Chapter 23

He let his alcohol-infused stare wander over the glitzy party guests, flashing smiles and air kisses between darlings across the floor. Cigarette smoke weaved with ladies' perfumes was carried on the frantic notes of charleston sweeping the impressive hallway that opened like a flower at the end of a grand staircase. Feet were tap tapping, beaded hips were swaying and the whole set up reminded him of a merry-go-round in full speed. He didn't mind though. With a few drinks inside him, his face was soft, his eyes playful and the thought of seeing her again made his skin feel excited under his black tie suit. "Terry behave" had turned into his mantra all the time he spent while getting his bearings once he left the pub to make his way to Christian's party. He had decided not to take a taxi but rather walk. A clear mind was imperative under the circumstances.

"Well, well, well! What the devil...! Terrence Grandchester?!"

He heard a man's voice behind him making its way through all the noise in the room. There were very few people that knew him as a Grandchester...and they all belonged to his past, he thought as he turned to put a face to the voice. Surprise burst in his blue eyes like the cork from the champagne bottle. He actually never thought he would say this, but in the years past, this was the first time he felt happiness seeing Archibald Cornwell in front of him.

Not teenager foe, Archie, the one who had sparred with him on the St. Paul's grounds for the eyes of Candy - what a surprise - but an adult Archie who however carried still that annoying haughtiness in his appearance. His lips curled into a half-mocking smile but still a genuine one.

"Archibald Cornwell...fancy meeting you here!", he said as he came closer for a handshake with his old adversary.

Archie returned the smile and shook his hand with a firm grip. He too was quite happy to see Terry, despite their history. Especially now...he already had Candy telling him about their meeting at the gallery. In the past, he hated Terry's guts and even now, it wasn't as if the hate had turned into brother's love, but...but, from the two evils, in that case, Christian being the glaring obvious one, he preferred his cousin to fall into the arms of the lesser one.

Having said that, and given his previous reaction over Candy's shenanigans with Christian at the tango club, a small part of him wished to be close when Terry may have had the pleasure to witness similar scenes. "Oh, I'm going to hell...", he thought to himself and chuckled.

"From all the mansions in the world...you happened to enter this one...Grant", he had started saying before Terry cut him.

"It's Graham now, old chum. The Grantchester you knew, is left back in St. Paul's", he said, lowering the voice to share his secret with him.

Archie laughed while he gave a pat on Terry's shoulder. What's wrong with these people changing their names?! First his crazy cousin, and now this egocentric prick. Although to be fair, he kind of understood Terry. But still he found the coincidence funny.

—

"So... Graham...what on earth brought you here?", Archie asked Terry.

Indeed, from all the people he could think of from his younger years, he had never expected to see this guy again. He remembered the adolescent arrogance he used to see in his eyes. There was a confident seriousness οn Terry's face now, almost verging to cynicism he could say. He seemed not to respond to his question. Instead he stood silent while his eyes scanned the crowd. Archie took a sip from his drink, wondering how life must have treated Terry all those years. Staying with a woman who had forced herself in his life. Not a situation he was unfamiliar with. In fact, despite them never having been able of seeing eye to eye, they certainly had a lot in common. At least with the women in their lives. Terry having stayed with Susanna for the past decade and him having married Annie, while both of them having the hots for...He shook his head, dispelling the awkward thoughts. What did it matter in any case. It was water under that cliched old stone bridge of their lives. The last image in his mind shaped into a bitter smile on his lips. Terry certainly looked like someone who had lived through a lot and not much would surprise him by now. Apart from his cousin perhaps, he thought. The way Terry's composure looked tense, his attention not being there. Surely, that was why he was there.

"She went upstairs...", he finally said.

As if a switch had turned on, so did Terry's attention. He returned to where he was, turning his eyes back to Archie.

"Who went upstairs?", Terry commended.

"Oh, come on Graham...not to me...we haven't met now", Archie turned his voice down. "You know who I meant"

Terry grabbed a drink from a passing tray and downed it like a thirsty man in a dessert.

"My theatre troupe is staging Hamlet, Archie", Terry replied to his original question. "That's why I'm here...", he added. "In London, I mean..."

"I see...", Archie replied. Took another sip from his drink. "Well, Candy is upstairs", he repeated his previous statement with a smile this time.

"I see..." It was Terry's turn to smile. He guessed it was futile to try hiding from old acquaintances, especially the ones who were from Candy's family circle. Their story was already very well known to all of them.

"Is she with...", Terry asked, cringing inside. He hated sounding like a busybody but couldn't help himself. And Archie looked like he was in the know.

"Christian, you mean?", Archie's stare turned playful.

He started enjoying this surprising encounter. Despite the years passed, time hadn't stopped him relishing to making Terry feel hot under the collar where Candy was concerned. There were many times during college when Terry had made it clear to Archie he had no chance with Candy and that made his blood boil. Most of those occasions had ended up in fist fights, torn shirts and bloody lips. He had hated Terry then. This unexpected situation was almost like pay back for him. His lips curled upwards, making his smile feel even more satisfying.

"As much as I like seeing you squirm Graham, the answer is no", Archie replied and imagined the relief Terry must have felt right now. He had let him off the hook too easily, but then again, he disliked Christian with passion, enough to overcome his dislike of Terry. The painter was bad news. He just didn't trust him. And it wasn't just his ungentlemanly behaviour where Candy's name was concerned. Parading his cousin nude on the painting or making out in public, in front of everyone, smoking hash, always partying, drinking. Candy had never been like that. It was one thing of her deciding to act carefree for once in her life and another to be so careless about her name and reputation. Already she was known as the American flapper of London, an obvious connection to Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of Scott Fitzgerald who was never too far away from the gossip columns for her wild partying and life of excess. There was something more in Christian that Archie didn't seem to trust. Something darker. He couldn't pinpoint what it was. Perhaps his strange disappearances. His hush-hush quick chats with people who seemed of dubious moral standing. Perhaps it was just Archie's gut feeling. Even if it was tinged with a layer of jealousy. Because he had to admit it, a small part of him was jealous of Candy. Of actually having the guts to denounce her old life, throw caution to the wind and live with sparkle in her eyes and fire in her belly. Secretly, there were instances he took his hat off to her. But only on very brief instances he felt like that. The majority of times, like just that one here at that party, for once he thanked fate for bringing Graham there.

Archie's statement made Terry to raise his eyebrow in surprise.

"Really?! So where is the famous painter then?"

After all, the way he perceived the atmosphere at Christian's exhibition opening, this night was as much Candy's as it was his. Scarlet rose had already made waves in the glitzy circles, the art lovers, the bohemians, the bright young things of London. It was not only artistically a great painting, it carried the appropriate shock value that made it the hot topic of almost all conversations that same evening. So it was beyond surprise that Candy was left alone at a party that was thrown for Christian's work. There was a lot for Terry to process and he would process them in good time. What mattered to him right there was that he'd be able to be with her and only her.

"I have no idea and I don't care...to be perfectly honest", Archie replied. Terry noticed the cutting tone of disapproval in his voice. His eyes fell on his face, full with questions.

Archie sighed. All the doubts and the concern over Candy's lover that had been building inside of him for the last few weeks, were beginning to spill over inside his words. He realised, they were planting more questions in Terry's mind, the way his blue eyes, looking determined to find out more, fell on Archie's face.

"We haven't spoken a word for over ten years Graham, and here we are gossiping like two bored old hags...", Archie started saying and his stare travelled the packed room, before turning back to Terry.

"But, I'm glad you are here and if you can drag Candy away from that hoodlum"

"Come on Archie!", Terry cut him short on his outpouring of disapproval over Candy's man, "I have to admit, flabbergasted isn't a word I use often, if not at all, but that's what I was when I walked into that Gallery, seeing her after all those years...the painting...her lover...but hoodlum?", he asked in disbelief, "Don't you think you exaggerate a little?"

Archie looked serious but kept silent. Terry continued voicing his opinion.

"From the little I managed to stay there, I realise Candy changed a lot, but I cannot think her dating someone from the wrong side of the law", he said, though the beginnings of a worry, far greater than just the shock of seeing Candy the way he did earlier on, started unravelling inside him. Archie had been there longer than he did and admittedly, he was very impulsive when his cousin was involved, but still to describe Candy's partner as hoodlum...His hand reached the inside pocket of his jacket to take his cigarette case. He offered a cigarette to Archie. He took one for himself and rolled it between his lips before lighting it. A cloud of smoke snaked upwards between the two men and Archie took a deep breath.

"Candy isn't herself Terry...she just isn't the woman I knew...she only cares for having a good time regardless consequences and everything is his doing...he is like a drug to her"

It was Terry's turn to remain silent. He peered through the cigarette haze, looking at Archie's angry face, examining its every twitching, every lift of the eyebrows, the sparkle in his eyes. It was obvious, he felt quite strongly for what he had witnessed over the time he was here.

"Why isn't the man here you asked? Ask Candy that when you see her...", he continued and his hand dived inside his blond hair, pushing them back.

"All I saw, because I was with them, was a very shifty man taking Christian on the side when we came out of the building. There was some quiet talking and then Christian with few words said there was something he needed to take care."

Archie paused and looked around him once more. "He sent us our way here and said he'd join us later," he added. "Candy tried to make some light conversation inside the car on our way here, but I could tell her mind wasn't there."

The seed of worry inside Terry grew, tender tentacles stretched around his chest which felt tight when he breathed in. He crushed the cigarette in a nearby ashtray. To see and talk to Candy on his own had all of a sudden become more pressing.

"There she is", he heard Archie's voice. He lifted his head up. His gaze travelled to the top of the grand staircase. Her elegant figure filled its turquoise depths. He couldn't tell from that far whether worry or not was marking her face. All he knew was she looked ethereal to him and the urge to go to her took control of his feet and his mind. He turned to Archie, who had pulled his arm up and was waving to her.

"Go to her", he whispered to him behind his smile. He started walking between the dancing couples. He had enough drinks in him to keep his nerves in check. Butterflies of excitement flew close to his skin though, as the distance between them was becoming smaller.