“Uncomfortable?”
“I’m not suggesting that Neil was doing anything illegal or immoral or even ethically questionable, but, well, once those two projects were completed, I found I didn’t want to work with Neil again. Sometimes business decisions have to made based on gut instinct and my instinct told me not to work with the man. I may have been far more successful if I’d ignored that instinct, of course.”
“If you were any more successful, you could simply buy the entire island,” Fenella suggested.
Donald grinned. “Don’t think I haven’t thought about it. But seriously, I’ve never had any reason to believe that Neil is anything other than a successful businessman. He has a great many interests in the UK and spends most of his time there. I believe he only comes back to the island occasionally because his mother is here and doesn’t want to move to London.”
“Would he have been invited to tonight’s party?”
“Maybe, I know Liz has been trying to include new people where possible, so maybe he was invited as part of that. He isn’t known for being especially generous, though.”
“Perhaps he brought Lance, then.”
“Lance?”
“Oh, didn’t I mention his name before? He’s Lance Thomas. Apparently he grew up on the island, but moved across for university and never came back, well, not until today.” Fenella tried to casually pull her hand out from under Donald’s so that she could get back to enjoying the delicious food. He frowned slightly as she did so, but she was quick to start eating so that he would know why she’d done it. When her plate and her glass were both empty, she sighed.
“That was delicious.”
“The food is always good at these things,” Donald replied. “And now that you’ve eaten, we should probably mingle some more. Do you want to meet Lance and his friends or should we steer clear of them?”
“I’m still not sure. I’d really like to speak to Liz before I speak to him, anyway.”
“Finding her in the middle of all of this might not be easy, but we can try.”
They got to their feet and handed their dirty plates and glasses to a passing waiter. A moment later Liz rushed through the tent.
“The auction will be starting in ten minutes in the other marquee,” she announced loudly. “Please don’t take any food or drinks with you into the auction marquee. There are many valuable items up for auction and we don’t want to risk anything getting spilled on any of them. Besides, you’ll all want to keep your hands free for lots of bidding, right?”
Several people chuckled lightly as Liz began to encourage everyone to move into the next tent. Fenella shrugged at Donald. “Maybe we’ll have to talk to her later,” she whispered.
“That would probably be for the best.”
Charity auctions like these were always somewhat boring for Fenella. She couldn’t afford to buy anything, not at the outrageous prices everything seemed to sell for, and she didn’t want Donald to buy her anything either. Tonight, however, she quickly got captivated by watching Lance and his friends.
When the first item was announced, Lance bid twice the starting bid. A moment later one of his friends added a hundred pounds to the bidding. A few other people threw in smaller increases until the item eventually sold to one of Lance’s friends.
“That was stupid. He’s paying nearly ten times what that’s worth,” Donald said in Fenella’s ear.
For the next hour Lance and his friends started the bidding on every single item that was available. Between the five of them, they drove up the prices to ridiculous levels and won every single item. By the time the auction was finished, Donald was angry.
“That may be acceptable behavior in the UK, but it isn’t here,” he grumbled to Fenella as the last item was sold for a crazy amount to Neil Hicks. “I’m always happy to see the charity making lots of money, but bidding up everything between themselves was out of order.”
As Fenella got to her feet, she could hear similar words being muttered around the room. Meanwhile, Lance and his friends were queuing to pay for all of their purchases.
“What are they even going to do with everything?” Fenella whispered. “Lance bought a dozen paintings. I’m not sure his apartment has that much wall space.”
“I’ve no idea and I really don’t care,” Donald said, clearly still annoyed.
Fenella bit her tongue as Donald headed for the bar. He’d only gone two steps when he stopped and held out his hand. “Sorry. It isn’t your fault. I’m used to coming to these things and bidding too much myself. It’s annoying to watch others do it, though. Come with me and we’ll get drinks and then find Liz.”
Taking the offered hand, Fenella thought that a drink was exactly what she needed. She still wasn’t sure whether she wanted to speak to Lance or not, and now it seemed as if Donald definitely did not want to meet him. Fenella got another glass of champagne, while Donald opted for whiskey.
“I know I’m driving, but not for at least another hour,” he told Fenella. “It would be rude to leave before then.”
Fenella nodded and then sipped her drink as she surveyed the room. Liz was talking with Lance and his friends.
“Well, that was interesting,” a voice said at her elbow.
Fenella smiled at the stranger as Donald nodded. “I’m not sure that’s the word I would have used,” he said. “Fenella, this is Michael.”
“Nice to meet you,” Michael said, barely glancing at Fenella. “Do you know any of the men who ruined the auction?” he asked Donald.
“Only Neil,” Donald replied. “I’m not sure Liz would agree with your assessment, though. They must have raised a good deal more than she was expecting for Manx Cloan.”
“Oh, yes, but it’s hard to imagine why they would be willing to pay such crazy prices for the items they bought. There’s something odd about the whole thing.” He frowned and then turned and walked away.
“He’s not happy, then,” Fenella said softly.
Donald chuckled. “These sorts of things are always a chance for local businessmen to show everyone else how successful they are by overpaying for things. No doubt he was hoping to impress someone in the crowd with his bidding, but Lance and his friends made that impossible.”
“Donald, if anyone will know who those men are, it’s you,” a female voice came from behind Fenella.
She turned and studied the woman who was standing there. At a guess, she was around fifty, but her face barely moved as she spoke again, suggesting that she’d had a lot of cosmetic work done. “Who are they?” she demanded.
“You know Neil,” Donald replied. “I suggest you ask him about his friends.”
The woman shook her head very slightly. “I don’t speak to him, not after the way he behaved with Suzanna.”
Donald shrugged. “I’m afraid I don’t know any of the others.”
The woman sighed and then spun on her incredibly high heel and strode away.
“Who was that?” Fenella asked.
“Oh, I am sorry. I should have introduced you. That was Annabelle Quayle-Quayle. She’s a real character, or at least she likes to think she is.”
“Quayle-Quayle?”
“She was a Quayle from one branch of the family and she married another Quayle from a totally different branch. It’s one of the most common surnames on the island. She insisted on hyphenating her name to honor her father and her husband in equal measure, or some such nonsense.”
“How old is she? I mean she didn’t look very old, but she did look very, well, artificial.”
“I believe she’s around sixty, but don’t ask her. She’d probably tell you that she’s no more than forty and be insulted if you didn’t tell her she looked even younger than that. I should have introduced you, though; she idolized Mona.”
“Really? And what did Mona think of her?”
“I don’t think Mona was aware of her existence,” Donald laughed. “Mona had a way of very politely ignoring people which I wish I could emulate. Annabelle
wants more than anything to be just like Mona, but Mona was in a league of her own.”
“Donald, I’m sorry you didn’t win anything,” Liz Martin said as she joined them at the bar. “I believe I’m going to be saying that to everyone for the next hour or so.”
“It isn’t your fault. I do think some of your guests were rather rude, however,” Donald replied.
Liz sighed. “Yes, I know. I probably should have stepped in and asked them to stop bidding after a while, but it all seemed to happen very quickly. The good news is that we raised a lot of money for Manx Cloan, of course. Anyway, you know you didn’t actually need or want any of the items up for auction. You would have just been buying them to be polite. Think of the money they’ve saved you.”
“But who are they and where have they come from?” Fenella asked bluntly.
“Donald will know Neil,” Liz told her. “As I understand it, the other four are friends of his from across. Many of Neil’s business interests are in the UK, of course. I gather one of the men has just retired to the island and the other three have come across to visit or something like that. They were a bit vague, really.”
“Did you get their names?” Donald wondered.
“Yes, but I don’t know that I remember them. The tallest one is Lance something. He’s the one who just retired here. The other three are called Adrian, Eric, and Jared, but I’m not sure I remember which one was which.”
“No surnames?” Donald asked.
“They have them, but I don’t remember them,” Liz said apologetically. “We were introduced before the bidding started, so I didn’t really pay that much attention. If I’d known that they were going to outbid everyone on everything, I would have taken notes or something.”
“It was odd behavior,” Donald suggested.
“Perhaps that’s simply how these things work in London,” Liz replied. “Maybe things are done differently over there.”
“I’ve been to more than my fair share of charity auctions in London,” Donald told her. “I’ve never been to one where a small group dominates the entire event. I probably should have outbid them on something, just to make a point, but there are limits to how much over the odds I’m willing to pay for something I don’t actually want or need.”
“I hope this won’t stop you from coming to our next event,” Liz said a bit anxiously.
“You know I wouldn’t miss it,” Donald assured her. “But maybe you could forget to invite Neil and his friends.”
Liz laughed. “I didn’t invite them this time. They came with Laura Munroe. I believe she’s involved with Neil at the moment. And now I must dash around and apologize to everyone for letting strangers buy everything. Hopefully I’ll see you later.”
The woman vanished into the crowd before Fenella or Donald could reply.
“Okay, who’s Laura Munroe?” Fenella asked in a low voice.
“Why don’t I introduce you?” Donald suggested, taking Fenella’s arm. He escorted her across the room to where a tall and very slender woman was standing on her own. Her grey hair was pulled up into a tight bun at the back of her neck and her makeup was impeccable. As they approached her, Fenella couldn’t help but admire the woman’s dress.
“I don’t know who you are, but I do know Timothy’s work when I see it,” she said to Fenella before Donald could speak. “And the shoes have to have been done by Samuel. He’s the only one who could match Timothy’s designs.”
“You’re right, of course. I was admiring your dress, as well. Is it also one of Timothy’s?” Fenella asked.
“It is. The one and only thing he ever made for me. I used to beg, plead, and throw money at him, but he really didn’t care. Mona Kelly was the only woman who properly inspired him. He made her dozens of dresses, gowns, jackets, and goodness knows what else. I’d sell my soul for access to her wardrobe.”
Fenella glanced at Donald, who laughed. “Laura, this is Fenella Woods. Fenella is Mona’s niece and the lucky woman who inherited Mona’s estate. Fenella, this is Laura Munroe.”
“You’ve had that gown altered, then?” Laura asked.
“No, not at all,” Fenella said in surprise.
“Mona had a very different shape to yours. I can’t see how you could possibly be wearing one of her dresses without having had it altered,” the woman argued.
Fenella stared at the woman and then looked at Donald. She couldn’t think of any way to reply to Laura’s words.
“I understand you brought Neil and his friends to the party,” Donald said, rescuing Fenella from the awkward situation.
“Yes, I don’t suppose I’ll be very popular after tonight, will I?” Laura said with a laugh.
“They did rather dominate the auction,” Donald replied.
“I probably should have stopped them after the first dozen items, but they were having such fun, bidding each other up higher and higher, that I simply didn’t have the heart to interrupt. It’s all good for Liz, anyway.”
“That’s very true. Tell me about Neil’s friends, then,” Donald requested.
Laura raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“I’m curious about them and why they’re even on the island,” Donald replied.
Laura didn’t look as if she believed him. “Of course, you know Neil,” she said.
“Yes, I do. I understand you two are together. Congratulations,” he said.
Laura laughed. “I’m not sure that we’re together, or that I deserve any congratulations, regardless, but let’s just say that Neil and I arranged to come to tonight’s little gathering together, shall we? This afternoon he rang me and asked if he could bring some friends. I had originally planned on coming with, well, a different group of people, so I had extra tickets and told Neil he could bring whomever he liked.”
“So who are they?” Donald asked after Laura stopped speaking.
“Oh, yes, sorry. I do get rather bored with talking about other people. The tallest man is Lance Thomas. He actually grew up on the island, but moved away in his teens or some such thing. Now that he’s retired, he’s come back and has moved into Promenade View.” She glanced at Fenella. “Are you living in Mona’s amazing flat, then?”
“I am, yes,” Fenella replied.
“I always thought that I would have made Max a good deal happier than Mona ever did,” Laura told her. “And I would have been far more grateful to him for all of his generosity, as well.”
Again, Fenella didn’t know how to reply to the woman.
“Who is the man in the blue suit, then?” Donald changed the subject back to Neil’s friends.
“His name is Eric Palmer. The one with the moustache is Adrian Graves, and the rather nondescript man that is left over is called Jared Welch. They are all business associates of Neil’s, and that is just about all I can tell you about them. Did you keep Mona’s car?” Laura asked.
“I did, yes. I haven’t driven it yet, though. I’m taking my driving test on Monday,” Fenella replied.
“Shall I tell you how I passed first time?” the woman asked. She leaned forward and whispered something in Fenella’s ear. Fenella felt her face flame.
Donald gave her a curious look, but Fenella quickly looked away.
Laura laughed. “You aren’t much like Mona, are you?”
Donald slid an arm around Fenella. “No one is like Mona,” he said. “But Fenella is pretty wonderful.”
Laura raised an eyebrow. “It isn’t like you to get involved with an actual adult,” she said. “Perhaps she does have some of Mona’s magnetic effect on men.”
“Sorry to have left you on your own for so long,” a voice said loudly. “But it took forever to sort out paying for everything.” Neil Hicks came and put his arm around Laura.
“Perhaps you and your friends shouldn’t have bought absolutely everything, then,” Laura replied.
“But that was half the fun,” Neil laughed. “Sorry if that’s upset anyone,” he added, giving Donald a smug smile.
“It’s done
a lot of good for Manx Cloan, which is why we’re all here,” Donald replied easily. “How are you, Neil?”
“I’m very well, thanks. Obviously doing very well financially,” he replied. “But I haven’t met your friend.” He held out his hand as Donald performed the necessary introductions.
“Fenella, what a lovely Manx name,” Neil said, covering her hand with his other one. He squeezed his hands together as he stared into her eyes. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you.”
Gentle pulling didn’t seem to be working as she tried to get her hand away from Neil. She really didn’t want to make a scene, but she also didn’t want Neil touching her. She pulled again, only to find his grip tightening.
“Honestly, Neil, I’m standing right here,” Laura said in a bored voice. “If you must flirt with other women, at least wait until I’m at the bar.”
“Surely you need a drink,” he said over his shoulder, his eyes still firmly fixed on Fenella.
“I do, now that you’ve mentioned it,” Laura snapped.
“Take Donald with you,” Neil suggested.
“Not going to happen,” Donald said tightly. He put his arm back around Fenella and then slid his hand down her arm. When he reached Neil’s hands, he pushed them away, pulling Fenella’s hand free.
She very nearly wiped her hand against her dress, feeling as if she wanted to get rid of the other man’s touch. Donald took the hand and rubbed it gently while he spoke to Neil.
“I didn’t realize you were even on the island at the moment,” he said.
“I just got back yesterday. I’m starting to think about retiring, so I’m winding down a few of my business interests in the UK. Unless things change substantially, I’ll be retiring to the island in the next twelve to eighteen months.”
“How nice for you, and for Laura,” Donald said.
Neil laughed. “Laura and I aren’t serious. She’s fun, but she’s a bit too old for me, really, but please don’t tell her I said that. We’ll keep having fun together until one of us meets someone else, I suppose.” He winked at Fenella, who couldn’t stop herself from shuddering.
An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF Page 52
