Page 35 of The Marriage Pact
“It’s a ceramic sculpture. It’s going to be a wedding present for my fiancée. The figures are embracing one another, as though coming out of the sea,” Kaitlyn replied.
The woman looked at her disdainfully. “You’re puttingthatin my exhibition?” she asked.
Kaitlyn rose to her feet. “I didn’t think it wasyourexhibition. I thought this was meant to be a collective,” she replied. “Isn’t the exhibition for all of us?”
The woman sneered. “The parts have to complement the whole. Ceramics won’t work next to painting. It’s just not the right medium.”
“Then luckily for you, I won’t be displaying it,” Kaitlyn replied.
She’d had enough of the collective. Everything here was about the show. It was all so false, and Kaitlyn wanted no further part of it.
“I’m not saying don’t display it, but don’t put it near my work.Mywork has to be appreciated as a whole,” Julia said.
Kaitlyn smiled. “Oh, how foolish of me. I hadn’t realized that. Perhaps if I look at it properly, I’ll see what it’s meant to be, rather than just a lot of splodges on a canvas. I did something similar in kindergarten. It went on my mom’s refrigerator.”
The woman looked stunned, but before she could reply, Kaitlyn had pushed past her, resolved not to return to the collective or have anything more to do with the likes of Julia Wainwright. Stephen was waiting in the car, and he looked surprised as she climbed into the back and slammed the door.
“Is everything all right, ma’am?” he asked.
“Take me home, please,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
It wasn’t meant to be like this, and it upset Kaitlyn to think she hadn’t found the peaceful solace she’d hoped for.
CHAPTER 13
ALEX
“Can I see yet?” Alex called out.
The bedroom door was shut and had been for the past hour.
Kaitlyn’s voice echoed from the bathroom. “Just give me a few more moments. I want to get the eyeliner right. It’s been a long time since I dressed up for something like this.”
Alex smiled to himself. He was thinking back to prom night, when he’d arrived in Betsy to collect Kaitlyn from her mom’s house. She’d looked beautiful then, and he had no doubt she’d look beautiful now. The evening was important. Hilary had invited dozens of investors to the Hotel Excelsior. Alex was due to make a speech. He’d been rehearsing it with Hilary for most of the afternoon.
“Don’t forget to make eye contact,” she’d told him. “And try to smile. You want them to like you, even if you’re planning to take their money.”
It was almost six o’clock. Alex was anxious to get going. He wanted to arrive in good time for Hilary to brief him. It was the names he was nervous about. Would he remember them?
“Are you nearly done?” he ventured.
The door opened, and Kaitlyn appeared, dressed in the most beautiful outfit Alex had ever seen. She looked stunning, in a mauve dress with matching shoes, and a wraparound shawl with sleeves slung over her shoulder.
“I know it’s a cardigan,” she said before Alex could say anything. “But it’s in fashion, apparently.”
“You look… incredible. I… You’re so beautiful,” Alex said, his breath taken away by the sight of her. She really was stunning.
Kaitlyn blushed. “Do you really think so?” she asked as he slipped his arms around her.
“Iknowso,” he replied.
His heart had skipped a beat at the sight of her. She was radiant.
“I wasn’t sure about it. The assistant rather bullied me into it. Still, ifyoulike it, that’s all that matters. I hope I’ll make a good impression,” she said as the intercom buzzed, signaling the arrival of Stephen.
“Everyone’s going to be looking at you,” Alex replied.
He himself was in black tie — a velvet suit, with a slight touch of blue. Hilary had chosen it. Downstairs, the car was waiting to take them to the Hotel Excelsior. Alex’s heart was beating fast. Tonight mattered. It had to go well. It wasn’t far to the hotel, a few blocks north, but the traffic was bad, and Alex found himself getting impatient.
