Read Online Country Pursuits by Jo Carnegie - Free Book Online Page A

dining room.
    Camilla was upstairs in her bedroom getting ready. She had on her favourite black dress from Alice Temperley, her mother’s pearl necklace, and black pumps from French Sole, deciding heels were not a good idea if she was going to be rushing to and from the kitchen all night.
    Calypso materialized in the doorway. She was wearing the shortest of T-shirt dresses, with a thick, low slung belt around her slender waist. Her legs were bare, apart from a silver ankle chain and patent stilettos that were easily six inches high. Her streaky blonde hair was pulled back in a high, unforgiving ponytail which only served to highlight her cheekbones and kohl-rimmed eyes. Huge silver earrings in the shape of anchors hung from each ear.
    Calypso gave her sister a cursory once-over.
    â€˜You wearing that?’
    â€˜Yes, why?’ said Camilla defensively. ‘What’s wrong with it?’
    â€˜Oh, nothing, it’s just like, a bit . . . blah,’ replied Calypso, turning to walk down the hall. ‘I’m fixing a Screwdriver, d’ya want one?’
    Camilla declined. Knowing the strength of her sister’s cocktails, she didn’t want to be on her back before the main course. She turned to the mirror. OK, she might not look as cool as Calypso, but convenience outweighed style tonight. ‘Blah it’s going to have to be,’ thought Camilla, and tugged her dress down a bit before heading downstairs.
    The first guest to arrive, at 7.21 p.m., was Caro, clutching a bottle of Pinot Grigio. Camilla helpedher out of her coat. Caro was wearing a black skirt that looked slightly too tight, and a purple see-through blouse with a built-in camisole underneath it. She also had a bright red lipstick on that didn’t suit her, so that, unfortunately, she resembled a tacky barmaid, rather than the glamorous model from the pages of
Tatler
that she had been hoping to imitate. She also had a smear of something white across her right boob, which looked specifically baby-orientated.
    â€˜You look lovely, Caro,’ said Camilla dutifully. ‘There’s some kind of a stain on your top, though.’
    Caro looked down. ‘Bugger! I thought I’d wiped all Milo’s sick off me. Bills, can I borrow a cloth?’
    Calypso, coming out of the kitchen with her second super-sized Screwdriver, heard the tail-end of the conversation and looked horrified. ‘Urgh, gross!’ she said, and whisked past them into the living room. By the time Camilla had got Caro settled in there with a drink, the doorbell rang again.
    This time it was Harriet, brandishing a bottle of wine and a beautiful bunch of flowers. ‘Oh Hats, they’re beautiful,’ said Camilla, taking them. ‘Thank you!’
    â€˜They’re off the estate, actually,’ said Harriet grinning. ‘I went and picked them this arvo; at least that flower-arranging course I went on taught me something!’ She shrugged off her coat to reveal a plunging red dress which showed off an enormous, milky white cleavage. Harriet had obviously tried to tame her frizzy hair and failed, as it was now scraped back in an unflattering bun with bits sticking out everywhere. The whole effect was a rather unnerving blend of Dolly Parton meets Worzel Gummidge.
    â€˜Golly, Hats!’ giggled Camilla, staring down at her friend’s décolletage. ‘Where did they come from?’
    Harriet looked anxious. ‘It’s too much, isn’t it? I’ve been standing in front of the mirror for hours. Mummy bought it for me; she said I have to stop dressing like an old maid. I don’t think it looked as revealing as this on the hanger, though.’
    â€˜It’s fine! You look great,’ said Camilla, stretching the truth for the second time that night. ‘Come on, let’s get you a drink.’
    A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again, and this time the door was nearly knocked down as someone hammered on it.