What Happened That Night: The page-turning holiday read by the No. 1 bestselling author

by O'Flanagan, Sheila

  ‘At least I’ll always have my silverware.’ Bey’s smile was a little wider this time.

  ‘Are you going to keep designing for the Warrens after this?’ asked Liesel.

  ‘They haven’t asked me and I haven’t thought about it,’ said Bey. ‘I guess we’ll have to see how tonight goes first.’

  She said goodbye to her assistant at lunchtime, leaving her to get on with things for the rest of the day while she went to the hairdresser’s, where she had her hair styled and her nails done, before going back to Ringsend. The house was empty – Bey wasn’t sure that Lola would even have left work before she herself headed out for the evening. But her mother surprised her by arriving home early.

  ‘I wanted to make sure that you were OK,’ she said.

  ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’

  ‘The most important night of your life is ahead of you,’ said Lola. ‘I’m here to support you.’

  ‘Thank you. But it’s too late to change anything now. If it crashes and burns, it’s all down to me.’

  ‘You’ve lived and breathed Ice Dragon for months,’ said Lola. ‘Now all your hard work is coming to fruition. And it’ll be fantastic.’

  ‘I’m trying to downplay it in my head,’ admitted Bey. ‘Because if I don’t, I think I’ll be sick with nerves.’

  ‘Come here.’ Lola held out her arms and folded Bey into them. ‘No matter what happens tonight, I’m immensely proud of you,’ she murmured. ‘You’re smart and you’re talented and you’re a good person and you’ll always be that way.’

  ‘Not always a good person,’ said Bey. ‘I’ve done things I’m not proud of . . .’

  ‘Show me anyone in the whole world who hasn’t!’ cried Lola. ‘You should know that people are like gemstones. The flawless ones are exceptional. Although,’ she added, ‘nobody in the world is flawless. It’s impossible to be perfect. But you’re a perfect daughter and you’ve brought me more happiness than I ever deserved.’

  ‘I’m glad you think so,’ said Bey. ‘Even though I held you back.’ She gave her mother a rueful look. ‘You dreamed of having a career and going places and being successful and it all got messed up because of me.’

  ‘If you hadn’t been born, I would have missed out on the most wonderful thing in my life,’ said Lola. ‘You might have changed my plans, but it was definitely for the better. Besides, who knows how things would have turned out without you? Maybe I would’ve been a principal officer in the Civil Service, or maybe I’d never have got past the next grade. Maybe I would’ve ended up like my old staff officer, Irene, mean spirited and joyless. Or maybe I would’ve met someone I loved and had a great marriage with loads of kids. Who knows? That’s the thing – we can’t go back, we can’t worry about “what if”. We can only hope that we’ve learned from the past and think about now and the future.’

  ‘You said it to Aunt Gretta one day, though,’ Bey told her. ‘We were all up at High Pasture and you and she were walking ahead of us and you said that she’d robbed your life.’

  Lola remembered the day too. Scorching hot, the grass dry and brittle underfoot. Gretta had just been promoted at the creamery and had been outlining her plans while saying that she could never have got as far as she had without Tony, and how great it was that he was happy to stay at home and be a house husband. ‘The furniture stuff is more a hobby than a money-spinner,’ she’d remarked. ‘But it gives him a focus outside of the children.’

  Lola had replied that being a single mother was all about compromise. ‘I’ve compromised on having a career,’ she said. ‘It’s always going to be just about making enough money for us to be a family together. But I know I sometimes compromise on being a mother too. It’s bloody hard. And what’s even harder is knowing that your sister, who wanted nothing more than to get married and have a houseful of kids, somehow managed to steal your life and become the career woman with the stay-at-home husband instead.’

  And Bey, who hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, had felt a knife twist in her gut.

  ‘Has that bothered you forever?’ Lola looked concerned. ‘Because I wouldn’t change things for anyone.’

  ‘All the same, you could’ve been someone really important if it wasn’t for me,’ said Bey. ‘More especially if it wasn’t for how I behaved that Christmas. Because after that you never stopped worrying about me. You always put me ahead of you. And now, even though I’m a grown-up, you still do.’

  ‘Hey, mothers never stop worrying about their children full stop!’ cried Lola. ‘I admit I worried a bit more after your abduction because it was such a traumatic thing, I still worry that you don’t trust your own judgement when it comes to men because you got into a car with a very specific kind of man, who was horrible and evil. But not all men are, Bey. Most of them are lovely. I’m afraid that if you don’t back yourself one day when it comes to a man, you’ll lose out on true happiness. There’s one other thing too,’ she added. ‘I’m delighted you’ve made such a great use of your talents, but you don’t have to be a super-successful, ball-breaking career woman as compensation for the fact that I never was. You have to do what you want for you and you alone. And you have to do whatever makes you happy. Oh, I know we can’t always have our ideal career or our ideal man, but follow the path that gets you closest to it. And be glad you did.’

  Bey’s eyes welled with tears. She and Lola rarely spoke about that night any more and even less did Lola say anything about the effect it had had on her. It was something of a surprise to Bey to realise that perhaps her mother knew her even better than she did herself.

  ‘Now,’ said Lola, ‘you’d better go upstairs and change if you’re to be ready when the car gets here. You’re the star of the show and you can’t leave them waiting.’

  ‘The Ice Dragon is the star of the show.’ Bey’s voice trembled slightly but she smiled. ‘Both the jewels and Adele – you don’t think for a moment she isn’t going to take centre stage, do you?’

  ‘You couldn’t be more right about that,’ agreed Lola. ‘But tonight is about passing the mantle on to the next generation. Which, my sweet, is you.’

  The car that Philip had booked to take her to the venue arrived ten minutes early, which threw Bey into a panic. She was still getting ready when the doorbell rang, and in her haste she dropped the butterfly back to one of her Bluebell earrings. She was on her knees looking for it when Lola came in to tell her that the driver was waiting outside.

  ‘I know. I heard the bell,’ said Bey. ‘It’s just my earring . . .’

  Lola stretched out on the floor and looked sideways as she tried to spot the delicate piece of silver.

  ‘It’s always at the worst time . . .’ Bey’s voice was almost a sob. ‘And I have to wear the Bluebells.’

  ‘I thought you’d be wearing Ice Dragon,’ said Lola from her prone position.

  ‘They’re being kept for the models,’ said Bey as she patted the rug beside her bed in case the back of the earring had ended up there. ‘The Bluebells are my talisman.’

  ‘Here you go!’ Lola’s fingers closed around the butterfly. ‘Found it.’

  ‘Oh thank God,’ said Bey. She stood up and dusted down her dress. It was full-length cobalt blue, with a beaded neckline. She’d bought it from TK Maxx in London for a Van Aelten and Schaap event years earlier, and it still fitted perfectly. It emphasised the blazing red of her hair and the subtle creaminess of her skin and it was ideal for the Ice Dragon launch.

  She secured the Bluebell earrings and slipped into her high heels. Lola stared at her.

  ‘What?’ asked Bey. ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’

  ‘You look a total glamazon in that outfit. You tower over me with those heels and that hairdo; I can’t believe you’re my baby girl.’

  Bey laughed. ‘Less of the baby,’ she said, taking her raincoat out of the wardrobe.

  ‘You’re not wearing that over your beautiful dress!’ exclaimed Lola.

  ‘It’s all I have.’

  ‘Wait,�
� said her mother. She hurried out of the room and returned with an astrakhan fur coat.

  ‘I can’t wear fur!’ cried Bey. ‘I can’t believe you do either.’

  ‘Oh don’t be so bloody silly.’ Lola made a face at her. ‘It isn’t real. It’s from Topshop. But it looks a lot better than that thing you were proposing to put on.’

  Bey slipped it on. The silver-grey coat was stunning.

  Lola handed her a pair of soft leather gloves.

  ‘It’s cold out there,’ she said.

  ‘I don’t need . . .’ Bey laughed and slipped the gloves on. ‘All wrapped up.’

  ‘Now go knock them dead,’ said Lola.

  The Warren’s PR company had chosen Ketteridge House for the launch of the Ice Dragon collection. The listed building just outside the city had been an estate house for an English landowner, who’d sold it at the end of the eighteenth century to pay off his gambling debts. After that, it had passed through a number of owners before being bought by an Irish entrepreneur who’d built up a global telecommunications business. The businessman spent little time in his native country and rented the house out for private functions. It was a popular wedding venue because of its extensive gardens, and was also often used as a film set too.

  The car crunched over the long gravel driveway and pulled up outside the front door. It was closed – the Warren family was arriving ahead of the guests so that they could be sure that everything was as it should be. Bey got out, thanked the driver and walked up the steps. She hoped she was at the right entrance. An image of herself banging on the door pleading for admittance popped into her head and she told herself not to be idiotic. Nevertheless, she was relieved to see a large buzzer for the bell and hear it ring loudly when she pressed it.

  The door was opened immediately by a man from the PR company, who asked her name and ticked her off on his list. He took her coat and gloves and waved her towards the drawing room, where, he told her, the rest of the family were waiting.

  The first person she saw was Adele, who was wearing a dusky-pink dress and the entire Snowdrop range. Donna, standing just behind her, wore red velvet and the Adele Bouquet. And Astrid, who somehow managed to look as dainty and pretty as ever despite her obvious pregnancy, had chosen a blue ballgown and the Adele Tiger Lily set.

  The men – her father, Peter, Anthony, and Astrid’s husband Jordan – stood beside them, groomed and suave in their tuxedos.

  ‘Bey!’ Philip came forward and hugged her. ‘Welcome.’

  ‘We said six thirty for family drinks,’ said Adele. ‘It’s a quarter to seven now.’

  ‘I’m so sorry.’ Bey’s tone was more confident than she felt. ‘I didn’t realise I was invited to the drinks.’

  ‘Come here, sweetheart,’ said Peter and gave her a hug. ‘We’re delighted to see you. And you look fabulous. Would you like some champagne?’

  She nodded and accepted the glass he handed to her as another PR staffer, whose name badge identified him as Nikolai, asked them if they’d like to check the set-up. Bey moved with the rest of the family to the room where the display cabinets were arranged and where pre-dinner drinks would be served. Anthony stopped to check out the displays, then nodded at Nikolai and followed him to the dining room, where a dozen tables were beautifully laid with crisp white linen, Newbridge silver cutlery and elegant Waterford crystal glasses.

  ‘Of course we’ve had to leave room for the centrepieces, which will be carried in later,’ said Nikolai. ‘It should be fantastic.’

  ‘I hope so.’ Adele sniffed. ‘This is the most over-the-top event I’ve ever experienced. And I’m not at all sure it’s what Warren’s is about.’

  ‘It’ll be amazing, Mum,’ said Philip. ‘You’re going to have a great time.’

  ‘You will, Gran.’ Astrid put her arm around her. ‘It’s nice that we’re finally putting ourselves out there again after the last few years. We’re all about glamour, but we haven’t been for a while.’

  ‘You certainly look glamorous,’ conceded Adele. ‘Back in my day, pregnant women didn’t get dolled up to the nines and go out on the town.’

  ‘Just as well we’re not back in your day so.’ Astrid grinned as she jangled the gold bracelets on her arm.

  Bey knew that the Ice Dragon designs would be revealed later in the evening, but she felt intimidated at being surrounded by so much Adele jewellery – and by being in the same room as the Ice Dragon herself, who was as cool and haughty as ever.

  ‘This must all be very new for you, Bey,’ Adele said. ‘It’s not often you’d get to spend time in surroundings like this.’

  ‘I’ve been at quite a few launches in my day.’ Bey reminded herself that there was no need to feel intimidated. That Van Aelten and Schaap had created jewels for the Imperial Russians and the crown princesses of Europe. ‘And, of course, when I designed the tiara for the Duquesa de Olvera y Montecalmón, I visited her home in Cádiz.’

  Peter stifled a grin while Adele fixed Bey with a flinty stare.

  ‘What on earth is wrong with you, Mum?’ asked Philip. ‘You’re being a real pain and you know Bey is the only reason we’re here at all.’

  ‘I didn’t have a choice in any of it,’ said Adele. ‘You made it perfectly clear to me that I’m old fashioned and out of date. And,’ she added as her hands went to her Snowdrop necklace, ‘gimmicky jewellery is all very well, but style, real style, never goes out of date.’

  ‘D’you really think the Ice Dragon is gimmicky?’ asked Bey.

  ‘It’s interesting, I’ll give you that,’ said Adele. ‘But it’ll never be Adele style. It’ll never truly be a Warren piece. It doesn’t have that class.’

  ‘You’re talking about me really, aren’t you?’ Bey put her glass on the table. ‘For the first time in my life I can completely understand why my wonderful mother never wanted to be part of this ridiculous family. And I don’t care what worries might be eating at you, or what traumas you think you’ve suffered, because the problem is simply you. You’re not an ice dragon at all. You’re just a full-blown bitch.’

  She strode back to the reception room, her high heels tapping on the wooden floor.

  ‘Bey!’ It was Philip who followed her and caught her by the arm. ‘Come back. Mum didn’t mean it.’

  ‘Of course she did!’ said Bey. ‘She has all sorts of issues about me – you should ask her about them sometime. The fact that she still thinks I’m a jewel thief is the least of it. She hates the Ice Dragon collection and she hates me. She hates everything about tonight too – and you know what, so do I. I should’ve had more sense than to come.’

  ‘Bey, please . . .’

  ‘I hope it’s a huge success,’ said Bey. ‘But count me out, now and forever.’

  ‘We can—’

  Philip’s words were lost in a sudden burst of laughter and chatter as the first of the invited guests walked in and a woman in a gold dress embraced him.

  ‘What a lovely event,’ she gushed. ‘So delighted you asked us.’

  Bey took the opportunity to slip away. She didn’t need to be here. She didn’t need to spend another second with any of the Warrens. She didn’t care if the Ice Dragon was a success or not.

  All she wanted was to go home and be her own version of herself again.

  Chapter 37

  Garnet: a purplish-red stone popular for its hardness and brilliance

  She walked swiftly through the reception room and into the entrance hall, which was already full of people handing over their coats and receiving tickets in return. She realised that the PR guy hadn’t given her a ticket for Lola’s fake fur, and she couldn’t see it on the rack in the hallway. He was too busy to ask, but she presumed it had been put somewhere nearby. She saw a door marked ‘Ladies’, and although she knew it was unlikely her coat was there, she decided to check it out anyway. There were no coats, but an attractive woman wearing a yellow and gold cocktail dress was fixing her make-up in front of an ornate mirror. Bey gave her a small smile and
then went into one of the cubicles. She didn’t actually need to use the loo, but nor did she want to engage in conversation with any of the guests.

  ‘Oh, Noelle, hi!’

  Someone else had come in. Bey felt trapped as she listened to her talking to the woman who’d been doing her face.

  ‘Tanya. How are you?’ Noelle greeted her. ‘Haven’t they really gone to town tonight? It’s just like the old days! Myra McCarthy said that they’ve a new designer and the new collection is amazing.’

  ‘It’d want to be,’ observed Tanya. ‘I haven’t bothered with Warren’s in years.’

  ‘Me neither,’ said Noelle. ‘Which is a shame because Byron bought my engagement ring there.’

  ‘Oh, I got mine there too,’ said her friend. ‘It was specially made. It’s the original Adele Rose design.’

  ‘Mine’s the Snowdrop,’ said Noelle. ‘It’s the only one of the early Adeles they still make. There’s no question that the quality is great, but the last collections simply haven’t done it for me. And I don’t like buying something I don’t feel passionate about.’

  ‘I know what you mean,’ said Tanya. ‘When Jack asked me what I’d like for my birthday this year, I thought about the Pansy but in the end I went with a diamond from Boodles.’

  ‘In fairness, they do good diamonds.’ Noelle laughed.

  ‘And yet I would’ve loved something from Warren’s. I’m sentimental about them.’

  ‘Maybe tonight,’ said Noelle.

  ‘Maybe,’ said her friend, ‘but I doubt it.’

  Then the two women left and Bey was alone.

  Tanya and Noelle were exactly the sort of people she was targeting with the Ice Dragon range, she thought as she opened the cubicle door. Women who could afford beautiful pieces but who also connected to them emotionally. Women who’d loved the Adeles in the past but who were looking for something more contemporary now. She wanted to run after them and see their reaction to her designs, but she couldn’t do that. Besides, she reminded herself, she wasn’t staying.

  A chill breeze suddenly whistled through a narrow window that had somehow become unlatched. Bey began to close it but stopped abruptly when she saw the garden of Ketteridge House. The faint dusting of snow glittered beneath the yellow glow of the garden lights, while the occasional flake drifted from the leaden sky and landed on the windowsill. Suddenly she was transported back to that Christmas twenty years ago, sneaking out in the middle of the night, walking lightly over the frosted grass before letting herself out of the gates and hurrying along the slippery pavement beyond.