The Island We Left Behind: A heart-wrenching and unforgettable historical novel by Hewitt Kate

Author:Hewitt, Kate
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781800198951
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2021-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

The party was in full swing when Ellen and Will arrived, with a band playing a jaunty jazz number and the champagne flowing freely. The place was packed shoulder to shoulder, with couples swaying to the music or guzzling champagne, a haze of cigarette smoke above a sea of gyrating bodies. The sound of laughter was raucous in Ellen’s ears. She breathed in the smell of sweat and perfume, thick and cloying. Instinctively, she took a step closer to Will. It all felt even more overwhelming than she’d expected.

“Shall we find Gracie?” Will asked as he put his arm around her to shepherd her through the wild crowd. They’d barely spoken since their brief exchange in the car, which Ellen was doing her best not to feel stung by.

“If we can,” she replied dubiously. In the dim lighting, she could barely make out the faces of the partygoers; it all passed by her in a surreal blur of noise and color.

“We will,” Will told her firmly. “I’m not leaving Gracie alone in this nest of vipers.”

Ellen wanted to ask when and how Will had developed such a sense of responsibility toward her cousin, but she couldn’t think of a way to say it without sounding sharp, and in any case, the heaving music and loud, chattering conversation prevented her from making any remark at all, which was probably just as well.

Will shouldered his way through the crowd while Ellen clung to him. Finally, past the packed entrance to the club, the crowd cleared, and she was able to breathe—and take in her surroundings, the famous Cocoanut Grove club, fabled haunt of Hollywood stars. The sea of tables was studded with imitation palm trees that had, Gracie had told her earlier, been taken from the set of Rudolph Valentino’s The Sheik. They were decorated with toy monkeys that gentlemen could purchase to give as favors to their ladies. On the far side was a painted moon and splashing waterfall, and the ceiling was a midnight-blue, studded with golden stars. Ellen had never seen anything like it before.

“Will!” Gracie’s voice was practically a screech as she gestured them both over to her table on the side of the dance floor. She was sitting with Emmett Hughes and a few others Ellen didn’t recognize, half-drunk coupes of champagne in front of everyone.

“Hello, Gracie.” Will came forward and kissed Gracie’s cheek, while Ellen stood there stiffly, feeling entirely out of place. She wished she hadn’t come at all; she’d have much preferred to be tucked up in bed like Rosie and Jamie.

“Let me get you a chair,” Emmett said graciously, and went to fetch two gilt chairs, drawing them up to the table.

“Have some fizz,” Gracie insisted, and a waiter materialized with two extra glasses.

Emmett poured them both champagne while Ellen murmured her thanks. From the looks of it, Gracie had to be on her third or fourth glass already. She was lounging back in her chair, head thrown back, her mouth curved into a scarlet bow.

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