CHAPTER 7 .sx The party was quite organized .sx Milo was bringing all his bright young literary friends , Sebastian had been alerted , Sergei was coming with some of his more disreputable cronies , Roger was bringing Kiki , for a joke , Nicholas was bringing his pocket camera and a tape recorder , and Alabama and Venice had spent all day getting ready .sx Oliver surveyed his flat .sx It did look like a slice of heaven , with the heavy orange evening sun slanting through the wide windows .sx The caterers had surpassed themselves .sx A great table was laden with the kind of food so avant-garde that most people didn't even know what it was called .sx Oliver hardly knew himself .sx All he knew was that it certainly looked far too pretty to eat , which was the point of food , in his mind .sx What he had hated most about school food was not so much that it tasted of old socks , but that it had looked so ugly .sx Mealtimes had been a torture to him all through his childhood .sx In the bathroom , the bath was filled with ice and rows and rows of Dom Perignon in its elegant green bottles .sx Not for Oliver the ignominy of having champagne served with napkins carefully placed to obscure the label .sx There was nothing more shabby , in his opinion .sx Enormous vases of lilies , pale half-open roses , and orchids were everywhere , their scent mingling with the heady smell of Floris lamp oil .sx Oliver put Mozart's piano concerto for two pianos on the record player .sx There was something almost unbearably decadent about a piano concerto for two pianos .sx Oliver gave a great sigh of utter satisfaction He did so love the moments before a party , when the room was quiet and still , ready to receive its babel of guests , and the anticipation of the night to come was a sharp excited thrill in the stomach .sx He looked about the room one last time , as if to reassure himself of its perfection , and went to give himself a final glance in the looking glass .sx It pleased him so much that the Crolla shirt he had chosen so carefully exactly matched the flowers .sx Really , he did show flashes of genius sometimes .sx He smoothed his hair unnecessarily with a supplicating little gesture .sx He looked a pictures and he knew it .sx He smiled at himself with love .sx " You are quite to die for , " he told his reflection with feeling .sx His reflection smiled graciously back , adept at accepting a compliment .sx And now for the performance to begin .sx It was going to be quite a night .sx Alabama sighed , tossed her head a little , frowned twice , and tried to start from the beginning .sx Her bed was littered with clothes .sx It was too hot for velvet , and the pale chiffon had a mark on it .sx The washed linen shirt was just too understated , and the crushed silk Bruce Oldfield was just too much .sx Alabama concentrated as hard as she could .sx There must be something that was just right .sx She sighed again , a little wistfully .sx She thought of the days when it had taken her five minutes to get dressed to go out .sx Those simple days when it was a matter of which pair of jeans was clean .sx She looked rather piteously at her old cowboy boots , scuffed from years of uncomplaining service , now consigned to the depths of the wardrobe .sx It was all very well turning herself into the latter day answer to Ava Gardner , but no one had warned her about all the work involved .sx She drew herself up tall , pausing to admire her silk underwear .sx She did look rather fine in it .sx She couldn't let a small thing like this defeat her .sx She was the best playwright of her generation .sx She had a double first .sx She was brilliant .sx She was not going to be thwarted by a tiny matter like what to wear .sx She took a deep breath , and started again .sx Venice finished painting her lips and pouted at herself in the glass .sx She did have the best pout in London .sx She had much to be thankful for .sx She smoothed the perfection of her brow , which ached a little from all last week .sx She was almost ashamed to admit that she found the Daily Telegraph rather amusing , and that she didn't miss the Mail nearly as much as she had expected .sx Perhaps she was a closet intellectual after all .sx That would be a thing .sx Imagine , after all these years , a Venice who minded about more than finding exactly the right dress to wear to a party .sx Life did throw up the most extraordinary surprises , just when one was least expecting them .sx Venice looked at her face again , something she never tired of .sx It looked rather strange with so little make-up on .sx Rather fine , really .sx Almost ethereal , in fact .sx Perhaps intellectual ?sx Venice told herself to stop being fanciful .sx Enough was enough , after all .sx It took her hardly a moment to dress .sx She had decided to strike a balance somewhere between glamour and utter carelessness .sx She still drew the line at wearing jeans to a party , whatever Alabama said , so she had settled on a little black dress .sx Venice knew all about little black dresses and their importance in the history of seduction .sx She knew that every girl should have at least one .sx This particular one was simple and short and made of material that clung lovingly to her figure .sx No jewels , Venice decided firmly , with hardly a backward glance at her box of baubles , the box which only a week ago had given her so much pleasure , the box which she could quite happily gaze at for an hour , when she had an hour to spare .sx No jewels , just sheer black stockings and a dash of Chanel N. 5 , and that would do very nicely indeed .sx Venice looked at her wardrobe for a moment , with a faint look of longing , running her hand for a brief forbidden minute along the collection of silks and satins and rich organza .sx It was only for a minute .sx She turned back to her reflection , thinking that perhaps she looked rather young and slim and fine , and anyway , some things were more important than clothes .sx Nicholas sighed heavily , and put one of his old Ella Fitzgerald records on , to accompany him while he dressed .sx It fitted his mood quite perfectly .sx He had no heart , everyone knew that .sx So what was all this , mooning about like a lovesick adolescent ?sx And why was there a hole where his stomach used to be , even though he had eaten a whole lobster for lunch , and two helpings of summer pudding , every time he thought of Alabama ?sx It was getting too ridiculous .sx He was the toughest nut in a street of very hard cases , he was the man who dared people to sue , he was the man who could make and break reputations and marriages , so what was the matter with him ?sx He sighed again , and slapped on some of his best aftershave , with a vain attempt at carelessness .sx He looked at his collection of suits , said by some to be the most extensive in London , although he felt that Sergei might have the edge on him , and wondered which he should wear for maximum effect .sx The pun-stripes were too formal , the cream linen too cricket , the Anthony Price too reminiscent of a television personality .sx After some deliberation , he chose a double breasted Prince of Wales check which he had always been fond of .sx That should do , not too sharp , yet modern , with a hint of witty nostalgia that was so essential these days .sx Perfect .sx He brushed his hair , and shot his cuffs , and fitted his cigarettes into a silver cigarette case , and told himself for the sixty-fourth time not to be so ridiculous .sx Milo worked on his book until late .sx He only needed five minutes to get ready anyway .sx He put his head under the tap , and then pulled on a pair of jeans and a white shirt and had done with it .sx He was fond of Oliver , in a wry kind of way , but not that fond .sx Besides , there was little point in dressing up .sx This was Alabama's night .sx He didn't want to steal any thunder at all .sx Scattered across London , his literary friends were putting on much the same uniform .sx Most of them looked like Montgomery Clift anyway , so they didn't need any more adornment .sx That was why they had been invited , if only they knew it .sx As it was , they were looking forward to a good evening .sx Oliver's parties were famous , and the Skye sisters were fast becoming legendary , and there was bound to be an extraordinary amount of material for their next books .sx Above an off-licence in the King's Road , Sebastian paused in front of the glass to accompany Eric Clapton in a particularly gruelling guitar riff .sx The least one could do for a sound like that was give it a little respect .sx Sebastian bowed extravagantly to an imaginary audience .sx Too kind , he thought .sx What a great crowd you are .sx Really , it was nothing .sx He wondered if he should dress up for this party .sx King of the social circuit in Oxford , Sebastian had never been to a really sophisticated London party before .sx All his parents' friends were serious financial wizards who occasionally gave drinks parties on Sunday mornings , and his own friends were still bringing bottles .sx What did really sophisticated London party goers wear ?sx Should he dress up , or down ?sx He didn't quite dare ring Venice to ask her .sx He would have to improvise .sx After some thought , a tin of Miller Lite , and a couple more guitar solos which sent the audience wild , he decided on a pair of red trousers belonging to some obscure military regiment , the 54th dragoons or some such , which Sebastian was particularly fond of since they were the only item of clothing he had ever bought in a street market , a white evening shirt with stick ups , and his leather jacket .sx This ensemble , he felt , rather cunningly mixed elements of smartness , street credibility , and wit .sx Anyway , it would have to do .sx Max grunted crossly to himself , and wondered again why he had accepted Oliver's invitation .sx Curiosity , and ambition , he supposed .sx Besides , he hadn't been to a good party for quite a fortnight , and he rather missed it .sx How was he going to impress Dent Ludlow ?sx Should he go for a raw Brando look that Alabama had preferred , or the smooth sophisticate that impressed the glamorous women ?sx Perhaps he should simply capitalize on his dark looks .sx That would do .sx He pulled on some black trousers and a black shirt and slicked his hair back with the Brylcream that had so suddenly come back into fashion after twenty years of obsolescence .sx Everyone would keep saying that black was out , but it suited Max , and he was damned if he was going to be a slave of fashion .sx He looked cool in black , he looked dangerous and languorous and fierce .sx He wondered if the leather jacket might be overdoing it .sx He decided it was rather , so he compromised with a pair of suede boots instead .sx That way , he could at least step on a few toes , if all else failed .sx Sergei dressed as he dressed for everything , with care and thought and just the right amount of concentration .sx He put on a dark grey suit , and a cream shirt and a blue tie .sx Everything was beautifully laundered and pressed , and laid out lovingly by his man .sx As usual , he looked immaculate .sx He looked like what he was , rich , pampered , tasteful .sx Of course , being Sergei , he didn't think that .sx He was too busy wondering quite what the evening had in store , and whether his fiendish plan was going to work .sx He couldn't help a sneaking desire that it would backfire , and a nasty young actor would run off with a bimbo , or just not turn up .sx He couldn't help feeling that Alabama was worth rather more .sx He gave himself the usual cursory glance in the glass , simply to make sure that everything was quite as it should be .sx