***
“Where the hell did all these people come from?” Kate asked out loud as she stepped through the double doors and saw a huge crowd of more than a hundred party-goers, all dressed in immaculate evening wear as a band played classical music at the far end of the room. Candles blazed in chandeliers and all the people around her were holding beautiful masks up to cover their faces. It was like something from a film, and Kate was convinced that if she blinked the whole scene would disappear.
She had expected a small dinner tonight, with perhaps a dozen guests. Instead, she was almost in another world.
“Champagne, Madam?” asked an impeccably-dressed waiter as he arrived at her side, carrying a tray of drinks.
Barely able to process everything she was seeing, Kate took a thin-stemmed glass and the waiter immediately set off to deliver drinks to the other guests.
“Mr. Le Compte asked me to tell you that he will be with you shortly,” said the doorman, who had identified himself as Jacob just a few moments ago when he let her into the party. “He is, as you can imagine, rather taken up with the constant stream of arrivals, but he told me to assure you that he will be with you shortly.”
“Where did they come from?” Kate asked, turning to him. “Seriously, these people aren't from the town, are they?”
“Mr. Le Compte has friends from far and wide,” Jacob replied with a cautious, reserved smile, “in all directions. His parties are held in high esteem in every land.”
Even though her question hadn't quite been answered, Kate turned away and looked across the sea of people. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and as she made her way across the room she couldn't help but become aware of the plethora of different accents all around her. Spotting a woman in a beautiful, gold and silver satin dress, she suddenly felt terribly out of place. Her new black dress had seemed almost too much when she bought it earlier at a shop in town, but now she was convinced that she was sticking out like a sore thumb. It didn't help, either, that she was the only one without a mask.
Stopping for a moment, she had to fight the urge to turn and run.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” said the bandleader suddenly, as the music came to a halt, “now that the majority of the guests have arrived, it is my great pleasure to introduce to you all the man who is responsible for tonight's festivities. Please give a warm welcome to Baron Edgar Le Compte.”
As the crowd erupted in applause, Edgar took to the stage. Kate was so shocked at this latest development that she forgot to clap for a moment, finally joining in just as the moment was passing, which meant that her claps lingered a fraction of a second longer than everyone else's.
“Thank you,” Edgar said with a smile, momentarily glancing directly at Kate before looking out across the rest of the crowd. “You're all too kind, and as I've already said to a number of you this evening, your presence here is the only form of thanks that I require. I know that many of you have undergone tremendous inconvenience to reach Thaxos tonight, and for that I am most grateful. However, I shall not for one moment delude myself into believing that you have come solely for the pleasure of hearing me speak -”
At that, the crowd erupted with laughter, which took a few moments to die down.
“As you will all understand,” Edgar continued, “it has been a long time since the Le Compte family held a proper presence here on Thaxos. Too long.” He paused, and it seemed to Kate that the moment of jollity had passed and was now replaced by a more serious tone, as if Edgar was speaking from the heart. “This island is my family's home,” he continued. “For better or for worse, the Le Compte name has been synonymous with Thaxos for many years. I'm fully aware that this history has not always been peaceful, and that mistakes have been made on both sides. What I hope, now that I have returned to claim the house anew, is that a new era of peace and amity can be brought about. It will not be easy, but then again, what worthwhile endeavor does not require hard work? So with that in mind, I ask you all to raise your glasses and join me in a toast to the island and its continued prosperity.”
“To Thaxos!” the crowd roared, accompanied by the clinking of champagne flutes.
Smiling awkwardly, Kate found herself experiencing that familiar sensation of separateness that she always felt when she was in a crowd. She knew full well that she was not the kind of person who could fit in with such a gathering, but then again she hadn't come for the social value of the evening but, rather, because she wished to speak again to Edgar, and that aim in itself was already enough of a departure from her usual behavior.
As Edgar stepped down off the stage and the band-members resumed their positions, Kate made her way through the crowd. She was hoping to get Edgar's attention, but somehow she lost him in the sea of people and the more she looked, the more she felt as if she was starting to become lost. Turning and looking back across the room, she realized that she was in her worst nightmare: a high-end, glittering social evening surrounded by people she didn't know and with whom she was certain she had nothing in common.
With a faint smile, she downed her champagne, at which point a waiter immediately came up from behind, took her empty glass and gave her a new one.
“Thanks,” she muttered, not entirely genuinely. She'd promised herself that she wouldn't drink all evening, but she figured one glass wouldn't be too bad, and the second would be a useful prop. At least until she could speak to Edgar. All she had to do, she figured, was wait and he would find her shortly.