late fifties, his wife around the same age, Jeremy liking the fact that George hadn’t traded his wife in for a younger model as most self-made men seemed to do at some stage.
George beamed at him. ‘I was talking to Mandy here about you the other day, wasn’t I, love? I said whatever am I going to do now that Jeremy’s no longer looking after my money? I got so nervous last month that I cashed in all my stocks and shares and put them in the bank.’
‘Not such a bad move, George. Things are very volatile at the moment. Still, your money’s not going to grow much sitting in the bank. Perhaps you should think about buying property.’
‘See, what did I tell you, love? Jeremy’s always got his finger on the pulse. So what are you up to these days, lad? Got a proper girlfriend yet or are you still playing the field?’
It was ironic that Alice came into view right at that moment, smiling and chatting with people as she worked the room, a glass of champagne in her right hand. Their eyes met and Jeremy smiled at her, at which point George’s ruddy face swivelled round to see what he was smiling at.
‘Very nice,’ George said, thankfully in a low voice. ‘Is she your date for tonight?’
‘No,’ Jeremy admitted. ‘She’s the lady who’s organised this do. Her name’s Alice Waterhouse. Alice!’ he called out, and beckoned her over. ‘Come and meet some very good friends of mine,’ he added, smiling at the thought that she could hardly avoid him now.
‘I know Alice,’ Mandy piped up. ‘I spoke to her on the phone when I first got her email about tonight. When I told her how much a fan I was of Kenneth Jacobs’s books, she said she’d put me on the same table as him.’
* * *
Alice plastered a smile on her face and went to meet Jeremy’s very good friends.
Jeremy introduced them, Alice quickly remembering her phone conversation with Mandy.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said straight away, glad to be able to direct her conversation towards anyone but the very annoying Jeremy, who continued to smile at her in that smug fashion, as though they had some kind of secret relationship going on. ‘Mr Jacobs can’t be here tonight. He’s got a dreadful cold. We’re still auctioning off his prize, though. His publisher here has very kindly agreed to do the auctioneering honours tonight.’ With that, she served Jeremy with a saccharine smile that didn’t touch her eyes.
‘What?’ George’s eyes widened with surprise. ‘Is she talking about you, Jeremy?’
‘She is indeed.’
‘When did you become a publisher?’
‘Shortly after I left banking.’
‘Is there money in it?’
‘Probably not,’ Jeremy said drily. ‘But as they say in the classics, it’s not always about the money.’
George guffawed. ‘That’s a good one. A Barker-Whittle saying it’s not about the money.’
Alice noticed that Jeremy’s eyes stopped sparkling for a split second. Not that she cared.
A waiter with a tray of drinks paused next to their group, offering them flutes of champagne or orange juice. They all selected champagne, all except Alice who already had a glass, which she was not actually drinking. She couldn’t afford to get tipsy, not if she had to deal with lover boy all night. Her vain attempt to avoid him till dinner hadn’t worked, she conceded with a degree of frustration.
‘I really should mingle,’ Alice said. ‘I’ll see you all at dinner, since we’re on the same table.’
‘How lovely!’ Mandy gushed.
‘I’ll mingle with you,’ Jeremy offered immediately.
‘No need to do that,’ Alice blurted out in alarm. ‘You should stay and look after your friends.’
‘We don’t need looking after, little lady,’ George retorted. ‘Off you go, both of you.’
The conspiratorial smirk he sent Jeremy did not escape Alice’s notice. Lord knew what he’d said to the man.
‘Why did George look at you like that?’ she asked bluntly as she made her way through the milling crowd, Jeremy at her side.
‘Like what?’
She ground to a halt and glared up at him. ‘Like he was secretly playing matchmaker.’
‘Can’t say that I noticed.’
Alice sighed in exasperation.
‘George is a bit of a romantic,’ he added. ‘Take no notice of him.’
She was struggling to find something to say when Jeremy was claimed by another couple who knew him, this time some television executive and his wife. And that was how it went for the next forty minutes, lots of other guests vying for his attention as if he were some kind of celebrity, all of them assuming she was his girlfriend, something he occasionally didn’t deny. Not that that stopped the women from flirting with him. Neither did it stop her feeling ridiculously, irrationally jealous.
Irritated and confused, Alice had difficulty maintaining her usual calm demeanour. Finally, the urge to snap something rather rude at an over-made-up blonde whose false eyelashes were in danger of falling off she was fluttering them so much, almost overwhelmed Alice. Sucking in a deep, gathering breath, she turned to Jeremy, smiling up at him in a somewhat brittle fashion. ‘Sorry, Jeremy, but I must visit the ladies’ room before the evening begins. I’ll see you later at the table. Ours is table number one.’
The relief she felt at exiting his presence was enormous. But the sight of her over-bright eyes in the powder-room mirror was both telling and worrying. Be careful, Alice, she warned herself. Be very, very careful.
JEREMY FOUND GEORGE and his wife before entering the ballroom at twenty-five minutes past eight, chatting away with them as they made their way to table one, which was right at the front of the room near the stage. Alice was nowhere to be seen, her continued absence frustrating him. Never one to beat a dead horse, Jeremy began to accept that perhaps Alice actually wasn’t attracted to him. But if that was the case, why had she reacted negatively a couple of times to women flirting with him? And she had. Oh, yes. He’d glimpsed definite irritation in her body language, especially when that blonde had started giving him gooey-eyed looks.
Jeremy was thinking about the reasons for Alice cutting and running when she suddenly walked out onto the stage, making her way slowly towards the podium. How magnificent she looked up there, he thought, unable to take his eyes off her. Like a young Audrey Hepburn, though with blonde hair. Talk about class! Once in position at the podium she turned on the microphone and tapped it a couple of times, bringing relative quiet to the buzzing ballroom. Once everyone was seated, she cast a wide smile around the room and began to speak in that well-educated, crystal-clear voice of hers.
‘Welcome, everyone,’ she began. ‘First, I must thank you all for coming here tonight and supporting a cause that is dear to my heart.
