Then Meg spotted Ambrosine. She and her colonel were sitting down, watching the party, looking verycontent. Meg ran over. ‘Ambrosine! How are you? You’re not getting too tired, are you?’
Ambrosine made a swishing gesture. ‘The colonel here will hardly let me take a step unaccompanied. I am thoroughly enjoying myself. We’re saving ourselves for a spirited tango later.’
Meg gasped and then realised she was being teased. She stood with Ambrosine and her beau, watching the party, not quite sure what she should do. Maybe she should go and look for Justin?
She saw David and Dame Miriam in the semicircle of chairs where she was sitting, holding court in the most gracious way imaginable, still every inch a queen although she was no longer dressed as Titania, Queen of the Fairies.
Then the band struck up ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ and Dame Miriam turned to David.
‘She’s asking him to dance,’ said Ambrosine. ‘I bet he’s a lovely dancer.’
They watched as tall David led the diminutive actress on to the floor. They danced beautifully together. Dame Miriam was looking so happy and Meg knew David would be enjoying himself enormously.
‘’E’s a damned good-looking chap,non?’ said a man with a French accent.
‘Maxime!’ said Meg. ‘You came with Alexandra?’
‘We came in separate cars. Antoine’s car was extremely full.’ He kissed Meg on both cheeks and then Meg made the introductions.
‘Enchanté, madame,’ he said to Ambrosine and kissed her hand.
Ambrosine spoke to him in French and introduced the colonel. To Meg’s surprise, the colonel spoke fluent French too. She made her excuses and left them chatting happily.
She was delighted for David that Maxime had come and knew it wouldn’t be long until they found each other.
She felt suddenly tired. Justin was nowhere to be seen and she felt sad and let down. What was the point of her new dress if Justin wasn’t going to see her in it? He was obviously busy, and they would catch up with each other tomorrow, but it was now that she wanted him. Her feet ached, and the fact that Vanessa now wasn’t going to be in her little flat so he could have spent night with her was just depressing. She felt tears gather in the back of her throat and she had to concentrate on not dissolving into a heap of self-pity.
She heard footsteps running up behind her and turned sharply. It was Justin, slightly out of breath. ‘There you are!’
‘Yes!’ She tried to smile and hoped her tears, nearer now, wouldn’t betray her feelings of abandonment.
‘I’ve been scouring the party for you but there are so many people it took me a while.’ He frowned. ‘Are you OK?’
‘Oh yes! I’m just a bit tired, that’s all.’
‘Not too tired, I hope. I have a little walk planned for us.’
Meg wanted to say, ‘No need to walk anywhere, Vanessa and Simon have run away to get married andmy flat is empty,’ but she couldn’t. It sounded so brazen somehow. She loved him and was sure that he loved her too, but at that moment, she didn’t feel comfortable asking him to go to bed with her, more or less.
He held out his hand. ‘If you’re really exhausted, I could get out my motorbike and give you a backie, but it is rather noisy.’
Suddenly she laughed and her doubts and fears dissipated. ‘A backie? Is it really called a backie, like when we were children and rode about on bicycles?’
‘Well, most people call it riding pillion but I thought the idea might scare you.’ He looked at her in a way that made Meg feel desired and protected at the same time.
He held out his hand again. ‘Come!’
Chapter Thirty-Nine
As Justin took her hand, all the magic and the beauty of the night returned. No longer was Meg a tired chef at the end of a long day. She was a girl walking on a beautiful summer’s night with the man she loved.
‘Is it far?’ she asked after a little while. Ahead she could see that the path was too narrow for them to walk hand in hand and although the moon was full its light was obscured by trees.
‘Not really.’ He pulled her closely to his side. ‘I have a torch but, frankly, the moon gives us better light.’
Suddenly they turned a corner and there in front of them was a house, its windows glowing with light.
‘Oh my goodness! Why didn’t I know this house was here?’ asked Meg, intrigued and enchanted.
