A Subtle Flame

Part 10

CHAPTER NINE

 He was standing by the drinks table, talking passionately to Dr Greatorex and gesticulating with his hands.  Cressida's eyes had searched for Davis as soon as she entered and found him immediately.  He would have been hard to miss, his height gave him the advantage over Dr Greatorex and most of the others in the room.  But it was his animated, dynamic presence which distinguished him from the introverted, hushed crowd.

             As Dr Greatorex answered him – from the other side of the room Cressida could barely hear the mumble of his voice – Davis tugged uncomfortably at his collar and tie.  He was disconcertingly formal that evening, wearing a charcoal-grey suit and lilac shirt.  The exact way the suit fitted over his wide shoulders and flat stomach suggested that it had been professionally tailored.  Christian often sarcastically mentioned that Davis had a rich family.  But if it was true, Davis generally seemed careful not to let it show.  Even his expensive clothes that evening were understated, without the loud pin-stripes which might proclaim it as a product of Savile Row.

             Cressida slipped off her jacket and hung it over the back of a chair where there was a heap of discarded coats.  She tugged at the cuffs of her dark green blouse and glanced down briefly to check that there were no soggy leaves clinging to her black mules.  Her toes were already beginning to smart in the unfamiliar shoes.  The sooner she could get this over and done with the better.

             She started to make a bee-line for the drinks table, smiling at the lecturers and research students she recognised.  Her gaze was caught by a stare from Dr Lesley.  Ignoring Professor Peebles who chatted to her, Dr Lesley fixed Cressida in a frowning glare, causing Cressida to look quickly away, her face suddenly burning.

             She is staring at me! Cressida gasped at the woman's rudeness.  Am I under scrutiny this evening?  Being watched to make sure that Davis and I don't do anything improper?

             Cressida's approach to the drinks table continued, but her steps were awkward and self-conscious.  As she asked the uniformed waitress for a glass of red wine, she laid her palms down on the white cloth of the table to steady herself.  She was now only a couple of feet from Davis and his mellow deep voice was clear.

             Was Dr Lesley worried that I was going to walk straight up to Davis?  And what would she do if I did?  Rugby-tackle me to the ground?  Cressida gave a wry smile at the thought of the immaculately preened woman launching herself at her.

             Cressida accepted the full wine glass with a murmured 'thanks' and turned to face the crowd once more.  She refused to look in Dr Lesley's direction, certain that her disapproving gaze would still be fixed on her.  Professor Peebles, the guest of honour that evening, was sporting a rather vibrant pink bowtie.  One of the more stylish rooms in the department had been chosen for the occasion.  Instead of faded lino and stained beige walls, there was a navy carpet and wood-pannelling.  The guests were a select group of only about two dozen staff and postgraduate students, which would rise to no more than thirty by the time Peebles got around to giving his speech.

             Not that Cressida planned to stay that long.  These events were a chore at best.  Lecturers, and the majority of research students she knew, are strange creatures, Cressida mused.  People who spend most of their waking hours in solitude, pouring over dry, academic books and writing dense prose on esoteric subjects, do not, on the whole, make stimulating party guests.

             Out of the corner of her eye, Cressida caught Christian staring fixedly at her.  Oh no, not another one!  Are they going to do this every time Davis and I are in the same room together?  Well, if they're on edge at the thought that I might dare to exchange some small talk with Davis, they can relax.  I have no intention of giving Davis an opportunity to taunt me this evening.