Of Silk and Death.

Chapter 20

We walked down the stairs and closed the panel door behind us.

"Go around the ballroom. Keep an eye on her." Peter said as he lifted the curtains. "I'll go get George. He needs to introduce himself."

"Are you sure his drinking will not hinder the plan?" I asked.

Even if George had started to drink a bit, hopefully, he would still be sober enough to follow instructions, Peter said. I looked at him hesitantly, but there was no more time for reflection, just for action. So I nodded and walked away from behind the curtain, moving around the edge of the ballroom, my eyes stuck to the woman in the gold dress.

I felt exhilarated as I spied on her. I thought this was how cats felt while trying to catch a mouse, but I was fully aware she just looked like a mouse, and at any moment, she could turn into a giant tiger and swallow me whole.

I saw Peter avoid getting close to her, and with a rapid pace, he managed to reach George, who just smiled at him as he heard his instructions. God, he was tipsy, but there was no more choice. I then saw Peter grab him by the shoulder and walk him closer to the woman while the young man laughed and talked in his tipsy state.

The woman suddenly stopped and walked to one of the dancers, observing how the young girl danced to the music, almost hypnotized by her movements. Peter used the opportunity to push George again, this time making him clash accidentally with the woman, who turned, surprised.

The moment she saw George, she stared at him, her eyes narrowing. Then she smiled pleasantly as George began to talk to her, and she nodded to certain words.

"She's so good at pretending," I thought.

She was moving her head, but as I focused on her face, I could clearly see she was not listening to anything he was saying. It was like a doll. There was nothing behind her eyes except for hunger.

I walked along, getting closer to both of them.

I smiled a little, excited. It seemed George was going somewhere with the woman when suddenly, I felt someone touch my back.

I turned around, scared it could be Mother, but then saw it was Minnie, looking drunk and bitter. Her mascara was ruined, and she was babbling something.

"Oh, you scared me," I exclaimed, laughing, pretending it was nothing serious.

"Where's Peter?" she asked in that slurry drunk voice.

I asked her what she meant, and she asked me where Peter was again, as she had to talk to him about their relationship. I sighed, annoyed.

"Minnie, no, it's not the time," I told her, "Peter is busy right now."

But she didn't care, and she kept repeating the same question over and over again. I turned to look back at George, and fortunately, nothing had changed; he was still talking to the woman.

I then turned back to Minnie and told her I didn't know where Peter was, trying to sound honest, but she didn't believe my lies, calling me a sneaky witch for taking him away from her. I groaned, irritated, as I tried to control the drunk woman, but she suddenly slipped away from me and began walking away.

At first, I was fine with that, but when I realized she was moving toward George and the woman, I panicked.

"Minnie, where are you going?" I exclaimed, beginning to chase after her, pushing people away, as I was sure Minnie would hurt our plan.

I kept calling her as she walked away, drunkenly swaying around the ballroom. But I was too late to stop her as she reached George, and he, in his own tipsy state, couldn't prevent her from interrupting his date.