Page 92 of Lovers' Dance

“Do you know what the current funding allocation is, Ms DuMont?”

I gritted my teeth, but managed to smile at the man. “I don’t have the exact figures.” My eyes narrowed at the soft snort coming from Grumps. “But, if I were to hazard a guess, around twenty million pounds.”

The rest of the table had fallen silent and was avidly listening to our conversation. Damn it, we’d only had starters so far.

“Did you also know that, even with that shared funding, the Royal Ballet only manages to cover a mere thirty-five percent of its costs. The remainder of its income must be sourced elsewhere.”

I nodded curtly. The skin on my face felt hot. “Most, if not all, dance companies raise income by fundraising, sponsorship and ticket sales. The larger ballet companies can, of course, generate funds from sales of souvenirs and whatnot.”

Grumps was nodding slowly. I didn’t like the expression on his lined features. It reminded me of that interview Matt had on TV when he pulverized that reporter. I hoped there would be no pulverization taking place tonight.

“If the Royal Ballet, a world renowned ballet company, finds it difficult at most times to ensure sufficient funding to cover its costs,”—here he exhaled noisily—“I dread to think what your little dance company has to do to get money.”

“Grumps,” Matt said with reproach. Respectful reproach, that is. Dare I say, nervous reproach? His gaze jumped between his grandfather and me. “That’s enough now. Madi—”

“Is perfectly capable of answering for herself.” I cut Matt off, sending him a tender smile of gratitude. I turned back to Grumps. “We do what any dance company does, Mr Bradley. We apply for funding through the Arts Council and we work like hell to raise enough sponsorship to cover our running costs. I am fully aware how precarious this business is. Many smaller dance companies, much like my own, have found the struggle to survive insurmountable and, unfortunately, their doors have closed.” I glared at Grumps, in the nicest way possible. “My dance company is open, and it will remain so for as long as humanly possible. I employ gifted dancers who believe in what we do. Our productions may not be on the grand scale of the Royal Ballet, or any of the other larger and well-known ballet companies, but our work is polished, technically exquisite and downright beautiful.” The rest of the table was quiet. Hell, I might as well finish what Grumps started. “Maybe you should come see one of our shows. We’re working on our own interpretation ofSnow White. It’s calledThe Ice Queen and Princess.”

Grumps stared at me in disbelief, mouth parting for a second, before he cleared his throat. “I rarely attend public functions anymore and, if I were to feel the urge to see ballet, I can assure you, the Royal Ballet would be my first choice.”

I shrugged and looked across the table at Matt, who was observing me with something close to astonishment on his face, before addressing Grumps’s last comment. “You don’t know what you’re missing. At your age, you should get out more. It helps keep senility at bay.”

Matt gave me wide grey eyes. Seriously, I thought they were going to pop out of their sockets.

I plastered a sweet smile on my face and blinked innocently at Grumps. So it was a little bit impolite, but the man had held my hand hostage earlier, made a cryptic comment before dismissing me, and he’d basically finished saying my dance company was shit. My family and my work: no one bad-mouthed those two things.

“Grumps,” Nikki called in the following silence. “Mum was hoping you’d come to my piano recital next week. Granddad and Nana have already agreed to come. Shall we reserve a ticket for you?”

Grumps tore his gaze away from me to peer at his great-granddaughter. “We’ll see, Nicole. You’ve been doing well with your lessons, haven’t you?”

She nodded and exchanged a look with her sister. The conversation around the table started up after that. I breathed a sigh of relief as our plates were taken away in preparation for the second course.

“Are you mental?” Natty whispered, fingers tapping furiously on her cell. “No one talks to Grumps that way.”

I shrugged, wondering what the hell was going on across the table. Matt’s hand had dived under the table at least two more times, and he kept trying to hide his scowls at Louisa as he conversed with the man on his right. I observed his ex with suspicion, already figuring out what was going on, and feeling the urge to do something violent to the beautiful woman across the table.

Matt was trying his best to pay close attention to what Ryan Turner was saying to him, but it was bloody hard to concentrate at the moment. Bloody Louisa and her wandering hand. If she touched his cock again he’d explode, in more ways than one. It didn’t help that Madi kept squinting at their side of the table, as if she somehow sensed his sexual torment. Matt sorely regretted coming to dinner tonight, and he vowed to make it up to his poppet. The twins were the only ones actively conversing with her, but that was to be expected. Madi was the closest to them age-wise and, without her make-up, she could easily pass for someone in their late teens. He’d caught her sending friendly looks up the table where his parents sat. He had yet to see them return one and, every time they ignored her smiles, her lovely brown eyes would reflect a touch of sad rejection. It infuriated him and pained him at the same moment. How could anyone not instantly be charmed by her infectious laughter and vivacious personality? How could anyone not fall completely in love with her sweet nature? Matt rubbed a hand across his mouth, hiding an amused smirk. Yes, she was sweet, but there was a feisty streak in her. The way she had spoken to his grandfather was shocking, and deserved. Matt felt growing pride at the way she was handling tonight. That pride turned to annoyance as her attempts to converse with Julia Rogarth and her husband were rebuked.

“What do you think, Madi?” Matt asked, trying to draw her into the conversation he was having with Ryan.

She bit her lower lip, then glanced at Ryan before saying, “I believe the general public feels worried, and rightly so, about the thought of the EU having a say in British law. It doesn’t help that both the conservative and labour parties have over the years caused a lot of resentment within communities about the issue of immigration. In people’s minds, the EU is another foreign body trying to muscle in on the British way of life and, in any instance where a person feels threatened, they are forced to react.”

“Exactly,” Ryan agreed, with a nod of his greying head. “We are a member of the EU and that brings many benefits, but we must be careful on the issue of our sovereignty. In recent polling, the public is more or less split down the middle on the issue of the UK leaving the EU.”

“If the Prime Minister is successful in renegotiating treaty changes before the proposed referendum in 2016—”

“Twenty-seventeen, poppet,” Matt corrected, and she grinned at him with a little shake of her curls.

“Thank you, Matt,” she said, then resumed talking to Ryan. “If the Prime Minister wins the next election and is able to renegotiate positive treaty changes for the UK ahead of his 2017 proposed referendum, then I believe the public would be less opposed to leaving the EU.”

“Who do you support? A conservative government or one run by labour?” Louisa drawled, addressing Madi for the first time that night. Matt looked at his ex, a clear warning on his face for her to behave.

Madi gave her a tight smile. “I support whichever government puts the needs of the public above their own ulterior motives. I was raised in a democratic household, and we hold true to the belief that the needs of the many should always outweigh the needs of the one. Some political parties are more focused on retaining a country’s wealth for a few, instead of working towards an even distribution of resources and wealth for the general population.”

Louisa let out an amused chuckle and Matt stiffened, not just because he could hear the derision in her laugh, but also due to her hand finding its way to his semi-hard cock. Unwilling to draw attention to her movements, he gritted his teeth and took a sip from his wine glass. As soon as Madi looked away, he would deal with the hand that was slowly caressing him through his pants.

“I can see you’re an idealist,” Louisa mused. “Things don’t function that way in the real world. There will always be haves and haves-not. Ask Matt.” She twisted her head to smile at him, a devilish glint appearing in her eyes as she squeezed him under the table and his traitorous body responded. She continued to speak to Madi. “Like everyone else around this table, our families have worked hard to amass our fortunes. Why should those with wealth then have to carry the brunt of the general population’s inability to care for themselves? Why should we be penalized through unfair taxation on our personal and corporate wealth? The fault does not rest with us that most people are too lazy or reluctant to get the necessary education to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there.”

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