‘And who are you panting after now with your lame-blouse compliments? Don’t tell me you’ve finally found a bird that’ll …’ Clive trailed off as the people in front of Goodie moved to the side and she came into view. His face drained of colour and his eyes widened. Goodie took a step towards him and realized he was literally shaking with fear. She looked straight into his eyes, leaned forward and uttered a quiet, ‘Boo.’ Clive leapt back with his hands out in front of him, his colour so bad now that he actually looked a little green. For the first time in four weeks Goodie smiled.
‘Clive, old man,’ Bertie said, watching in confusion as Clive leapt away from Goodie. ‘Are you quite all right? Eat one of those dodgy prawn numbers earlier, did you? Glad I steered clear if they’re giving everyone dicky tummies.’
Clive didn’t even glance in Bertie’s direction. He kept his gaze locked on Goodie and continued backing away. Goodie mouthed ‘Fuck off’ to him, and then, when he wasn’t moving quite quickly enough, she added: ‘Now.’ He simply turned on his heel and fled. She watched him until he was safely out of the side exit. Tilly was here tonight and Goodie did not want that prick upsetting her.
‘Don’t listen to him, Bertie,’ she said after she was sure Clive was not coming back. ‘He is but dirt on your shoe.’
Bertie chuckled. ‘Well, I’m not sure about that but I’ll admit he is a tad bit of an unpleasant fellow, all in.’ It was the first truly negative thing Goodie had ever heard Bertie say about anyone.
‘Heisas dirt on your shoe. You’re a better man than you think you are, Bertram Chambers.’
Bertie flushed bright red and smiled at her. ‘Gosh … well, you’re a damn, damn fine lady yourself,’ he told her, almost moving in for a hug but losing his nerve at the last minute and going for an awkward shoulder pat instead. As he pulled his hand away she made a last-minute decision. She would be gone soon and Bertie had given her so much, made her smile so many times. She caught his hand as he pulled it back and held it with both of hers before she brought it up to the centre of his chest and laid it flat, saying: ‘No strength without heart.’ Then she dropped his hand and stepped back.
‘I’m sorry, what did you – ?’
Goodie realized that she had spoken in Russian. She looked Bertie in the eye. ‘No strength without heart,’ she repeated, this time in English. When he frowned in confusion she told him: ‘Kindness is everything Bertie. That is where true strength comes from. You are a strong man; don’t you forget it.’ Bertie blinked a few times and swallowed.
‘Thank you,’ he said, his voice thick with emotion. ‘I think you’re a right topper as well.’
Goodie nodded, her eyes caught on a flash of red on the dance floor. She watched as Nick held Lila flush to his body, moving with her in sync to the beat. They were staring into each other’s eyes. He said something into her ear and she threw her head back in laughter before moving even closer to him to give him a squeeze. They looked perfect together and as Goodie watched them she realized that the reason they looked so well matched was because they were both creatures of light, both able to be happy, to laugh and smile easily.
Goodie knew that she was not.
She was a creature of the dark; her place was in the shadows. A monster created out of violence and pain. The mystery was not how Nick could forget what they shared so quickly, it was why he even looked her way at all.
‘I’m sorry, old girl,’ Bertie muttered; he had followed her gaze out to the dance floor. ‘I’m sure he doesn’t want to upset you. Maybe he –’
Goodie gave a hollow laugh and shifted her gaze to Bertie.
‘Upset me? He’d have to do better than that.’
‘Well, I mean, I know it must be painful … after what you two shared and everything – to see –’
‘Life is pain,’ Goodie said as her gaze returned to the couple on the dance floor. ‘Believe me, I’m used to it.’
‘Don’t say that, please,’ Goodie heard a soft voice say in Russian from her other side and glanced across to see Natasha standing next to her. Goodie frowned and quickly scanned the room before focusing back on the beautiful brunette.
‘Don’t be stupid,’ Goodie said under her breath to Tasha, ‘what if you’re seen.’
‘He’s busy enough,’ Tasha returned, nodding over to the other side of the room where Dmitry was surrounded by at least five women vying for his attention. ‘I have to speak to you.’
Bertie cleared his throat from Goodie’s other side and both women turned in his direction. ‘Hello,’ he said, ‘jolly good to meet you again. Afraid my Russian’s a bit on the rusty side. I didn’t realize that you were a friend of Good –’
‘No,’ both women said in unison. Goodie stepped back and melted into the crowd muttering her goodbye to Bertie as she went, and Natasha stepped forward and leaned into Bertie, her perfect lips smiling and forming the perfect distraction.
‘May I say that’s an awfully nice bl … I mean dress you’re wearing this evening,’ Goodie heard him say as she walked away from them, and shook her head. Bertie needed some new material. As she moved to the very edge of the room, her gaze alternated between Dmitry and Nick and Lila on the dance floor before she did another scan of the room and saw Geoff almost filling the doorway. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath whilst the relief washed over her. When she opened them again, Geoff was making his way over to her, and she moved to meet him halfway.
‘You sure about this?’ Geoff asked.
‘Of course.’
‘Does Sam know?’
‘Yes.’
‘But not Nick?’ As if they had a will of their own, Goodie’s eyes strayed back to the dance floor and to the gorgeous couple still locked in a tight embrace.
‘Nyeht,’ she said, slipping unconsciously into Russian. ‘I think he’ll survive,’ she told Geoff dryly. He flicked a dark look at the couple and shook his head. She thought she heard him mutter ‘fucking idiot’ under his breath before looking back at Goodie.
