He raised a hand to signal a waiter, and Adele noticed a spatter of fresh blood on his cuff. She was about to mention it to him when she realized the knuckles of his right hand were split and bleeding.
“You’re hurt,” she said, reaching for his arm. “What happened?”
The waiter appeared, and Ernie pulled his arm out of her grip. He handed her their drinks then dabbed the accompanying napkin over the blood. “Nothing to worry about. Banged my hand is all. Sweet of you to worry about me, though.”
The nurse in Adele pressed forward, and she set her glass back on the waiter’s tray. “May I take a look at it?”
“I said it was nothing. Please don’t henpeck.” Then he flashed her his charming smile. “Shall we dance?”
Adele blinked up at him, confused. Had he been fighting?
She said nothing as he whisked her onto the gleaming hardwood floor, proud as a peacock, sometimes watching her, sometimes yelling to a guest at the other end of the room, always entertaining someone.The effort seemed redundant, considering everything he’d put into this party. She recalled something he’d told her the first time they had gone out, about never having had a family, and the wounded expression he’d worn as he said it. Maybe that’s what he had created here, she thought, feeling a little sad for him. Certainly his guests had come when he’d invited them, but had they really come for him? Or was it for the free liquor, the glamour, the prestige of being invited to such an event?
Around and around they danced, and despite the guests moving out of the way for Ernie, the space was crowded, and the air was getting stuffy. Deep in her chest, Adele felt a flurry of panic, a need to escape the shrinking room. The necklace he’d fastened around her throat suddenly felt too tight. When at last the song ended, he released her hand, but the arm around her waist remained as he led her off the floor.
“That was nice. You’re a good dancer.” When she didn’t respond, he peered at her face. “Adele? Are you all right? You’re looking pale.”
“Honestly, Ernie, I have a terrible headache,” she managed. “It must be all the excitement. I need to call it a night, I’m afraid.”
He scowled slightly. “But I don’t want you to leave yet. I have one more surprise for you.”
She pressed two fingers to her temple, which really had begun to throb. “Ernie, I—”
“That’s all right,” he said brightly, checking the gold watch hanging on a chain from his waistcoat. “We can do it now.”
He flagged a passing waiter and whispered something in his ear. The man nodded and vanished back the way he’d come.
Ernie chuckled. “You’re going to love this. It’s just for you. Grab your wrap and come outside with me.” He looked around the room then raised his voice. “Everyone come outside, please!” Somehow, not everyone seemed to have heard him, so he yelled more sharply this time, making her flinch. “I said, ‘Come outside’! Now!”
Hearing this grand announcement, the level of conversation rose from silence to animated, and after she’d retrieved her shawl, Adele had no choice but to swim with the tide of people heading toward the front door of the house. When everyone was out, Ernie faced them all.
“It’s been quite a year, hasn’t it? A wonderful year. Well, there’s no better way to celebrate than with friends like all of you, and I’m pleased you could all be here. Are we all having fun?” A scattered chorus of approval rose up, and Ernie’s face darkened slightly with frustration. He tried again, and Adele frowned. She’d never seen this aggressive side of him. “I said, ‘Are we all having fun?’?” This time the whole crowd roared in agreement, so Ernie rewarded his audience by holding up a fresh glass of champagne and beaming around at them. “That’s what I thought! Let’s celebrate with a bang.”
In the next instant, Adele threw herself to the ground, covering her head against the bullets that cracked overhead, the shell fire—
“Adele!” Ernie said, laughing as he hauled her to her feet. “What are you doing down there? Up! Up you get, my dear.”
High overhead, fireworks exploded in cascades of colour, but Adele could barely breathe through her panic. She looked around at the other guests, most of whom were gawking up at the display, cheering with appreciation. But there were others, like her, who flinched every time another firework went off.
Adele turned to Ernie, fighting the urge to run. “I have to go now.”
“Now?” His brow drew in. “These things are expensive, and I got them for you.”
“I’m sorry, Ernie. I’m just very tired, and my head… I need to get home. Thank you so much for inviting me, and for”—she glanced up, catching her breath as another burst of fireworks went off—“for such a memorable party.”
“Well, if you must. I’ll call the driver.” He whistled through his teeth and signalled to someone inside the house, then he turned back to her and held out his arm. “I’ll walk you out.”
Once they were away from the crowd, he softened. He gesturedtoward the sky, where a veil of grey smoke dwindled in the darkness in the aftermath of the fireworks. “I’m sorry if this was too much. I just wanted to do something special for you, my little war hero. I didn’t think about the noise. I’m terribly sorry.”
The car pulled up, and he opened her door. Before she could step inside, he took her hand.
“I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight.”
She almost regretted letting him down. Almost. But his apparent need to bend people to his will was disturbing. Trying to hide her discomfort, she forced a smile.
“I did. And thank you again, for the gift.” She touched her necklace.
“It looks cheap on such an elegant neck.” He fingered the chain around her throat. “Adele, you were the most beautiful woman here tonight, just as I knew you would be.”
