Hilda exhaled in relief and fell into step beside him.
Vivienne followed the direction of Jasper's stare, glancing left and right, utterly baffled by what could have made him look like his soul had left his body.
"Jasper! What's wrong with you? Get a grip!"
She clamped down on his wrist, refusing to let him leave her side.
Jasper was frantic. He pried her off and snapped under his breath, "Let go."
Vivienne stumbled, unprepared, her hip slamming into the corner of the table hard enough to drain the color from her face.
A champagne tower shattered on impact. Glass and liquid sprayed across the floor, and every head in the vicinity turned.
Jasper's gaze swept the crowd. Hilda was already gone.
"Jasper."
Vivienne's forearm was pressed into the broken glass, blood streaming down her skin. She reached for him and grasped nothing but air. The amused, pitying stares from the guests around her burned like needles in her back.
"Jasper!"
He didn't look back. He plunged into the crowd, chasing the direction where Hilda had disappeared.
After meeting her father's friends, Hilda made an excuse and slipped back to her room.