"I'll be there shortly," he replied.
Rose was also about to leave but he had some questions for her and she for him that clearly were not going to wait until Saturday.
Hardy was the first to speak as they walked outside.
"So why have you got two tickets, no boyfriend to go with and you're asking a complete stranger to go with you all for the sake of giving one of the locals the impression you have a date for the night."
Rose didn't feel like answering him but she should explain since he had initially agreed to go with her.
"I get free tickets, I'm a school governor and no, I don't have a boyfriend at he moment, left him behind in London, well rather he left me behind, he went off to travel the world when I wanted to settle down, you know how it is. He wasn't as serious as I was I guess. As for keeping the locals at bay, well one local, he really is a creep, he's just not my type, he's shaved his hair off, talks like a kid and he gives me the creeps. Last year, I was dancing with my friend Beth when he tried to cut in to dance with me and I almost decked him."
She could see the detective was finding this amusing.
"Well, I suppose I could help you out just this once. I don't see any harm in it. You have any questions for me? Such as how I know your stepfather?"
"Lucky guess," Rose thought. He continued. "Met him at a conference in Glasgow, a top secret conference with only senior local Police Officers present, including me. He had vital information for us he wanted to share."
Rose knew what that was, how the Cybermen had managed to disappear off the face of the earth suddenly after they had all been locked up. She vaguely remembered Pete going away for a few days but he never said where he was.
"So at this conference, he just happened to mention he had remarried and had a young son and a stepdaughter did he?"
Rose was curious. Pete didn't often talk about his new family to strangers even when he'd had a few drinks, he was well trained to not divulge any information.
"We were talking on the first night, there were just the two of us in the bar, I was telling him about my daughter, how I'd lost her when my wife left me for another man, another DS and he was really sympathetic."
He looked at her, she could have easily been Peter Tyler's real daughter but he knew the man had lost his first wife to those metal menaces all that time ago and they had no children.
Rose felt sorry for the detective and there she was, conning him into taking her to the dance to get rid of Nigel. She felt guilty now but it might actually cheer him up and he might enjoy himself. She could live with the fact he had a daughter but was he still married or did he get a divorce? He must be at least separated or he wouldn't be here, he'd be back in Glasgow trying to get his wife back.
Alec decided he had told this woman enough for now.
"Right, best be off, work to do and criminals to catch. It was nice meeting you Rose and it would be my pleasure to escort you to the dance on Saturday night, as a repayment for your stepfather being really understanding of the situation I had found myself in. Leave the ticket at the door, no point in you standing outside waiting for me. I'll get the address and time from Miller."
They said goodbye and Rose couldn't believe that she actually had a date for the dance. She would tell that Nigel to shove off in no uncertain terms if he tried to approach her. The problem was though that she always got there early because it was expected of her to be there when people arrived. She could talk to people before Alec Hardy arrived so she would be in less danger of being cornered.
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Ellie was waiting for Hardy when he got back and followed him into his office, closing the door. She was testing the waters with her new boss but there was no way she was going to let him anywhere near Rose if he was going to mess her around, absolutely no way and she was going to tell him.
"So, did you make the arrangements then?" she asked as she pulled out a chair.
Hardy looked up from the screen he had absent-mindedly turned on when he'd sat down, hoping Miller would go away. Ellie was waiting for an answer before she tackled him.
"I said I'd meet her there so you best give me the time and place and directions to get there plus, I want to requisition a car for my own use, I'm tired of being driven around everywhere. Well don't just sit there, get on it, I want a car waiting by the end of the day."
Ellie just shook her head at him and got up.
"Don't let her down because if you hurt her, boss or no boss, you'll know about it. I look out for her, she has no-one else here."
She wasn't sure about this, she personally couldn't put up with the man for a few hours let alone having him take her friend to the dance.
Hardy just nodded slightly to say he got it then asked hopefully, "Do you have a telephone number for her then?"
"I'm not giving you it without her permission. I'll ask her when I next speak to her."
With that, she went to arrange a car for him and hoped he'd wrap it around the nearest lamp post so he still had to be driven around but she wasn't that vengeful as to adding only if he walked away from it.