The Golden Miller’s Halloween Party that night was in full swing by the time Kate and Saskia walked through the cobwebbed doorway. Weaving their way to the bar, Kate was already regretting coming as Batwoman as her homemade wings slapped unwitting zombies and vampires every way she turned. Saskia, intent on winning Best Dressed, had gone all out with her blue spandex Avatar-themed jumpsuit, but was leaving a trail of blue make-up on everyone and everything she touched.
Eoin, the pub landlord, sweated through his blood-stained bandages as he handed the girls their drinks. ‘Six eighty, please,’ he puffed.
‘Leonie!’ cried Saskia, conveniently removing herself.
Kate rolled her eyes and took out her purse.
Mindful of her wings, she stood on the foot-rail to search the sea of cleaver-sliced heads for a familiar face. It wasn’t an easy task when the entire pub resembled a Waking the Dead meets The Avengers set.
In defeat, she returned to ground level and carried her and Saskia’s drinks over to her sister’s party. Leonie was dressed ready for a new term at Hogwarts while her boyfriend, Declan, Aspen Valley’s main veterinary support, looked a fright in a Freddy Krueger jersey and hat. Nursing a Bloody Mary, he looked bored with his company and greeted Kate with a warm, albeit slightly scary, smile.
‘Howsa goin’, Kate?’ he said. He regarded her costume and nodded. ‘Batwoman?’
‘Yes,’ she replied with relief. Her costume had been put together more through her own creativity than with any loyalty to the traditional character, and it was good to know she was still recognisable.
Saskia took her drink from Kate and said, ‘Although Batwoman didn’t have wings.’
‘Well, it’s convincing enough to me,’ replied Declan.
‘Do you recognise mine?’ Saskia said, jutting out one hip and posing, felinesque.
Declan frowned and pulled a doubtful face.
‘She’s Neytiri from Avatar, of course,’ Leonie tutted.
‘Never heard of it,’ he replied, sending Kate a conspiratorial wink.
A hand slipped around Kate’s waist and she jumped, more in surprise than in fright, as Dracula sidled up beside her. Ben grinned, fang-toothed, from behind the upturned collar of his cape. ‘Good evening,’ he murmured.
‘Ben,’ Kate gasped and choked out a laugh. ‘Good grief.’
‘My, my, my,’ murmured Saskia, regarding his costume with a luxuriant arching of her spine that was intended to provoke a similar surveyance. She looked him up and down and Kate noted the satisfied pout on her sister’s mouth. Saskia liked dangerous men and one couldn’t get much more dangerous than Dracula. Kate had to admit he carried off the claret waistcoat and frilly white shirt very well.
‘Have you heard from Nicholas?’ Kate asked. ‘I still don’t know if he’s coming.’
‘I’m here. Sorry I’m late.’ Nicholas appeared from the crush of people and he immediately spotted Ben’s hand around Kate’s waist. Ben dropped his hand at his brother’s frown and took a step closer to Saskia and Leonie.
‘You came,’ Kate said as he pecked her on the cheek. His nose was cold from the outside air. ‘I didn’t think you would.’
Nicholas held his arms wide to reveal his rather safe costume. ‘You said we didn’t have to go to extremes. You look terribly mysterious though.’
Kate wanted to use the same excuse, but the words refused to come. Nicholas was certainly dressed differently, in a white tunic over beige chinos and what appeared to be an LED tube light hanging from his belt, but beyond that she hadn’t a clue who he was meant to be.
‘Luke Skywalker, right?’ Declan saved her.
Nicholas beamed. ‘The very one. How are you, Declan?’ He shook the vet’s hand with the both of his then looked around with satisfaction. ‘This looks an interesting party, doesn’t it?’
*
Interesting, definitely, but a couple of hours later, it was verging on rowdy too. A group of zombies that Kate recognised from Aspen Valley were trying to play volleyball with a carved pumpkin across the bar-restaurant partition and glasses and bits of pumpkin were flying everywhere.
Kate, Nicholas, Declan and a couple of Declan’s friends sought refuge at a table and were laughing their way through a game of Sixty Seconds at which Nicholas was surprisingly good. Saskia, Ben and Leonie had disappeared, although Kate did catch a glimpse of Ben ordering drinks. The bar lights warmed his already olive skin tone (he certainly had the best tan Kate had ever seen on a vampire) and his eyes crinkled as he laughed with Eoin. Eoin looked to be persuading him to take part in the Best Dressed competition, which was struggling for attention as the ‘voters’ were too busy having a good time to watch the contestants parade.
Kate cheered when Saskia sashayed her way down the wobbly catwalk. Her pose and pout was met with appreciative wolf-whistles from drunk wizards and zombies. Kate’s workmate, Billy, was next up, sporting a Grim Reaper-slash-Scream outfit. After stumbling up the steps in his swathes of black sheets, it was to no-one’s surprise when he went arse over tit and landed face-first on a bottle-strewn table, nearly taking out Snow White’s eye with his plastic sickle. In fact, it got the biggest cheer of all the contestants.
‘Are you going to take your chance?’ asked Nicholas.
Kate shook her head. ‘I can’t compete with this lot. Are you?’
‘No way.’ His laughter faded and his expression became grim. ‘Oh, look who is though.’
Ben had mounted the steps to the catwalk and was doing a dramatic show of whipping his cape around to hide his face then revealing a sparkling canine. He stopped at the end of the catwalk and jutted out a sexy hip. The female contingent whooped in appreciation as he met them all with dark and smouldering looks. Laughing, Kate clapped as Ben took a bow and leapt from the stage in a whoosh of satin cape.
With the last contestants paraded, Eoin laboriously climbed the catwalk steps to announce the winner, his bandages by now falling away to reveal a red and sweaty face.
‘The winner in our women’s category is—’
Someone somewhere beat the bar to create a drumroll.
‘—Nefertiti,’ Eoin announced.
The Golden Miller cheered in approval. Saskia looked even bluer than before.
With Nefertiti dispatched with her complimentary bottle of booze, Eoin asked for quiet again. ‘And the winner of our men’s category is—’
Cue drumroll.
‘—Dracula!’
About ten different Draculas cheered at the news. The only one who wasn’t fighting his way to the stage was Ben, who was having too fine a time laughing with friends.
‘No, no! Not you lot. Him!’ Eoin said, pointing at Ben.
Hands pushed a surprised-looking Ben to the stage and once he realised what was happening, he cheered as well. He lifted his alcoholic prize in a victory salute, showing off a lithe and athletic figure beneath the cloak. The overzealous screams of the pub’s female population made Kate’s eardrums quake.
*
Kate returned her attention to her table, but out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Ben pouring his bottle of champagne into Saskia and Leonie’s glasses. She noticed Nicholas watching as well. ‘Ben looks like he’s having a whale of a time,’ she said.
‘Yes. Doesn’t he?’
‘He must be shattered what with racing all afternoon and we were schooling his horses all morning.’
Nicholas frowned. ‘I thought you had the weekend off.’
‘No, I visited Thistle Lodge Stables this morning.’ She faltered as Nicholas tensed. She glanced across at Ben again, seeing him tap the champagne bottle against Saskia and Leonie’s glasses in a toast. ‘Just to help out. Ben’s got a horse I used to know from Aspen Valley.’
Nicholas patted her hand in a feeble attempt to reassure her. ‘Of course. Will you excuse me for a moment? I must just pop to the Gents.’
Kate looked back at the board game, which Declan and his friends had abandoned. She and Nicholas had been winning, mainly thanks to Nicholas’s prowess, but also to the gradual deterioration of the other players. With every drink Declan sank, the more incomprehensible his Irish accent became.
‘Kate!’ he hollered from two feet away. He bumped across to sit in the chair beside her and lolled an arm across her shoulders. ‘I could fix you up wit’ one of my brot’ers, you know. They’re new to town, like, and t’ey could do with a grand girl like yerself.’
Kate smiled. ‘Thanks Declan, but I’ll pass. I’m not really on the market as such.’
‘Are you not now?’ he said in surprise. ‘Who is the lucky fella?’
Kate paused to see if he was being serious, but his expression was one of complete ignorance. ‘Er – Nicholas? You know, the guy I’ve been with all night?’
Declan looked delighted. ‘Is that right? I was after t’inking you were just friends, so.’
Kate supposed he had a point. Nicholas hadn’t so much as laid a finger on her knee all evening. ‘How many brothers do you have?’ she asked (there was no harm in having a back-up plan).
‘Four,’ he said, holding up three fingers then correcting himself. ‘An’ all workin’ in the good business too.’
‘Which is?’
‘Hoss racin’, of course. Kian, he’s the brains behind the whole t’ing. Settin’ up camp over Bracken Fields way. Wants us to do the whole lot, breedin’, racin’ and—’ Declan paused, as if sure there was a third cog to the wheel, but quickly gave up, ‘—and breedin’.’
‘That sounds very ambitious.’
As Declan got stuck into telling her all the plans they’d made to establish an O’Keefe racing empire, Kate’s gaze strayed back to The Golden Miller’s crowds. It had slimmed, somewhat, with the conclusion of the Best Dressed competition. The draft from the door opening and closing was making the tea-light inside the table’s carved pumpkin flicker and her eye was drawn to the entrance.
To her surprise, she recognised Nicholas and Ben standing outside in the cold. They were arguing. Kate craned her neck, but the door swung closed again and blocked her view. She looked around to where she’d last seen Saskia. Her sister and Leonie had their heads together in an intense gossip session only interrupted by refills of Ben’s champagne bottle.
‘I’m not sure Bracken Fields will ever be big enough to require my full-time attention, but it’s a nice t’ought, do you not t’ink so, Kate?’
‘Hmm?’ she said at the mention of her name.
The young vet looked at her expectantly, if not entirely focused.
‘Um, yes. Absolutely.’
*
Nicholas was back five minutes later with fresh drinks. There was no trace of his argument in his expression and no sign of Ben anywhere either.
‘Everything okay?’ she said.
Nicholas beamed. ‘Yes.’ He tapped his beer against her lemonade and took a sip. ‘Reckon I’m going to have to take a taxi home after this one.’
‘I could give you a lift?’ suggested Kate.
‘I live the far side of Bristol. I couldn’t ask you to go all that way. Thank you though.’
Kate became uncomfortable under his gaze as she realised there was an alternative. No, she wouldn’t be bullied into inviting him back to her flat. Not that he was bullying her, not in the slightest, but the option had now been presented.
She wasn’t ready to take that next step. Hell, they hadn’t even kissed properly yet and the thought of Luke Skywalker undressing Batwoman and vice versa didn’t lend much romance to the deed.
They were just finishing their drinks when Saskia weaved her way over to their table.
‘There you are. Leonie and I are going clubbing in town. Will you drop us off?’
‘Town as in Bristol?’
‘Yes.’
Even though she’d been happy to drop Nicholas off just a few moments before, Kate was not so inclined to do the same for her sister. ‘I’m not your taxi service, Saskia.’
Saskia pouted. ‘Where’s Ben?’
Kate had a mind to tell her not to use him as a taxi service either, but thought better of it.
‘Tell you what,’ said Nicholas. ‘Why don’t we three share a taxi? I’ll pay.’
No amount of blue make-up could mask Saskia’s horror. ‘You want to come clubbing too?’
‘No,’ Nicholas laughed. ‘I’m going home to bed, but we can detour through the city centre. It won’t be a problem.’
Saskia swayed and exchanged none-too-subtle glances with Leonie. ‘And you’ll pay?’
Nicholas nodded.
Saskia shrugged. ‘Okay then. Thanks.’
Nicholas took out his mobile phone to call a taxi company while the girls finished off the champagne.
*
They bid Declan and his mates goodbye and stepped out into the frigid air.
‘Where is Ben?’ Kate said, rubbing her arms. It felt more like the depths of winter than autumn.
‘Gone home, I expect,’ Nicholas replied.
Kate was dying to know what their argument had been about. Apart from natural curiosity, she’d like to put Nicholas straight if they’d been arguing about her visiting Thistle Lodge Stables. Then again, she’d sound awfully arrogant to presume it was all about her.
‘How long will the taxi be?’ she asked instead.
‘About two metres, I should think. Maybe a bit longer.’ A small smile tugged at his mouth.
Kate snorted. ‘Ha, ha. How many minutes will it be, smart ass?’
‘Ten minutes. Where’s your car? There’s no point in you freezing with us.’
Kate pointed down the street in the vague direction of where she’d parked and Nicholas took her arm.
‘I’ll walk you.’
Knowing what must surely come next as they reached the semi-privacy of her car, Kate fumbled through her handbag for her keys. At last she got the door open. ‘Right, well, that’s me off then.’
Nicholas stepped forward and ran his hand up Kate’s arm. His fingers were warm, but Kate still shivered. He leaned in, then began to chuckle.
Kate gave him a doubtful look.
‘Sorry, it’s just that this isn’t how I imagined things to go,’ he said.
Relieved that the awkwardness had been removed from their situation, Kate lifted her mask, making her face ten times colder.
‘That’s better,’ murmured Nicholas, running a finger down her temple. ‘Now I can see you properly.’
He cupped her face with his palm and kissed her. His nose was cold against her cheek, but his mouth was warm. Kate closed her eyes. As she responded, Nicholas increased the pressure and moved his body closer to hers. A long hard – something – pressed against her hip.
Crumbs, she’d underestimated him.
Nicholas’s kiss faltered and he pulled away and looked down. Kate realised it was his makeshift light sabre.
Nicholas gave a nervous laugh. ‘Sorry.’ He winched his belt round, so the tube was no longer in the way. ‘Can’t risk breaking that or I’ll be cooking in the dark for the next week.’
He kissed her again, long and slow, and Kate felt like a snowflake melting. Only the shouts from up the street where Saskia and Leonie were still waiting for the taxi interrupted them.
Kate pulled away reluctantly. ‘Looks like your ride’s here.’
Nicholas looked disappointed, but opened her door wide for her to get in. ‘Yes. Safe journey home.’
Kate stepped in, not easy with batwings attached. ‘You too.’
Nicholas was about to shut the door when he hesitated. ‘Kate, I don’t want to rush you into anything, and I don’t want you to read too much into this, but—’ He hesitated, making Kate hold her breath. ‘Well, you see my parents are throwing a Guy Fawkes party on the fifth. There’ll be a big crowd, so it’s nothing too intimate, don’t worry, and Dad always has a great fireworks display—’ He grimaced and looked at her for the first time to gauge her reaction. ‘Would you like to come along?’
Kate thought for a moment. Yes, it was a little early to be meeting the parents, but it didn’t sound like a sit down meal where she’d be grilled about her suitability as daughter-in-law.
‘I’d like that,’ she said.
Nicholas let out his breath, fogging the air, and grinned. ‘Great.’