I had arrived at my Fathers friends house for the party alone ( apart from my parents)
Everyone seemed to be glowing with happiness, or maybe it was just all the candles in the house. I looked around, everything was grand, marble, shiny and antique. I felt out of place straight away, I wasn't used to parties like this, not when everyone spoke like they had been to the Royal Grammar School. Thank God I had been to Paris a month previous shopping or I would have had nothing to wear. It was a celebration for my Father and his business partner Bernard and their promotion, I didn't know what the promotion was for or what kind, I was uninterested, like the way my Father was uninterested in what my job was.
I entered the main room, little groups of people were scattered everywhere, it was a large house so I knew this must be only a quarter of the guests, and there was at least 35 people in the room. I smiled pleasantly and shook hands and gave air kisses to ladies I had never met but who knew my name. I was bored. I knew this would happen, I was supposed to be out for my friends birthday clubbing in London but never mind. I had to just grin and bear it.
I looked down at my dress and compared it to some of the other guests, mine was a white lace dress with a large gold silk band around my waist. The neckline scooped across my firm breasts ( they were compared to some of the sagging ones surrounding me) so I had a nice cleavage, nothing inappropriate as I was representing my Father. It looked quite elegant but then again I was possibly the only 18 year old there, and couldn't really compare to the flowery frocks and pearls of the women there, I frankly was still a girl.
"Would you like a drink Darling?" My mother had crept out of nowhere to startle me, I smiled pleased to see a familiar face but that soon faded as she handed me a glass of orange juice.
"Oh, um thank you." I looked down at it disappointed, everyone else was drinking champagne and the finest wines.
"I don't want you to make a fool of yourself by drinking alcohol, its your Daddy's big night." She smiled and tugged my dress down at the hem so to make it a tinsy bit longer. She thought I was showing to much leg and cleavage, I suppose I was compared to everyone else, but then again I was tanned young and could pull it off unlike these aging aristocrats.
"You better stick to that orange juice darling." she tapped the glass, smiled sweetly and swayed off to mingle.
She knew this was an unfair thing to say as she was an alcoholic, but Father thought because it was only the finest whiskies, sherries, wines and beverages that she binged on that it was totally fine. Stupid idiot.
I decided that I would have a wander around the house. It was definitely beautiful but to be honest I was to terrified to get drunk here in case I smashed something, and everything was clearly valuable.
I walked down a corridor towards another room packed with people, one woman seemed delighted to see me. She embraced me tightly and spoke of how when we last met I was only up to her hip. Fascinating, I thought. She was quite attractive with pale skin and jet black hair tied back. She was wearing a blue and black dress, she seemed familiar but I couldn't place her, we had obviously met as she seemed to tug on my cheeks a little more and coo about how adorable I used to be. She saw that I was drinking orange juice and took me to the other side of the room handing me a glass of red wine.
"Drink up, you'll be awful bored if you stick to orange juice." I smiled and thanked her. I was relieved there was some slightly normal people here.
"Have you seen the garden yet? It looks fantastic, I heard your Father might be buying this place." I didn't know anything about that but nodded, he was certainly going wild with his money, this place was huge.
I excused myself and walked through the glass doors to the garden. Everything had twinkling white fairy lights on them , the trees, the bushes the pillars, there was even a huge pond and a maze, quite a large one in which no one seemed to be entering. There were a few people here just striding along talking in mumbles but at the far end of the garden there were tables with around fifty people there eating and laughing. There was a few waiters walking around serving drinks in the garden and handing out little nibbles of food. It was nice, but I wasn't drunk enough to be enjoying myself. A waiter topped up my drink and I sat on a nearby chair looking around. Then I seen him. A man in a white shirt, I recognised him really well, he was walking alongside an exotic looking woman deep in conversation, although his brow was furrowed in an angry manner. I watched them for a about half an hour, sitting alone drinking and having my glass refilled, mirroring my mother, and watching as his lady stalked off angrily leaving him to sip at his champagne deep in thought near a large pond in the garden. I thought, with my new found wine given confidence, I would go and say hello.
I walked towards him, my gold sandals glittering in the grass.
I got to him and tapped him on the shoulder.
"I've told you, enough of-" he stopped his rant abruptly. I was staring straight at Daniel Craig. I blinked and he did too before he started stumbling over his apology at snapping at me.
"I am so dreadfully sorry, I thought you were some one else, I'm not that rude to strangers normally."
"Oh well , thank goodness" I smiled "I just thought you looked alone that's all. Or contemplating throwing yourself into the pond." He laughed at this, his piercing blue eyes looking at me.
"What's your name?"
"RóisÃn." he smiled at the mention of my name and kissed my hand.
"I'm Daniel." I wonder if he knew that I had recognised who he was when he turned around. I wondered what he was doing at this party.
"Hello Daniel, would you like to go for a walk?" I asked, holding my breath in anticipation, I was very relieved when he nodded.
"Would you like another drink first?" He asked looking at my empty wine glass.
"Oh, yes why not." He beckoned over a waiter, the man scurried over pouring the red liquid into my glass.
"Oh no sir, I'll be taking the whole bottle." said Daniel and the waiter smiled taking an uncorked bottle from his tray and handing it to him.
We turned and began to walk as I sipped on my drink, everything seemed a bit surreal.
"So, how are you enjoying the party?" He asked looking down at me. I tossed back my long golden curls and thought for a moment.
"I don't really know, you're the first person to have properly spoken to me actually."
"It is a bit boring here I must admit. And I have had a falling out with a friend of mine so tonight has not been that pleasant." I looked at him, he was gorgeous. He had nice lips, and a rugged handsomeness about him. I loved the way his shirt tugged at his muscled arms too. I swayed a little and he laughed.
"Yes, I am a light weight when it comes to wine." I laughed to myself, knowing that I was a little bit pissed.
"Aren't we all." He said smiling down at me.
"Um, do you fancy trying out the maze?" he gulped down his wine and he looked at me for a moment.
"Yes why not, we'll finish this bottle, and we'll do the maze. In fact we'll play a little game." I looked at him, he was intriguing, I wondered if his lady friend would mind us drinking and playing games together?
We sat on the grass, I had even stopped caring if I got grass stains on my white dress. The grass was damp as I slipped off my sandals. He took of his leather shoes and socks. I laughed as he did this.
"To boring nights out?"
"To boring nights out." I repeated and we clinked our glasses and drank up.
We went through the bottle faster than I would have thought I could manage, but it was particularly good wine to be honest. We laughed as some of the older couples fell about drunk laughing heartily and spilling drinks on themselves. Even the woman who had given me red wine originally was plastered and her hair was all matted with sick. Me and Daniel were ignored by everyone which was perfect, I got him all to myself.