The Southern Belles, page 38
part #1 of Brighton Belles Series
Evelyn couldn’t believe how stupid Felicity was. She was in the room, two paces away from Natalie, the woman whose show she’d desperately tried to destroy. She smiled when Natalie grabbed her and pulled her further into the room, to Felicity’s objections. Evelyn’s hands turned into fists. There was such rage inside her.
“Get her thrown out, Evey,” suggested Tom, not wanting her to bother with Felicity.
“No way!” she replied, stepping forwards, as Natalie brought her ex-best friend up to her.
Evelyn was finally stood in front of Felicity. She so badly wanted to punch her. “Well? What do have to say for yourself, Flick?”
“What?” replied Felicity, sneering at her. “Are you expecting an apology? That’s not happening.”
‘”Just out of curiosity, who’s Jean to you?” Asked Evelyn.
“My auntie,” replied Felicity. “I’m surprised you don’t remember her; we visited her when we were younger.”
She never expected Felicity to apologise. “OK. Nice try, though. But you failed. Even with all your little tricks, you still failed.” And then she stopped short.
Evelyn was heartbroken. She’d been taken in! Duped by her ex-best friend and her aunt, her supposed friend, who had made such a show of being helpful. She felt so stupid. But unwilling to give Felicity the pleasure of her pain, she composed herself and said, “The event was a total success. Every time you meddled, I overcame it, with help from my family and friends. You see, Flick, I have great family and friends; something you don’t have.”
“Whatever, Evey,” replied Felicity. “I’m still going to get you back for Matty.”
Evelyn shook her head. “Pathetic,” she said. “You’re pathetic.” She looked at Natalie, told her to let Felicity go and turned to Tom. The anger abated, only to be replaced with pity.
“Is Tom your new boyfriend?” asked Felicity. “You’d better watch him. Hey, Tom, if you want to go out with a real woman, you know where I am.”
It was Felicity’s laugh that enraged her. Evelyn turned, her fists clenched. “You won’t touch him,” she ranted, her teeth clenched. “Ever!” As though in slow motion, Evelyn swung her arm, her fist colliding with Felicity’s mouth.
“Go Evey!” shouted Georgia, again, only this time it wasn’t because she was finally kissing Tom.
Evelyn looked down at Felicity, who was on her back on the floor. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins. The thought of Felicity touching Tom had touched her last nerve. A red mist had clouded her vision, turning her crazy. “Did I do that?” she asked, her hands shaking.
She felt Tom’s comforting arms on her shoulders. She watched as Felicity sat up and spat blood on the floor.
“You knocked out a tooth,” said Felicity. “I’m going to sue you for every penny you have, Evey.” Felicity was up on her feet, glaring at her.
“I didn’t see anything,” replied Natalie. “Did you, Georgie?”
“Nope,” replied Georgia. “I had my back turned, sorry, Flick. You, Livvy?”
“I didn’t see anything,” said Olivia. “Must’ve had my eyes closed. You, Tom?”
“I was too busy kissing Evey,” said Tom, smiling. “Sorry, Flick, I guess you don’t have any witnesses; it’s your word against Evey’s.”
Evelyn laughed when Felicity realised she was losing and let out a frustrated cry, before turning and walking back through the laughing crowd. “Merry Christmas, Flick,” she shouted, to laughter from her family and friends.
“I’m so proud of you,” said Georgia. “I literally couldn’t have done it better myself. That punch was awesome. She deserved it so much.”
Pain was starting to penetrate her hand, and she kept clenching and unclenching it. “I didn’t expect it to hurt as much,” she said, smiling, “but it was worth it. I’ve ruined her perfect smile.” That was worth the pain. “Come here, you two.”
“I think now’s the time, Evey,” said Georgia, holding off the sisterly embrace.
“Time for what?”
“Southern Belles forever,” replied Georgia, placing one arm around her and the other around Olivia.
“Southern Belles forever,” she replied, feeling a lump in her throat.
When they pulled away from the embrace, Tony Groom approached her holding a tray of champagne flutes. Evelyn smiled and picked one up, thanking him. It was party time. Her job was finished. Now she could just enjoy the rest of her night. Tom picked up a glass and chinked hers.
“Well done, Evey,” Tony said. “Great show. I think you’ll be getting lots of calls for your service. We’ve got a couple of events coming up in January. Are you available?”
“I’ll have to check my diary,” she teased. “Just joking. Of course I’m available.”
She looked at Tom, clinked her glass against his and smiled. It had to be said, in spite of the stress, this was her best Christmas Eve ever. In the space of ten months, she’d gone from losing her home, friends, money, everything, to having a loving boyfriend, two sisters who were happier now than she’d ever seen them, and a soon-to-be-flourishing business. She couldn’t ask for any more than that. She suddenly realised there was no music. “Tom, hadn’t you better get some music on, this is a party.”
“No need,” replied Tom, pointing at his decks, where Terry had just put on his headphones. “It looks like Terry’s on the case.”
‘What a Feeling’ by Irene Cara came blasting through the airwaves.
“Ooh, I love this one,” said Georgia, grabbing Olivia’s hands and pulling her into a clearing. “Come on, Evey.”
She looked at Tom, asking him if he minded. “I love you,” she said, walking to where her sisters were dancing back to back. When she looked around, the suits and dinner dresses were dancing too.
Evelyn didn’t think she could ever be happier than she was right now. There, dancing with her lovely sisters, this was one moment in time that would stay with her forever. And although she didn’t want it to be the happiest moment in her life, she knew she had lots of good times and memories to be made with her Tom.
*
“Oh, Nana, that was a lovely story,” said Grace, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m so glad Felicity got her comeuppance. And that Evelyn got her Happily Ever After.”
“Her Happy for Now, you mean,” corrected Nana.
“What do you mean?”
“Evelyn wrote lots of books about her life,” she replied. “Like every relationship, there’s no such thing as a Happily Ever After, there are ups and downs. But Evelyn led a charmed life.”
“I still can’t believe she’s my great nana,” said Grace, proudly. “And hearing about Aunt Georgie and Aunt Livvy; it’s so weird thinking of them in their twenties.”
There was a knock on the door.
“Cooeey,” came a voice, “it’s me. Are you coming down to see us?”
“Aunt Georgie, get out,” shouted Grace, hiding her face. “I might be contagious.”
Nana stood up and walked over to the door, where her ninety-five-year-old auntie was peeping round. “I’ll be down in a minute, Aunt Georgie. Grace won’t, though, she’s all full of cold.”
“OK, Pippi, I’ll just go back downstairs.”
Nana walked back over to Grace’s bed. She bent over and kissed her granddaughter on her forehead, confident that the flu jab she’d received in September would hold the virus at bay. “I’ve got to go and join the party now, Grace. It’s such a shame you’re ill, but I’ll come back up in an hour or so to check on you, while your mummy is busy hosting the party, OK?”
“Will you read me another one tomorrow?”
Nana turned and looked at the bookshelf; When she approached it, she could see the spine of a familiar book. “You’ve got The Varndean Vixens, I see.”
“And the Soubrettes of Sussex,” replied Grace. “I found them in a charity shop.”
“I’ll read one of them to you tomorrow,” said Nana, picking up The Varndean Vixens and reading the blurb on the back of the old, well-used paperback. Her mummy had been a prolific writer in her forties and fifties. And Evelyn Belle (Bayley) had gone on to write over forty novels, until her eighties, when she retired an extremely wealthy woman.
Putting the book back on the shelf, a pang of sorrow hit her at the thought of her lovely daddy dying ten years ago. Tom, a well-liked, popular man, died of pancreatic cancer. Once he’d been diagnosed, the disease had spread quickly and had taken him, so he’d not suffered for long. That was the only saving grace.
“I’ll be back shortly, sweetheart,” she said, trying to think of happier times. Forcing a smile, Nana opened the door and stepped into the hallway. She descended the two flights of stairs until she was in the ground floor hallway. There was a Happy New Year 2089 banner above the door to the lounge. Nana walked into the lounge.
The downstairs was packed with her family. There were so many people to greet, from her aunties and uncle, to her cousins, their children, and their children; in fact there were children running about everywhere, and teenagers sat in chairs and on sofas.
While she was an only child, her Aunt Georgie had gone on to have four children, and her Aunt Livvy had had three. And her cousins had gone on to have children in threes and fours. And in turn, some of those had had children too. Grace was the eldest of the great grandchildren.
Once she’d kissed and hugged most of her family, Nana walked through to the dining room, where an elderly lady was sat in a wheelchair. She picked up a chair and placed it next to her. “Hello, Mummy,” she said, bending over and kissing her on the cheek. “Grace wishes she could be down here, but she has a heavy cold. We don’t want you or Aunt Georgie or Aunt Livvy catching it, do we?”
Her mummy was a hundred and one years old; she’d received a telegram from King George last year. It was framed and proudly displayed on one of her walls. For the last three years, her mummy’s dementia had grown gradually worse. Now, she was lucky to get a glance of acknowledgement. Nana talked to her normally, just like she had when she was a teenager and adult.
Nana heard the volume on the stereo increase. It was an eighties tune she recognised: Irene Cara’s ‘What a Feeling’. Nana rolled her eyes, knowing that her Aunt Georgie and Aunt Livvy would be up dancing, making spectacles of themselves. And lo and behold, they were right in the thick of it, dancing. “Aunt Georgie, will you act your age! You’ve just had your hip replaced!”
“Chill out, Pippi,” replied Aunt Georgie, still dancing. “I’m not dead yet.”
“Yeah, Pippi, come and dance with us,” added Aunt Livvy. “We danced to this on Christmas Eve, didn’t we, Georgie. I can’t remember the year.”
“2019,” said Nana, having just read the story. “It was 2019.”
“Yeah, great year, Pippi,” said Aunt Georgia. “You were born the following year.”
“I know, I’ve read the story,” she replied, remembering The Varndean Vixens story well – it was partially about her, after all. “Well, be careful, won’t you. I don’t want either of you falling over and breaking anything.”
“Will do,” said Aunt Livvy.
In the corner of the room, sat in an armchair, she saw Uncle Jamal, who was busy talking to one of his daughters. She smiled at him. Her Uncle Nick died five years ago, which had had a profound impact on her Aunt Georgie, not that she’d have thought it, watching her now.
Nana continued talking to her mummy, as though she was going to get an answer out of her. “I’ve just read Grace your first book,” she said, remembering the ending. There was a strange smile on her mummy’s face. It was then that she hoped her mummy was reliving her younger days, that Christmas Eve night, maybe.
THE SOUTHERN BELLES
NOT JUST ANY OLD RICHES TO RAGS STORY
Heiresses, Evelyn, Georgia and Olivia Belle, nicknamed The Southern Belles by the tabloid press, have everything they’ve ever wanted. Then, suddenly, on Evelyn’s 30th birthday, their father dies in a tragic road traffic accident, leaving a massive hole in his business’ finances. With the world’s media, and the National Crime Agency looking on, their family home, cars and all other assets are sold at auction, leaving the sisters penniless, homeless and jobless.
Shunned by their celebrity friends, the Belle sisters must learn to fend for themselves for the first time in their lives. Evelyn, the eldest, knows how dire their situation is, and asks their father’s solicitor, who has kindly paid for their first two months’ rent on a rat-infested bedsit in Brighton, to look into their Father’s case, while they hunt for jobs to make ends meet, which inadvertently leads to them meeting new guys, falling in love, and learning along the way that the world doesn’t owe them a favour, and that money doesn’t buy you happiness.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
The Southern Belles: Not Just any Old Riches to Rags Story
Katie Simpkins, The Southern Belles
