Thea straightened up to see Ginny standing next to her. She, too, clutched a glass of champagne and wore a scathing smile and an alarming amount of lip gloss.
“Fancy seeing you here. I hardly recognised you.” Ginny ran her eyes up and down the silk sheath Thea wore like a trainer appraising a racehorse. “Your dress is divine. Where did you get it? Or was it Felix’s choice?”
The comment could pass as a general interest in fashion, but Ginny’s curled upper lip betrayed her true feelings. She wanted to let Thea know she was aware Felix had bought it for her.
Damn, was it that obvious? And did Felix buy clothes for women often? She needed to ask him a few more questions about his personal life. Get to know him a bit more before staying over in his lust hammock. But she’d come this weekend for ‘relaxation’ purposes, and she already knew enough about his expertise to keep her interested. There’d be time to dissect his shopping habits later.
Thea smoothed down the silk against her thigh, recalling the dress she’d bought for the party. Thank goodness Felix had other ideas. Ginny would tear her to shreds if she’d worn her plain blue shift. Thea’s shoulders slumped, but she caught herself and pushed them back instead. She looked good. In fact, she looked fantastic. Who was Ginny to make her feel uncomfortable?
“Yes, I scrubbed up alright in the end,” she said. “The dress is lovely, though. Felix has great taste. Very ap-peel-ing. I mean, it’s a little showy. I wanted to wear ajacketover it, but hechippedaway at my resolve. Said in all this heat, I’d end uproastinghot.”
Honestly, how many potato references could she get into one sentence?
Ginny stood there, no expression, no recognition on her face at Thea’s comments. Either she didn’t know Thea had overheard her potato jibe, or Botox had rendered her unable to move her face. Thea didn’t doubt Ginny was a regular visitor to the injectables clinic. She snickered into her champagne glass at the thought.
“Are you alright?”
“I think so, but thanks for your concern.”
Ginny ran her fingers through her russet curls. “So, how long have you known Felix?”
Thea shifted on the spot. Here it came. The third degree. But a brief flicker of something popped into her brain. Although painful, alone time with Ginny presented the perfect opportunity to learn more about Felix’s ex. He was so cagey around the subject. So reluctant to discuss her. And hadn’t she vowed to get the full low down this weekend?
“Not long. We met helping at the local school. Our kids are friends.”
Ginny’s mouth hung open. “Felix helps at the local school? Good lord. Where does he find the time? I think he’d be better off putting Lucas into a proper school. Give him a bit of structure. My boys are already boarding in Scotland. They love it.”
No doubt because it gave them a break from their mother. Thea’s mind drifted to kind, serious Lucas. He’d never survive.
“Well, I think it’s nice that Felix is treating him like a normal kid. Giving him a regular upbringing. Privilege and money can ruin some people.”
Ginny side-eyed Thea and flipped her hair. The strong waft of perfume that accompanied the action made her stomach roll.
“I suppose if you’ve never had privilege and money, boarding school must seem strange. And then there’s this party. The glamour. The expectation. It helps to be born into this life.”
A self-satisfied smirk settled on Ginny’s plumped-up lips, and heat rushed to Thea’s cheeks. “Born into it like you, you mean? Sorry, what was your title again? I got lost at Henry the Eighth.”
Ginny stared at her as if she’d grown another head or had turned up at the party with unplucked eyebrows. “I don’t mean to offend you. I’m trying to be helpful. I presume you and Felix are fucking?”
Thea swallowed. They weren’t yet, but she had high hopes. “What if we are? Not that it’s any of your business.”
Ginny shook her head and sighed. “There’s no need to be so defensive. I’ve heard he doesn’t lack in that department, but you should know that this life,” she swept her hand around the ballroom. “The hotel business. It’s cutthroat. Relentless. It can chew you up and spit you out if you’re not careful. This life has hardened Felix. He’s lived it for years.”
The skin on Thea’s palms prickled, and her breath hung in her throat. He hadn’t chosen this life, just fallen foul of his brother’s death.
“It may look like glamour and roses, but as a partner, it’s long, lonely hours. Felix will expect you to schmooze. Say the right things. Dress the right way. And it’s all about the men. We’re just window dressing. You strike me as someone a bit more independent. A little less…polished.”
With her last word, she glanced at Thea’s nails. The shallow breath in Thea’s throat well and truly caught on her tonsils. She drew her eyebrows together. “I can be polished.”
“What is it you do, Thea?” Ginny took a sip of her champagne, then licked her red lips.
“I own an animal sanctuary.”
A smirk tipped the corners of the redhead’s mouth. “How very noble. And I’m sure Felix enjoys striding around the countryside in his tweeds. But look around you. Look at him. This is his world, and these are his people.”
Thea found Felix in the crowd. He was shaking hands with yet another suited man and his glamourous wife. A group of identical people, all plastic smiles and self-satisfaction, surrounded them.
Thea’s mind drifted back to Tottenbridge. The nearest thing they had to this sort of evening was the annual Christmas supper in the village hall. But there were no expensive suits or glittering jewellery. Bad Christmas sweaters were the order of the day, and last year, there’d been an obligatory hat dress code.Thea still had the flashing antlers she’d worn hidden away somewhere.
