Divide and Conquer

The four ladies paused a moment to take the scene in. They were standing on a pristine white concrete pad facing the most luxurious private dwelling most of them had ever seen in person. The property appeared to be bordered on the sides by a thick line of trees and bushes with a wall of cut gray stone and a gate limiting access through the front. It wasn't obvious whether there was a wall or fence hidden amidst the foliage but that seemed plausible.

Off to the left was a large three-car garage with a sloping roof of dark clay tile. The parking building, like the main house, looked to be constructed with a white granite façade. They were certain the buildings would positively glow on a bright summer day. As it was, the strategically placed lighting in the compound shined on both structures highlighting their beauty.

The main building had two tall columns holding the roof of the entryway up two floors off the ground. There were two rows of windows visible from the front, their simple wood construction a sharp contrast to the ornate looking stonework. Best guess from their placement was that there were probably three floors and more rooms than any of them would risk a wager on. One of the heavy wooden double doors between the columns was open with a lone figure standing there talking with a fellow heading inside. He looked to be checking invitations.

The other three all looked toward Noreen as she pulled up an email with a large QR code in the center. As they stood waiting, they heard the car that brought them start as the driver put it in gear and took it to the garage.

"Calm down. I have this covered."

Ria asked, "Do you know anything about this place, Noreen?"

"I've been here before, but it was for a garden function in the back. I've never been inside. Well except to use the bathroom and they kept everything locked between the backdoor and the lavatory."

Aimee gushed. "I can't wait to get inside! I mean this is where important people get together. Normies like us only get glimpses of places like this on the telly!"

"The building is owned by the Vandergrafts," Noreen offered. "They don't live here though. It's just used for social stuff. They are big boosters of the local football club though, so a lot of parties happen here."

Ria recalled, "They own a large shipping concern on the coast don't they?"

"Yes, these are those Vandergrafts."

Kath interjected, "Well let's stop lollygagging and go in."

Noreen nodded to her and started striding toward the man at the door. The others were a bit surprised by her sudden movement and quickly followed. As they walked up to the door the gentleman there looked at them, he was a bulky looking white guy with blue eyes and long brown hair. Noreen offered her phone and he scanned it with his tablet. The fellow nodded, held up a hand, and said "Wait here."

The girls stood, not wanting to say anything but wondering what the hold up was. That was answered a minute or two later as James walked up from the garage.

"Hey Jim," James said as he greeted the doorman.

"Are they with you?"

"Kinda. A friend of Mr. V's recommended their invitation and he wanted them here enough to send me special to pick them up. Past that, I don't know anything about it all."

"What Mr. V wants, Mr. V gets," Jim said with a shrug. "Ok ladies, through the door you'll see two guys in white suits on greeting duty. They'll take your information and give directions. Enjoy your stay at the Wilberhall."

Noreen offered the doorman a gracious smile as she led the girls through the door. It opened into a wide hall with a highly polished white stone floor and cream-colored walls. There were four darkwood doors set in the far wall, equidistant from each other. The ceiling was high, reaching at least 15 feet up and capped by a vaulted ceiling. Two wide staircases could be seen one on each side, with hallways underneath leading deeper into the house on the ground floor.

They could see two men in white suits standing at a counter that appeared temporarily set up in the center of the hall. One was a short Asian man with trimmed black hair and piercing brown eyes. He looked to be a wiry fellow and appeared engrossed in the tablet he was studying as he leaned against the countertop. The other man was tall and dark-skinned, standing behind the counter with his hair buzzed almost to the scalp. He looked like a regular in the weight room but offered the girls an easy-going smile as he gestured for them to come over.

"Welcome ladies!" the muscular guy called out in greetings.

"Hello," Noreen offered back as the Asian man handed her the tablet.

"Please fill out the questionnaire and then pass it to the next in your party. Once we match you to the guest list, we can advise you on where you can go."

Noreen did hers first and passed it to Ria when she was done. By the time Aimee had finished, a total of 10 minutes had passed. She offered the device to the Asian guy who quickly passed it to his partner. The taller man took the tablet and placed it on a pad on the counter, opened his laptop, and typed on it for a few moments.

"OK ladies. Assuming you offered good email addresses, you should have mail with a floorplan attachment that will give you an idea of what events are happening in which area. There may also be special notes if any were included next to your name on the guest list. If you have any questions, someone should be manning this station until morning." He half bowed in their direction, "Please do enjoy yourselves."

The girls moved off to the side to read through their messages.

Aimee mused. "The garden reception sounds interesting."

"I'm thinking the dining/dance area seems a sensible stop," Ria offered. "I haven't eaten much since we started the night."

"The sport room seems pretty fascinating," Kath volunteered. "Imagine watching a South American friendly live, and listening to real football players commenting on it!"

"There are at least 15 choices here. How big is this party?"

"We'll find out the fun way," Kath replied already making a mental list of a few places to visit.

All three then looked over at Noreen who was staring at her phone apparently lost in thought.

"Earth to Noreen." Ria joked. "Is everything OK?"

"It seems I have a request to visit a third-floor room called the gallery. I guess it's the blessing or curse of being the only one with my name on the invitation. They could include actual notes for me," Noreen carefully answered.

"That's weird, it's marked off-limits to me. It isn't anything crazy right?" Aimee inquired. "I can tag along if you like."

"Nothing other than that room name and request I drop by. It's probably just John wanting to touch base when I got here. Like any PR guy, he probably just wants to make sure I behave. I doubt it's anything special. Go enjoy yourself, Aimee. I can handle this."

Ria glanced at Noreen, "I'm not sure this is a good idea. This place is pretty big and frankly we probably don't know a soul here outside our group. Maybe we'd be better off if we stuck together?"

"Nonsense, Ria. Only the best and the brightest are invited to things like this. Everything is perfectly safe. No offense but I don't want to visit the gardens again or watch football. If we split up everyone gets to do what they want."

"I get what you're saying but I'm just feeling a tad skittish about this I guess."

Kath queried, "Since we all seem to be heading to the four corners, does everyone have all our cell numbers just in case?"

Ria replied with a smirk. "Yes, mum."

After the others assured Kath they were set, she continued. "Let's try and meet here in two hours then. If you can't make it, text so no one worries. There's no hard curfew since we're all off until tomorrow afternoon. Still, no reason not to be careful."

Ria nodded, "I think this is the best compromise. I mean what can happen in 2 hours?"

"Oneish it is!" Aimee agreed. "Have fun girls," she laughed as she walked toward the hallway under the staircase to the right.

The three remaining girls chatted for a few more minutes before wandering off, phones open so they could follow the map to activities of their choice.