Perhaps it wasn't the best attend to attend the gala, but Tracey wasn't going to hide in the corner as though she'd done something wrong. She knew of her innocence and was going to continue to live her life. She'd come on the arm of a colleague from the Ministry, though she didn't have much interest in him beyond friendship.
It was actually refreshing to not worry about her so-called friends. She felt free for the first time in months. Her friends would come back into her life if they wanted to be there, but she saw no reason to beg them. And so Tracey had danced with her date, had a few drinks and was generally having a lovely time. Stepping off to the powder room to touch up her lipstick, Tracey was on her way back to the party when someone stepped on the hem of her dress. "Blimey, do you know how much this cost? Be careful!"