Page 22 of The Show

“Not sure,” Beulah shrugged, following Kit into the marquee. “Oh! Wow!”

While the marquee was open air, we hadn’t been near enough to be able to see inside, and if we thought the gardens had been incredible, it was nothing on where the official party was going to be happening.

Three round tables were placed in the center of the room, a long curved table snaked round them on the outside in between huge tree trunks, from which large filament bulbs had been hung on thick white ribbons strung between them. And it was pretty, but that wasn’t what had elicited theOh, Wow!from Beulah, and every other guest as they walked under the arched entrance.

The lake hadn’t been visible from the main lawns, and now we understood why.

Floating right in the middle was a large stage, complete with a full band currently playing an instrumental Frank Sinatra classic, behind which were fifteen-foot-high numbers - eight and zero - in sparkling gold.

“Ohmygod, maybe Adeleissinging Happy Birthday.”

“Come on, we’re in the way.” I pulled them both away before anyone knocked into us, given I’d go flying on these heels.

The space was already filling up by the time we found our section of the long table which was otherwise empty, though from the way people were rushing across the room to speak to someone they hadn’t seen in months, it was hard to tell who was sitting where. I grinned at my dad as he walked past and winked, my mom too deep in conversation with Diane Sawyer to notice.

Waiters were filling up glasses by the time Rafe and Murray joined us.

“Well, hello. What beautiful dinner companions we have!” Murray placed down his glass of what looked like whiskey, and drunkenly grinned round at everyone, before smacking a kiss on Kit’s lips.

He sat down between Kit and me, while Rafe took his place next to Beulah. I twisted around to see where Lauren had ended up, to find her at the middle of the three tables next to Penn, which she’d probably enjoy more than he would, given his current expression. Yet as I watched him lean back in his chair, his face breaking out into a huge smile and his head thrown back in laughter at something she said, my belly twisted again just like it had earlier, my brain catching up with the look he’d given me as he walked down the steps. The one which stole the oxygen from my lungs.

All likely down to the anxiety of delivering my promise to Lauren.

“Earth to Lowe!”

I jolted to find Kit staring at me, holding one of the bottles of champagne which had been placed on our table. Murray glanced round to see what I’d been transfixed by, only to turn back with his brows raised and the tiniest of smiles splitting his lips, but I couldn’t tell whether that was just because he was drunk.

“What?” Rafe asked him.

“Nothing.”

I looked up and down our table. While it had filled up, there were still plenty of guests rushing around, which is how it continued for the next hour and a half – laughter, chatter and music against the backdrop of a navy sky burning orange fire from the dying sun.

We managed to get through two courses before Lauren joined us, but by then, everyone had drunk so much champagne people barely noticed, and musical chairs had become the norm. I moved over so she could perch on the edge of my seat, until Murray and Rafe decided they’d been separated from Penn for long enough and decided that they needed to go find him.

It was at that point the drumroll started and the cake arrived. Given the number of candles, it was surprising New York State’s Fire Brigade wasn’t waiting on call outside. Then a lone acapella voice caused a collective gasp from the four hundred plus guests.

“Shit, Nancy really did get her,” hissed Lauren before joining in with the rest of the guests who’d also started singing Happy Birthday, until it was time for him to blow out the candles. “Jesus, he’ll pass out from that.”

He proved her wrong, managing to get them all in one huge breath that had the room laughing. The guests silenced as Adele walked over from the lake stage via a little bridge to where Lucian was sitting. She bent and kissed his cheek, whispering something which made him laugh. I saw several of the female guests giggle with a little swoon. Lucian Shepherd was like a fine wine, getting better with age, though he’d always been easy on the eye.

He stood, taking the microphone from Adele, and from that moment on, everyone’s concentration was on him.

“Phew. That wasn’t easy!” he chuckled as he grasped his chest. “What a birthday! What a birthday. Thank you all so much for coming!” He smiled warmly and genuinely at them like they wouldn’t have all given their firstborn to be here. “Wow, eighty years old. How lucky am I? And to be surrounded by my kids and grandkids, though the great-grandkids were banned so they didn’t make me feelreallyold.”

Another simpering laugh went through the crowd.

“I’m only missing my beautiful son, Brick, like Summer and I miss him every day.” He reached for Summer’s hand and squeezed it. “But we have him living on through his kids - Nancy, Saffron, Dylan, Laurie and Penn.”

I looked over to Penn, his eyes glistening, and watched him wipe a tear away, my heart squeezing tight as he did. Rafe slung his arm round him and pulled him in as my hand found Lauren’s.

“I won’t bore you all with a long speech, but trust me when I say I’ve had a lucky, lucky life. I’ve worked my ass off, but mostly I’ve been lucky. However, if I don’t retire soon, Summer has promised my luck will run out.”

Cue the tittering of laughter.

He waved his hands for silence. “You all know Nancy, my eldest granddaughter. Nancy come up here…” The guests all shifted in their seats to watch Nancy stand up and move to her grandfather, taking his outstretched hand before kissing his cheek. “Nancy started at Shepherds twenty years ago, and for the past eight years she’s been an incredible right hand woman to me as my C.O.O.” Nancy’s smile was more simpering than the entire collective of the party put together. “Now, it’s time for her to take over the reins properly as chairman, or chairwoman, I should say, so tonight is more than just about my birthday. Tonight is a celebration for Nancy too. Starting September first, she will be running the company.”

The crowd got to their feet, clapping loudly as Nancy hugged her grandfather. I looked over to Penn, whose face was completely void of emotion.

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