‘That look.’
Her expression was all innocence. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘And I don’t believe a word of it.’
‘Come on,’ she said, that twinkle of mischief still in her eye. ‘I think we both deserve a glass of something fizzy and expensive before the peace is shattered. Our wonderful sponsor, Jed Matthews, sent over a single bottle of Cristal to my office – I can’t think of a better time or a better person to open it with.’
‘You won’t get any argument from me.’
Inis took the bottle from where it was cooling in a separate ice bucket and wrangled out the cork as we did our best to muffle the sound so as not to draw attention, giggling like a couple of kids. The tension of the build, and the coming together of the exhibition was finally at an end. Tickets were already sold out for months in advance and hopefully tonight’s reviews would help boost further sales. We weren’t worried about those being anything but good – we knew the show was spectacular with many never-before-seen items on display. Of course, there were certain parts of the project that I wished had gone differently but not once had I ever wished that I hadn’t met Finn, or had that time together. He’d opened my eyes to a new way of being, of believing in myself and not caring what others thought I should or shouldn’t be, or do, or wear. He’d led me through a door to a new sense of freedom and that had not only enabled me to connect more strongly with my parents and their own new take on life, but also with my closest friend.
Colette and I spent more time together now doing things that before I would have avoided because I’d thought I should have been doing something more serious, more studious. And the fact that she got to help me choose a whole new wardrobe had been the icing on the cake. Although I was the one getting new clothes and loving it, Colette was in seventh heaven in her role as stylist and I was more than happy to let her take the lead while I learnt.
‘Cheers!’ Inis and I clinked our flutes and toasted all the hard work and long hours we’d put in to bring this endeavour to tonight’s pinnacle. Inis poured us both another glass before we took a deep breath and went to join our guests and the TV historian who would be cutting the opening ribbon.
‘Lizzie! There you are! I’ve been trying to get to talk to you all evening. The exhibition is a roaring success, don’t you agree? Absolutely exquisite. I shall be coming to view it several times once it’s open officially. And don’t you look stunning?’ I’d known Professor Kareski for many years and had long since learned to navigate her tendency towards stream of consciousness speech. She was sharp, witty and fiercely intelligent. I liked her a lot.
‘Thank you,’ I replied, sensing a pause. ‘And thank you for coming tonight. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the exhibition.’
‘Oh I am! I am! And may I congratulate you on your champagne too. Proper stuff, this. None of that cheap stuff that sticks your teeth together. The museum must be doing extremely well with sponsorship!’ She chinked her glass against my almost empty one and laughed before sipping her own.
‘We’re lucky to have Jed Matthews as one of our patrons. The Veuve Cliquot was courtesy of him.’
She gave an appreciative waggle of her eyebrows. ‘Gosh, it must be such a drag when you have to have meetings with him. Fancy having to stare at that face for hours.’
The professor had a voice that was used to carrying across lecture theatres and symposiums and on occasions, especially with the help of alcohol, she forgot to adjust the volume. I looked over her shoulder to where Jed was in earnest conversation with a board member. His wife, Milly, was standing beside him and caught my glance, grinning. I grinned back.
‘Who are you smiling at?’ Professor Kareski asked, craning around. ‘Oh, hello!’ She raised her glass to Milly. ‘Just talking about your lovely husband.’
Jed’s eyes darted towards us. He gave Professor Kareski an amused nod, and then returned to his conversation, his arm moving to rest casually around his wife’s waist.
A while ago, I would have been a teensy bit mortified as, from the look on his face now, Friedrich’s pal, Chester, currently was. But I’d changed and most certainly for the better. Professor Kareski said what she thought, made no attempt to be someone she wasn’t and from what I saw, was doing her best to have a ball as she went through life. Who wouldn’t want that? I knew now that I did.
She turned her attention back to me. ‘Lovely couple. Adore the pants off each other.’
Chester gave a sputter and stalked off, his metal Blakeys clack, clack, clacking on the wooden floors. Professor Kareski watched him go before looking back at me.
‘Good. Now that we’ve despatched the spies in the camp, there’s something I want to ask you.’
‘And before you give me your answer, although I suspect you’ll want time to think about it, annoyingly,’ she teased, ‘I’ve spoken to your boss already. In fact, Inis was the one who told me to go ahead and ask you when we had dinner the other week. You know we studied together?’
‘Yes, yes I did.’ I thought back to my boss’s cryptic words and that strange look earlier this evening. Things now slotted perfectly into place.
‘Good. So you don’t need to worry about that aspect. Of course she’d rather keep you but she also knows that sometimes people have to move on, and she’s one of the good ones. Inis would never hold someone back to benefit herself.’ She gave mea brief, purposeful look before continuing. ‘As she thinks the sun shines out of your proverbial, you can see how strongly she believes this is the right step for you too. But,’ Professor Kareski held up a finger, ‘the most important thing is that you think it’s right for you. We’re prepared to wait for you to—’
‘Yes!’
For once, the good professor was lost for words. Her eyes widened and a smile began to grow, tipping the scarlet painted lips upwards.
‘Definitely, yes!’
She found her voice. ‘Are you sure? I mean, you can have all the time you need to think it over. It’s a big step.’
‘I don’t need the time.’
Professor Kareski threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly to her tall, bony frame. ‘That’s fantastic! Alongside the papers you’ve written, and the role that you’ve played in the education programme here at the museum, you’ve really been a leader in the field and a great example for other educational institutions to follow. You’re a natural teacher.’
‘I hope so.’ My confidence wavered as visions of students snoozing in my classes filled my mind.
