She watches Ross head over to talk to some random girl, shaking her head. The timetable for Moses is still up in the air. Not that she's really got much going on in her social life at the moment, but that could change. She swirls her G&T round in her glass and casts her eyes around the room. As singles nights go, it's pretty awful. The fact that Rodney and Rishi are on offer as eligible bachelors is an indication of the quality. She'll have to remember and give Tracy an earful for her organisational skills. Although, in fairness, there's a not bad sized crowd and they're all drinking, so she shouldn't complain too much.

Her gaze lands on Rodney and Vanessa seated a couple of tables away. Rodney's yanking a string of hankies out of his sleeve and Vanessa looks like she'd rather be anywhere else. Charity smirks as the vet downs her pint and stands up, clearly using her empty glass as an escape route. Rodney's face falls as she backs away. Vanessa's not looking where she's going, so when the backs of her legs hit the chair Ross has just vacated and she stumbles, sitting down hard across the table from Charity. She turns her head to see who she's sitting with and practically recoils. Charity's hackles rise at the reaction. She's always hated girls who think they're better than her, and Vanessa has a bit of that air about her. Up herself.

Charity lets her eyes drift down Vanessa's body and back up, her lip curling. "Sorry, babe, not quite that desperate."

Vanessa chokes out an indignant huff. "As if I'd give you the time of day."

"It's not really the time of day I'm on the look out for tonight, to tell you the truth." She makes a shooing gesture. "So, you know, keep moving. I think Rishi's date's ditched him if you wanna give that a go."

Vanessa turns to look over her shoulder to where Rishi's moping at the bar and Charity takes the opportunity to appraise her. It's not that she hasn't noticed that Vanessa's pretty; there's really no denying it. They're a very good looking family, although she can't see much of Frank in either of his daughters so they must look like their mothers. She knows from experience that he likes good looking blondes.

She takes a moment now to consider Vanessa. She decides that she falls into that weird healthy, outdoorsy kind of good looking. Not outdoorsy in the same way Moira is. Moira's more weatherbeaten and knackered. Vanessa's more bright eyes, big smiles and pink cheeks. Like she's constantly just back from a bracing hike. It's not a terrible look.

Vanessa turns back around and rolls her eyes at Charity as if they're friends sharing a confidence. "Slim pickings or what?" She sighs. "I told Tracy this was a terrible idea."

Charity tilts her head in fake sympathy. "Oh, so that's why she organised this, is it? Trying to marry off her spinster sister in case she's lumbered with looking after you in your dotage?"

Vanessa's eyes narrow, her hand tightening on her empty glass. "Not like you've exactly been fighting men off with a stick lately either, is it?"

Now, that's certainly true. She sits back and regards Vanessa, pursing her lips. "Well, like you said, slim pickings and all that." She lifts an eyebrow. "Of course, in your case that's probably down to the lack of teenage boys in the village, eh?" Vanessa's mouth drops open and Charity hurries to continue. "I mean, there's our Noah, but he's probably a bit on the young side even for you. Give it a couple of years though and who knows, eh?"

Vanessa's shaking her head, her lips twisted in a sneer. "You are unbelievable."

"I have heard that said before, yes." A slow smile makes its way across her face as some village gossip about Vanessa and Rhona from a while ago tickles the back of her mind. "And look, you're still sat in that chair. Stay there much longer and I'll start to think you're chatting me up."

Vanessa barks out an incredulous laugh. "Tell you what, Charity, if I ever fancy being blackmailed and almost sent to jail, I'll give you a call, yeah?"

Charity raises her eyebrows. She quite likes it when someone puts up a bit of a fight. She leans her elbows on the table between them, lowering her voice. "Problem is, buttercup, that you need to have done something interesting to get blackmailed, don't you? So that rules you right out."

Mirroring Charity's pose, Vanessa leans in towards her. "If a one night stand with you is what counts as 'something interesting', I'll pass."

Charity shrugs. "I wasn't offering, babe, but you don't know what you're missing."

"I saw my dad after you were done with him," Vanessa spits. "So I do have a pretty good idea of what I'm missing, thanks."

Something shifts in Charity's chest. She's used to being painted as the bad one, but Frank was not some poor little victim in that whole situation. She tilts her head, holding Vanessa's eyes. "And how could dear old daddy have avoided that whole thing, do you think?" She pretends to consider her own question for a bit and then widens her eyes. "Oh, hey, here's a thought! Maybe by not sleeping with me when he was shacked up with someone else."

Vanessa looks down at her glass. "I-I'm not saying he was blameless-"

"Good, because I wasn't the one cheating on anyone," Charity cuts her off. She throws her hands out. "But maybe I'm just that irresistible men can't help themselves, eh? It's unfair to expect them to, really." And then it happens; Vanessa's eyes drift from Charity's face down to her chest. Charity's heart speeds up; she's just scented blood in the water. She reaches out and drags her forefinger over Vanessa's wrist. "Not just men, mind." Vanessa's eyes snap back up to meet her own and she pulls her hand away.

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" Vanessa's voice is a little shakier than it was, less sure of herself.

"Well, you're a little bit flexible yourself, aren't you?" Charity winks. "Better not sit there too long, just in case you succumb to my abundant charms, yeah?"

Vanessa shoves her seat backwards, eyes blazing. "I don't know where you've got that from, but you heard wrong," she says, her voice trembling now. "I'm not flexible." She stands, making Charity look up at her. "And even if I was, you'd be the last person on earth I'd ever go for."

She spins on her heel and marches over to the bar, slamming her empty pint glass down. Charity watches the rapid rise and fall of her shoulders with interest. Her words have definitely hit home. She lets her gaze drift down Vanessa's back, down her legs, and up again. She quirks an eyebrow.

Well, this could be a lot of fun.