Chapter Two
He wasn't sure why he felt like that. After all, he'd only just met this woman. He knew nothing about her except her name; yet he felt like he'd known her for years. She had this astounding beauty, and a voice that gave him shivers, he felt different around her. Maris now seemed like a distant memory. Niles tried to tell himself that he was being ridiculous, but his conscious was fading into the distance along with his wife.
"Oh, is that who, erm, Henry is?" Niles asked, not interested at all in the lucky man's name. He was just trying to keep the conversation going.
"Er, Henry?" Daphne stuttered. All she could do was stare at the elegant stranger. She couldn't see him too well in the shadows but now that she had moved nearer to him she could see him clearly. She wasn't sure why but when she'd looked at him for the first time her heart had jumped. She couldn't take her eyes away from him and she noticed that he was staring back. She looked at his cheek; it seemed so soft, she wondered what it would be like if she stroked it... No, no, she was married, what could she be thinking? She wasn't sure what was happening, all she knew was that she had felt a sudden spark as soon as she'd seen him. It felt like what she imagined love at first sight to be like. She had only ever read about love at first sight but she had never believed in it. Maybe now she did, but she could be in love after two minuets...could she?
"Yes, you asked me if I was Henry when I first moved into this room." Niles looked at her cheek, he wondered if it was as soft as it looked. He had no idea that she was having the same thoughts as him.
"Oh, yes, he's my husband," said Daphne. She only just then remembered who he was. She sometimes looked at Henry and saw nothing, just a rich man who claimed to have fallen in love with her so they got married; she sometimes wondered why she had done it. She supposed that it was because she knew that there would be security in the marriage and that he would be a good father to their children, if it came to that. However, the truth was the Henry didn't know what love was, he had seen a beautiful woman and thought that that was all there was to it.
Niles was slowly moving closer to Daphne, and she was moving closer to him, soon, she was close enough to touch.
Oh my goodness, he's close enough to touch, thought Daphne as they moved even closer, as though in a trance, unaware of what they were really doing. Suddenly their faces were only a few centimetres apart, their lips almost touching, a few millimetres. Daphne was willing him to keep moving forward, just a little closer...
"Daphne? Oh, there you are, I was wondering where you'd got to darling." A handsome man appeared out of the party room. His hair was black and flattened onto his scalp. His nose was rather triangular and his suit looked expensive. He did not seem to have realised what had just been about to happen. Daphne looked extremely guilty. She kept staring back at Niles, wishing that her husband had never shown up.
"Oh, yes, it was rather hot in there so I thought I'd come out here for some air. Then I met this charming man, I think we should exchange phone numbers, don't you? I have the feeling we could become delightfully good friends."
"Yes, that would be a splendid idea." Niles was amazed. In only about half an hour he had met a gorgeous, amazing, woman who seemed to like him back. If only they weren't both married, he couldn't help thinking. He was surprised that he could just wish Maris away like that, but he now found it easy. They exchanged phone numbers whilst Henry talked, mainly about the wonderful people he'd met that night who all seemed to have a title. All the while he was talking; Niles and Daphne kept exchanging glances, smiling secretly at each other. Niles noticed that Daphne seemed to put on a posh voice when Henry was around, he didn't like it. He much preferred her normal, more relaxed accent; the accent that made his spine tingle.
Daphne felt like a teenager again, telling her mother that she was going to church to pray when she was really going to meet a boy. She felt excited, she couldn't wait to get home and ring him and then maybe meet him and from there, who knew.
***
Daphne entered her large house alone; her husband had received a call from work and had to rush off. She didn't mind, she was hoping that Niles was home by then, she rushed to the phone and dialled his number, she had memorised it in the car ride back. She knew that it was silly but it made her feel happier, knowing that she could call him anytime, anyplace.
Excitement was building as Daphne waited for an answer. After about three rings someone answered, "Hello, this is Maris Crane speaking." Daphne sat there clutching the phone to her ear in silence. Maris Crane? She prayed it was his mother.
"Hello, this is Daphne Moo... I mean Carter, Daphne Carter. Is Mr. Crane there?" she stuttered. She kept praying that he was home and that this was, in fact, his mother.
"Oh, yes, he's just got in; I'll get him for you." Daphne sighed in relief, but was uneasy about this woman, she sounded cold and much too young to be Niles' mother.
"Hello, Niles Crane speaking." She sat there for a few seconds, just taking in his voice.
"Hello Niles, it's me, Daphne. Please tell me that that was your mother on the phone just now." Oh, hell, I didn't mean to say that, thought Daphne.
"No, it was my wife, I'm sorry, I have to go. Maybe we can catch up some other time." With that, Niles hung up.
Daphne couldn't believe it. Placing one hand on her chest, she checked to make sure that she hadn't been stabbed, because that was what it had felt like. Realising that she was in no physical pain she went to bed and cried herself to sleep. The worst part was she wasn't even sure why she was crying.
