Chapter 1

The buzzer sounded somewhere back in the recesses of the house who's door bell Isabel had just pressed and she removed her finger from the plunger. Nervously she ran fingers through her recently re-dyed hair, the wonders of Clairol covering the growing grey strands that now peppered her natural brunette locks.

Like a schoolgirl standing outside the heads office Isabel adjusted the jacket and skirt of her much worn black polyester business suit and waited. She glanced over her shoulder at her daughter, Jane, who smiled back from their beat up old car parked at the kerb just as the door opened. Isabel turned and smiled. A forced smile to be sure, but it was the thought that counted.

She had been practicing that relaxed friendly smile for days; but it was wasted, for as the door swung open, a young oriental in a maids uniform of black button through cotton dress, the white collar and cuffs matching the square apron worn around her waist, greeted her without emotion. "Can I help you, miss?"

The smile was exercised again as Isabel said. "Hello. Yes, I'm here to see Mrs van de Sar."

Without a word the maid stepped back allowing Isabel to enter. With the door closed the maid headed down the corridor with a "Please follow me and I'll let my mistress know you have arrived."

Isabel followed, awestruck at the opulence of her former friends apartment.

"Please wait here." the maid said as they entered the central living quarters before she headed off through one of the doors at the far end of the room.

Isabel looked around her old friend's apartment like a kid in sweet shop, it was everything she had ever wanted in life, something like this.

Light flooded into the open area from the floor to ceiling windows with their gossamer thin nets that floated gently in the breeze. The white walls were sparsely hung with what appeared to be original pieces of art and doors led off the main area to presumably similarly appointed rooms.

Unnoticed, Kalin entered and allowed herself a small smile of self congratulation as she looked at Isabel's expression as she stood on the polished mahogany floor looking around her. Kalin Leaned casually against a pillar, her expensive silk day dress flowing over her tanned body and asked, "So, you like my little town house?"

Isabel spun round at the sound of Kalin's voice and completely forgot the smile. Isabel put her tongue back in her mouth and dimmed the green light shinning through her eyes and tried to smile, but the effort seemed too great as she managed simply. "Yes it's very nice, you seem to have done very well for yourself."

This brought a genuine laugh from Kalin as she said, "Well, it helped that I married the right man with the right heart condition; that got me my first million, but the rest is all down to little old me."

"Of course this is not as grand as the house in the country or as cosy as the one on the beach, but I need somewhere in the city where I can entertain. Shall we?" Kalin said indicating two sofas separated by a low glass coffee table. The two women sat opposite each other and Isabel placed the leather folder she had been clutching under her arm on the table between them.

Kalin clapped her hands and almost instantaneously the young oriental maid appeared and said with a half curtsey, "Yes, mistress?"

"Coffee for two, Susi, and some of cook's delightful cakes." Kalin said in a tone that had become accustomed to command.

With another curtsey and a "Yes, mistress." Susi left the two women alone.

"It was quite a surprise seeing you the other night after so many years." Kalin said, her tone betraying a hint that she would have preferred it if they hadn't met.

This time Isabel got the smile right as she recalled how they had met once more. They had bumped into each other at a party to celebrate the golden wedding of Mr and Mrs John Carlton. Well truth be told, it was Kalin who, expressing her mirth at some witty comment made by one of the other guests, had bumped into Isabel.

It was of course though Isabel who had apologised to the tall blonde in her midnight blue evening gown that displayed a fair amount of bare flesh and even more diamonds, even though the champagne Isabel had been carrying had spilt down her own maids uniform, not that dissimilar to the one Susi wore. For Kalin was the guest and Isabel the caterer, well on this occasion, hired help of a friend who also catered large parties, the sort of contracts that Isabel would have given her eye teeth to get.

"You should be more careful!" Kalin had scolded even as Isabel was offering her apology. Normally the staff refrained from looking at the guests, it helped that the hired help knew their place, but something made Isabel look up.

With eyes wide with surprise Isabel queried, "Kalin?"

Kalin lifted a plucked and pencilled eyebrow as she actually looked at the maid, and suddenly recognition dawned, and a for a brief second fear flashed across her perfectly made-up face and without a glance at her companions took Isabel by the elbow and led her to a quiet corner of the room.

Glancing around to make sure no one was looking and more importantly listening Kalin allowed a small curl of the lip as she said. "Well, my little 'Bella'. It's been a very long time since we, er, worked together."

Isabel actually blushed, as Kalin brought back memories of her past she had tried to bury years ago. They had met at college, two carefree, innocent undergraduates who found a liking for band substances and the high life.

At first they had just dabbled, and there were so many people happy to supply them with both, but eventually they had started to need rather than want them. Once again there were plenty of people prepared to fulfil their needs, but now at a price, and the price was their bodies.

When it had started it had been fun, Antonio had hired them the best couture and jewellery and got them invited to all the right parties and, fuelled on drink and coke, they had almost willingly agreed to accompany usually older men back to their hotel suites for a night of passion. Antonio of course took what money was exchanged to 'cover his expenses', and soon the life started to catch up with them and the parties became less exalted and they needed more white powder to forget what they did.

They ended up being kicked out of college and would have probably had a short degrading life if Isabel had not been beaten up by one of her tricks who then raped her. The shock had finally brought her to her senses and she had told Kalin that she was going home to her parents. That was the last they saw of each other until that night, and, if she had thought about it, Isabel would have assumed Kalin was no longer alive, let alone attending parties such as this.

Neither woman said anything more for a few seconds, Isabel out of deference, Kalin out of fear of having her former life exposed.

The silence was broken by a young blonde woman dressed like Isabel who smiled at Kalin before half whispering to Isabel, "Mom, Andrea is getting in a flap, some of the guests have empty glasses."

Again Kalin raised her eyebrow and echoed, "Mom?"

Isabel smiled her proud smile, this one not faux as she said. "Jane, this is Kalin, er Mrs..."

"Mrs van de Sar." Kalin supplied. "How very nice to meet you, Jane, I knew your mom way back when we were er at college, tell me how old are you, honey?"

"I'm 17, Miss." Jane ventured and noticed the glance that was exchanged between Kalin and her Mom, as Isabel moved closer, almost protectively to Jane's side. The only good thing to come out of Isabel's horrendous situation was Jane, so sweet and innocent no one could have guessed how she was conceived.

As Isabel handed her tray to her daughter, Kalin brought her mobile phone out of her small velvet purse and held it up, it flashed making Jane and Isabel blink, and Kalin gushed. "Oops, I'm so sorry, honey. I needed to phone someone and must have pressed the picture button by mistake."

Isabel said to Jane, "Go and take these round, I'll be right with you."

Jane's smile could have lit up the darkest room as she said. "Okay, mom." and turning to Kalin said, "Nice to meet you Mrs van de Sar," before disappearing into the thronging crowd.

"Do you have kids?" Isabel asked, trying to break the ice she felt encircling her heart

Kalin laughed, "No, no kids, but your Jane seems very sweet. Is she... ?"

Isabel scowled a warning look. "She is the most wonderful daughter any woman could hope to have, how she came into this life has nothing to do with it, all that is behind me, behind both of us I would guess."

Kalin breathed a sigh of apparent relief as she agreed, changing the subject by asking. "Do you both work for the caterer fulltime?"

"Actually," Isabel said. "We have our own catering business, we are just subcontracting tonight to help out a friend. Although Jane is training to be a ballerina, we are just waiting to hear if she got the scholarship she applied for."

"Oh, well in that case, why don't you call round and see me, I hold no end of parties and it is so difficult to get decent help these days." Kalin said fumbling in her purse once more and bringing out a card that she passed to Isabel, who slipped it into the breast pocket of her dress.

"Would you be free, say 10:30 this coming Wednesday?" Kalin asked.

"I think so." Isabel replied, sounding unsure but knowing full well that she had nothing booked for the next two weeks.

"Great!" Kalin smiled. "I will see you both then, now I must get back to my friends, and I've kept you from your duties much too long already. Till Wednesday then, ten thirty sharp." She said as she left Isabel standing alone.

Out of sight of Isabel, Kalin started a text message on her phone "New material (see pic) Mom and Daughter pair (d Ballerina!) No sealed bids, open auction, Friday 23rd 8:00" As she selected the group of recipients and pressed the send button several purses in the room bleeped as Kalin joined a group of women and fell easily in to conversation.

"I brought you some of our brochures." Isabel said opening the folder and removing some poorly printed sheafs of paper.

"Oh that's okay, Bella. I'm sure you and that lovely daughter of yours will be able to provide just what I need. Talking of Jane, is she not with you? I thought you were in this together." Kalin said, not moving to take the proffered sheets and so Isabel returned them to her folder.

"She's outside in the car, I usually handle all the details, Jane just helps with the preparation and the serving. But I'm surprised you need outside caterers, Kali, you seem to have staff of your own." Isabel said, and as if on cue Susi returned with a silver salver replete with coffee and the most delicate looking fairy cakes.

"Susi, you'll find a young woman sitting in a car outside, could you please ask her to join us, oh and bring another cup." Kalin said as Susi set the tray on the table.

Isabel started to object but Kalin shushed her as Susi left on her errand, "Don't worry, Bella I have no intention of talking of our past, as I'm sure you don't, oh and by the way I'd prefer it if you called me Mrs van de Sar; Kali, seems so inappropriate somehow."

Isabel silently seethed but managed to coax her mouth into the merest semblance of a smile, "Whatever you say, Mrs van de Sar."

"So, Bella." Kalin continued, choosing to ignore the tone of Isabel's voice, "How's business."

"We're doing okay." Isabel said, sounding anything but convinced.

Kalin let her eyes rove over Isabel's tired suit and said, "Yes, I'm sure you are."

"Look!" Isabel snapped. "I do what I can. Yeah so it hasn't been easy bringing up Jane all alone, the first two years I was a complete mess, but I sorted myself out and now..."

She was cut off in mid flow as she saw Kalin look towards the door and smile as she stood. "Jane, how sweet of you to join us." Kalin said, her smile warm and welcoming as she looked at the cute blonde, Jane was no taller than Susi, but even dressed in her white top, knee length pink skirt and trainers, she had the grace and poise of a dancer.

Isabel spun around to check that Jane had not heard what she was saying, and assumed from her relaxed appearance that she hadn't.

Jane approached the two women, her ponytail bobbing to either side as she walked. Kalin held out her hands towards Jane, who was a little non-plused, but took the hands in hers and smiled. "Thank you, Mrs van de Sar. You have a lovely home."

"Well aren't you just the sweetest thing ever." Kalin said as she continued to hold Jane's hands looking up and down her petite frame that Kalin at five ten, even without her heels, towered over. Kalin finally released Jane's hands and sat once more on the sofa, patting the seat beside her in invitation.

Jane shot a querying glance at Isabel who nodded almost imperceptibly and Jane sat, smoothing her skirt as she sat demurely, knees together, her back ramrod straight as she perched on the edge of the seat her hands resting on her knees.

"Bella tells me you are going to be a ballet dancer, honey." Kalin gushed,

Jane smiled at Kalin's use of the diminutive for her mom, but said. "I hope to be, yes. I've won a place at Madame St Croix's starting this fall." Her face dimmed a little from its customary brightness as she added. "Well I am if we get the scholarship."

"Oh I'm sure you will, honey." Kalin reassured, patting Jane gently on the knee. "I mean, who could be more deserving than a sweet girl like you, Where have you applied for the scholarship?"

Isabel shifted uneasily, uncomfortable at discussing family business with someone else, especially Kalin van de Sar, and she certainly didn't like the way Kalin left her hand on her daughters knee.

"Well first we went to the local education board, but apparently they see ballet as elitist and don't give grants on principle, so now we've applied to the Hillingdon Foundation, their board meet tomorrow so I should find out in a couple of days." Jane explained in far more detail than Isabel was happy with.

"The Hillingdon Foundation?" Kalin mused, before finally shaking her head, and, making a mental note to phone Joyce Shenton, the Foundation's chairperson, as soon as Isabel left, she lied. "I'm sorry I haven't heard of it."

"Anyway." Isabel interrupted. "About this party you want us to cater for?"

"Ah yes the party." Kalin said, accepting the change of subject with equanimity and finally removing her hand from Jane, but not before giving her knee a small squeeze of encouragement. "I'm having a few friends over on the 24th, I'm not certain of the numbers yet, probably between 30 and 40 but I can let you know nearer the time."

Isabel picked up a pad from her folder and started scribbling.

"It's nothing too formal, so it will just be Canapes, and a cold finger buffet and of course champagne; but I have a little man who supplies the bubbly, so you will just be responsible for the food. The ladies, did I mention it was ladies only? Well the ladies are very particular, so I think maybe fifty a head should be about right. Do you think you can cover that? I assume you charge the standard twenty percent on top for preparation and serving.

Actually Isabel normally added ten percent, if she was lucky, and that was on occasions where the hosts quibbled about a tenner a head. She did the calculation on her pad and then did it again just to make certain. She swallowed as she looked at the numbers in front of her, even at thirty people that was three hundred straight, let alone what she could make on discounts for the food. 'I can clear five, maybe six hundred in the one night.' Isabel thought to herself, 'and even with 40 we can handle it between the two of us.'

"Yes." Isabel said, "I'm sure we can handle that."

"Wonderful." Isabel said, "and of course if my guests like what you have to offer you might get extra work."

"How often do you entertain?" Isabel asked, trying not to sound too desperate.

"Oh once or twice a week, I have one on Friday, but obviously I had organised that before we met." Kalin said, dangling the bait before a very eager fish.

"And will Jane be helping you serve?" Kalin slipped in, once more turning her attention, though to Isabel's relief not her hand, to Jane.

"Yes. Why?" Isabel answered guardedly.

"Oh I just thought that such a pretty girl might have other plans for a Friday night, you must have a string of boyfriends." Kalin oozed like an embarrassing aunt at a wedding.

Jane blushed and bit her lip before replying with a glance at her mom. "I'm too young for boyfriends. And anyway ballet takes up so much of my time, and mom says there will be plenty of time for boys and parties and things later."

Kalin glanced up at the hidden camera in the light fitting that was recording the whole meeting before responding. "Your mom is so right, sweetheart. There is all the time in the world, you shouldn't rush into things like that, so much better to save yourself, I bet you haven't even been kissed yet."

The rosy glow on Jane's cheeks turned a fiery red as she admitted she hadn't and Kalin heard the sound of folding money being counted.

"Anyway." Kalin said with a cheery smile. "Do let me know how you get on with your scholarship, and Bella if there is anything I can do,"

Isabel tried to return the smile but failed and said "I'm sure we can manage on our own, thank you, Mrs van de Sar."

Again Kalin ignored Isabel's tone with the aplomb only those used to the higher reaches of society and bitchiness can and clapped her hands. "Susi, please show Bella and her charming daughter to the door, until a week Friday then." Kalin said ending the interview.

As soon as Isabel and Jane had left, Kalin removed the DVD from the recorder and put it into her computer for a little judicious editing whilst she phoned Joyce Shenton who certainly owed Kalin the odd favour.

The manila envelope was sitting on the mat waiting for Isabel as she came down the stairs of her small rented house. She picked it up and looked at the back and sure enough the return address was to the Hillingdon Foundation. With great effort she resisted the urge to rip it open even though it was addressed not to her but to Miss J Wearing.

Isabel busied herself in her kitchen setting the table for breakfast and placed the still unopened letter in the place that Jane usually sat in and waited for her to come down.

"Hi mom." Jane said and accompanied it with her habitual peck on Isabel's cheek.

"Morning, sweetheart." Isabel said flipping another pancake on the griddle, trying not to watch Jane as she saw the envelope. Jane sat down slowly and fingered the brown envelope as if trying to discern its contents merely by touch.