probably cost a month of Cass's salary, and a string of exquisite pearls. 'Now, what can I get you to drink?'
Cass opted for white wine, and as Marcia turned away to signal an approaching waitress, Lloyd's voice said thunderously, 'I thought you said you weren't coming.'
'I wasn't,' Cass returned levelly. 'But it would take too long to explain.
And explanations could be complicated, she thought with a little inward shiver. Everything was moving too fast suddenly, sweeping her inexorably along paths she could not comprehend.
He looked explosive. 'But I would have brought you,' he protested. 'How did you get here?'
She sighed. 'Rohan brought me.'
He looked totally nonplussed. 'But didn't you explain about the kid?'
Several times,' she said with forced gaiety. 'As a matter of fact, she's here too, asleep upstairs.'
Lloyd was looking at her as if she'd just grown an extra head. 'It all seems very cosy,' he said at last. 'How long have you been on these kind of terms with the Grants.'
'I haven't, and I'm not,' she said wearily. 'It was just—a way out of an impasse, that's all. And, as it happens, Jodie did meet the Wainwright boys once, and they've asked her to spend a few days here.'
While he was absorbing that, Marcia reappeared. 'Your drink,' she said to Cassie then awarded Lloyd one of her candid smiles. 'Hello, I don't think we've met. I'm Marcia Wainwright. You're not dancing, and you're not eating, and you must do one or the other. Let me introduce you round a little.'
Lloyd gaped at her as if she'd popped up through the floorboards in a puff of smoke. 'Haswell,' he muttered. 'Lloyd Has well.'
Marcia beckoned, and a pretty blonde whom Cass recognised from her modelling work with the agency, joined them smilingly.
'Hattie, darling,' Marcia cooed. 'Do take Lloyd somewhere and make him smile again. I'm sure you can.'
Hattie slid a hand through his arm. Tin starving,' she told him plaintively.
Lloyd submitted and allowed himself to be led away, mouthing 'I'll talk to you later,' at Cass.
'Oh, dear,' Marcia said. 'The boyfriend?'
'Not really,' Cass said soberly. 'Just—a friend.' But for how much longer, she asked herself. Lloyd had the air of a man with a grievance, and perhaps it was a genuine one, although she'd tried to make the limits of their relationship clear to him.
'Cassie.' Barney's genial version of his usual bellow assaulted her ears, and he came over to her. 'Having a good time? Sal and I were looking for you earlier.'
'She only just got here,' Marcia said blandly. 'Special delivery,' she added as she drifted away again.
'Quite a lady,' Barney said approvingly, watching her retreating figure. 'If this campaign is a success, and we get more work from Grants, then may be I can get Sal a string of pearls like that.'
More people joined them, and the group around them began to expand. Grateful for Barney's wing to shelter under, Cass started to relax, and even, as time passed, to enjoy herself. She ate her way through a huge plateful of delicious food, drank more wine, and danced hilariously to the disco, sometimes in a crowd, sometimes with individual partners. ,
She danced once with Lloyd who was clearly looking for an argument and peeved because the loudness of the music prevented him from starting one. She gently but firmly resisted his attempts to persuade her to accompany him to somewhere quieter, and was relieved to be able to refuse his sulky offer of a lift back to London by saying she'd already agreed to drive back with Barney and Sal. She didn't see him again after that, and guessed, half-guiltily that he'd taken his sense of injury home with him.
The earlier frenetic energy of the party had quietened too. People seemed to have made the contacts they needed, and the coversation and shared laughter was more muted and intimate as time moved into the small hours. Even the disco music had gentled, and couples were in each other's arms, swaying quietly to the new, slower rhythm.
Cass
Cass opted for white wine, and as Marcia turned away to signal an approaching waitress, Lloyd's voice said thunderously, 'I thought you said you weren't coming.'
'I wasn't,' Cass returned levelly. 'But it would take too long to explain.
And explanations could be complicated, she thought with a little inward shiver. Everything was moving too fast suddenly, sweeping her inexorably along paths she could not comprehend.
He looked explosive. 'But I would have brought you,' he protested. 'How did you get here?'
She sighed. 'Rohan brought me.'
He looked totally nonplussed. 'But didn't you explain about the kid?'
Several times,' she said with forced gaiety. 'As a matter of fact, she's here too, asleep upstairs.'
Lloyd was looking at her as if she'd just grown an extra head. 'It all seems very cosy,' he said at last. 'How long have you been on these kind of terms with the Grants.'
'I haven't, and I'm not,' she said wearily. 'It was just—a way out of an impasse, that's all. And, as it happens, Jodie did meet the Wainwright boys once, and they've asked her to spend a few days here.'
While he was absorbing that, Marcia reappeared. 'Your drink,' she said to Cassie then awarded Lloyd one of her candid smiles. 'Hello, I don't think we've met. I'm Marcia Wainwright. You're not dancing, and you're not eating, and you must do one or the other. Let me introduce you round a little.'
Lloyd gaped at her as if she'd popped up through the floorboards in a puff of smoke. 'Haswell,' he muttered. 'Lloyd Has well.'
Marcia beckoned, and a pretty blonde whom Cass recognised from her modelling work with the agency, joined them smilingly.
'Hattie, darling,' Marcia cooed. 'Do take Lloyd somewhere and make him smile again. I'm sure you can.'
Hattie slid a hand through his arm. Tin starving,' she told him plaintively.
Lloyd submitted and allowed himself to be led away, mouthing 'I'll talk to you later,' at Cass.
'Oh, dear,' Marcia said. 'The boyfriend?'
'Not really,' Cass said soberly. 'Just—a friend.' But for how much longer, she asked herself. Lloyd had the air of a man with a grievance, and perhaps it was a genuine one, although she'd tried to make the limits of their relationship clear to him.
'Cassie.' Barney's genial version of his usual bellow assaulted her ears, and he came over to her. 'Having a good time? Sal and I were looking for you earlier.'
'She only just got here,' Marcia said blandly. 'Special delivery,' she added as she drifted away again.
'Quite a lady,' Barney said approvingly, watching her retreating figure. 'If this campaign is a success, and we get more work from Grants, then may be I can get Sal a string of pearls like that.'
More people joined them, and the group around them began to expand. Grateful for Barney's wing to shelter under, Cass started to relax, and even, as time passed, to enjoy herself. She ate her way through a huge plateful of delicious food, drank more wine, and danced hilariously to the disco, sometimes in a crowd, sometimes with individual partners. ,
She danced once with Lloyd who was clearly looking for an argument and peeved because the loudness of the music prevented him from starting one. She gently but firmly resisted his attempts to persuade her to accompany him to somewhere quieter, and was relieved to be able to refuse his sulky offer of a lift back to London by saying she'd already agreed to drive back with Barney and Sal. She didn't see him again after that, and guessed, half-guiltily that he'd taken his sense of injury home with him.
The earlier frenetic energy of the party had quietened too. People seemed to have made the contacts they needed, and the coversation and shared laughter was more muted and intimate as time moved into the small hours. Even the disco music had gentled, and couples were in each other's arms, swaying quietly to the new, slower rhythm.
Cass
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