the green of her irises stand out
and contrasted dramatically with her dark hair. She highlighted her cheekbones
and smeared a touch of red on her lips.
The new gold dress was wonderful. Its various silken layers
skimmed her body and caught the light at different angles, giving her an an
almost otherworldy appearance. She slipped on delicate gloss stockings that
also shone. Next, she added silvery strappy shoes, green dangling earrings and
a sparkly bracelet. Last of all, she put on her necklace, telling herself she
was only doing so because it accessorised perfectly with the dress and not
because of Tom’s warning.
The effort of getting ready had kept her calm, but once she
was dressed and sat at her computer, nerves began to overwhelm her. She was far
from certain that she’d done the right thing in accepting George’s invitation
As she sat, her phone rang. Seeing it was Caroline, Harriet
paused before picking it up, knowing what she was going to say.
“I know this is probably a lost cause, but please, I’m
begging you one more time not to go.”
“I’ll be fine. I think there was a misunderstanding the
other night. I overreacted.”
Caroline gave a harsh laugh. “Overreacted? He attacked you
with a knife. I’m already uncomfortable that we didn’t go to the police. Why
would you go on a date with him?”
“He won’t do anything like that again, I’m sure of it. Last
time we were on a deserted path. Tonight we’ll be in a hall full of people. I
promise that if anything goes wrong again, you can march me straight down to
the station to report him.”
Still giving her dire warnings, Caroline finally hung up,
having extracted a promise that she’d come straight over the next morning to
report back.
Harriet wandered up the High Street, struggling to walk in
her heels but convinced it was worth it. She felt again that sense of awe at
the beauty of the town. Her amazement at this had faded a little over the
course of the term but she was sure it would never be entirely destroyed.
It was a fifteen-minute walk to Christ Church. Harriet
explained to the college’s notoriously strict porters where she was going. They
looked at her curiously but let her in. Whenever she had visited before, she
had admired the college’s imposing architecture. It wasn’t as beautiful as her
own college, but was on a bigger scale that took her breath away. Tonight
though, her heart was pounding too much to take anything in. She wished she had
come with a friend, wondering if Caroline would ever have agreed to it. The
thought of walking alone into a room full glamorous people terrified her. She
couldn’t even rely on her date for some moral support - the cocktail of
attraction and fear that George provoked in her would make things a hundred
times worse.
Harriet walked though the main quad and into a smaller area
at the back, unsure exactly where the pre-dinner drinks were being held. To her
relief, she saw two men in white tie lounging against a wall, smoking, and
realised she must have come to the right place. As she stared at their arrogant
faces and pristine outfits however, her confidence began to fail her. Her
underlying sense of not quite belonging, which she usually managed to suppress,
rushed to the forefront, paralysing her to the extent that she was unable to
approach the two apparent Cavaliers. Trying to steady her nerves, she took a
walk around the college, promising herself that when she got back to the spot
she’d speak to them.
In the main quad, she saw three girls in expensive looking
dresses who she could only assume were also heading to the party. Their class
would have been evident from their polished look, even if she hasn’t been able
to hear their drawling tones. The trio appeared utterly self-assured and
Harriet chided herself for her sudden and uncharacteristic lack of confidence.
She caught their eye and rather than look at her in disdain, they smiled
welcomingly. Harriet smiled back and decided
and contrasted dramatically with her dark hair. She highlighted her cheekbones
and smeared a touch of red on her lips.
The new gold dress was wonderful. Its various silken layers
skimmed her body and caught the light at different angles, giving her an an
almost otherworldy appearance. She slipped on delicate gloss stockings that
also shone. Next, she added silvery strappy shoes, green dangling earrings and
a sparkly bracelet. Last of all, she put on her necklace, telling herself she
was only doing so because it accessorised perfectly with the dress and not
because of Tom’s warning.
The effort of getting ready had kept her calm, but once she
was dressed and sat at her computer, nerves began to overwhelm her. She was far
from certain that she’d done the right thing in accepting George’s invitation
As she sat, her phone rang. Seeing it was Caroline, Harriet
paused before picking it up, knowing what she was going to say.
“I know this is probably a lost cause, but please, I’m
begging you one more time not to go.”
“I’ll be fine. I think there was a misunderstanding the
other night. I overreacted.”
Caroline gave a harsh laugh. “Overreacted? He attacked you
with a knife. I’m already uncomfortable that we didn’t go to the police. Why
would you go on a date with him?”
“He won’t do anything like that again, I’m sure of it. Last
time we were on a deserted path. Tonight we’ll be in a hall full of people. I
promise that if anything goes wrong again, you can march me straight down to
the station to report him.”
Still giving her dire warnings, Caroline finally hung up,
having extracted a promise that she’d come straight over the next morning to
report back.
Harriet wandered up the High Street, struggling to walk in
her heels but convinced it was worth it. She felt again that sense of awe at
the beauty of the town. Her amazement at this had faded a little over the
course of the term but she was sure it would never be entirely destroyed.
It was a fifteen-minute walk to Christ Church. Harriet
explained to the college’s notoriously strict porters where she was going. They
looked at her curiously but let her in. Whenever she had visited before, she
had admired the college’s imposing architecture. It wasn’t as beautiful as her
own college, but was on a bigger scale that took her breath away. Tonight
though, her heart was pounding too much to take anything in. She wished she had
come with a friend, wondering if Caroline would ever have agreed to it. The
thought of walking alone into a room full glamorous people terrified her. She
couldn’t even rely on her date for some moral support - the cocktail of
attraction and fear that George provoked in her would make things a hundred
times worse.
Harriet walked though the main quad and into a smaller area
at the back, unsure exactly where the pre-dinner drinks were being held. To her
relief, she saw two men in white tie lounging against a wall, smoking, and
realised she must have come to the right place. As she stared at their arrogant
faces and pristine outfits however, her confidence began to fail her. Her
underlying sense of not quite belonging, which she usually managed to suppress,
rushed to the forefront, paralysing her to the extent that she was unable to
approach the two apparent Cavaliers. Trying to steady her nerves, she took a
walk around the college, promising herself that when she got back to the spot
she’d speak to them.
In the main quad, she saw three girls in expensive looking
dresses who she could only assume were also heading to the party. Their class
would have been evident from their polished look, even if she hasn’t been able
to hear their drawling tones. The trio appeared utterly self-assured and
Harriet chided herself for her sudden and uncharacteristic lack of confidence.
She caught their eye and rather than look at her in disdain, they smiled
welcomingly. Harriet smiled back and decided
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