“No translation needed, darling.” Lenore gave Viktor an intimate stare. “And you are more handsome than ever.”
When she acknowledged the rest of us, we respectfully inclined our heads. Lenore’s eyebrow quirked after she spotted the lights sewn in Gem’s dress, but Gem was too distracted by the festivities inside to notice she was being scrutinized.
Lenore stepped aside and gestured to a servant walking by with a tray. “There’s alcohol, but right now we’re only serving hot apple cider.”
When Wyatt sauntered by her, Viktor slowly closed his eyes.
Lenore held a poker face as she took in Wyatt’s outfit. “I should have invited children to the party. They would have adored you.”
He stopped and threw her a boyish grin. “Sorry, but this show is rated R.” Wyatt lifted a small glass of cider off a tray and strutted toward a bevy of ladies.
Blue waved away the servant collecting our coats, opting to keep her cloak on.
Lenore swept a tendril of blond hair away from her face. The rest of her loosely braided tresses were twisted into a romantic bun on the back of her head. Then she laid eyes on my gown. “Red is a bold choice for a winter affair.”
Christian inched closer to me. “Raven’s a bold woman, and only such a woman could wear this dress.”
Lenore gave him a mechanical smile. “So good to see you, Chrissy. Please go inside and have some refreshments. I must finish greeting my guests, but we’ll catch up later.”
Viktor remained behind as we moved inside the palatial home.
Lights strung outside the domed ceiling lit up the colorful patterns in the glass. Instead of poinsettias, white roses filled every room. The intoxicating fragrance of flowers and cinnamon made me drunk with envy. Why did rich people throw away so much money on a single party? And despite the extravagant trimmings, the guests were so blasé about the whole affair. Gold sequined tablecloths covered the standing tables, which matched the ornate gold etchings in the walls.
Gem sipped on her cider while deliberating a tray of hors d’oeuvres. We left her behind in the large foyer, and I held Christian’s arm, uncertain if my boots would slip on the shiny marble floor.
“What’s with all the white roses?” I asked. “I only see those at funerals or weddings.”
“Perhaps there’s an announcement to be made.”
“Perish the thought.” I glanced up. “Wyatt’s been through here.”
He stopped and looked around. “What makes you say that?”
I pointed to a sculpture of a nude man now wearing an elf hat.
A woman strolled toward us, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her large snowflake necklace. Ice was the trend—as in diamonds. Some wore diamond icicle necklaces and earrings, others tiaras and bracelets. As the lady passed us, Christian put his arm around me.
I located a corner to hide in. “Let’s sit on that sofa.”
“They call them settees,” he said.
“Stop that.”
“Stop what?”
I took a seat on the upholstered white furniture that Lenore must have rented for the party. “Trying to teach me things I don’t care about.”
After sitting, Christian crossed his legs with a dramatic flair, a habit he did when annoyed. “It looks like a slaughterhouse in here.”
“What do you mean by that?”
He stroked the opulent fur blanket behind me. “Mink.”
“Maybe it’s faux.”
Christian gave me a sardonic look. “If there’s fur in this house, you can be certain she stripped it off a helpless animal herself.”
A live band played old-fashioned music in an adjacent room. Christian and I watched guests mingling, laughing, and drinking. Despite his boorish ways, Christian blended in with an aristocratic crowd much easier than I did, so I got the feeling he was more keeping me company than hiding.
