Legally Addicted - By Lena Dowling Page 0,57

but the spotlight somehow had her rooted to where she was standing.

Caro beamed into the audience. A graceful saltwater croc with her eye on its prey, she continued speaking.

‘And now I’d like to call Georgia Murray, one of our fabulous volunteers and a former resident of the shelter, to speak to you all about her firsthand experiences of the marvellous facility you’re all here to support.’

Georgia almost dropped the tray of remaining dishes she was carrying, barely managing to thrust it into another server’s hands before the whole thing crashed to the ground. Despite releasing the burden, she still couldn’t move. Fury coursed up through her, exploding in a hundred shades of vermillion as she discovered the saying ‘to see red’ actually had some basis in fact.

Then the spotlight that had been engulfing her moved across the room, and without thinking she followed it. Before she even realised she had flung off her apron, she was halfway to the stage. And within seconds she was standing at the top of the steps beside the lectern. By the time she found herself leaning into the microphone she hadn’t even considered what she was going to say. Still furious, she opened her mouth and words tumbled out of their own accord.

‘You want me to tell you how it was, using the shelter facilities, Caro? I’ll tell you alright.’

The audience gasped, reacting to the hostility of her tone, and Georgia had the satisfaction of seeing the spotlight hurtle across the stage and fix on Caro who, having relinquished the lectern to Georgia to stand off to the side of the stage, now looked more like a possum caught in headlights. The spotlight illuminated the shock on Caro’s face as Georgia prepared to attack.

She had been holding back, but not anymore. Caro was going to get it with both barrels, and if that was in front of over two hundred dinner guests, then she only had herself to blame. A backlog of words: hypocritical, mean-spirited, self-serving, evil female canine specimen, all jostled for position to be the first to leave her mouth, providing sufficient pause for Brad to step out of the darkness and seize the microphone from her.

Everyone in the audience took a simultaneous breath, creating a multi-layered swooshing sound, and any remaining chatter ceased as everyone redirected their attention towards Brad.

Brad gently tapped the microphone.

‘Very few of us could lay claim to the grit and determination shown by Georgia Murray, and yes it’s true, as a child Georgia was, through no fault of her own, a sometime resident of the Dockton Women’s Shelter, but she is now a highly successful family lawyer and partner at Dayton Llewellyn Murray and Spencer.’

Brad’s emphasis on the ‘Murray’ prompted the crowd to erupt into spontaneous applause, drowning out his own surname in the partnership line-up. Gesturing downwards with his hands Brad quietened the crowd enough to continue, ‘But Georgia is not one to dwell on her past, and what she is really here to do tonight is to announce the launch of an appeal to fund an addiction centre that will address the cause of why so many of the women use the shelter in the first place. In a minute, I’ll hand over to Georgia to give you a summary of the research into these types of centres, what makes them effective, and why we think one is right for Dockton. But before I do, I want to announce sponsorship by the Spencer Charitable Trust to the tune of — well — that’s entirely up to you ladies and gentlemen, because the Trust will match every donation, dollar for dollar, achieved by her tonight. Georgia…’ He handed her the microphone and stepped back.

Relief swept through her. He would be at least partially funding the centre, and deep down another thought tugged, a lone persistent thread jerking at her heart, suggesting — well she couldn’t think about that now.

With the focus on her pet project, and with the benefit of her skills in courtroom oratory, Georgia had no trouble making an impromptu speech about her proposal for the centre.

When she finished, the guests rose in a standing ovation and for a moment her body slumped as if her feet might go out from under her. In a second Brad was there to put his arm around her and to guide her back down the stairs. Gratefully, she leaned on him for strength, but while he ostensibly held her to him, the tension emanating from his body