'Yes, I did. Look, I have no intention of telling anybody anything. I always mind my own business.'

'Just you see that you do, you fat cow!' the enraged brunette spat at her spitefully.

Reeling from that second attack, Hope walked away with a rigid back. Tears were blinding her; it was a nightmare party with the hostess from hell. She cannoned into someone and looked up with a stifled apology to focus on Ben Campbell.

'What's up?' Ben asked, his voice a trifle slurred. 'Nothing!' Brushing past him, Hope took refuge in the cloakroom. Secure then from prying ears and eyes, she punched out Vanessa's number on her mobile phone and said wretchedly, 'Everything's going horribly wrong. Elyssa hated me on sight!'

'Good. Andreas must be even keener than I suspected,' her friend responded with disconcerting good cheer.

'How do you make that out?' Hope swallowed back another sob and decided that she did indeed look very large in the black dress. All that dark unbroken colour was less than flattering. In fact her reflection seemed to fill the whole dainty mirror above the vanity unit.

'Elyssa's a spoilt little brat of an heiress and she's possessive of her big brother. She must have some idea how long you've been with him and I bet she's worried that he's serious. Did she say anything nasty? Anything you could make decent mileage out of?'

Hope frowned, for where Andreas's sister was concerned she felt honour-bound to preserve a discreet silence. 'Why?'

'Because you could use it as ammunition and confide tearfully in Andreas. Only a week ago, I would have said that that was a major no-no, but with impressively little effort you miraculously persuaded Andreas to take you to the party of the year,' the redhead mused thoughtfully. 'I'm now convinced that you have more influence over Andreas Nicolaidis than either he or you appreciate.'

'Do you really think so?' Hope encouraged, desperate to have her spirits raised even with what she deemed to be a false hope. 'But I wouldn't dream of saying anything that would cause trouble between Andreas and his sister. That would be dreadfully mean of me and certain to fail.'