Aunt Bessie Knows Read online

  “Should we mingle?” Doona asked after her first sip.

  “I suppose we should,” Bessie said reluctantly. “Would you rather talk to the young people or the older ones?”

  “I’ve met Elizabeth,” Doona replied. “Her friends all look nice enough. Let’s start with them.”

  The pair crossed the short distance to where Elizabeth and her friends were gathered. As they drew close, Bessie caught Elizabeth’s eye, and the girl was quick to display the impeccable manners her mother had taught her.

  “Aunt Bessie, do come and meet all of my friends,” she gushed. She took Bessie’s hand and pulled her into the group. “And, wait, I’ll remember, give me a second, it’s Donna, no, Doona, right? Such a lovely and unusual name. I wish my parents had given me an unusual name, but I mustn’t complain as Elizabeth is a beautiful name, right, Aunt Bessie?” She winked at Bessie, who smiled back.

  “You have a good memory,” Doona told the girl.

  “I try,” Elizabeth laughed. “Anyway, everyone, this is Aunt Bessie, who is a very dear friend to my mother, and her friend, Doona who works for the local constabulary and is very polite to everyone, even when they’ve been brought into the station to answer questions about a bar fight.”

  Elizabeth’s friends all laughed. Muttered greetings followed the laughter. Bessie felt as if everyone was suddenly staring at her and Doona, but Elizabeth was quick to introduce the others.

  “Okay, so these are my friends,” she told Bessie. “You met Bruce already,” she said, nodding towards the man, who had changed into a dark suit.

  “Good to see you again,” he said, his speech sounding slightly slurred.

  “This is Howard,” Elizabeth said. She slid her arm possessively around the man who was standing next to her. Howard appeared to be about the same age as Elizabeth. He was at least six feet tall with dark brown hair and matching eyes. To Bessie he was almost too handsome, but she could certainly see why Elizabeth was attracted to the man. He was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt that didn’t look particularly clean.

  “Yeah, hi,” he muttered, glancing at Bessie and Doona and then looking away.

  “Howard and I went to uni together, but he was a year ahead,” Elizabeth said. “He’s working in the City now, making heaps of money.”

  Bessie knew that “the City” was shorthand for a job in London for one of the large investment banks that seemed to pay young men like Howard an awful lot of money for whatever it was that they did all day.

  Howard shrugged and stepped away from Elizabeth. “I’m going to check out the food,” he muttered before he walked away, heading towards a long table in the corner that staff was busy covering with all manner of deliciousness.

  Elizabeth looked as if she wanted to follow the man, but after a moment she shook her head and then forced a fake-looking smile onto her face. “Where was I?” she asked. “This is Jeremy,” she told Bessie. “I met him through Howard. They went to school together when they were children.”

  The young man she indicated smiled and bowed to Bessie and Doona. “It’s a real pleasure,” he said, offering his hand.

  Bessie shook his hand while she took in his very dark brown hair and stunning blue eyes. He was probably six feet tall and slender in his tuxedo that appeared to have been made for him. He shook Doona’s hand as well.

  “I’m going to find a tray of drinks,” he told the crowd. “Is everyone happy with more champagne or can I get anyone anything else?”

  Everyone seemed happy with champagne, so Jeremy headed towards the bar after a quick, smiling bow.

  “And that just leaves Sarah and Emma, who both went to uni with me,” Elizabeth told Bessie, nodding towards the two women who’d remained behind.

  Sarah was a slightly plump blonde woman, with green eyes that sparkled with life. She greeted Bessie and Doona as if they were old friends, giving them both hugs and complimenting everything from their shoes to their hairstyles.

  Emma was also blonde, with blue eyes. Her blonde hair was perfectly straight and fell almost to her waist. She was quiet, especially when contrasted with Sarah. Almost painfully thin, she looked fragile to Bessie, who shook her hand gently.

  “It was nice that so many of you could come over to celebrate the new year with Elizabeth,” Bessie said after the introductions were out of the way.

  “It was a party,” Sarah replied. “I never say no to parties.”

  “Ain’t that the truth,” Elizabeth drawled.

  “And I get to be close to Bruce,” Sarah said in a confiding tone. “One of these days he’ll get over Elizabeth and when he does, I want to be standing right there, to snatch him up.”

  Elizabeth and Emma both laughed. “I’ve told him a dozen times or more than he’s not my type,” Elizabeth said.

  “But he doesn’t listen,” Emma added. “Because he’s dazzled by your brilliance.”

  “I’m brilliant, too,” Sarah said grumpily.

  “And Bruce will realise that one day,” Emma said, patting Sarah on the shoulder.

  “In the meantime, champagne,” Jeremy interrupted. He’d returned with a tray full of glasses of the bubbly drink and Elizabeth and her friends were quick to help themselves.

  “Oh, I’m fine,” Bessie said when he held the tray out to her. She waved her still half-full glass at him.

  “Why not?” Doona muttered. She took a full glass and then quickly swallowed what was left in the one she’d taken earlier.

  “That’s the idea,” Jeremy said cheerfully. He set the tray down on a nearby table and took a glass for himself. “Happy New Year,” he said loudly before downing his drink in one gulp.

  Bessie and Doona chatted easily with the group of young people for a few moments. Elizabeth seemed distracted, watching Howard as he helped himself to a plate full of food, but she stayed with Bessie and the others rather than follow him. Bessie felt relieved when a few of her friends began to trickle into the great room.

  “Oh, there’s John,” she exclaimed as Inspector John Rockwell entered the room. “Doona and I must go and talk to him.”

  “He’s gorgeous,” Sarah said loudly.

  “He’s a police inspector,” Elizabeth told her. “He’s very nice when you’re in a bit of bother, but he’s also very keen on following the rules and that sort of thing. You’d hate it.”

  Sarah laughed. “Okay, I suppose he isn’t for me,” she agreed.

  Bessie and Doona crossed the room to greet him. As Bessie gave him a hug, she thought about how right Sarah was about the man. He was gorgeous with his dark hair and green eyes. In his early forties, he worked hard to keep himself in shape. He and his wife were in the middle of a surprisingly friendly divorce, as his wife had recently been reunited with her first boyfriend, whom she’d never stopped loving. Bessie hid a grin as John gave Doona a perfunctory hug. Bessie had her suspicions that John and Doona might have feelings for one another, but neither was willing to discuss the issue at the moment.

  “It’s good to see you,” Bessie told John. “You look very handsome in that suit,” she added. While John wore a suit for work every day, she’d never seen this particular one, which was especially nice.

  “Thank you,” he replied. “You both look lovely.”’

  A moment later Hugh Watterson and his girlfriend, Grace Christian, joined them. Hugh was in his mid-twenties, but he looked younger, even though he was over six feet tall. Bessie had known him since he’d been a small child and she still had trouble thinking of him as an adult. He’d seemed more mature lately, as he’d been courting Grace, a very pretty blonde primary schoolteacher a year or two younger than himself.

  Bessie was not very happy with Hugh at the moment, though, as he’d been planning to propose to Grace at Christmas, and as far as Bessie knew, he still hadn’t actually done it. As she hugged Grace, she tried to check the girl’s left hand surreptitiously. Hugh shook his head from behind Grace’s back, earning a frown from Bessie.

  “Happy New Year to you both,
” Bessie said. “Let’s hope the new year brings some exciting changes for you.” She gave Hugh a pointed look. He flushed and turned away.

  “Ah, I think I’ll go and see what’s on the buffet,” he muttered.

  Grace laughed. “We’ve only been here for thirty seconds and you’re already hungry,” she teased.

  “Lunch was a long time ago,” he replied.

  “But we had a snack at your flat before we came here,” Grace reminded him. She gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek. “You go and get yourself something to eat,” she said. “I’ll stay here and chat with Bessie and Doona.”

  Hugh nodded and was gone before anyone else spoke. Bessie shook her head.

  “He’s always hungry, isn’t he?” she remarked.

  “He certainly seems to be,” Grace replied with a smile. “And he can eat anything and everything and he never gains weight.”

  “Lucky him,” Doona said.

  “He spends a lot of time walking around Laxey on patrol,” John pointed out. “Back in my early days on the Manchester force I did a lot of foot patrols and I could eat whatever I wanted, too. Now that I’m behind a desk most of the time, I have to be a lot more careful.”

  “You could do with putting on a few pounds,” Bessie told him. “It wouldn’t do you any harm.” John had lost some weight recently as his marriage had fallen apart. Bessie was pleased that he’d regained enough that he no longer looked gaunt, but she thought he could gain a bit more.

  “Inspector Rockwell, you look absolutely delicious tonight,” Elizabeth cooed as she joined the group. “I must say it is much nicer to see you here than down at your station.”

  John smiled. “I’m glad I haven’t seen you down there lately,” he replied.

  Elizabeth laughed. “I don’t intend for you to see me there again,” she told him. “But maybe, if I promise to be good, we could see each other socially?”

  John blushed. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Elizabeth laughed and moved closer to him. “This is a gorgeous jacket,” she said, running her hand down John’s chest. “It looks as if it were made just for you.”

  “I think I’ll go get some food,” Doona said loudly.

  “That sounds good,” John said quickly. He spun away from Elizabeth and grabbed Doona’s arm. The pair crossed the room to where Hugh was still filling his plate.

  Elizabeth shrugged as she watched him walk away. “Men don’t usually run from me,” she remarked.

  “Lizzie? Where’s the champagne?” a voice called loudly from the entrance to the great room.

  Elizabeth sighed. “Oh, goody, Nigel’s here,” she muttered.

  Bessie watched as the girl walked across the room to greet the new arrival. The man was tall and good-looking, but he had an unattractive scowl on his face as he waited for Elizabeth to reach him.

  “He looks unpleasant,” Grace remarked quietly.

  “He does, although he’s very handsome,” Bessie replied.

  “But he knows it and he uses it,” Grace said.

  “Indeed.”

  Elizabeth waved a waiter over and Nigel allowed himself a small smile as he helped himself to two glasses of champagne. He and Elizabeth had a short conversation and then Elizabeth turned to walk away. She had only gone two steps when someone else swept in through the door.

  “I do hope you weren’t flirting with my man,” the new arrival said loudly. She was a beautiful redhead with a stunning figure that was showcased by her tiny white sequin-covered dress. In her ridiculously high heels, she was taller than Elizabeth as she glanced around the room and then sighed dramatically. “I suppose, now that we’re here, it’s too late to go to a proper party, isn’t it?”

  Bessie watched as Elizabeth turned around to greet the woman. “Gennifer, you look lovely,” she said.

  “Hardly worth the effort, though, was it?” the woman shot back. “I was expecting something a bit more exciting than this.”

  “But you look good for me,” Nigel said. “It’s worth it for my benefit, surely?”

  Gennifer shrugged. “Champagne?” she asked.

  Nigel handed her one of the glasses he was holding. Gennifer took a sip and frowned. “It’s warm,” she snapped.

  Elizabeth waved over one of the waiters, who handed Gennifer a fresh drink. Bessie turned away from the pointless drama.

  “Let’s go and get some food before they do,” she suggested to Grace.

  “Yes, let’s,” Grace agreed quickly.

  The pair joined their friends near the buffet table. Bessie quickly filled a plate with several of the different hors d'oeuvres that she knew she liked from having sampled them earlier.

  “Who are those two?” Doona asked Bessie as they stood together nibbling on the delicious food.

  “He’s called Nigel Hutton, but that’s all I know. The stunning redhead is Gennifer, with a G. I’ve forgotten her surname, but it’s one of those posh hyphenated ones. Mary isn’t fond of her, but she didn’t say why,” Bessie replied.

  “I’m sure I can guess,” Doona remarked.

  They watched as the woman walked through the room, stopping to speak to the various other young people in Elizabeth’s group. Bessie couldn’t hear what Gennifer was saying, but she left everyone she spoke with looking unhappy. Nigel followed behind her, drinking steadily. Elizabeth kept a few paces behind the couple, having a few words with each person as Gennifer swept past them. Only a few moments later, Gennifer headed for the buffet table.

  “Goodness, they’ve invited the whole island, haven’t they?” she asked as she surveyed Bessie’s group of friends. “Little old ladies, middle-aged women, and pretty little blonde girls who dress like old spinster ladies.”

  Bessie flushed and bit her tongue before she spoke too quickly. She could see tears forming in Grace’s eyes at the cruel words. Grace was wearing a floral dress that was pretty but very modest, especially when compared to the tiny scraps of fabric that Elizabeth and her friends seemed to favour.

  “Gennifer, don’t be so tiresome,” Elizabeth said in a weary voice. “These people are family friends.”

  “Your family does have peculiar taste,” Gennifer replied. “Although, hello there,” she said suddenly. She took a couple of steps towards Hugh and then grinned. “You’re rather tasty,” she cooed at him, sliding an arm around his waist. “I’m Gennifer. Let’s go sit down somewhere and get to know one another.”

  “I say, Gennifer, that’s out of line,” Nigel protested.

  “Oh, hush,” the girl told him. “I love making new friends. You know that.”

  Nigel shook his head. “I thought you wanted something from the buffet,” he said.

  “I did, and now I’ve found it,” Gennifer replied. “What’s your name?” she asked Hugh, staring into his eyes and licking her lips.

  “Um, I’m Hugh,” he stammered, turning bright red.

  “Hugh, yes, it suits you,” she purred. “Do you like my dress?”

  She took a step back from him and turned very slowly, making sure that everyone got a very good look at her revealing outfit. Then she stepped back to Hugh’s side and leaned against him. “What do you think?” she asked in a husky voice.

  “I, that is, you, I mean…” Hugh stuttered.

  Gennifer laughed throatily. “What do you do, Hugh?” she asked.

  “I’m a police constable,” Hugh replied after a deep breath.

  “Really? I don’t suppose you have any handcuffs with you? I’ve always fancied, oh, but that’s a conversation for later, just between the two of us.”

  Bessie didn’t think it was possible for Hugh to turn any redder or look more embarrassed. He glanced around, his eyes a bit desperate.

  “This is Grace,” Bessie said loudly. “Hugh’s girlfriend.”

  Grace squared her shoulders. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said in a voice that was too loud.

  Bessie could tell that Grace was close to tears, and she silently cheered Grace on as she watched Grace meet
Gennifer’s eyes.

  “Hugh’s girlfriend? How cute is that? But no ring on your finger? I suppose that says a lot about your relationship, doesn’t it?” Gennifer teased.

  Grace glanced at Hugh and then looked away.

  “Come on, Gennifer, playtime is over,” Nigel said crossly. “Leave the poor man alone and come and get some food.”

  “I think the poor man is about to have the best night of his life,” Gennifer said, running her fingers through Hugh’s hair. “Don’t you?” she whispered into Hugh’s ear.

  “Stop now,” Nigel said. “You know I hate it when you flirt with other men. Just stop it or I’ll, well, I’ll make you sorry.”

  “Are you going to break up with me?” Gennifer asked mockingly. “That would be a tragedy, wouldn’t it? Oh, no, it wouldn’t. Honestly, little Emma has been chasing after you for months. You should take her out. I’m sure she’d tire of you almost as quickly as I have.”

  “Gennifer, I mean it,” Nigel shouted. “You’re going too far this time.”

  “I think you need to calm down,” John Rockwell said, taking a step towards the angry man. “Why don’t you have something to eat in a quiet corner somewhere?”

  “Don’t you try to tell me what to do,” Nigel yelled. “Gennifer is mine and I protect what’s mine.”

  “Gennifer can make up her own mind about that,” the girl said, laughing. “Right now Gennifer is thinking that Hugh is awfully attractive and that you are behaving very badly.”

  “What’s all the excitement over here, then?” George asked as he joined the group. He looked around at all of the tense faces and then smiled brightly. “Now, now, this is a party, isn’t it?”

  Everyone was silent for a moment. Eventually, Bessie couldn’t stand the awkwardness any longer.

  “It is a party and we’re all very grateful to you for inviting us,” she said with artificial cheer.

  George looked around again and then focussed on Gennifer, who was still clinging to Hugh. “Ah, Gennifer, my dear, I did want you to meet Robert. He’s a business associate and I’ve been telling him about the little company I’ve been thinking about funding with your father. You must come and meet him.”