Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Between us, we generated enough steam to keep a house heated.
The red mark on my neck where he’d devoured me meant I had to wear a scarf to the pub.
Luckily, I had the night off.
Just as I was leaving the hall, I’d noticed a caterer arrive for what looked like another dinner party. Lucky I wasn’t asked to work. I couldn’t exactly wear a turtleneck under my shirt.
“So, you’re more into classical than contemporary?” Justin asked, standing so close his cologne drifted up my nose.
I nodded. He had nice brown eyes and a tall, strong body, and had I not been smitten with Damon I might have even been attracted. But no one compared to my former boss.
“You’re really talented,” he said.
“Thanks. Are you majoring in piano too?” I asked, realising that I knew very little about him, other than he was in the same course.
“Guitar’s my instrument. We’re playing tonight. Just jamming really. Twelve-bar blues. That kind of thing.”
“Oh, really?”
He nodded. “Mirabel Storm, who lives in the village, is a great singer. She writes her own songs. Normally, she plays on her own, but lately we’ve been joining her for a few tunes. Perhaps you might want to jump on the piano?”
I gulped down my wine at that suggestion. Me? Play in front of a crowd? “I’m not great at improvising.”
He frowned. “If you can play Debussy, I think you can improvise around blues chords.”
“Is it just rock?” I asked.
“Mirabel is a blues-cum-folk singer. She writes her own songs. Mainly about the environment.”
“I look forward to hearing her,” I said.
“Why don’t we have a round of shots? Maybe that will free you up. It’s a lot of fun. It’s become a bit of a regular thing for us. And you’re the most accomplished musician out of all of us.”
I smiled. Who didn’t like a compliment?
“We’ll see. Maybe after couple of drinks I might loosen up.”
He smiled brightly. “That’s more like it.”
After a few drinks, I did in fact get into the swing of things.
Mirabel Storm performed her songs and swept me away. Her voice reminded me of the sea. Wispy at times and filled with anger and bite at others. With long red hair and big green eyes, she was stunningly beautiful in an earthy way.
After finishing her set, she joined us, and we were introduced.
“That was amazing. Great lyrics, and I like your choice of chords,” I said.
“Thank you.” She smiled.
“Vivianna’s a great piano player,” Justin interjected.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not that good. I hardly ever practice.”
“Perhaps you might want to play along in the next set. I’d love some piano. I write mainly about the sea,” Mirabel said.
“I noticed. Your voice sounds like the wind. I love your floaty style and how you vocalise your lyrics.”
Mirabel’s green eyes sparked up. “That is such a compliment. It’s exactly what I aim for. To make pictures with my words and vocals.”
“It’s very haunting,” I said. “At times you remind me of Kate Bush.”
Her face lit up. “Oh my god, I love her.”
“So do I.” I smiled.
“Are you from these parts?” Mirabel asked, accepting a glass of red wine from Justin, who was hovering close. He seemed to enjoy my company for some reason, and he was a big fan of Mirabel’s, which was understandable given her talent and down-to-earth vibe.
“I’ve only recently moved here,” I said.
“She works for the Manson,” Justin added.
Mirabel nodded slowly and I noticed a slight curve of her lips. “At Merivale Hall?”
I nodded. “You’ve visited?”
“Like yeah. I grew up there on a farm. My family were in the dairy industry for two centuries.”
“So you’ve lived here all your life?” I asked.
“I have. I mean, I hang out in London when I can, and I’ve travelled throughout Europe, busking.”
“Do you have any recordings?” Relaxed and a little tipsy after a couple of shots, I liked being there, chatting to new people.
“I do. I sell them when I busk. That’s how I make a living.” She sipped her drink while studying me. “So, you’ve met the sons and daughter?”
I nodded. “Mainly Damon. I was cleaning for him at his home up to recently.”
“He’s the nicer of the three. But he’s got a nasty skeleton in the cupboard.”
My spine stiffened, and a queasy feeling settled in the pit of my gut, turning my cheery mood on its side.
“Oh, really? He doesn’t strike me as someone who’d go out of his way to be nasty.” I chewed on a nail. The natural pessimist in me always assumed the worst.
“He’s not that bad. Only he just broke many girls’ hearts. It’s hard to dislike him because he’s generous and has done a lot for the community. Not like his loudmouth dick of a brother.”
Was I the next one he would hurt?
My mouth was so dry from pounding anxiety I guzzled my drink. After all those years of keeping my emotions bottled up, how did I let myself become so vulnerable?
Justin, who’d been standing close, joined the conversation. “But you had a thing with Evan when you were sixteen, didn’t you?”
Mirabel rolled her eyes. “We had a moment. Just a bit of kissing. Nothing more. I was only sixteen. That’s how I know he’s a tosser. That was my first song about him.”
I nodded absently. I wanted to hear more about Damon and that nasty skeleton and not so much about Evan.