15 Party time

I thought that Carol needed to get out and about with people again before she started moping about Ben, and sitting around the house in her nightwear all day. She was still not really in the mood, but I talked her into getting dressed and going for a wander in town. Like most days, particularly Saturdays and Sundays, the city centre was bustling with tourists and shoppers and getting her out and about in the crowds was really therapeutic for her. We escaped the crowds for a while in Greyfriars Botanical Garden wandering around admiring the colourful wide range of plants and shrubs, and by the time we got home Carol was almost back to her normal bubbly self.

Back in the office on Monday morning, I noticed that Chloe had decorated the area around her desk with a small Christmas tree and a couple of decorations.

“ You are getting into the spirit of things early, aren’t you Chloe. Mind, don’t go too mad with the decorations, remember that you are in the gateway to the office of the company chairman, not in the general office, you need to keep it professional. What you have done is fine but keep it at that .”

“ It’s only a couple of weeks to Christmas, I’m just trying to get into the mood. It’s the company Christmas party on Friday, evening, will you be going?”

“ Oh, I don’t know, nobody mentioned it, but then you are probably the only one who would remind me, the women downstairs are still keeping me at a distance. I’m new here, what is the format ?”

“ Just the normal sort of company do, free booze, free food, a bit of music and dancing, everybody getting too drunk and making fools of themselves, all typical really except it is going to be in one of the old guildhalls just along the road, all very historic and grand.”

“ I’m not sure if it is my thing really, besides it will be difficult to get home to Canterbury and I am not sure that I would want to do that late evening so I would have to book into a hotel, it would be awfully expensive just for a few free drinks.”

“ I think that you should go, if you don’t the coven downstairs will only bitch about you being too high and mighty to mix with them. If you want, you could stay the night in the spare room at mine, we live in town, I am sure that Mum wouldn’t mind. I’ve told her all about you and how you helped me to get to work up here, so I’m sure she will be pleased to meet you.”

“ That’s very kind Chloe, thank you so much, why not, it should be fun.”

Back at the flat, I told Carol what I would be doing, and asked if she would be ok on her own overnight, as she was still a bit withdrawn.

“ Don’t be silly, of course I will be ok, I just had a bit of a wobble at the weekend, you go and enjoy yourself. Besides it is the Canterbury office do on Friday too, so I will be going there with a few of the girls I worked with from the general office.”

The rest of the week was very busy and there wasn’t much time for anything other than work. By the time Friday came around I was tired and not really in the mood for the party, but I had agreed to go with Chloe. We went back to her home to get changed and ready, and I was made really welcome by her Mum who was ever so grateful for the help I had given Chloe. I had a quick shower to freshen up, styled my hair in party curls as I was now getting quite comfortable using a heated styling brush, nighttime glam makeup applied , slipped into my ivory silk dress and heels and I was ready to go, feeling more in the spirit for the party.

We got a taxi to the guildhall, handed in our coats, a quick trip to the Ladies to ensure everything was still perfect and we walked into the main hall. Most people had arrived and the party was already in full swing, and by the look of some of the staff we had a lot of catching up to do with the free drinks. We looked around for a table to base ourselves, received some frosty stares when we approached the girls from the executive secretaries’ office and decided to go past them and join some of the younger girls that Chloe had worked with in the general office who were much friendlier. Despite my original reservations we were having a good time, the drinks were flowing, the buffet food was excellent, Chloe’s friends were all easy to get on with, and we were all enjoying ourselves dancing and chatting. I was glad that Chloe had talked me into coming.

Later in the evening I was in the corridor on my way to the Ladies when I saw that there were a couple having problems in one of the corners. Mike ,one of the middle-aged analysts, had a young women pinned in a corner and she was struggling to get away from him, blatantly not interested in his attentions. Partly due to the macho chivalry that was still within me and partly due to remembering how Carol had been affected by the assault on her, I decided to intervene.

“ Mike, don’t you think that you had better go back to the bar with your colleagues before you do something that you will regret, if you don’t go now I will report you for sexual harassment and you will be out on your ear.”

“ Who the hell do you think you are, I was just being friendly?”

“ Don’t worry about me, I am just one of the girls looking out for a friend. I told you, go now and we’ll forget about this, and just because the booze is free doesn’t mean that you have to keep drinking, sober up and go home.”

He staggered away, muttering to himself “ Bloody stuck-up bitch, I was just having a bit of fun.”

I saw that the girl was Anne, one of the younger ones in the secretaries’ office and one of the few that was polite and reasonably friendly to me. She pulled herself together, straightened her dress and fluffed her hair, to compose herself.

“ Thank you ever so much Dani, I just came out of the Ladies and he was standing in the corridor, he just grabbed me, wanting ‘a Christmas kiss’, but them he started groping me and I couldn’t get away. it was just as well that you came when you did, I’m really grateful. It’s not true what the others say about you, I think that you are really nice.”

“No need to thank me Anne, any other girl would have done the same for you, we have to stick together and look after each other don’t we. I need to go into the Ladies why don’t you go in again as well, compose yourself, tidy yourself up and forget all about Mike. He was just too drunk, and if he remembers in the morning he will regret it.

A few minutes later, we came out together and walked back to the main room to the groups we were with. Not long after Anne came over to join us. “ Do you mind if I join with you all, they are all a bit stuffy and quiet over there, you lot seem to be having a much better time.”

For a company ‘do’ it was all good fun, the crowd I was with were all young and looking for a good time and I enjoyed being with them, but it was soon time to leave and to head back to Chloe’s. A change into my nightie and a quick cleanse of my make up and I just flopped into bed and slept all the way through into mid-morning. In consideration of Chloe’s mum, rather than just going out in my nightie and dressing gown as I normally would, I did my hair and makeup, put on a skirt and top and went to the kitchen to find her Mum sitting there with coffee and toast. I joined her , the toast was just the sort of light breakfast I could face after last nights excesses.

“ Good morning sleepyhead, did you have a good time last night, Chloe has still not appeared this morning.”

“ Thank you so much Mrs Marshall for putting me up, it saved a boring night in a bland room in a city hotel, I really appreciate it. I need to be getting back home, if it ok with you I will just pack up and get off, no need to wake Chloe, I will see her on Monday.”

Back at the flat Carol was looking a bit delicate after her night out, so we just sat and chatted and drank coffee all day. She had a good time too, even having a bit of a necking session with one of the accountants who treated her gently and helped restore a bit of her faith in men. I told her about Anne being groped and how I had to rescue her.

“Did you really say ‘Any other girl would have done the same for you, we have to stick together and look after each other don’t we’.”

“ I didn’t think about it it just seemed to be the right thing to say, and besides, that is how I felt. After learning about your experiences, i just felt a lot more in tune with her worries and understood her feelings and could empathise with them.”

“ Oh Dani, you really are becoming one of the sisterhood, let me give you a hug.”

I arrived at the office on Monday morning to find a big bouquet of flowers in a vase on my desk. along with a gift note ‘Thank you so much for what you did for Anne on Friday. sorry about the way we have all treated you, we were wrong to misjudge you, I hope you can forgive us. Love Marilyn and the girls in the office. x’.

I immediately phoned Marilyn. “Thank you so much for the flowers, I really appreciate them, but I really did nothing to deserve them, I was just there when another girl needed a bit of help.”

“ Anne told us what you did for her, but she wouldn’t tell us who it was that was groping her, saying it’s best to forget all about it.”

“ Let sleeping dogs lie Marilyn, it was just somebody a bit drunk and losing their inhibitions, no need for him to lose his job as well.” At least some good had come out of it all, I didn’t think that I would get any more trouble from downstairs.

One morning after a long successful business discussion with Sir Charles he smiled at me, looking a bit uncomfortable.

“Have you any plans for Christmas Dani?“

“ I was just going down to my Mum’s for all the holiday week, My flatmate Carol will be going down with me as her folks are on a Christmas anniversary cruise. It should be a quiet few days, but at least it will be a family atmosphere. What about you?”

“ That is why I am asking, I will be going down to Charter Abbey and just having a quiet time with Sarah. It is a big house and it is hard to get into the Christmas spirit with just the two of us. As you know, I have lost my family and Sarah’s son and family are now living in New York, so we rattle around in the house a bit. Sarah suggested that as you would probably be down in St Leonards it would be nice if you could join us for a few days, obviously that includes your Mum and your friend. It will be a chance for us all to meet and a couple of young people in the place will liven it up a bit.”

“ That is so kind of you, Sarah invited me to visit that time in your Chelsea flat but I have not had the opportunity since then. I would love to come, but I have to check with Mum and Carol first. No disrespect but it could be a bit intimidating for them, staying in a country mansion and estate.”

“ I understand, but make sure that they know it will be a stay with Charles and Sarah, none of that ‘Sir Charles’ palaver, it will be mainly just casual, but we always like to dress a bit more formally for the Christmas dinner. Call them and let me know.”

“Mum, have you ordered your turkey yet and got the rest of the stuff in?”

“No I was planning that for this weekend, please don’t tell me that you are not coming.”

“ Far from it, but I have a big surprise for you, Sir Charles and has sister have invited us all to stay at Charter Abbey for Christmas Day and Boxing day, longer if we all want to, do you fancy it ?”

“ You are joking, of course I am up for it, it would have been delightful to spend the time with you and Carol, but it will be better being with a couple of people my own age as well. It is not going to be all formal and stuffy is it, you know me, I am a bit of a free spirit ?”

“ No, it will be mostly casual, but you need something reasonably dressy for Christmas dinner. Have a rummage through your wardrobe and see what you have got. If you have nothing suitable, go out and buy something, I’m paying, my Christmas gift to you.”

“ Carol, change of plans, we won’t be staying at Mum’s for Christmas.”

“ That’s a shame, I was really looking forward to it and to meeting your Mum.”

“ It’s better than that, how about a couple of days in a big country house in its own estate ?”

“ Sounds super, have you won the lottery or something ?”

“ My boss Charles and his sister Sarah have invited us all round for a few days, you happy with that.”

“ Just try and stop me. Charles? Do you mean Sir Charles? On my god, the girls in the office will be so jealous.”

“ Keep it to yourself Carol, if they find out I think jealousy will make your life uncomfortable. He has said that we are there as his friends, so there is to be no ‘Sir Charles’ he is just Charles, someone we know and are staying with, just like anybody else, don’t worry he doesn’t bite.”

Christmas Eve Carol and I travelled down to St Leonards and spent the night with Mum. At first I, and how my life had changed, was the main topic of conversation. Mum soon turned the attention onto Carol to find out more about her, and we had a pleasant relaxing evening just all getting to know each other better.

We had a girly night, cleansing with face masks, painting our nails and setting and putting our hair in rollers before an early night to make sure that we were all fresh for our stay at the Abbey.

To be continued