Substitute husband

I have been invited, with my partner, to an agency evening of food and drink. If you're reading this and you're part of my work world you probably know which one I'm talking about.

I've been to a couple before, once with Dave, once without. It is pretty much guaranteed to be a good evening. It has history (same thing every year, maybe a few venue changes), a small and friendly group, good food, great entertainment and copious alcohol. I have a feeling it's the last of these ingredients that makes the evening but I could be persuaded to argue that it's the combination of all of these factors that produces success year after year.

Unfortunately for me this event always seems to clash with a Christmas do that Dave is invited to attend with his work colleagues. But the clash is minor in time terms.

Dave starts drinking at lunchtime and by about eight o'clock the rest of the crowd disappear into London, at which point Dave usually calls it a night (I'm guessing he doesn't want to get in the way of people enjoying themselves).

My evening starts at eight o'clock. So if travel time is considered then there's about an hour when we clash.

Time, however, is not the reason that Dave is unable to attend my evening. It has more to do with the fact that he would have had enough to drink that he would struggle to hold a conversation.

The question is: Dave has decided not to support me and be my husband for the evening. Should I invite a substitute husband? And if the answer to this is yes, then who should that husband be?