Chapter Fourteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The ballroom was a place of glass mirrors and tall, elegant pillars etched in gold leaf, interspersed with rich redwood and parquet flooring that was so highly polished it appeared slickened with grease. From chandeliers fashioned into images of glass gulls, light poured down upon the guests below. The whole room glittered like a magical prize.

The gala was in full swing. There was over thirty celebrity guests, most of which Beatrice did not recognise. She only knew they held some prestige when either Claire or Thomas pointed them out.

Despite her earlier reservations, Beatrice found Claire quite personable, she was always making jokes, and found the attention she gained from other celebrities amusing.

“They’re looking into my eyes but can only see themselves,” she laughed after an encounter with a muscle-bound man with a high, bronzed forehead, and heavy Geordie accent. The guy had spent several seconds asking her about her latest show, and several minutes ta