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‘I’m sure.’ Connie gave her a gentle nudge, pushing her the rest of the way. Alicia crossed to the auctioneer’s side, glad that it was impossible to see out into the crowd because her nerves wouldn’t have stood the idea of all those eyes staring back at her.
‘Shall we start the bidding at ten thousand pounds?’
What if no one bid on her? And Graciano was there to witness her embarrassment.
‘Ten thousand pounds!’ She recognised Maude’s voice and dipped her head forward in a smile. The wedding was clearly very special to the older woman. For a moment, Alicia felt a familiar pang, the same aching sense of longing whenever she was confronted with the love one family member had for another. How nice it must be to have someone prepared to fight your fights! But Alicia, in the end, had fought her own—was still fighting them, in fact. Being a single mother, even to a wonderful little girl, wasn’t a walk in the park.
‘Ten thousand pounds,’ the auctioneer said after a brief pause that denoted surprise. He leaned forward on the lectern. ‘Do I have fifteen?’
‘Fifteen!’ Another voice—a woman, but not instantly familiar to Alicia—entered the fray.
Before the auctioneer could respond, Maude chimed in. ‘Twenty!’
Then another voice, male this time, and older. ‘Twenty-five.’
Alicia turned towards Connie, her face a study in surprise. This had not been anticipated.
‘Thirty!’ Maude again. She really was determined.
‘Thirty-five.’ The other female voice.
‘Fifty!’ Maude shouted, and Alicia could just imagine the woman’s determined expression.
‘I have fifty thousand pounds for one week of Alicia’s time.’
Alicia dug her fingernails into her palm. She was going to have to pull out all the stops for this bloody wedding: doves, rainbows, magic. It would have to be perfect.
Keeping a smile plastered on her face, with her heart beating so loud it filled her ears, she scanned the room. The lights were too bright to see clearly, but she knew he was out there, and it set fire to every nerve ending in her body.
‘Fifty thousand pounds going once.’ The auctioneer paused dramatically—and without any real need. No way would anyone spend more than that for an events planner. ‘Going twice.’
Alicia held her breath with the rest of the crowd. There was total silence. She waited for the gavel to drop, desperate for this to be over so she could scurry offstage, but in the seconds before, as the auctioneer lifted it, a voice rang out, clear and gruff, accented and immediately impactful, sending something inside Alicia rioting on a tumble of uncertainty.
‘Five hundred thousand pounds.’
The silence gave way to murmurs of shock and Alicia lifted a hand to her lips. She recognised the voice instantly. Her heart leaped into her throat and she turned to the auctioneer, who was beaming with pleasure.
‘Just to be sure I didn’t mishear...was that five hundred thousand pounds?’
‘Yes.’
Alicia stood there, in the middle of a world that had begun to spin far too fast on its axis. ‘A generous offer indeed! Are you a registered bidder, sir?’
Alicia leaned closer once more and spoke automatically, her voice heavy with emotion. ‘All ticket holders are pre-registered to bid.’
The auctioneer covered the microphone. ‘Then it’s binding.’
Alicia turned to face the crowd, her lips parted with shock. Silently, she pleaded with Graciano, wherever he was, to rethink this. But it was too late. Such a generous offer was going to be snapped up by the auctioneer, who rushed to drop the gavel. Alicia flinched, eyes huge as she stared out at the crowd.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, what a truly exceptional evening. Those of you lucky enough to secure an item, or person—’ he turned to Alicia and grinned ‘—please leave your details and payment at the administration booth near the door within the hour. Collection will be arranged Monday morning.’
Alicia waited by the administration desk with nerves that wouldn’t calm down. Five hundred thousand pounds? What on earth had he been thinking?
She paced behind the desk as other winners came and signed contracts, obligating them to make payment for their items, or left cheques, all of which Connie would oversee in the office Monday morning. She waited and her eyes skimmed the crowd—more visible now the lights had softened—looking for Graciano. Maybe she could get him to change his mind?
But the idea of losing that money for the charity tightened around her throat like a noose. She couldn’t do that.
‘This is a mistake,’ she said to Connie as she stalked behind the table. ‘I can’t... This is... We should approach Maude and see if she’s still happy to pay—’
