Page 62 of Beyond Her Manner
“Oh, Sydney Mackenzie?”
Gillian shrugged, unable to recall her name.
“I wonder if she is here with her wife,” Viola said, her eyes darting around the restaurant.
“Ah, yes, the famous actress,” Gillian said dryly, recalling that Viola had mentioned her before. “Is this considered a celebrity hangout then?”
She watched Viola, who was now straining her neck to get a look at everyone. It was an interesting notion that even people who were celebrities could fluster at the sight of a “bigger” celebrity.
“It’s a Michelin-starred restaurant. If it’s not celebrities, it’s wealthy people who see themselves as celebrities. Ah, look, over there.” Viola nodded behind Gillian.
Gillian turned to look, only for Viola to hiss.
“Try and be subtle about it! Celebrities always know when someone is staring no matter how much you try to hide it.”Viola threw her napkin to the side of Gillian’s chair. “Oops, careless me. Could you get that for me?”
Burying the urge to suggest Viola herself was being less than subtle, Gillian pushed her chair back with a grin and picked up the napkin. Lingering for a moment, she looked behind her. She spotted Sydney and arched a little more to get a look at her supposedly stunningly beautiful companion, if she recalled Viola’s words correctly. Maybe that was the reason for Sydney’s immovable smile.
Did Gillian need to find a new love for herself? No one was likely to want her, penniless and on the wrong side of fifty; any beauty she retained was bound to fade in the coming years. Without the manor she wasn’t likely to be moving in the right circles to pick up an eligible bachelor; she wasn’t likely be moving in any circles anymore, and there was no man in Kingsford she would touch. Frankly, there wasn’t a man anywhere she would want to touch.
Leaning a little further, she could feel her balance tipping unfavourably. Before she could grab the table to steady herself, she fell onto the floor. Grappling quickly to get up as her face flushed with heat, she looked towards Beatrice Russell to see if she’d noticed, only to find piercing blue eyes glaring back at her. The woman held a certain presence about her, although she looked a bit up herself for Gillian’s liking. She soon turned her attention back to Sydney.
Realising the entire restaurant was silent and staring at her tempted Gillian into running from the room. Instead, she sat back down only to find Viola was visibly shaking with laughter behind the drinks menu. Two brown eyes appeared over the top of it.
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you,” Gillian growled whilst holding a false smile on her face, which she directed at the other clientele to reassure them all was well.
“Sorry, I’m going to need… a minute,” Viola said, holding a finger up, unable to keep her mirth restrained.
Gillian cast her eyes heavenward. “When you are quite finished.”
Viola took some deep breaths, blowing each one out slowly. “Did you get a look at her during your pirouette? She’s very beautiful, isn’t she?”
“She is, but she has nothing on yo—” Gillian bit her bottom lip and then quickly added, “You, for example, or even her wife. You are both plain and simple.”
Raising an eyebrow, Viola questioned, “Plain and simple?”
Gillian waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, you know what I mean.”
“Oh no, you’ll need to explain that one.” Viola smirked.
“I mean that there is more beauty in the subtle, the understated, and the quietly profound; a quiet allure that whispers to you gradually and invites rather than demands your attention. It possesses a kind of grace that lingers in one’s mind.”
The soft curve of Viola’s smile and the gentle sparkle in her eyes were an exact example of the details that captivated Gillian, a beauty that grew deeper with every glance.
“Good save, and thank you, I guess.”
Taking a gulp of her drink, Gillian immediately regretted not having asked for something stronger. The waiter returned to take their lunch order; Gillian was grateful for the interruption and the opportunity to change the subject once he left.
“Tell me, what made you want to learn to fly?”
“I spent a lot of time being flown around in a plane,” Viola explained. “I’m not one for chartering a private jet for myself, so I would always fly commercial. I got fed up with the cancelled flights, sitting around in airport lounges. I thought there must be a better way of getting around. I can have a helicopter to me within half an hour at Kingsford and be in Paris in an hour and a half. I can’t completely avoid planes for long hauls, but helicopters work well for getting around once I’m there.”
“Why not hire a pilot?”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
Gillian shrugged; she couldn’t argue with that.
“I considered buying a helicopter, then realised it’s too much hassle to keep and maintain. Now I have one at the touch of a button. The company I use is happy for me to fly anything I’m licensed for. When I toured Australia, Mum came with me, and I hired a helicopter to get us both around. She loved it.”
