"So you see Geoffrey, this party would be a wonderful way to see all our friends in one go. We do have certain social obligations, after all." Nancy was bringing Geoffrey round slowly. She knew that he, like herself, was keenly aware of their standing in Sunset Valley, and susceptible to social pressure. It had never bothered her previously, as she had a similar outlook, but now, trying to persuade him to let her invite her friends around, it grated somewhat. Luckily, Geoffrey had had a rather nice glass of port at his club after work, and was feeling benevolent.
"Well, and why not," he said cheerfully. "If you're sure you can handle the work, I have no objections, my dear. We'll have to invite the Goths, of course, and the Altos - I know you don't like Nick, dear, but I'm sure you can put aside your petty squabbles for a nice dinner."
"Actually," Nancy faltered, "Nick and I have been getting along much better at work recently." Geoffrey's eyes narrowed, and she continued hastily, "not that I've seen anything of him socially. No doubt he's still an absolute boor outside of the office."
Geoffrey chuckled. "No doubt he is, but he is still a major player in this town. Please do try not to offend him, or his ghastly wife."
Nancy laughed as well, relieved. She went on, shamelessly appealing to Geoffrey's social climbing instincts. "And I thought we could invite the Goths and the Wainwrights, and that woman from the military - Erin Kennedy. She's relatively new in town, but I believe she's rather high-ranking in the forces."
Geoffrey sighed. "I hate those stiff-upper-lip military types. I suppose she's single? She looked a bit of a harridan to me."
"Yes," said Nancy innocently, "I believe she is single. She certainly isn't married."
Geoffrey groaned. "Then we'll have to invite a single man to even up numbers." He racked his brains for someone who wasn't too interesting or good-looking for a military spinster. "Why not Gobias Koffi?"
Nancy smiled. "Perfect. I'll start drawing up a menu. This is going to be such fun!"
*****
It was the proverbial dark and stormy night. Erin stood at the door, feeling as though she were about to launch a night assault over enemy lines. She was astonished to see Nancy open the door in her underwear, and usher her over the threshold frantically.
"So glad you could make it Erin, you're the first to arrive, can I offer you a drink, I do apologise for my unreadiness, Geoffrey's taken Malcolm out somewhere and hasn't come back yet, and
I'm not ready." Nancy was on the verge of tears, and babbling in her effort to maintain the facade of perfect hostess.
Erin stepped inside quickly, and shut the door behind her. "Nancy, breathe. Keep breathing. Breathe more slowly. Breathe more deeply. Now. Better? Good. OK, is there anything on the stove? I can take care of that, while you get dressed. Let me help, it's going to be ok."
Instead of answering, Nancy shrieked, and ran to the kitchen, where a pot was just about to bubble over. She yanked it off the hob, and turned to Erin, looking exhausted.
"There's nothing left to do. Please, you're a guest in my home, you don't have to help."
Erin sighed. She'd met types like this before; people who tried to do everything, over-reached themselves, and messed up.
"No, Nancy. I don't have to help. I am offering to help, because you're in a complete state, and that's not going to fix anything."
Nancy sighed, and something seemed to give inside her. Erin was shocked to see a tear drift down her cheek. "I can't do this Erin. You're right. I don't know what's happened to Geoffrey and Malcolm, and people will be here any minute. I just want to collapse."
Erin frowned. "They'll be here. What needs to happen next is for you to put some clothes on, Nancy. I will keep an eye on things in here. You go wash your face, get dressed, and calm down. Geoffrey's whereabouts is not something you have any control over right now. I'm sure he will be back, with Malcolm, before people arrive."
Nancy half-sobbed. "He knew this was important to me. I know he'll be back, with Malcolm, just in the nick of time, having left me all evening to get everything ready, and then he'll swan in and act the perfect host, and if I say anything, I'll look like a shrew. And I'm
not a shrew, Erin!"
Erin looked at her seriously. "No, Nancy, you are not a small rodent. You are an extremely capable woman. Who is wearing next to nothing. Go and get dressed. We can talk about this when you're not throwing a huge dinner party. And I promise I will be there when you do need to talk it out."
Nancy threw her arms around Erin, still half-crying, then ran upstairs without another word. Erin was disturbed. She had not seen Nancy in any other state than perfectly in control of herself. It had sounded like she thought Geoffrey's actions were deliberate and malicious, rather than simply thoughtless. Erin did not have a clue what to do in this situation, and had no superior officer to go to for advice, so she simply stirred the sauce until Nancy came back downstairs, wearing a rather garish gold trousersuit, and looking as composed as ever. If she hadn't seen her just minutes earlier, Erin would have sworn those perfectly made-up eyes had never dropped a tear. No sooner had Nancy reached the bottom of the stairs, than the doorbell rang. Nancy stepped smartly up and opened it with a bright smile, welcoming Nick and Vita Alto as warmly as if they were family. "How lovely to see you! Do come in. Geoffrey's just popped out, but he'll be back any minute. Would you like red or white nectar? We're having white with the starter, but there's plenty for an aperitif..."
******
The dinner party was a moderate success. As predicted, Geoffrey had shown up with Malcolm just a couple of minutes after the Altos had arrived, booming apologies and warm greetings to all and sundry. He had clasped Erin's hand firmly, and shook it slightly harder than necessary. Erin was used to men doing this - other soldiers never felt the need to prove their masculinity, but sometimes civilian men felt a little insecure. She paid it no mind. "
"Ms Kennedy, it's delightful to meet you," he beamed. "It is so nice to get to know Nancy's friends, she's so secretive about them!"
Erin, deeply uncomfortable, took refuge in her military training. "I generally go by my professional title, but please call me Erin, Mr Landgraab," she said, saluting smartly.
"How charming," Geoffrey smiled, unveiling his impressive teeth. "Geoffrey, please. Let's not stand on ceremony, ha ha."
Erin smiled tightly. Luckily, she was rescued by Susan Wainwright, who seemed sweet, and very interested in Sunset Valley's military, although she appeared to think it was just an extension of the police department, and twice asked if Erin knew her daughter Blair. Vita, who had said very little to anyone, received a phone call, and apparently had to leave quickly. Nobody seemed particularly surprised by this, Erin noticed.
Dinner itself was delicious, and Erin had no problem offering a sincere compliment to the chef, who blushed. Gobias eagerly agreed with Erin, which he had been doing for much of the evening, and Nick Alto, who was now outside the best part of a bottle of nectar, guffawed. "Jolly good, Gobias! That's the way to a filly's heart, eh? Rule number one - they're always right!" Erin stared at him, then, surprising herself, laughed along. Nick was obviously an arrogant chauvinist, and she wouldn't trust him as far as she could throw him (which, she thought ruefully, was not very far), but his sheer lack of self-consciousness meant that you could no more hate him for his bad traits than a cat for killing mice.
After dinner was finished, Geoffrey called the menfolk into his study for "some rather nice port I picked up a few years back." Nick roared with laughter at this. "Geoffrey, you old fraud, if it's the one I think it is, I saw you buy it from the club last week." Geoffrey stormed off, quickly followed by Boyd and a rather nervous Gobias, leaving Nick still chortling, to go after them in his own sweet time.
Nancy quickly jumped up to clear dishes, and Susan and Erin got up to help.
"I must say," said Susan peevishly, "I do rather resent the notion that we wouldn't like port as well. I prefer port to dishes, at any rate."
Erin privately agreed, but had seen too much of this behaviour in the forces to be surprised. "You're not missing much, Susan," she said. "They will have a glass or three, they will all pretend to be able to distinguish the nuances of the flavour, and then they will tell each other terrible jokes, play a drinking game, and end up with no trousers." Susan looked at her, astonished, then burst into a peal of laughter.
"I must say, I can't imagine Gobias with his trousers off, but that sounds exactly the kind of thing that Nick would do."
Erin grinned. "Seen it happen a thousand times, take it from me." She unloaded the pile of plates into the dishwasher. Nancy was completely distracted, flitting around tidying things away that Erin had not even noticed until Nancy pounced on them, squeaking with distress at the terrible state of the house.
Nancy remembered some apparently vital task she had left undone in the kitchen, and, apologising profusely, went off to take care of it. Susan and Erin watched her go with some amusement, but as she disappeared, Susan turned to Erin with a serious look on her face.
"Erin, I know you haven't lived here very long, but does Nancy seem ok to you?"
Erin was completely wrong-footed. "I, umm, what exactly do you mean? She seemed fine tonight, didn't she? Little stressed, but then, that's hosting, or so I hear."
Susan sighed. "I've barely seen her in months. And when I do see her, she seems... well, she's not normally this...
scatty. In school, we used to call her Ice Queen, and she loved it, but she seems less... in control than she used to."
"Honestly, I don't know. She seems a little on edge, that's for sure."
Unseen by them, Nancy had returned, and was listening to their conversation.
Susan leaned in "You know, Geoffrey is a charming man, of course, but I can't remember the last time I saw Nancy alone."
Erin, of course, remembered very well, but nodded. "I think the best thing is just to let her know that we're there if she needs us. She'll let us know, she's a sensible woman."
Nancy listened in the shadows, choking on her own tears. She knew she wasn't a sensible woman. A sensible woman would never have got herself into this position. A sensible woman would be able to get things right, rather than messing up, angering her husband and upsetting her friends. She cleared her throat, and walked confidently towards Susan and Erin, smiling brightly.
"It was absolutely wonderful to see you this evening," she said to both of them. "We must do this more often." Erin and Susan agreed that they would love to, and Erin made a move to the door.
"I'm afraid I have to leave now," she said. "Please say sorry to your husband for not saying goodbye in person, and thank you both for your extremely kind hospitality." She hesitated, looking from Susan's worried face, to Nancy's hopeful one. "I'll see you soon Nancy, I'm always around if you need anything." Without saying anything more, she plunged into the dark night. Nancy sighed, and seemed to sag a little as she went. Susan watched her shrewdly, but did not say a word.
