The Sacred Vault

‘. . . So I’d like everyone to join me in a toast - a belated toast - to the marriage of two great friends of mine . . . Eddie Chase and Nina Wilde.’

Nina leaned round her husband to speak to the grey-haired man beside him as applause filled the room. ‘That was a nice speech, Mac.’

‘Yeah,’ rumbled Eddie, less impressed. ‘You only mentioned a few embarrassing moments from my time in the Regiment.’

Jim ‘Mac’ McCrimmon grinned. ‘What are best men for? Besides,’ the bearded Scot went on, ‘I’d never tell any of the really embarrassing SAS stories in mixed company. Certainly not in front of your grandmother!’

Nina stood. ‘Okay,’ she said, running a hand self-consciously through her red hair as everyone looked at her, ‘I know it’s not traditional for the, ah, “new” bride’ - she made air-quotes, raising laughter - ‘to speak at this point, but our lives have been anything but traditional since we met.’ More laughs. ‘So I wanted to thank you all for coming - it’s great that so many of you could make it for our first wedding anniversary, and we’ve had some lovely cards and messages from those who couldn’t be here. And most of all, I’d like to thank the man who made it all possible - my strangely charming, sometimes crazy-making, but always amazing husband.’ She kissed the Yorkshireman to more applause. ‘Anything to add, Eddie?’

‘You pretty much covered it. Except for . . . bottoms up!’ He raised his glass. ‘Enjoy the party!’

The DJ took the cue and put on a song - which, as per Eddie’s instructions, was a version of ‘Por Una Cabeza’. He stood, holding out a hand. ‘Fancy a dance?’

She smiled. ‘Y’ know, I might have practised this one a few times . . .’

‘Good job too - you were bloody rubbish at it in Monaco!’ He led her to the dance floor, the couple exchanging congratulations and jokes with friends along the way before taking their positions for a tango.

‘Ready to dance, Mr Chase?’ said Nina.

‘If you are, Mrs Chase,’ Eddie replied. Nina arched an eyebrow.

‘All right, Dr Wilde,’ he said with a playful sigh of defeat. ‘Just thought I’d try to have one vaguely traditional thing in our marriage.’

‘You’re so old-fashioned,’ she said, teasing. ‘And a one, and a two, and . . . dance!’

‘I’m actually impressed,’ said Elizabeth Chase to her younger brother. The DJ had switched to pop after Nina and Eddie’s display, the dance floor now drawing the younger and/or more inebriated guests while the host and hostess split up to circulate. ‘I had no idea you were so graceful. Shouldn’t you be wearing spangly trousers and dancing with celebrities?’

Her grandmother tutted at her. ‘Well, I thought it was very nice, Edward.’

‘Thanks, Nan,’ said Eddie. ‘And I’m glad you’re here to see it. And you, Holly,’ he smiled at his niece, ‘and even you, Lizzie . . . I mean Elizabeth.’

Elizabeth gave him a look somewhere between acknowledgement of the shared sibling joke and actual annoyance. Holly’s expression, meanwhile, was of genuine pleasure. ‘It’s so awesome to be here, Uncle Eddie! I get to see you and Nina - do I call her Aunt Nina now? It sounds weird - and check out New York, and I’m getting time off school! Mum never normally lets me skive out of anything.’

‘Probably for the best - mind you, I skived out of school all the time, and it never did me any harm,’ Eddie told her, smirking at his sister’s sarcastic snort. ‘Anyway, it’s good to have the whole family here.’

‘Not the whole family,’ Elizabeth said pointedly.

Eddie forced himself to ignore her. ‘So, who wants another drink?’

‘Me!’ Holly chirped, holding up her champagne glass.

‘You’ve had enough,’ her mother said firmly.

‘Aw, come on! I’m seventeen, I’m almost old enough.’

‘Not here, you’re not,’ said Eddie. ‘Drinking age is twenty-one in the States.’ At Holly’s appalled look, he went on: ‘I know, how crap is that? But if you had any more, Amy here might have to arrest you.’ He tugged the sleeve of another guest. ‘Isn’t that right, Amy? I was just telling my niece about how strict you American cops are about the drinking laws.’

‘Oh, totally,’ said Amy Martin, joining the group. She regarded Holly’s glass. ‘I mean, that’s a potential 10- 64D right there. I’m off duty, but I might have to call that in and take you downtown.’ Holly hurriedly put down the glass.

Eddie laughed, and introduced the young policewoman to his family - then looked round at a commotion from the function room’s main entrance. ‘I might have bloody known he’d cause a scene. Hang on.’ He crossed the room to close the doors, a task made harder by the press of onlookers trying to see inside. ‘Private party, so piss off!’ he warned the gawpers as he shut the doors, then turned to the new arrival and his companion. ‘Glad you could make it. You’re only an hour late.’

As usual, the sarcasm went completely over Grant Thorn’s head. ‘Sorry, dude,’ said the Hollywood star. ‘Jessica couldn’t decide on a dress.’

Eddie recognised his partner as Jessica Lanes, a starlet-of-the-moment famous for a couple of successful teen comedies and a horror movie, as well as her willingness to remove her clothes for lad-mag photoshoots. ‘Nice to meet you,’ he said to the blonde, who smiled blankly.

‘Eddie here saved my life,’ Grant told her. ‘He’s a cool dude, even though he’s a Brit.’

‘Wow, you saved his life?’ asked Jessica. ‘Awesome. So, you’re like a lifeguard?’

‘Something like that,’ Eddie replied, deadpan. Someone else tried to peer into the room; he moved behind Grant to secure the doors again, whispering, ‘Thought you were bringing that other Jessica? You know, the dark- haired one?’

‘Old news, man,’ Grant said quietly. ‘Besides, a Jessica’s a Jessica, right?’

Eddie shook his head, then escorted the pair through the room, which had suddenly been energised by the injection of star power. Holly in particular was dumbstruck by the appearance in three dimensions of a man who had previously been limited to posters on her bedroom wall. ‘Everyone, this is Grant and Jessica, who . . . well, you probably recognise.’

Nan peered at the pair as Eddie completed the introductions. ‘Ooh, I know you,’ she said to Grant. ‘I saw you on the telly. You were in an advertisement, weren’t you?’

‘Nan!’ hissed Holly, mortified. ‘It was an advert for his film! That he was starring in! As the star!’

‘Oh, that explains it. I don’t watch films these days,’ Nan confided to Grant. ‘They’re all so noisy and violent, just silly nonsense. But I’m sure yours are very good,’ she added politely.

Eddie held in a laugh at Grant’s discomfiture. ‘Anyway, I was getting drinks, wasn’t I?’

He headed for the buffet tables, passing Nina along the way. ‘Who’s that with Grant?’ she asked.

‘A Jessica.’

‘I thought his girlfriend was the one with dark hair?’

‘Keep up, love. You’re a celebrity yourself, you should know this stuff.’

‘I am not a celebrity,’ Nina said, faintly irked by the accusation.

‘Right. Being seen on live TV inside the Sphinx by two hundred million people doesn’t count.’

She groaned. ‘Don’t remind me. See you later.’ Giving him a kiss, she continued circulating, spotting some friends and workmates at one table. ‘Matt, Lola!’ she called, joining them. ‘Everything okay?’

‘Great, thanks,’ said Matt Trulli, holding up his glass. ‘Top bash you and Eddie’ve put on. Congratulations!’

‘Well, it’s mostly Eddie who organised it,’ she told the tubby Australian engineer. ‘I’ve been a bit preoccupied with work - I spent most of the week in San Francisco. But if you’re enjoying it, I’m happy to take the credit!’

‘You look lovely, Nina,’ Lola Gianetti said. Nina felt her cheeks flush a little at the compliment from her personal assistant - though she had to admit that her cream dress was considerably more elegant than the suits she wore at the office or the rugged and functional clothing preferred out in the field. ‘And I didn’t know you and Eddie could dance!’

‘That tango looked pretty hot stuff,’ said Matt. ‘There, er, there many single women at dance classes?’

Nina was saved from having to answer by the arrival of another guest. ‘There you are, Nina,’ said Rowan