Music in the Key of Love

Chapter 12: The Party (Pt 1)

Wow. Graham watched her descend the stairs.

She was a vision. The dress pulled taut in diagonal lines from breast to hip with every step, accenting the lines of her slender figure.

"You look good," was all he said, but Cressida could see the appreciation in his eyes.

"Thank you, so do you." And he did, in a dark gray suit with polished shoes.

"Shall we?"

They got on the crowded subway for the ride uptown, changing at Times Square. Cressida wondered how many people at this party took the subway to get there.

They arrived just after seven and were shown into the building by a uniformed doorman. Cressida noticed that the elevator was exclusive to the top floor, no numbers just the letters PH, embossed in gold.

So it was the penthouse, the pinnacle of living in New York City.

"I feel a little underdressed," she confessed to Graham as they rode up.

"Don't be stupid, you'll be the prettiest one there," he assured her.

The doors opened into a foyer where a coat check was waiting for anyone who needed her. A beautiful chandelier hung over the space, along with an arrangement of fresh flowers to greet guests.

They entered the apartment, which was a vision of cream and beige, something straight out of a magazine. The wood floors were polished to a high shine, and Central Park and the West Side shone through the windows.

And this was just the living room.

Cressida didn't know about being the prettiest, but she was definitely among the youngest people there. Nearly everyone was middle-aged, with that self-satisfied air of having arrived, of having everything they wanted. They all looked like they'd be good at tennis, and had ski lodges in Aspen.

Graham, in particular, with his dark hair, size and vitality, stood out like a lumberjack at a tea party.

"Graham! Thanks for coming," Professor Thurman began, approaching him with arms outstretched to take his hand.

"My pleasure," he responded. "You remember Cressida?"

"Oh! Of course, welcome, dear Cressida," the Professor said, turning to her with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She turned back to Graham. "You know where everything is, right? Drinks over there, buffet on the other side, as usual. Help yourselves to whatever you like, but don't drink too much, we want you at your best for later."

Cressida turned to Graham as soon as the Prof was out of earshot.

"She didn't know I was coming, did she?" she asked in a whisper that was almost a hiss.

Graham was grinning as he walked them over to the bar. "No," he answered briefly. "Did you see the look on her face?"

"Graham, it's not funny! How could you just bring me without telling anyone?" Cressida felt terrible, unwanted and out of place.

"Oh, calm down. What's the big deal? It's not like they won't have enough food for you or anything." Graham ordered red wine for himself and turned to Cressida. "What'll you have, Cress?"

Cressida sighed and turned to the bartender. "Whiskey, neat," she requested. She was already pulling her ID out of her bag so she could show it to him, and was surprised when he didn't ask. Cressida got carded wherever she went.

Graham was grinning at her again. "He's not going to ask, it's a private party," his eyes said.

The bartender placed the drink before her, smiling at her. He had nice eyes and a friendly smile. He also seemed to be one of the younger people in the room.

"Thank you," Cressida said to him, grabbing the drink and tossing it off like a shot.

"You're very welcome," the bartender said admiringly, whisking the empty glass off the counter.

Graham quickly led Cressida away before she could order another drink. "Was that bartender flirting with you?" he asked.

"What? Of course he wasn't flirting with me." But when they looked back, he was still watching her, with that friendly smile. Cressida waved, though Graham snatched her hand down almost immediately. "Hey, there are worse things than having a bartender like you," she told an astonished Graham. "Sometimes I can get free drinks for the night if I flirt right."

"Yes, well, all the drinks here are free anyway, since it's an open bar, so there'll be no need for any of that," Graham said briskly, leading her toward the buffet.

They were waylaid on their way by an older woman in a very low cut dress.

"Graham, darling! I was hoping you'd be the entertainment for tonight!" Her eyes were piercing blue, and took in Graham from top to bottom, making him feel like a side of beef on a hook. "And who do you have with you hm? Who's this little thing?"

"This is a friend of mine, Cressida Parker," Graham said, grasping Cressida by the elbow and trying to go around the woman. "We were just headed for the buffet."

"Try the shrimp tartlets, honey, they're divine." The woman patted Graham on the chest. "You will play the Pathetique tonight, won't you? Since you didn't last time."

Cressida bristled at the contact.

"We'll see. I'm not prepared to play the Pathetique tonight." Graham was finally successful in getting around the woman, and he and Cressida reached the buffet.

"Wow, what a barracuda," Cressida remarked, looking over her shoulder.

"More like a piranha," Graham corrected. "Diane Wallace Bridgerton. She's a huge donor for the Prof's charities, so she's always invited to these things."

"Graham! There you are." It was Katherine, dressed in a simple white summer dress that must've cost a few thousand dollars. Her sheaf of blonde hair lay over one shoulder in all its golden beauty, and rubies glittered in her ears.

Cressida felt like a homely country cousin in her green and yellow dress.

"Oh, you brought Cressida, how marvelous."

Cressida smiled, trying to overcome her feelings of inadequacy.

"Hi, Kath." Graham's tone was offhand.

"So Graham? You know Diane's here tonight? She's good for ten grand, easy, if you'll play the Pathetique and keep her happy, so mum wanted me to ask if you would?" Katherine, too, put a hand on Graham, though it was his arm and not his chest. Cressida looked at the gorgeous ruby ring that she wore, and wondered how many months of rent could be covered by its cost.

"Like I told her, I'm not prepared to play the Pathetique tonight," Graham answered. "And I didn't bring the music with me."

"Don't be silly, you know we have dozens of copies of that one," Katherine responded. "And of course I can turn over for you if you like."

Graham sighed. "Okay, I'll do it. But Cress here can turn the pages for me, your services won't be needed."

Next to him, Cressida felt like she'd been poked with a cattle prod. Did he just say she'd turn the pages for him while he played this piece she'd never heard of? She, Cressida, who couldn't even read music? Surely not.

"Oh, all right," Katherine answered, obviously disappointed. "I'll just be your back up, then."

"Katherine!" someone called, and she walked away, leaving the two of them blessedly alone.

Cressida turned on Graham. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" she asked desperately. "I can't turn pages for you in front of a room full of people! I can't even read music!"

Graham looked down at her, his expression benevolent. "You'll do fine, Cress, I'll nod when it's time to turn, and you just stand up and turn, that's all. We can even dog ear the corners so you have something to grab onto."

"No! I won't do it!" Cressida saw the French doors that led to the terrace, and headed over, needing fresh air.

No way was she going to do it.