Page 44 of A Very Happy Easter

They couldn’t leave the office unstaffed, Heath had explained earlier, and they also needed security for the party. Anyone who volunteered to cover the evening got double pay and a full day off in lieu, plus a guarantee that they wouldn’t have to work Christmas Day or New Year. Heath was working New Year so he could spend Christmas with Liam, Marissa, Serena, and Owen.

Above the music, I heard raucous laughter rather than the hushed voices I was used to at these events. Heath greeted several people he knew as we walked through the house and introduced me each time, to Ben and Augusta, to Bradley and Miles, to Janelle, to Tia. The ballroom had been transformed into a winter wonderland, only without the minus temperatures. Those were reserved for the ice rink on the lawn, and for a London property, there was a lot of outdoor space. I didn’t have much of a garden, more of a courtyard really.

A server glided up to us and offered frosted cocktails.

I shook my head. “Do you have anything non-alcoholic?”

“The glasses with the orange slices are virgin cranberry margaritas. Lime slices are regular cranberry margaritas.”

“Oh, thank you.” I took a glass with the orange, willing my legs to stop shaking, although at least this place wasn’t as claustrophobic as I’d feared it might be. Then I spotted a familiar face.

“There’s Olivia,” I whispered to Heath. “Lily too.”

And Nye, and Lily’s fiancé, Max. I took Heath’s hand, and we headed in that direction. Olivia and Lily both hugged me and I got nods instead of handshakes from the men, which I appreciated.

“It’s so good to see you,” Olivia said. “Have you tried one of these snowball things? Inside, they’re like profiteroles.”

“I already ate dinner.” But they had chocolate and sparkles. “Maybe I’ll just have one.”

“I heard you had to go to another party first?”

“It was a family thing. I couldn’t get out of it.”

“Oh, boo. Well, you’re here now, and that’s the important thing. Are you coming skating?”

I’d worn trousers, just in case. “It looks quite busy out there at the moment.”

“Indigo Rain is playing in twenty minutes, so it’ll quiet down then.”

“Indigo Rain? You mean a cover band, right?”

“No, the Indigo Rain.”

“I thought they were on a hiatus?”

Although granted, American rock bands weren’t one of my specialist subjects—I’d been brought up on a diet of choral and classical—so I wouldn’t put money on it.

“I think technically they are, but Emmy knows them, so they’re here tonight.”

“Amazing.”

“Where is Emmy?” Heath asked. “I haven’t seen her tonight.”

Nye shrugged. “She was in the office earlier, but she went out for a meeting, and then she covered a couple of call-outs so other people didn’t have to. It was funny seeing her in a uniform.”

Lily stood on tiptoe and looked towards the door. “Oh, there she is.”

I turned, and wait, which one was she? A devastatingly handsome man in a suit had a woman on each arm, one blonde, one brunette. The blonde wore a short silver flapper dress covered in beaded tassels, while the brunette’s electric-blue cocktail dress had a plunging neckline.

“She’s the blonde,” Heath supplied. “I don’t know who the others are.”

“The man isn’t her husband?”

“Wrong billionaire,” Nye said. “Charles Black is a giant—six feet seven with the build to match. That guy’s a French diplomat named Gideon Renard. He’s also Emmy’s ex.”

“Isn’t that weird?” I asked.

“Oh, it gets weirder. Sofia—the brunette—is another of Emmy’s exes.”

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