by Cherry Kay
“Hey, Lorelle,” Christopher finally turned to her and said. “You want to grab some air for a while?”
“I'd love to.”
They put on their coats and walked out into the late afternoon. It was already turning dark and there was a light snow. They walked for a good twenty minutes until Christopher suggested they turn back.
“Okay,” she said, staring up at him and trying to read his expression. “You cold?” she asked.
“A little. You?”
“Yeah, I'm cold.”
“If you like, you can have a little rest before the party when we get back.”
“Sure.”
Back at the house, Judith and Jeannie were in the hall, making sure that everything was as it should be for the party later.
“Oh, Lorelle,” Judith called. “Your dresses are here.” She presented Lorelle with three very glamorous and heavy dresses in plastic covers. “Here, hang them up, you can try them on later. It's two hours to the party.”
“Thank you, Judith. You know you really didn't have to go to all this trouble.”
“It's my pleasure. Is there anything else you have to carry upstairs? Did you pick up anything on your walk?”
“No.”
Christopher walked over to Lorelle.
“I'll help you with these, honey,” he said. “Mother, Lorelle might take a little sleep before the party. Is there anything you need me to do down here?”
“I'm sure we could do with your talent couldn't we, Jeannie?”
“Indeed we could.” she called back from across the vast hallway.
“Well, Lorelle, we've got everything covered down here,” said Judith. “You go up and have a nice rest and we'll see you at seven.”
Lorelle looked over her shoulder as she got to the bottom step. The look in Judith's eyes said it all. There was no present. She was not the one for Christopher and no matter how much that broke her heart, she would have to accept it was true.
10
It was not long before the party started. Guests would be arriving and Christopher and Lorelle were upstairs getting ready.
“Everything okay, Lorelle? You seem really quiet.”
Lorelle was in the bath soaking and Christopher, having already showered, was in his shirt and boxer shorts, fixing his bow tie.
“Just tired I guess,” she answered absently. “Must be all the clean air and mountains, I'm just not used to it.”
“Well I better go down. Mother will want me to meet and greet.” He knelt by the bath. “You just take your time, come down when you want, okay?”
“Sure, I'll see you down there.”
When he opened the door to go downstairs she could hear what sounded like a choir. Judith must had hired a group of Christmas carolers to greet the guests as they arrived. Did she have them out in the drive for authenticity or were they allowed into the grand hall. She would discover that when she eventually went downstairs. If she eventually went downstairs. She was having second thoughts. So much so that when she got out of the bath she packed away her things into her suitcase so that she could leave as soon as it was possible.
She realized that she was actually stranded there until Christopher was ready to go. At this time of the evening she would have to call a taxi to take her to the station but once she got there, would there even be train, it being Christmas day.
She was in her underwear and looked up at the designer dresses still in the plastic covers and decided to choose one. She would try them all and then decide on the one that looked the most expensive.
The choice of colors were all bound to suit her from what she could see. She took down the one in a deep red. It had a flash of silver embroidered over one shoulder and down to a deep plunging neckline. All the dresses were long so she would have to wear the tallest heels she had and hope for the best.
She wriggled into the close fitting dress, it felt cool and silky against her but she wasn't sure of the fit. She needed Christopher there to help her with the zipper as it was at the back but she would do her best. Her only problem right now was getting it past her hips. It seemed to be stuck. She turned the dress around just to check that she had opened the zipper to its fullest. It was completely undone but still the dress would not go past her hips.
Then it occurred to her, how would Judith have known her size? Were all of these dresses too small? She gave up on the deep red dress and threw it onto the bed. Next she tried the gold one. It wouldn't have been her first choice but on a second look, gold would suit her skin tone and she thought she had gold eye shadow in her makeup palette. This dress had a halter neck so she would have to take off her bra, which she did. The dress went past her hips, which was a relief. Then, as she pulled it up over her waist to secure the side fastening, she could tell that this dress was going to be too loose for her. It zipped up easily at the side but it completely swallowed her up so that when she pulled the ties over her shoulders to fasten them her boobs were on display. This dress was about three sizes too big.
Judith was a real piece of work she thought to herself. There seemed no point in trying on the third dress, there was just no way would it fit her. But curiosity got the better of her and she couldn't resist taking it out of the cover, just to see how far Judith had taken her plan.
She held this last dress up. It was black, silky, very plain yet elegant with no added sequins or splash of color. Maybe this was the one. She searched for a size but there was no other label apart from the designer's name and that didn't help.
Slipping it on, she was amazed by how well it fit. Judith's idea of a joke was just not funny at all. In the dim light of her room the dress looked perfect, so she decided to wear it. She slid her feet into her high heels but the dress was still very long. It gathered in folds on the floor even though she had her highest heels on. She would kill herself tripping down the stairs in this dress. She knew she should just give up and wear the simple dress she'd worn at lunch but she refused to be beaten by Judith.
She checked her hair and makeup before leaving the room and carefully made her way down the stairs, grabbing a bunch of the skirt in her hand and holding onto the banister with the other. A number of people had gathered there and were drinking champagne. Waiting staff were walking around offering hors d'oeuvres from silver platters. They all looked like nice people. Not one Judith clone among them from what she could see. She saw Christopher talking to some people and decided that she would join him.
“Ah, Lorelle, there you are,” Judith shouted over to her. “Come with me there are some people I would like you to meet.”
Judith led her by the hand, past groups of expensively dressed people to a side cupboard where the only two other people of color were deep in conversation.
“Lorelle, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Agadabe. They are visiting from Sierra Leone. They have an art gallery. You may be interested in what they do and might consider trying to start up as an artist in a different country. Maybe you'll have more luck abroad.”
She gave her sweetest smile and left Lorelle with the couple from Africa. She spent a good twenty minutes with this fascinating couple and seemed to have lost track of where Christopher had gotten to. After circling the room a few times and drinking a couple of glasses of a very potent cocktail her head began to spin. She caught sight of Christopher and tried to walk over to him. Someone caught hold of her arm. It was Judith.
“Enjoying the party, my dear?” she asked. “That dress works well on you.”
“How did you manage it, Judith?”
“Manage what?”
“The whole dress fiasco.”
“I have friends, my dear.”
“They're very ingenious, a bit like you.”
“Here, have another cocktail, Lorelle. Let's be friends shall we?” Judith grabbed a passing cocktail from a waiter walking by and handed it to Lorelle.
“I think I've had enough,” Lorelle said but took a large gulp and placed on the tray of another passing waiter.<
br />
“We may never see each other again or you might become my daughter in law one day so why don't we call a truce.”
“You're serious?”
“I know when I'm beaten, Lorelle. I'm too old for playing games. I can see you are fond of Christopher and he might not have said so but I'm sure he likes you.”
“You think?”
“Yes, and that's why I aim to do everything in my power to get rid of you.” Judith spoke low and had moved up close to Lorelle, linking her arm and gripping it a little too tightly for Lorelle's liking.
“Jesus, Judith. What is wrong with you? You've already won. Christopher never did give me that gift, so maybe you're right, he's not ready to commit. Maybe this thing has run its course. Why can't you just wait and see?
“Because I can't take any chances, I'm sorry.”
Lorelle turned around and caught a glimpse of Christopher, right next to him was Jeannie. They had planned this to a tee. She suspected that the plan was to keep them apart for as much of the evening as possible, keep her occupied and get her drunk so that Jeannie could make her move. Well, now Lorelle had had enough, especially as she saw Christopher about to climb the stairs and Jeannie was one step behind him.
That did it, Lorelle turned to Judith, shook her head and attempted to rush toward the pair of them to see where exactly they were planning to go. She shook off Judith's grip on her arm and marched toward the stairs. She heard a very loud rip. It came from behind her. She stopped suddenly and realized there was a gaping hole in her dress from the waist band which exposed the back of her red lace panties. Silence fell on the people close by until the whole hallway became aware of something very serious but unspoken having happened.
“Lorelle! I'm so sorry, I seem to have been standing on your dress.” Judith put her hand to her cheek.
Lorelle gathered the back of her dress as best she could. She attempted to say something loud and abusive to Judith but was too angry. There were no words worth saying to this woman.
“Lorelle,” Christopher said from half way up the staircase. Everyone then looked towards him, still in silence.
“Don't say a word, Christopher.” Lorelle spluttered the words. “Just get the keys and drive me to the station. I've had it with you!”
“With me? I don't understand,” he said and looked around the room.
“You said you were going to give me present later and it’s later and I know what that means, you don't want to be with me, you're dumping me at Christmas.”
The whole place gasped and looked from Lorelle to Christopher. He blushed.
“How could you say that, Lorelle?”
“Your mother said and she knows you better than I do.”
“Well then, did she know this?”
From the inside pocket of his tuxedo he pulled out a small, velvet box. He walked through the people separating him and Lorelle.
“What are you doing, Christopher?” Judith exclaimed.
“Just a minute, Mother, I have something to say to Lorelle.”
Lorelle was busy gripping onto the gaping rip in the back of her dress and watched Christopher drop to one knee in front of her.
“Lorelle. I thought you were upstairs I was in my way to see you. I said I wanted to do this privately but I think this is perfect. I hesitated earlier because I was afraid you would reject me. I was afraid I might not get to spend the rest of my life with you. I know it hasn't been easy for you to be away from home at this time of year but I am happy to have spent this holiday with you and I want it to be the first of many holidays for us to spend together. So, Lorelle Rosina Summers, please, will you be my wife?”
Lorelle's heart had been pounding out of her chest, so much so, she wondered with all that thumping she was actually hearing right. But there in the tiny box that Christopher held was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.
“Christopher, that ring...” his mother said.
“Quiet, Mother. Lorelle hasn't given me her answer yet.” He looked up at her.
“Yes, Christopher, yes, I will marry you.”
She bent down to hug him as he rose to hug her back. He swung her around and her dress billowed in a circle around her, exposing red lace to the crowd of people who all began to clap.
“Here.” Christopher put her down and slid the ring onto her finger. It was a band of delicate white gold with a deep red, ruby stone within a cluster of tiny diamonds. It fit perfectly.
“Congratulations.” Philip came over to them. “This ring has been our family a long time. It once belonged to my grandmother who came across it in antique shop on her first visit to Europe. We think it may be originally from Spain.”
“It looks like it's worth a lot,” Lorelle said.
“Oh it is,” said Judith, knocking back a large cocktail from a nearby tray of drinks.
“And just the right person to pass it on to,” Philip said.
“Thank you so much Philip,” Lorelle smiled at him. “If everyone will excuse me, I'll go up and change.”
“Let me.” Christopher picked Lorelle up and headed for the staircase. “Excuse us,” he said to Jeannie who was now dumbstruck and still standing on the stairs.
Up in the bedroom, Christopher sat Lorelle on the bed but she refused to release the hold on his neck.
“Can we leave tonight?” she whispered to him.
“Anything you want,” he said.
“Well I'm mostly packed anyway. You sure it's okay?”
“Judging by the look on Mother's face, the sooner the better.”
Down in the grand entrance hall the party had resumed and Christopher and Lorelle picked their way through the crowd, carrying their suitcases and saying goodbyes to everyone who stopped to congratulate them on their engagement.
“Oh, Ms. Summers,” one woman said to her. “My name is Caroline Palmer and I'm collecting pieces of life drawing and nude figure interpretation for a major art project I'll be taking on the road after New Years. Philip showed me your present to Christopher and I wondered if you wanted to add that or any others like it to the tour?”
“Well, it does belong to Christopher now.” She looked up at him.
“Are you crazy?” Christopher was overwhelmed. “Of course she'll put it in the exhibition. Lorelle this could be the break you need.”
“It is an extensive showing of new work by up and coming artists, they are a great introduction for people like you. And when you sell pieces you can always replenish the exhibition with more of your work.”
“I don't know what to say,” Lorelle's eyes were filling with tears and she was struggling to keep her chest from heaving up and down with excitement.”
“I'll get your details from Philip, and congratulations once again,” Caroline Palmer said. “And that was the most entertaining proposal I've ever seen.”
Just at the door, Lorelle stopped to hug Philip.
“It was a real pleasure meeting you,” she said. “When you're in the city I'll treat you to lunch as a thank you.”
“I look forward to it, we never got to spend much time together but I'd like to sincerely welcome you to the family.”
“Thank you, Philip, and this ring is beautiful and the fit is perfect. I'm speechless.”
He slipped back to his guests as Christopher went to put their cases in the car. She could see the petite figure of Judith making a rapid zig-zag through the people to get to the door. Lorelle turned to make her escape.
“Lorelle, Lorelle, my dear.”
She had no choice, she had to stop to say goodbye.
“Yes, Judith. We're leaving now.”
“Yes, have a safe journey home.” She hugged Lorelle, dragging her by the neck so that her mouth was level with Lorelle's ear. Christopher was on his way to collect her at the door.
“You might be wearing that ring,” Judith whispered to her. “But you're not on your way down the aisle yet and anything could happen along the way.” She pulled away. “Christopher, my darling.”
/> She pulled him to her to hug him.
“You make sure you drive carefully on those roads, you should really wait until the morning. But I know I can't stop you. Merry Christmas, dear, it's been quite a year.”
“It certainly has, Mother, we'll call you in the morning to let you know we're safe.”
“Please do.”
The driveway was crunchy underfoot because of the newly fallen snow. Lorelle was as careful walking to the car as she could be. She was convinced that Judith might be watching them leave, hoping she might trip and break her ankle.
They drove away in the darkness. The roads were peaceful and quiet and not as dangerous as Judith imagined. For most of the journey they sat quietly. Lorelle would touch his thigh every now and again and he would look over at her, neither could stop grinning.
When they entered the city they found the snow on the ground was gray and slushy, lights were flashing in the streets, there were a fair number of cars on the road, and people negotiating the slippery pavements. It was no longer a white Christmas but the distant sound of police sirens told them that finally they were home and about to start a new and exciting chapter in their lives.
