‘I knew I’d seen you somewhere, I just couldn’t quite place you, and then when I spoke to Gareth just now he remembered that you’d often come and slink around the gallery, not buy anything obviously, just window shopping for you …’
‘Johan!’ The boom of Heather’s voice came from nowhere. Adam was sure he’d never heard her speak any louder than a murmur before. ‘You need calm down and take a walk. I’m not sure exactly what you think makes you so entitled to walk over here and start doling out your judgement on who does and doesn’t deserve to be here, but last time I checked, your inclusion in this group is just as fucking random as anyone else’s.’ Heather was standing now. Her finger wagging would have almost been comical if it wasn’t for the formidable look on her face.
‘The only difference between you and Noah is that you had this opportunity handed to you on a plate, and Noah had to be a little more imaginative about it. Why don’t you go andtake a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and confront why you’ve bothered turning up to this thing if you’re too much of a fucking coward to let any us evenseeyou work, before you go around throwing out accusations.’ Johan took a step, backing away from the onslaught.
Adam listened in awe, feeling somewhat pathetic for being unable to reach and articulate his own outrage as well as Heather; instead he sat mute. When Heather spoke again her voice had cooled, but her tone was still sharp.
‘From what I’ve seen of Noah’s work so far, I, at least, can confidently say he’s good enough to be here. As for you? I don’t have the faintest fucking clue.’
Johan was stunned into silence for a moment, and then a smirk crept back onto his face. ‘You know what? You’re right, Heather, I don’t why I’m bothering to talk to you about this. There’s only one person who needs to be told the truth.’ His eyes glinted as he waited for Noah, whose face was now ashen, to look up. ‘Let me go and find the lady of the manor.’
At that, Noah bolted. Escaping Ruby’s attempt to restrain him again, he ran out of sight into the dark.
In the silence that Noah left behind, Johan’s smirk melted slowly from his face as he swayed slightly from side to side.
‘And you know what else?’ Ruby’s voice too was cutting. Adam could see the whites of Johan’s eyes expand just a little.
‘I reckon Noah’s not the only one with a little secret.’ Ruby stood up and approached Johan. Heather tensed, as though ready to jump up and defend her. Adam, for his part, was shamefully still.
‘The Anker boy? I was thinking about that. That’s what that old perv called you, and then just now when you werehaving a go at Noah, it clicked, or maybe I should say slipped.’ Ruby’s face was inches from Johan, and Adam had to strain to hear her, before she swung around dramatically.
‘I’m sure you both heard it too, didn’t you?’ Ruby caught Adam’s eye. ‘You’ve been quiet as a mouse tonight, Adam. Fancy throwing your hat in the ring?’
Adam felt a shiver run through him. He hated confrontation, but he’d avoided this for as long as he could. ‘Your voice changed,’ Adam said evenly.
‘Aha! Yes, and what did it change to?’ It was uncanny to see the excitable spirit of merciless exposé switch so readily from Johan to Ruby. It was clear that she was revelling in it just as much as Johan had only moments before. Adam reassured himself that this one, at least, was more deserved.
‘He sounded like a toff,’ Heather chimed in. ‘No more of that hammy cockney twang …’
‘Ding ding ding.’ Ruby swung back around to face Johan again. He had turned ashen. ‘What’syourreal name, Jojo? I don’t have a clue exactly how posh you are, but I’d bet Heather’s last can of McEwan’s that you’re far from Hackney born and bred.’
Johan blinked into the middle distance for a moment, stunned, before composing himself. He tried a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
And then he bent into a deep bow. ‘Bravo, madame, quite the little detective you are. I’d say I’ve met my match.’ He gave Ruby a wink before walking away.
Ruby watched him, taking another swig of beer, as if gearing up to hurl one last word in his direction. She must have thought better of it.
She turned back to Adam and Heather. ‘Anyone fancy a spliff then?’
‘Fucking hell, yeah, I think I need one.’ Heather got up.
Adam remained seated. ‘I’m OK, thanks. I might try and find Noah.’
The two women shrugged and left Adam for the night. He took a few minutes to try and regulate the thrum of the blood beating in his ears.
The yell of anger made him think of his biological father, the one he preferrednotto think about. It made him feel as though he had better hide before the belt found him. Even now, more than a decade later, over a year since he’d lost his real father, Adam could still hear the venom of his first father’s voice in that of everyone who ever raised theirs around him.
After Adam had collected himself, he headed back inside. The lateness of night was bleeding into the earliness of morning, and the guests had thinned. Only the drunkest remained, and finally the sound system had been put to use. Although notgooduse – the bassy speakers were blaring Lionel Richie.
Adam weaved through the stragglers, and racked his mind for where Noah might be. He searched the kitchen, the library, the sitting room and knocked on a couple of bathroom doors downstairs, to no avail. Upstairs he tried a few of the empty guest rooms, and then tried Noah’s bedroom door. He pushed it ajar just slightly when he heard the sound of a voice on the other side. The slice of the view he got wasn’t Noah.
The pretty young girl, who’d drawn the eyes of the ballroom with her long legs, golden mane and girlish smile, was on her knees, her head straddled by Martin’s hairy thighs. Hestroked her hair and murmured down at her as she sucked his cock.
Adam quickly and quietly closed the door. He’d seen Opal speaking with the two of them earlier in the evening. Adam wondered if she knew, if this was some sort of arrangement. Surely it was all far too brazen otherwise; the door hadn’t even been locked. Adam got the sense that the two were sort of hoping to be discovered. Why else would they be at it in someone else’s bedroom?
As he stood in the corridor, it occurred to Adam the one place he hadn’t yet looked: Noah’s studio. Adam went out the back door through the kitchen this time, and jogged across the lawn. As he approached the outbuilding he heard Noah’s voice, and another. It was Opal.
They hadn’t spotted him in the dark, and they were sitting on the two chairs on the patio that the studio shared with Heather’s. Their faces were lit by the glow of a candle on the table between them. They were shielded from view from anyone at the party by the building itself. Adam could see that the two were holding hands.
