Gaby Book 16 - Sweet Sixteen

I’ll give him his due; he didn’t miss a beat, “Frau Langenheide, what a surprise.”
“I hoped you’d be here, I don’t think I’ve made your friends acquaintance?”
The way she said that oozed disdain, I didn’t like her already.
“I’m sorry,” Max started, “may I introduce my Verlobte, the Honourable Gabrielle Bond, daughter of the Earl of Warsop.”

The poor woman’s face. It went from bluster through shock to, well I’m not sure what.
She made an attempt at some sort of curtsey, “er very pleased to meet you your honour, is the er Earl here?”
“I’m afraid not Frau Langenheide.”
She seemed taken aback that I knew her name.
“I, erm, its nice to have met you fraulein, I should go mingle, Max.”
She made a particularly deft about turn for someone of her size and headed off across the room.

“So what exactly was that all about? Earl of Warsop?”
“The woman’s a total snob, she’s been trying to get me and Giselle together for ages.”
“Giselle?”
“Her daughter, she goes to some fancy boarding school in Luxembourg.”
“What was that Verlobte thing?”
“Um, you know, betrothed,” Max allowed.
“Max! She thinks we’re engaged!”
“Er sorry.”
“You can be such a, oooo!”
“I suppose a snog’s out of the question?”

The rest of the evening did go better, the punch wasn’t really alcoholic and I know our ability to do a passable waltz didn’t go un-noted. The food was very much posh nibbles, I’m glad I’d already eaten; I cut straight to the dessert table! We did find an empty side room but I’m not telling you about that though.

Despite not wearing my usual ten centimetre heels, I opted for something lower due to my sore feet, well by ten my tootsies were on fire and I found a seat out of the way, Max went off for more drinks. As a consequence I was a captive audience when the raffle sellers blitzed the room.

“Got you too,” Max chuckled returning with two cups of punch.
“Um yeah.”

I was still bemused, I’d got a twenty note out to buy a single strip for five but somehow I ended up with no money but a pile of tickets, that was slick.

“You get some good prizes,” Max suggested.
“Oh?” I managed, still gob struck by my purchase.
“There was some track day thing at the Ring last time, I think there some fancy make over thing at the spa as well.”
“You suggesting I need a makeover?”
“No, no, I was just saying.”
“Hmmph!”

We didn’t have to wait too long for the raffle to be drawn, well the head Lion person gave a bit of a pep talk thing first, how much ‘we’d’ raised tonight – I guess my €20 will go to some of their ‘good works’. Some people aren’t that competitive but me, well if you don’t want to win don’t take part so I was right there for the draw. It was a mixed bag of prizes donated by various group benefactors; indeed, they were quite good for the most part.

I was only two numbers away from a patio heater but none of the other tickets were anywhere close to my numbers. Max just stood next to me looking amused.

“What?”
“The look on your face, you can’t influence the draw you know?”
“I know,” I agreed slightly defensively.
‘And our last ticket.’ The master of ceremonies requested.

The young woman tasked with drawing the numbers thrust her hand into the drum. She selected a slip of paper and passed it to the MC.
‘Lucky last for someone, remember this is for a meal for two at Schloss Rech donated by Baron Wilhelm von Strechau himself,” he paused to open the ticket, “on the pink, two five three, that’s two hundred and fifty three.’
That’s close to mine I think, the second strip started at 250 so that means, “I’ve won! Here!” I waved my winning ticket in the air with delight.

“You do realise what you won?” Max asked once the excitement settled down and the dancing, slow dancing resumed.
“Dinner somewhere expensive?”
“You got that bit miss hollow legs.”
“Somewhere I know?”
“You really weren’t listening were you?”
“Not really,” I had to admit.
Max shook his head in amusement, “lets just say you could eat there anytime.”
“Not the Sebenschuh’s?”
“I’m not sure what goes on in your blonde noggin sometimes, not the Stube, think castle?”
“That schnitzel place in Nurburg?”
My dance partner face palmed himself, “Schloss Rech dumbo.”
“You’re kidding,” I let the dumbo go for now, “your Dad’s place?”
“Is there another Schloss Rech? Yes our restaurant.”

It could only happen to me, it’s almost like winning something you donated yourself.

“You’re kidding,” Mand exclaimed as I concluded my compulsory debrief over hot chocolate.
“That’s precisely what I said.”
“Come on you two, bed,” Dad suggested, “its gone one.”
“Aw!”
“We need to be up and sorted fairly early tomorrow remember.”
“Yes Dad,” I agreed, at least it isn’t like when we went the cross the other week.

“So the tights were okay then?” Mum enquired as she gunned the car up the lane towards Staffel and the Preiser’s farm.
“You didn’t have to buy Wolford, cheapos woulda done.”
“Maybe but they’d probably ladder and then where would you be?”
Okay, she’s got me there, cheap hose doesn’t last that well but even so.
“Yeah well, er thanks.”
“So what did Willie say to your raffle win then?”
“They thought it was hilarious, he offered to pay for a meal somewhere else instead.”
“I take it you said yes to that?” Mum surmised.
“Nah, I’ll give the voucher to someone as a present or something.”
“Anyone in mind?”
“Maybe,” I allowed before being stunned to silence by the white-knuckle ride up the hill, Mum’s driving doesn’t improve.

“Marty’s up with the girls, they’ll be done shortly,” Erika advised, “coffee?”
“Go on,” Mum agreed.
“I’ll go and help Bern if that’s alright?”
“Sure Gaby, you know the way.”
I left the seniors to their coffee and headed up to the girls room.

“Hiya, can I come in?”
“Oh hi Gab, sure,” Bern told me, “You can take the case down if you like Mart.”
“I’ll take the case down,” he agreed, “see you downstairs.”
“Thanks,” Bern held his arm a moment; I’ve seen Mum do that with Dad, got to be good.
“So?” I enquired once Herr Preiser was out of earshot. “Everything okay I was worried when I couldn’t get through to you.”
“Well, not quite to my plan but I think things should work out even better,” she enthused.
“Don’t keep me hanging, spill!”
“So we get to the restaurant and Mart’s like all nervous and stuff.”
“He was at school,” I put in.
“Anyway we ordered our food and he beat me to it, asked me to marry him!”
“Marry him!”
“Shush, you’ll wake Drea.”
“Marry? But you aren’t sixteen yet, I thought you had to be sixteen?”
“You do but you can still get engaged.”
“What about the other stuff, Drea’s birth certificate and that?”
“He’s okay with that, once I’ve done that we can apply for the German documents. I didn’t tell him about the rest, wasn’t any point as he proposed.”
“What do his parents think?”
“Well we’ve not exactly told them.”
“Ah.”
“We will, but not just yet.”
“Lets hope it gets the Social off your back,” I opined.
“Yeah, plan A is now plan B so there’s a fall back position.”
“You gonna tell your Mum?”
“She’ll have to know about the birth certificate, we’ll tell my Rents and Stefan and Erika after my birthday. Oh nearly forgot,” she hunted through the stuff still on the bed, “Fröhes Geburtstag!”
I took the card and neatly wrapped package, “er thanks, it’s not for a couple of weeks yet.”
“Yeah but I won’t be here then.”
I gave her a full on hug, “I miss you Bern.”
“Hey don’t get me started, I’ll see you later in the year yeah? I’ll start saving so I can come in the summer, Mart said he’d help too.”
“’Kay, we should go down.”
“Yeah,” Bern agreed releasing me.

When we got the three of us downstairs Mart had already fitted the baby seat into the A Klasse and stowed the girls case and buggy in the boot.
“I’ll put Drea in the seat,” I volunteered – well I had her in my arms anyhow.

Before I could do that the Preiser’s all, Stefan had appeared whilst I was upstairs, wanted to say goodbye to the babe. I know Bern said the elder Preiser’s didn’t know about the proposed nuptials but I swear they were acting like doting grand parents down to the ‘something for later’. Mum came out to help with the car seat.

“Is there something going on that I don’t know about Gaby Bond?”
“Going on, no idea,” I bluffed.
“Erika was hinting at something and that just now, I know Drea’s cute but it was like watching your Gran when you and Jules were babies.”
“Er yeah that was a bit strange,” I agreed.
Eventually we got Bern in the car and with a toot of the horn started the ride down to Dernau.

“Well she looks happier than when she came,” Jen mentioned to her husband as they watched Gaby and the Rose’s saying their farewells.
“Change in routine, makes a big difference,” Dave mused.
“I think there’s more to it, Erika was dropping hints earlier, the way they acted you’d think they were Drea’s grandparents.”
Dave raised his brows at his wife’s observation, well it wasn’t his concern, Bern wasn’t his daughter and whilst he thought well of the girl it wasn’t the Bond’s responsibility.

Maddy Bell 03.06.16