it has been. I can’t tell you how delighted I am that you accepted my invitation.’
Angela’s cheeks flushed as his hand reached for hers. When he kissed her fingertips, she had trouble breathing and had to gulp before she was able to speak. ‘You look better than ever,’ she said nervously.
‘Thank you. And this must be your husband. I don’t believe we’ve actually met. I am delighted that you and your family are here. I do hope you enjoy my island.’
Matlock’s voice boomed, ‘It’s a paradise, wonderful place. This is my son James. James! Say good evening to your host. William Benedict, James Matlock.’
But James could not stop looking across the room at the wonderful naked back opposite him. He drank in the woman’s every move as she picked up a glass — filled, James presumed, with the champagne his parents were guzzling — and sipped it.
‘James, dear, do stop staring,’ Angela said softly.
‘Nice to meet you, sir,’ James said eventually, and William smiled warmly as his eyes, like James’s, turned back to Laura.
Then William rejoined Laura and took her hand to help her rise. ‘One of the main reasons I invited you all here, and we are hoping more guests will join us shortly, is because I wanted to introduce to you the love of my life. She is soon to be my wife: Laura.’
Laura gave a dazzling but demure smile, as William paraded her from table to table. She rested an arm around William’s back as she walked. On her hand glistened a diamond ring that made the Baroness gasp. William raised his glass. ‘A toast to my darling. She has made me the happiest man alive. To Laura.’
They all lifted their glasses, and Laura cupped his face between her hands and kissed him, before turning back to implore them gently, ‘Please, continue eating, we’ve interrupted your dinner long enough. Come and sit down, darling.’
Clarissa Hangerford also kept her eyes on Laura, but with a look of envy. She had been getting on well with both James and Max and had been secretly hoping for a fling with one, if not both of them, though Justin of course would be preferable to both. But seeing this gorgeous creature had shattered all her confidence. She had blonde hair too, but of quite a different type: it didn’t shine like Laura’s, and swimming had made it frizzy and dry. Clarissa had also caught the sun, and was blotchy, red and sore. The gown Laura was wearing was any young girl’s dream, and Clarissa wondered how on earth it stayed up with just a tiny strap around her neck. It made her own white cotton dress seem dowdy. She looked down at herself and noticed that it was already crumpled, with a nasty crease running around the waist. She immediately hated her thick-soled, trendy platform shoes, which she was sure made her feet look enormous.
Clarissa’s dinner companion, Max, had already decided he was in love with Laura, but believed her to be beyond his reach. He had returned to his hamburger and French fries. His parents rarely, if ever, allowed him to eat such fatty foods and his mother would not have a bottle of ketchup in the house. He ate with rare relish. Clarissa munched fried chicken and salad, but delved constantly into Max’s chips.
Max appeared not to notice, his eyes glued to Laura’s exquisite back. ‘Is she a movie star?’ he whispered to Clarissa.
‘I dunno. If she is, I’ve never seen her in anything and didn’t your oh-so-elegant mother tell you it’s rude to stare with your mouth open?’ Then, unable to contain herself, ‘How old do you think she is?’ she whispered.
‘No idea,’ said Max, as he moved his wine glass to the left, to enable the waiter to refill it. He glanced at his parents to see if they were monitoring him, but they were deep in conversation. As he turned back to the table, he saw James cast him a rueful look and tap his glass of mineral water. Unlike the Baron, his father watched over him like a hawk, and as he’d been caught drunk recently, he had to be on his best behaviour...
Laura was served a green salad, followed by a Dover sole. Max watched the way she held her cutlery and wished he could feed her morsel by morsel. James was still staring too and his mother had to kick him beneath the table as his father asked him about his exam results for a second time.
He was stoned. Knowing he would not be allowed to drink, he had rolled a spliff before coming down to dinner. At first he had not felt the effects, but now, confronted by his father’s burning red face, he did.
‘I’m sorry, Dad, what did you say?’
‘We must discuss your last exam results, James, because if you need extra tuition we should arrange it before you return next term.’
‘Oh, well, yes, but you know part of my problem was being on the rowing team. It meant I had to do so much practice in the mornings and evenings it didn’t leave all that much time for cramming for the exams.’
‘I thought it was tennis,’ Matlock said, wiping his mouth with his napkin.
‘Yeah, well, I’m in the first team for that as well,’ James lied. He hadn’t played for months and the rowing team had dumped him.
Matlock sighed and looked at his wife as she toyed with her food.
‘Don’t you like it?’
‘It’s delicious. I’m just not very hungry.’
Matlock looked across at the intimate couple, and leaned closer to his wife. ‘Making a damned fool of himself with the girl. What did he say her name was?’ he whispered, too loudly.
‘Keep your voice down,’ she hissed.
‘Do you always have to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do, for Christ’s sake? They can’t hear me.’
‘I’m sorry, I’ve got a headache.’
‘Yes, a permanent one,’ he snarled, and she cringed into her seat.
The dessert trolley was wheeled in, laden with sweets so tempting that even the Baroness could not resist. As the boy with the guitar began to sing softly, Laura kissed William lovingly and slipped out of the room.
‘Will you all excuse us?’ asked William, as he drew back his chair and followed her.
As soon as they left, the dining room broke into loud conversation, like the tidal wave after a dam has broken.
‘Well, where on earth did he find that little filly?’ Hangerford wondered aloud.