A Flame Unburned: A heart-wrenching coming-of-age love story packed full of heartbreak and hope (The Three Great Loves of Victoria Turnbull Book 1) by Isabella Wiles

Author:Isabella Wiles [Wiles, Isabella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aurora Independent Publishing
Published: 2021-09-05T16:00:00+00:00

After work, I head home and check the answer phone. Nothing. I check the time, but it’s the middle of the night in Christchurch. If I ring now, I risk waking Lynne up, so instead I resign myself to getting ready for Mr Astor’s Christmas soirée. I had been looking forward to this evening, envisioning it as the first part of an awesome weekend that should have ended with me running into Chris’s arms as he appeared in the arrivals hall at Heathrow. Whereas now, all I want to do is curl up and die.

Nevertheless, I force myself into the shower and take special care with my makeup (including the hassle of sticking on false eyelashes). I’m going to need an extra layer of war paint this evening to cover up my lacklustre enthusiasm. Sweeping my hair off my neck, I twist it into an elegant French twist up-do. I apply another coat of nude nail varnish over the top of my already French polished nails and pull my infamous Little Black Dress from my wardrobe. Fuck it – I might as well go all in.

A short taxi ride later, and avoiding the signage pointing towards the function room, I stride into the resident’s bar of the converted Victorian manor house.

“A double vodka and Coke please. Go easy on the ice,” I instruct the barman, perching my backside onto one of the bar stools.

He places the tumbler down in front of me and I throw its contents back in one, slamming the empty glass back onto the brushed copper bar top when I’m done.

“Same again, please.” I wipe the back of my hand across my mouth.

He raises an eyebrow, but dutifully prepares my drink and I knock it back a second time. I hardly taste the liquor as it passes over my tongue, but the vodka burns the back of my throat and bites the inside of my stomach.

“And another,” I command, placing the empty glass back down again.

“Maybe just a single this time. Or perhaps a soft drink for now?”

“Nope. Another double vodka please.”

“Bad day?” he asks with sympathetic eyes.

“You could say that.”

“Wanna talk about it?” He wipes the bar top down with his cloth. A stalling tactic, as I notice he’s avoiding fixing my next drink.

“Not really.”

“Are you here for Mr Astor’s party?”

I shrug my shoulders.

“Because all the merriment seems to be happening through there.” He points in the direction of the function room, where laughter and the sound of animated conversation rises above the smooth tones of a live jazz band.

“I’m not in the mood to party. I’m in the mood to drink.” I twist my mouth into a challenging smile.

“You know that drinking never makes your problems go away. They’ll still be there in the morning. Together with a stinking hangover.”

I glare at him. “And who made you my counsellor?”

He raises his hands in defeat and steps back. “Okay, okay. Don’t shoot the messenger. But look – I’ll do you a deal. I’ll make you a

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