The Angel Expedition

Chapter 2 - Angel

He walked confidently through the grand open doors of the Kew Gardens Temperate House into the noise and commotion of the large busy hall. Violins were being played and alcohol was being consumed, and he could see a handful of waitresses and waiters in black and white uniforms darting between crowds of people and numbered tables. Some of them were carrying silver trays of canapes and others were carrying silver trays of champagne flutes with their white-gloved hands.

He loved going there early on the weekends to stroll through the beautiful botanical garden, when not many people would be there to disrupt his thoughts, and it offered him a break from his quiet home and overcrowded loneliness. But on this particular evening, the garden and its grand, glass house looked different, as it was filled to the brim with first-class guests, and as he scanned all of their unfamiliar, attractive faces, he realised how much he preferred being there alone.

The entrance hall's tall, white walls and large, white marble pillars strangely made him feel at home, almost as if he belonged there amongst the interesting fine diners in tailored tuxedos suits and their wives in their beautiful floor-length dresses of all colours and designs. And although it was very convincing, he knew very well that he didn't.

He forced a smile on his handsome face as he walked further into the building, for no man looked as extraordinary as he, and as he entered the main dining hall, everyone turned to look at him, their conversations halting to an unexpected stop. He glided past beautiful women with glasses of champagne in their manicured hands, each lady fluttering their eyelash extensions at him as he passed, hoping that he would spare them some time like in a romantic aged fairy-tale, but he continued past them without noticing their silent pleas, dodging waiters and waitresses who were carrying trays of food and drink until he eventually reached the large, round table where Mr Bertrand Emrys was sat. He was drinking a pint of lager and eating another slice of cake, and as he noticed Mr Carlisle walking towards him, he stood up as fast as he could, the pint glass in one hand and the slice of cake in the other, like he couldn't bear to let them go, not even for a second. Evidently, he didn't care as much as to hide his discrepancies this time, which was most likely due to the amount of alcohol that was rushing through his system.

"Ah, Mr Carlisle, you made it!" he exclaimed, crumbs flying and alcohol spilling. "Welcome, welcome!"

"Sir," Mr Carlisle nodded as he came to a stop in front of the old gentleman.

There were six empty pint glasses on the table in front of the chair that he had been sitting on, and the handsome man in the tuxedo suit raised an eyebrow as he observed the scene. He noticed how Mr Emrys had altogether forgotten about his diabetes due to the sheer excitement from his expedition being granted.

"Have a drink, my boy, have a drink!" the man sang, shoving his lager in his employee's face and spilling more alcohol everywhere.

"You know I don't drink alcohol," Mr Carlisle replied firmly as he pushed Mr Emrys's sticky alcohol-soaked hand away, dodging the liquid that came out of the glass so that he didn't get any on the tuxedo.

"But tonight is a celebration!"

"I'll have water, thank you," Mr Carlisle told his drunk boss assertively, and poured himself a glass of room-temperate water from the jug on the nearby table. No one had touched it, so the jug was still full, the guests choosing to consume alcohol over fresh water throughout the entire evening.

Mr Carlisle was not originally sure that he was going to attend but decided that a change of scenery would perhaps be good for the mind, so he had arrived at the celebrations a couple of hours late, which meant that he had missed the three-course meal that Mr Emrys's had arranged. He didn't mind, though, as he preferred to prepare all of his meals himself, and never went out for dinner or bought any ready meals.