A Nightingale in Parkleigh Square

Chapter Twenty-One

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N ina's dress from New York, the pink one she wore on the date, was nice, but it wasn't going to do for the formal dinner, that much was certain. Unlike Molly's black velvet one, an off the shoulders neckline with a silhouette-hugging contour and a flared skirt near the bottom. Paula's discounted dress might not be a designer's label, but it looked the part.

"We have to get you something better," said Molly.

"I thought I'd go to one of the shops this morning," said Nina. "Vincent recommended a couple of places I should try."

"He did?" teased Molly. "Giving you fashion advice already? Are you sure he's interested in you as a date and not as a client?"

"Okay, that joke was beneath your twenty-first century status," said Nina, grinning. "He told me I could get a bargain if I went to one of those places."

"Want me to tag along and help you choose?" asked Molly.

"No, you stay here and finish with your stuff," she said, shouldering her bag. "I won't be long. I'm going to check on the decorations while they're setting up for the party, then I'll come back to change after you and Bradley are on your way."

"You'll miss the big lights cue where we switch on the satellite trees," said Molly. "I told the event planner we'd cue up so they can take their photos before the guests arrive. The place has to look great before Simone walks in."

"I'll make it before the boss arrives, promise," said Nina. "I'll take a cab."

At the dress shop, she tried on multiple gowns, but it was the red one that intrigued her most, almost a deep rose, a blue hue at its heart bringing it close to a wine color. It was sleeveless and made out of a soft, sheer fabric that could be wrapped to create a variety of bodice styles. When the shop assistant helped her try it on, it looked like a perfect fit.

"The great benefit of this style is that it's ready to wear, which means you can take it today," said the clerk. "I know it's not a designer label, but it's really trendy right now to wear this style and cut. What do you think?"

"I think this one is the right one," said Nina. It was about how great it looked, not the label inside.

She imagined walking through the door with a handsome escort on her arm — a certain top designer for Simone Van Stewart, for example. Not going to happen.

Already, she had pretended not to pick up on his hints they go together. For one thing, she or Molly was supposed to meet with the event planner one more time before the party. And another, no matter how much she liked him, she shouldn't let it spiral into something more.

I keep kissing him, and that's bad enough . Time was about to run out between them. It wouldn't do any good to appear at a party with him, to meet his friends, and he probably sensed it, too, even though he didn't want to admit it yet.

At Van Stewart's, the drapes protecting the trees had already come down, unveiling the finished decorations, ready to be lit for the party. Nina tested the ambient lighting one more time to be sure it was working. She adjusted some of the decorations which had been brushed against accidentally by the event staff setting up the food table. Everything looked stunning. How could Natalia find fault with this scene tonight? But her hawk-like vision would probably only see the glitter and crystals were all fake plastic, and the ornaments were recycled glass — fresh from the Thames' garbage heaps.

Molly and Bradley were already on their way to the Billington by the time she hurried back to the inn to change. She slipped on the dress, wrapping it in an ornate halter-neck style she had seen in a fashion magazine of Val's. Perfect. She coiled her hair up, pinned it, and added a pair of earrings.

She texted Molly to let her know she was on her way, and exited the cab at the foot of Parkleigh Square. The central tree was aglow with a thousand white lights, its golden tinsel glittering. Some tourists were still here taking photographs of it, and of the quartet of carolers performing in the square tonight, in old-fashioned costumes. Just behind this scene, the new Van Stewart sign looked shiny and opulent, above the glow from the Billington's Christmas window scenes.

Tonight was the big reveal. The event planner's catering crew had arrived with their bow tie uniforms and polished silver trays for carrying champagne and canapés, and had set up a table for a towering croque-en-bouche showstopper dessert, covered with wisps of spun sugar. Vincent had been telling the truth — there was a live string quartet near the stairs, who were warming up their instruments.

The forest of frosted trees twinkled with clouds of lights — the icicles and snowflake lights draped throughout the branches slowly pulsed with a warm flicker of light, like candles set in ice votives.

Molly and Bradley, both dressed in their elegant formalwear, stood near the second-largest flocked tree, where Nina joined them.

"Have we tested the ambient lighting again?" she asked, trying not to feel nervous. A thousand butterflies were fluttering inside her, since the guests would be arriving any minute now, judging from the catering crew's activities.

"Relax, we don't have to, it's fine," said Molly. "We'll cue the system in a few minutes. The design staff will be coming through the doors earlier than Simone — word from the event planner is that she's running late, so the hostess has deputized Natalia to be here ASAP."

"Great," said Nina. "Here we go." It was better to pull it off like a big bandage and have it over with. If Natalia hated it, then Simone would probably give it a mere shrug of approval. Either way this went, she had to prepare herself. They had to go on.

"I think we're ready," whispered Molly. She sounded excited — Molly always sounded that way, even when nervous about something they were trying to do. "Switch, Bradley."

She pointed, and Bradley pressed the remote's button. In cue with the latest cycle of the specialty lighting on the trees, the light projectors cycled to a soft glow of rose and gold hues, the colors of dawn in three soft shades of light.

All the crystal and glass ornament textures reflected rosy light, glittering like real ice. The snow contrasted, seeming even more white and glistening by comparison. The dangling snowflakes prisms from the staggered 'curtain' of snow light they had created pulsed slowly, mimicking the flash of falling snowflakes drifting by. Everything was reflected in the large mirrors, creating the illusion that the woodland winter forest went on, expanding the dawn horizon of the lights.

The first guests were walking through the doors, and Nina heard exclamations of surprise and genuine wonder. They like it , thought Nina. At least it struck someone in tonight's crowd as beautiful, no matter what their hostess might think.

"They're actually taking a photo," whispered Bradley, with a little grin. "Look, it's not a failure." He gently nudged Nina's side, pointing as one of the guests took a snap from their phone of the main tree.

"Here comes Natalia." Molly turned around, taking a sharp breath, which was totally out of character. Nina felt the same nerves grip her system, and tried to fight it. The store's future manager had just entered, her coat removed by one of the event staff. Already, her lips were slightly pinched as she spoke to her assistant, who was handing her back her clutch and phone.

As Natalia turned and saw the decor, her face registered surprise. Nina felt Molly grip her arm. Was this pleasant surprise? Or the look of somebody who saw a winter woodland so fake it might as well be in a box store's holiday section right next to the 'fifty percent off all outdoor lights' sign?

Natalia's expression was completely blank. In that moment, Nina realized that the store's manager was fighting her reaction — an impulse to like the decor? The struggle even twitched one of her cheek's muscles. After a moment, she recovered herself, looking slightly flustered as she smiled and spoke to one of the guests.

Nina and Molly exchanged glances. On Bradley's face, another grin appeared. "Okay, that was interesting," he said. "Did we just see that?"

"I think Natalia actually let us have the points," said Molly, whose laugh betrayed her surprise. "She expected a total disaster. We just overwhelmed her with 'wow.'"

"That's a recommendation. Do you think we just got a recommendation?" Bradley looked at Nina for this last part, who was having trouble coming up with words momentarily.

"I think it's totally possible," she said. "But —"

"Yeah, yeah, we know, the evening is young, the party's just starting, and the eminent Simone Van Stewart and company have yet to arrive," said Molly. "Things could happen. But we just scored our first victory of the night, so I'll take it."

Me, too . Nina couldn't help thinking of Natalia's face, like a priceless postcard reaction. Anything could still go wrong, it was true, but they had earned that moment.

More guests arrived, and soon the Billington's impressive main floor was filled with models, photographers, designers, and their entourage, making conversation and listening to the classical Christmas medley from the string quartet. Servers made the circuit with trays of champagne, and Nina tried a glass — way better than what she had at the last wedding she attended, she noticed right away.

"These little finger foods are pretty good," said Bradley, who was eating little puff pastry rounds garnished with caviar and watercress.

"The ones at the pub are better," said Molly. "Except the cheese one, that's some kind of French aged stuff that's to die for."

"Simone still isn't here, is she?" Bradley craned his neck to search the room. "Do you think she's still coming?"

"She's probably just running behind more than they thought," said Molly. "She wouldn't miss this party. If we're lucky, when she walks through the door, she'll have as good of a reaction as Natalia."

"Maybe she stopped to admire the scene in Parkleigh Square tonight," said Nina. She sipped the champagne, watching Simone's designers greeting the newest guests — like Natalia, they were filling in for their boss in her hostessing duties. Vincent was among them, wearing a tux.

Nina checked the monitor for the battery power to the lights, and checked the settings on the ambient lighting's cycle, making certain everything was good at the small station hidden beneath the stairs in a box shelf covered by fake snow. From here, she scanned the winter wonderland filled with chatting partygoers, all the way to the main doors of the new Van Stewart's, which is how she spotted the entry of its namesake. Simone was instantly greeted by Natalia and two assistants, who were taking her coat and pointing towards one of the guests, who was probably a famous last-minute addition to the party.

Simone turned to survey the room. At that moment, Nina pressed the button on a tiny remote in her hand, switching on the lights inside the glass nightingale tree topper that Reina had created, atop the room's central tree. From Simone's perspective, Nina knew she must be seeing the dawn behind the frozen forest, reflected in all its decorations, including the bird at the top.

The designer's gaze rested on the tree topper longer than all the rest. On her face was a soft expression that Nina could only describe as speechlessness — as if the designer could not have offered comment if she had tried. Someone spoke to her, but she didn't seem to hear them momentarily; when she broke away to reply, her gaze turned back again, just for a moment.

"More champagne?" offered a waiter, but Nina shook her head.

"Thanks, but I'm pacing myself." From the designer's amazement, her eyes had drifted towards the guests surrounding their hostess, including Vincent. For a moment, she thought maybe he was looking around, trying to spot her in the crowd.

Now that the impression was made, and there was nothing that could be changed — it seemed like the right time to join him.

The room was crowded, so she made her way patiently and steadily across it, catching a glimpse of Molly and Bradley talking to the event planner. She had lost sight of Vincent in the crowd, but when she felt a hand touch her shoulder, she knew it was his.

"I was hoping you'd save me a dance," he said.

"I kind of thought about it," she answered, coyly.

"Did you? I'm glad. I thought maybe you would be too worried about the impression this place made to enjoy the night," he said.

"This is more of a case of que sera, sera ," she answered, smiling — trying not to look into his eyes for too long, just so she wouldn't feel the urge to kiss him right away.

"Nina," he said, softly. "I know that you probably can't change some decisions, or change your mind about what you're doing in the future, but I want you to know I've enjoyed this time together so much that I wish you could. And I want you to know it, no matter what ... so I have this for you."

He handed her a small red box with a gold bow on top. "Merry Christmas," he said. "I know it's early. Tonight seemed like a good time to give it to you."

"What is it?" she said. "You didn't have to give me a present." She felt flustered, another blush trying to take over as she lifted its lid. Inside, a Christmas ornament was nestled among the paper, a glittery Big Ben with a little UK flag hanging beneath the iconic clock's face.

"Just something to remember this time by," he said. "I thought being an actual timepiece, it would be kind of ironic. Maybe cute?" He smiled at her, with a hopeful expression that melted away all of Nina's resolve like a Caribbean breeze across winter snow.

"It's beautiful," she said. She couldn't think of any other words to say, feeling so confused it was impossible to define it — like a part of her was torn with regret at this moment, for the first time.

Having him look at her made it harder. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't — the only thing that saved her was the sound of the crowd's conversational buzz dying around them.

Vincent turned his head. "Simone's speech is about to begin," he said, looking in the direction of the main tree.

Nina turned around, as the designer took her place in front of it, trading her champagne glass for a mic handed to her by one of her assistants.

"Welcome," she said. "I wish to thank all of you for coming to this party in celebration of our London store's grand opening. Tonight is a beautiful celebration for a New Year of goals and aspirations ... ones which I hope will bring our brand to patrons who have only just begun to appreciate its quality, ingenuity, and heritage. Tonight ... seems a tribute to those three attributes."

She paused. "Beauty is a gift which the world can never have in too much abundance, whether it is created by our hands or found within ourselves. Let us celebrate it tonight, and tomorrow, and in all the days which are to come, so we may contribute as much to this gift as we can in our lifetimes. Merry Christmas to you all. Please, have a wonderful time tonight."

As the designer handed back her mic, Nina turned to Vincent. He was gazing at her, the smile in his eyes replaced by a look both serious and soft. Nina felt her own growing softer, fading into the same tenderness.

"Vincent! Over here," someone called, waving to him. "Simone wishes a word."

"Duty calls," he said, smiling down at Nina. He kissed her cheek, then broke away to rejoin the design team. With a sense of conflict and disappointment, Nina watched him go, then turned again to the forest of Christmas trees, her fingers enfolding the little box with the Christmas ornament inside, that touching little gift that had made her smile only a moment ago. If only , she thought, then stopped herself before she could admit to herself she was thinking it.