"I also hid in the coat room a lot," said Alex. "I really have never been one for parties, but friendship and all that."
"It's a bit curious, you being friends with Chudleigh after the whole Courtship debacle," said Tsukiko, not quite making it a question.
Alex shrugged. "Julian quite liked him, and so did I. Once Julian was mine, there was no reason to keep them apart. And then we introduced him to Dr. Tamlinson, and that cemented our friendship."
"And also assured yourself he was no rival," said Winston-Smythe.
Alex couldn't help but look smug now. "No one is a rival now, we're bonded for life, my Julian and I." He sent a wave of love and smugness and got love and a little confusion back, along with a sense that Julian, too, was enjoying the rich pudding.
Tsukiko giggled at that, hand over her mouth and looking a little surprised at herself, though Alex wasn't quite sure what he'd said to elicit the reaction. Winston-Smythe's stink face got stinkier than ever, though Alex couldn't imagine the man wanting magical bonds with anyone, let alone a consort.
Winterson, of course, sighed in pure romantic envy.
Quentin and Gallowglass were having a discussion about the rum in the food, and ignoring everyone else as they hit upon a passion for both of them.
Alex had another bite and sent Julian just a little more of that smugness, and a wink when he looked over.
Eventually the food was eaten and everyone ushered into the ballroom while dishes were cleared.
"I thought tonight we might all mingle and play a game called Wink Murder," said Chudleigh, once the full party was assembled. Twenty-five people hardly filled the room, but that would be good for dancing later. Less chance of Alex running into anyone, out of practice as he was.
"What's that?" asked someone up front, right on cue.
"Everyone takes a slip of paper from Frederick there. Most people's say 'guest,' but there is one 'killer' and one 'detective.' If someone meets your eye and winks at you, that's the killer, and you must fall down dead and be escorted to the drawing room with your fellow victims. It's the detective's job to try to catch the killer, and they will get three guesses." Chudleigh beamed, and Alex just hoped he wasn't the detective. He didn't need to work at a party.
"When will there be dancing?" one of the women asked.
"Tomorrow and Sunday," assured Chudleigh. "I want to give the musicians time to show up, or if not, the sound system needs a little love to get working right, though Marie assures me it will be right as rain by evening."
The boy came by with his bowl of slips of paper, and Alex and Julian were both relieved to simply be guests.
Once Frederick's bowl was empty and everyone had their roles, another wave of servants came out with champagne, though Alex and Julian both refused for now. On some invisible cue that Alex missed, everyone began to mingle and chat, eyes mostly coyly down, though people glanced up to look at conversation partners politely.
It was a matter of minutes before the first woman, Adelina Halliwell, fell down in a swoon and declared loudly, "Oh, I have been slain!"
Everyone politely clapped at her, and then went back to their conversations, while a maid led Miss Halliwell off to the drawing room.
She would soon be joined by several others, including Julian who made a production of fainting into Alex's arms and declaring himself faithful unto the last. Each death performance got polite applause, and so far the 'detective' had not managed to accuse a single person. Their murderer was subtle, apparently.
Alex felt adrift without his Julian, and he let himself wander toward Dr. Geoff, who disappointed him by 'dying' dramatically before Alex could get to him.
"Ah-ha! I accuse you, Lord McGuinness!" said the person presumably playing the detective, Jefferson Smythe-Darbyshire.
"No, no, I am innocent!" said Quentin cheerfully, flashing his 'guest' paper. "You must try again!"
"Curses!" said Smythe-Darbyshire with a rueful grin. "Two more tries!"
The game would be a little different now that the killer knew who the detective was, but really it was all an excuse for people to chat with each other in their own, chosen groups.
Chudleigh came up next to Alex and looked out over the thinned-out crowd. "Not many people you know left," he said, perceptive for once.
"I'll have to look everyone in the eye until I can go to paradise with Julian," said Alex wryly. "You did force me to meet a number of these people, as is your duty as host." Winterson was in the ballroom still, and Tsukiko, though not her husband.
"Everyone's been very understanding about the weather," said Chudleigh, "but it'll be interesting keeping everyone occupied tomorrow."
"Well, you do have a couple of actual entertainers to call on," reminded Alex. "You can set up the artist early, and pay them a bonus for the extra hours, not to mention moving the illusionist's show to whenever it's needed to fill time."
Chudleigh chuckled. "I suppose I can, at that. I'm so used to the idea that these things must go a certain way that I forgot that'snot really true. I'm not trying to impress any of the great dames of society, so I don't have to care about the rules."
