Sorry for not posting in a while. I have actually been busy writing during that time. I have written an important future chapter and this present chapter has become so long that I've had to split it up into at least 2 parts, maybe 3. Anyway, here is the first part. More to follow soon.
"Right, let's get outta here," Dempsey said after Harry's promising last comment. A buzz of excitement galvanized him suddenly into action and in flash of pure genius, he knew where they would go next. It would be fun, daring and it would ultimately place him right in his comfort zone. In fact, maybe it would even be a chance to introduce Harry to his world for a change.
"Here," Harry said, emptying the last of the bottle of champagne that they had been sharing into both of their glasses.
"Goodness that went down fast," she observed. Had they also drunk the second bottle? Surely not.
"Where'd Eddie go?" Dempsey asked.
"Eddie?" Harry called, swirling around and scanning the bar for him. "He was just here. Oh dear; I hope he's not in trouble."
"Dwayne," Dempsey shouted across the bar. The barman, in the process of filling two glasses with some kind of cocktail, stopped and turned questioningly to Dempsey. "You seen Eddie?"
"Oh yeah, I've seen him. Can't get rid of him," he replied, glancing downwards, below the bar.
Harry and Dempsey looked intrigued, moving forward to peer over the bar. Without warning, up popped Eddie, startling them both.
"What are you doing behind there?" Harry asked.
"Just looking for these," he replied, holding up two champagne glasses and placing them on the bar with the other four that were already there, filled to varying degrees with champagne.
"What do you want those for, Ed?" she asked.
"Got to drink this fast," he said, picking up the second champagne bottle and filling the other two glasses, "James said so."
"But, why so many glasses?" she queried, watching him begin to drink from one of the glasses he'd just filled.
"Well, the more glasses, the quicker the champagne goes down. Look," he said, refilling the other half filled flutes and attempting to drink from them, one after another.
"Woah, slow down Ed," Harry laughed, reaching across the bar to halt his hands. "How much of this have you had?"
"Err," Eddie glanced at the bar, scattered with champagne glasses. "A fair bit," he hiccupped. "Tastes nice though," he grinned.
"Oh dear." She turned to Dempsey. "He only needs a glass or two and he's blotto."
"Hey," Eddie interrupted, "I'm just doing what James asked: making sure it goes down quickly."
"Hmm, but, you can't drink all of these glasses," Harry said.
"Well, who's going to drink them then?" Eddie asked.
"More to the point, who's going to drive us home?" Harry countered.
Eddie's eyes fell to the champagne glasses and he attempted to count them. He lost count after the third try. "Ooops. May have had a few too many," he admitted.
"Just a few," she chuckled. "Somehow, I don't think he'll be fit to drive now," she said to Dempsey.
"No problem," he replied, "We'll catch a cab. Hey, Dwayne," he called across the bar…
"In the meantime," Harry went on, "I'd better help you to finish these; no sense in wasting them," she said to Eddie as they proceeded, in fits of giggles, to drain the myriad of glasses on the bar.
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"Come on, Eddie, quick smart," Harry said, grabbing his hand and marching after Dempsey towards the waiting taxi, "he's a man on a mission," she chuckled.
"Ooh, I like that," Eddie replied.
"Don't get over excited," she whispered back over her shoulder at Eddie, "He's mine."
Eddie's eyes widened. "Really? So you admit it then."
"Yes, he's my wild and reckless partner in crime," she said, reaching the taxi and linking arms with Dempsey. "Well, he is for tonight anyway," she amended, smiling up at him.
Eddie gasped. "Harriet, I'm shocked!" Turning to Dempsey he added, as Harry climbed into the back of the taxi, "For a lady, sometimes she can behave like such a jezebel."
"She can?" Dempsey replied with surprise, slipping into the back seat with Harry. "Why don't I ever get to see this?"
"Just hold onto your horses," Eddie answered, "tonight, you just might," he said, closing the taxi door and running around the car to the front seat.
"Ooh! Promises, promises," Dempsey said to himself.
"Where to?" the taxi driver asked once everyone was in the car.
"Hampstead Manor House," Dempsey replied immediately.
Both Harry and Eddie swung their heads questioningly to Dempsey.
"Ooh, ooh," Eddie clicked his fingers at Dempsey in realization, "Billy's party! You devil. It's invitation only you realize though."
"Bet ya didn't know I was their long lost cousin, Jim," he grinned, amazed at his own ingeniousness.
"Goodness me, we didn't know that, did we Ed. We had better get to that party then," Harry said, reaching across to thread her fingers with Dempsey's and smiling sweetly.
Dempsey looked a little taken aback for a moment. "What no, 'we really shouldn't be doing this,' or, 'we really ought to think this thing through'?" he mocked.
She shook her head. "I think it's a superb idea."
How many glasses of champagne had she swigged down? Must have been quite a few.
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With some misgivings, Eddie got out of the taxi and joined Harry and Dempsey as they headed up the last stretch of the poplar lined avenue, drawn by the sounds of music and frivolity coming from the gardens of the imposing mansion house ahead. Now, Eddie was always up for a party, but was he the only one who was slightly concerned about gate-crashing such a high profile event?
He was even less confident about the whole thing when the people in front of them parted and he realised that the entrance to the gardens had been barriered off, and all partygoers were being vetted before they entered.
"This is going to be fun," Harry smiled.
Eddie strained to get a look at Harry's face. Was she kidding?
"Yep, it's a piece of cake. Let me have ya phone," Dempsey said, holding out his hand to Harry.
"Ooh, who are we telephoning?" she asked, fishing her mobile out of her bag and handing it to Dempsey.
"New York stock exchange," he replied.
She frowned. "We are? Are you buying up Wall Street, Dempsey?"
"Not exactly," he said, opening the phone. "Watch and learn kids, watch and learn," he winked.
With the phone stuck to his ear, and yabbering away down it, Dempsey sauntered up to the barrier, joined one of the two queues, which was dwindling down towards a young woman with a clipboard, and attempted to walk straight past the woman with his pretence of distraction from the phone. Harry followed, clueless and quite tipsy. Eddie was similarly tipsy, but far more cautious and convinced that Dempsey's attempt to enter the party fraudulently was going to end in shameful embarrassment for them all. He wasn't far wrong; it was only Dempsey's sheer audacity that saved him as the woman halted him and asked for his name. He pointed to his phone, whist pretending to continue talking, in the hope that she'd just let him pass. She wasn't to be put off however.
"If I can just have your names," she finally said, turning to Harry instead, "then I can tick you off my list and you can go in."
"What!" Dempsey exclaimed suddenly, making them all jump. "The numb nuts! I told him to sell! Sell, I said, sell!" he shouted. "We need to talk; it's urgent," he said, grabbing the elbow of a bewildered Harry and pulling her out of the queue, swiftly followed by an anxious looking Eddie.
"I'm guessing that didn't work," Harry giggled.
"Need a plan B," Dempsey confirmed.
By that time, Harry was quite invested in joining in the fun at the other side of that barrier and she thought hard, trying to recall, through the haze of alcohol, what tricks she'd used as a teenager to break into parties with her friends. Her eyes flicked between the two clipboard holders and the queues that were forming in front of them. Then she remembered what to do. It was a bold move. She'd have to appear soberful and senser… no, soberable and senserful… good grief! Okay, what about sober… just sober. Yes, that would do, she'd be sensible later. "Watch and learn kids," she said suddenly, tapping Dempsey on the arm and pointing to the second queue. "Watch and learn." And with that, she boldly marched over to the queue, merging into it.
"Oh, not again!" Eddie muttered, following them both and trying his hardest to hide amongst the crowd from the woman in the other queue who had already asked for their names. "Suckers for punishment, both of them!"
Eddie waited, with a feeling increasing nervousness, as Harry neared the guy with the clipboard. Maybe she was planning on charming him. Oh goodness, that was the oldest trick in the book. He'd never go for it.
"Hi there, can I have your names?" the guy asked.
'Here we go again,' Eddie thought.
"Sherridsem …" Harry mumbled.
Eddie tried his hardest not to do a double take. What did she say?
"Sorry, what name was that?" the guy asked.
"Ah, it's you again. I told you it was him," she said to Dempsey.
"I didn't think it was him," Dempsey replied.
"Oh yeah, hi. I need to tick off your names though," the guy said. Eddie's heart sunk. "It's regulations," he added apologetically. Now they were done for.
"Of course, we understand. It's Swedirst ," she confirmed, making sure to mutter the name.
The guy screw up his face in an attempt to understand what she was saying. He scanned his list, frantically looking for a name that was anything like the jumble of sounds the woman was so adamantly trying to convey to him. Harry strained to look over the clipboard, her eyes running down the column of names, avoiding the ones which had been crossed off, and finally plumping for one that seemed to fit her purpose.
"There we are," she said, confidently pointing to the name, "Crawford!"
"Oh, of course," the guy smiled, relieved to have finally found their name. He ticked the paper and stood to one side to let them through.
Eddie was astounded.
Dempsey was impressed.
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Once in the grounds of the mansion they realized why it had been so difficult to get into the party: it was quite an event. The setting, with the mansion house in the background certainly helped. But the array of food and drink on offer, not to mention the entertainment, was impressive. The first thing that caught everyone's eye was surely the huge hot air balloon, floating on its tethers in front of the lake, a body of water that had presumably been created by damning the once flooded moat circumventing the building. The noisy 'whooosh' of the hot air flooding into the balloon to keep it aloft, mingled with the sound of a brass band playing 'Down By The Riverside," evoking images of the Deep South in a tribute to the American family who were hosting the event.
"Not bad," Dempsey said, assessing the scene as he placed his arm around Harry's shoulder and strolled leisurely down the central pathway with her. Lining the path, which wound through the gardens and led ultimately to the front steps of the house, were stalls of many different kinds offering all sorts of sweet and savoury treats.
"Want to go for a ride in the balloon?" Eddie asked, almost skipping behind them now that they had got into the party and he was enthralled by all the excitement.
"It ain't for takin' out guests tonight," Dempsey replied. "Maybe they'll take it out as a prize for somethin', or probably it's for the birthday kid."
"That doesn't seem to be stopping him from trying to get a ride," Harry observed as one drunken partygoer, dressed in a tux no less, attempted to clamber over the balloon basket and was dragged away by security.
But Dempsey wasn't interested in the man who was trying to commandeer the balloon; he was gazing out across the gardens at the food and lemonade stalls, the brass band, the parade, the red white and blue ribbons and the star-spangled banners.
Harry noticed his distraction as the arm around her shoulder tensed and she turned her head to look up into his face. She watched him taking in the scene.
"Are you missing home, Dempsey?" she asked.
"A little," he admitted. "Brings back memories… of, ya know, festivals, 4th July celebrations, that kinda thing, when I was a kid. We had some fun times."
"It must have been difficult for you, living here before," she reflected.
"Nah. It weren't so bad," he replied. "Took a bit of getting' used to at first though."
"Are you looking forward to going back?" she asked, unsure if she really wanted to hear the answer to that question. The whole subject made her feel uneasy for some reason.
"It aint the same no more," he confessed bluntly. "C'mon, let's take a look at some of the food vendors. Bet ya not seen this kinda food before," he said, taking her by the hand and leading her towards a row of food booths.
"Come on Ed," she called to him. "Come and see all this American food."
Eddie was busy following one of the waiters who was carrying a tray of drinks, but he gave up once the waiter disappeared into the crowd and went to see what Harry and Dempsey were looking at.
"Know what those are?" Dempsey asked, pointing to some strange looking food on sticks, which looked uncannily like bulrushes.
"No," Harry replied. "Do you know Ed?"
"Not a clue," he said.
"Corn dogs," Dempsey informed them, ordering some and offering them to Harry and Eddie.
"I'm not really hungry after all that food we had," Harry said apologetically.
"It don't matter," Dempsey smiled. "I'll eat these, and then we can get some more later."
"I'll have some now!" Eddie cut in, reaching for a corn dog.
"Knock yourself out," Dempsey replied. "It's sausage and… well, corn. Tastes good."
"Yeah," Eddie confirmed with surprise, munching his way down the stick. "Hey, you should try these, Harry."
Harry was amused at Eddie's enthusiasm for Dempsey's festival food, and the fact that Dempsey seemed thrilled that someone was taking an interest in it.
"I'm just full at the moment Ed, but I'd like to try one later," she said, smiling at Dempsey. "I think Eddie might be hungry Dempsey, what other delights have we here?" she asked.
"Well, ya got your regular cotton candy," he began.
"Candy floss," Harry corrected.
Dempsey frowned. "Ya aint gonna clean ya teeth with it."
Harry nodded. "Point taken."
"Then there's ya candy apples."
"Toffee apples," Harry corrected again. "They are coated in toffee," she pointed out.
"Okay, I'll give ya that one," Dempsey conceded.
"Then there's your…" Dempsey suddenly noticed something that piqued his enthusiasm, moving stalls to order more food. "… Philly Cheese Steak," he said, calling to Eddie. "Ed, you're gonna love these!"
Eddie trotted over to the stall enthusiastically. "Yeah? What are they?" he asked.
"A roll filled with goo," Harry observed.
"Your finest, thinnest slices of beef steak smothered in cheese sauce," Dempsey corrected.
"You convinced me," Eddie said, reaching for the Philly Cheese Steak that Dempsey was handing him and taking a bite. "Woah, so good," he confirmed, with a mouthful.
Dempsey grinned. "You bet," he agreed. "Hey, ya gotta try one of these," he said to Harry after spotting another treat. "We never did have dessert," he reminded her, ordering more food.
"Go on then," she smiled. "What do we have here?"
"Funnel cake," Dempsey replied, as if she should know what it was.
Harry glanced down at the plastic plate that Dempsey was holding covered with thick noodle-like coils of batter, dusted with icing sugar.
"Try some," Dempsey urged.
"Err," Harry wasn't quite sure how to approach it, but without the use of any eating utensils, she simply broke a few strands off and popped them into her mouth. Dempsey observed, fascinated by the way that his favourite sweet treat disappeared past the glossy lips of his favourite lady. Her tongue presently emerged, licking the sweet powder residue from those lips of hers. Dempsey found himself envious … of what, he wasn't quite sure. "Mmm, tastes a bit like crunchy doughnuts," she concluded.
"Yeah," he said with a sneaky smile as a thought hit him. "Take another bite," he urged, holding the plate up for her.
She glanced at the funnel cake and a thought of her own occurred to her. Reaching slowly for another taste, she acted at the exact time that he did, so that it appeared they had both read each other's minds, and in a sudden 'puff' from the two of them, powdered sugar flew into both of their faces.
They simultaneously burst into laughter.
"How did ya know?" Dempsey asked, brushing the sugar from his face.
"Must have as wicked a mind as you," she replied, suddenly realising the implications of that idea and sobering. "Good Lord, we're in trouble tonight then."
"Oh, I do hope so," he grinned. "Look, you're covered with powdered sugar now. Here, let me help you with that," he said with a mischievous smile as he proceeded to brush the white icing sugar form off her black top while she watched suspiciously. Beginning with her shoulders and neckline, he progressed downwards, his smile slowly growing as he assessed her curves and pondered whether to continue or not.
"Dempsey?" she questioned as his hand was poised, and he had stilled for a moment or two.
A grin broke out. "I guess you can get the rest," he said, deciding that he just couldn't push his luck that far, at least not there.
She laughed and finished the job, brushing off the remains of powder from her top with her free hand. He glanced sideways at her as they moved past the stall.
"So jealous of that hand," he said under his breath.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothin'," he replied.
"Want another drink?" Eddie asked, heading for a slushie stall on the opposite side of the path. Harry and Dempsey followed. "What about one of these specials?" he said, noticing the sign advertising the patriotic 'Red White and Blue' frozen cocktail.
"Why not," Harry replied.
"Three of the specials then?" the barman asked.
"Yep," Eddie confirmed, watching with interest as the barman prepared the drinks.
"Are they good?" Eddie inquired.
"Oh yes," the barman answered, placing the three drinks onto the bar in front of them, "but I warn you, they have a kick to them."
Eddie, Harry and Dempsey picked up the drinks and eyed them suspiciously.
"Here goes nothin'," Dempsey said, taking a sip and immediately recoiling at the strength of it. "Woah, that does have a kick."
Eddie took his turn at trying the drink and reacted similarly. Finally, Eddie, Dempsey and the barman waited to see Harry's reaction. Taking a taste, she smiled.
"Mmm, nice and fruity," she said, taking another sip to the surprise of the others.
"Has she got the same drink as us?" Dempsey asked.
"Exactly the same," the barman laughed.
"She's one tough cookie," Dempsey replied, shaking his head as they took their drinks and moved on.
"Hey you two, you have got to try that," Eddie said, pointing across the pathway towards the lawn. "It was made for you," he said, urging them to walk with him.
As they followed Eddie, Harry realised what he was talking about. A huge duck hunt stall had been set up, with youngsters trying their luck at shooting down as many ducks as possible to win a prize.
"Ahh, now we're talkin'," Dempsey said, handing his drink over to Harry and pushing his way through the groups of children to get his hands on the gun.
The children parted in surprise and watched Dempsey with interest.
"Set 'em up Joe. I'm gonna get meself one of these 'ere ducks," he said, picking up the gun and taking aim.
The children giggled.
"Look at the cute duckies," Eddie said to Harry, watching the yellow fluffy tailed tin ducks sail past in rows.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Eddie's face fell. It was a duck massacre!
"What'd they ever do to you?" Eddie asked.
"They never ducked," Dempsey chuckled.
The children were jumping up and down with excitement at this point, after they had recovered from the ear-splitting barrage that had come from the gun.
"Prize winner," the stall attendant announced. "That's some pretty fine shootin'," he said to Dempsey. "Chose yer prize, anyone yer like."
He turned to Harry. "Me lady," he gestured to the rows of soft toys hanging up behind the attendant. "The prize be yours."
"Hmm," she contemplated her choice, immediately noticing a peaked flat cap police hat amongst other hats in a basket on a side bench. Then she turned her attention to the soft toys, scanning the rows to find one that took her fancy. Finally, having decided, she turned to the attendant and asked beseechingly, "Could I please have two prizes, one big and one small?"
He nodded. "Go ahead, what would you like?"
"That hat," she said, pointing out the police hat, "And one of those monkeys, please."
The attendant fished out the hat from the basket and turned to the row of different coloured monkeys hanging from their long dangling arms, which were fastened around the rope by their Velcro hands.
"Which colour would you like?" the man asked.
"Err, blue please," she replied.
Dempsey's eyes widened in realisation of something and his head shot up.
"What?" she asked.
He covered up his discovery by commenting on her choice of prize. "Good one, Harry. Police monkey," he said, as she placed the hat on the monkey's head. He took the toy off her, opened its arms and draped it around her shoulders, securing it in place with its Velcro hands so that it seemed to be hanging down her back, its arms linked around her neck, its head peering over her shoulder. "Cute," he commented. "What's his name?" he asked.
"Errm…" she thought for a moment, smiling with amusement as a name came to her. "Gordon," she laughed.
He burst out laughing with her, "Gordon it is."
"Do it again, do it again!" the children chanted, jumping up and down in front of Dempsey.
"Again?" Dempsey teased, glancing at Harry.
"It looks like you have a new fan club," she laughed.
"Okay, who wants me to win them some prizes?" he asked to the sound of excited cheers and replies of,
"Me!" "Me!" "Me!"
"Alright then, set 'em up again Joe!"
While the annihilated ducks were once more brought to life by the attendant, Eddie took it upon himself to organize the children into a more orderly line.
"Stop pushing now, come on. Into line now. You there," he said to one wayward child, "You see that man?" Eddie pointed to Dempsey.
"The gunslinger?" the boy asked.
"Yes, the man who's really good with the gun. Want to know why he's so good at shooting?"
"Why?"
"Because he's a real cop from the USA," Eddie informed him.
The boy frowned for a moment, unsure whether to believe what Eddie was saying. "You a real cop, mister?" he asked Dempsey.
"Sure am," Dempsey replied. "Come over here from New York City, just to sort you kids out," he said, swinging the toy gun in their direction.
The children's mouths fell open.
"But I gotta shoot meself some of these here ducks first," Dempsey added, turning the gun back to the shooting range.
The children breathed big sighs of relief.
As Dempsey took aim once more, Harry felt someone tugging at her arm and looked down to see a small girl trying to get her attention.
"I've seen that man on TV," the girl said shyly.
One of the boys from the crowd overheard her and shouted out, "No you haven't!"
"Have too," she came back.
Dempsey looked up at the commotion and Harry asked him with a grin, "Have you been on TV, Dempsey?"
"Not recently," he replied with a smile. "A while back, maybe."
"I told you I'd seen him," the girl piped up.
"Don't tell me," Harry leant forward to whisper to Dempsey, "It was New York's most wanted, right?"
"How did you guess?" he replied, turning to see a row of children, waiting goggle-eyed for Dempsey to shoot. "I hope you're as impressed with me," he went on.
"Hmm, I doubt it. I've seen you use your gun before," she grinned.
Eddie turned his head, astounded.
"Ya know," Dempsey began, addressing Eddie, "Sometimes I wonder if she truly realizes what she's said, or not."
Eddie shrugged. "I'm no wiser, and I've known her for years."
Harry gave a knowing smile. Then the air exploded into another,
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The children fell to the floor, crouching down with their hands clamped over their ears, and the little girl's hand found Harry's.
"You can come out now," Eddie assured them, "The ducks have all had it."
"Come and pick your prizes," the attendant shouted, enchanted by the comradery between Eddie, Harry, Dempsey and the children, and quite glad for the entertainment. "Only from the baskets now. One at a time," he stressed as the children all rushed towards him.