she embraced him. She assessed me in a matter of seconds, her shrewd eyes taking in my height, attractiveness, and fashion sense, before apparently deciding I wasn't even worth bothering about and turning to Danny. “How have you been? What have you been up to, darling? It's been positively ages!”
“Joanne,” Danny smiled through gritted teeth. “Always a pleasure. I've been in California.”
“Oh yes, working on that little degree of yours – so charming!”
“And I don't believe you've met Neve Knight. Lead singer of the band I played with out there. The Never Knights. We're touring over here now.”
“Oh yes, the Never Knights...” Joanne's voice dripped with disdain. “That teen band from America. I think my little sister has one of their songs on her iPod.”
I wished for the floor to open and swallow me up. Danny, however, refused to take the bait. “Just signed with RRR.” Danny said proudly.
“Well,” Joanne said, looking utterly disingenuous. “So good that you've moved on, darling.” She gave me a look full of contempt. “After that horrible business with Peyton. Oh, you know, I really do miss her quite dreadfully sometimes. She was so beautiful – inside and out – we all loved her so much.” She squeezed Danny's hand. “We often think of her and you.” She turned to me. “I never encountered a happier couple than those two, really. So utterly in love. We all absolutely mourn that terrible tragedy that took her from us.” She looked over our shoulders. “Oh, my, is that Claire and Louis back from the Riviera? I simply must hear about their cruise!” She squeezed Danny's hand. “I know you must still be mourning. You have my number – do ring me if you ever need to...grieve.” She turned to me. “Good luck with that little band of yours, er – Ever?”
“Never.”
“Yes, of course.” She looked down her nose at me as she glided off.
When she was gone I breathed a sigh of relief. “What was that ?” I asked Danny.
Danny put his arm around me. “ That was someone you shouldn't let bother you. The Honorable Joanne Waldegrave. Minor aristocracy. And Peyton's best friend – of a sort. Didn't stop her trying to seduce me repeatedly while Peyton was alive. She and Peyton were at the same college back in Oxford. Didn't pay a whit of attention to Peyton when she was just a middle-class girl from the North, but the second her band made it big it was Peyton darling this and Peyton honey that...” He scowled. “She turned up at my place only a few days after Peyton died, seeking to “comfort me.” It didn't work. Couldn't even respect her so-called friend's memory that long...” He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close.
“She made me feel so small.”
“Please don't listen to her,” he said. “Don't let a horrid jealous woman like that annoy you. Some people are just insensitive, and Joanne has the sensitivity of a rock.” He sighed. “After this, my father should be a breeze.”
The second my eyes fell upon Clarence Blue, I knew exactly what he was. Looking just like an older version of his son, Clarence looked closer to Danny's age than to his sixty-something years. I could still see the muscles rippling beneath his exquisitely tailored blue shirt. Handsome, cocky, charming, and magnetic, Clarence had whatever mysterious it it was that made Danny so utterly irresistible. But while Danny's blue eyes had a certain softness, a certain still sad haunting beauty, Clarence's eyes were hard and cold. Painfully aware of their own power. Next to him sat a waif-like blonde barely out of her teens – Roni Taylor. Even without makeup, Roni was one of the most beautiful
“Joanne,” Danny smiled through gritted teeth. “Always a pleasure. I've been in California.”
“Oh yes, working on that little degree of yours – so charming!”
“And I don't believe you've met Neve Knight. Lead singer of the band I played with out there. The Never Knights. We're touring over here now.”
“Oh yes, the Never Knights...” Joanne's voice dripped with disdain. “That teen band from America. I think my little sister has one of their songs on her iPod.”
I wished for the floor to open and swallow me up. Danny, however, refused to take the bait. “Just signed with RRR.” Danny said proudly.
“Well,” Joanne said, looking utterly disingenuous. “So good that you've moved on, darling.” She gave me a look full of contempt. “After that horrible business with Peyton. Oh, you know, I really do miss her quite dreadfully sometimes. She was so beautiful – inside and out – we all loved her so much.” She squeezed Danny's hand. “We often think of her and you.” She turned to me. “I never encountered a happier couple than those two, really. So utterly in love. We all absolutely mourn that terrible tragedy that took her from us.” She looked over our shoulders. “Oh, my, is that Claire and Louis back from the Riviera? I simply must hear about their cruise!” She squeezed Danny's hand. “I know you must still be mourning. You have my number – do ring me if you ever need to...grieve.” She turned to me. “Good luck with that little band of yours, er – Ever?”
“Never.”
“Yes, of course.” She looked down her nose at me as she glided off.
When she was gone I breathed a sigh of relief. “What was that ?” I asked Danny.
Danny put his arm around me. “ That was someone you shouldn't let bother you. The Honorable Joanne Waldegrave. Minor aristocracy. And Peyton's best friend – of a sort. Didn't stop her trying to seduce me repeatedly while Peyton was alive. She and Peyton were at the same college back in Oxford. Didn't pay a whit of attention to Peyton when she was just a middle-class girl from the North, but the second her band made it big it was Peyton darling this and Peyton honey that...” He scowled. “She turned up at my place only a few days after Peyton died, seeking to “comfort me.” It didn't work. Couldn't even respect her so-called friend's memory that long...” He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close.
“She made me feel so small.”
“Please don't listen to her,” he said. “Don't let a horrid jealous woman like that annoy you. Some people are just insensitive, and Joanne has the sensitivity of a rock.” He sighed. “After this, my father should be a breeze.”
The second my eyes fell upon Clarence Blue, I knew exactly what he was. Looking just like an older version of his son, Clarence looked closer to Danny's age than to his sixty-something years. I could still see the muscles rippling beneath his exquisitely tailored blue shirt. Handsome, cocky, charming, and magnetic, Clarence had whatever mysterious it it was that made Danny so utterly irresistible. But while Danny's blue eyes had a certain softness, a certain still sad haunting beauty, Clarence's eyes were hard and cold. Painfully aware of their own power. Next to him sat a waif-like blonde barely out of her teens – Roni Taylor. Even without makeup, Roni was one of the most beautiful
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