A Paper Marriage (7 page)

That shook her more than somewhat. `You wouldn't rather have something with a bit of history to it?"

'Like Beamhurst?' He shook his head. `No, thanks! All Dad's ever done is chuck money at the place. It's no wonder he's skint! That place costs a mint to keep in good repair.' And while Lydie stared at him, incredulous that he didn't seem to appreciate that their father was `skint', as he called it, for no other reason than that he'd had to wade in there and rescue his son from his debts, Oliver went blithely on. `I told him on Tuesday, when Mother was bleating on about my inheritance, that if my inheritance included the white elephant Beamhurst I'd be just as happy to be left out of the will. Drink up,' he said, 'I'll get you another.'

He left her sitting stunned, and went up to the bar while Lydie tried to accept that just because she loved the old house it did not necessarily mean that Oliver had to. Even if he had been brought up there. By the sound of it, too, Oliver was quite cheerfully unaware that, through the mismanagement of his business, their father was in an extremely severe financial situation. As she had been sublimely unaware of the parlous state of their father's finances, so-incredibly-had her brother been! True, with Oliver getting engaged and wanting to be out of the house and off somewhere with Madeline all the while, it was doubtful that he had been in the house for more than half an hour at a stretch. But...

With her brother so excited and happy, and so looking forward to marrying his Madeline, now did not seem to be a good time to acquaint him with a few pertinent details. It was a relief to wave goodbye to her parents and brother on Friday morning-a relief to be in the house with just her and Mrs. Ross. No need to start getting uptight lest she be called on to evade some truth or other-or even tell a downright lie. And what lies she had told, albeit in the interests of her still very worried- looking father. Those lies had been told ultimately for her mother's peace of mind too.

But Lydie was plagued by the thought that, come Saturday, she was somehow going to have to make it appear that she and Jonah had been `intimate friends' and that they were well on the way to being `an item'. Oh, save us! Then, should she be able to overcome that mighty obstacle without Marriott Esquire being or becoming aware that he had been designated her 'beau' she had to learn what he had come up with in respect of the fifty-five thousand pounds she owed him. One way and another Lydie could not say that she was looking forward to her brother's wedding all that much.

Saturday dawned bright and beautiful and Lydie decided to go and call for her great-aunt in plenty of time. She was about to leave the house, however, when Charlie Hillier rang. `I thought you might like to come and have a meal with me,' he said straight away, sounding just a hint not his normal self.

`When were you thinking of?' Lydie asked. He was a friend; she sensed something was troubling him.

`Tonight would be good.'

'Charlie! It's my brother's wedding today ! I can't.'

`Sorry, I forgot. Tomorrow, then? Come to dinner.'

Fleetingly she thought of how she was supposed to be dating Jonah Marriott. Could she pretend to her parents that her date tomorrow was with him? Oh, Lord, she was getting herself into all sorts of bother here ! 'I'd love to, Charlie,' she said quickly. Br-is anything the matter?'

He was silent, and she could almost hear him blushing when, all in a rush, he blurted out, `That new woman-the one I told you about-Rowena Fox-she's asked me out!'

Poor Charlie, Lydie mused as she drove to her great-aunt's house. He was in one almighty flap. Without a doubt he would not mind at all going out with the unable- to-wait-to-be-asked Rowena, but with astonishing lack of self-confidence just knew something would go wrong if he did-and that Rowena would never stop laughing at him. Charlie was in urgent need of some confidence bolstering. That, Lydie knew, would be her role tomorrow. Meantime, there was her brother's wedding to attend.

`Will I pass muster with your mother?' Alice Gough asked, ready and waiting when she answered the door to her great-niece.

`You look terrific!' Lydie beamed, admiring her great-aunt's silk dress and straw hat.

They did not leave straight away, Alice decreeing, `I've made some sandwiches. We might as well eat them now. The formalities and photographs at these dos take for ever-heaven alone knows when we'll eat again.'

They were at the church in good time, and were ushered into their pew immediately behind Lydie's parents. Lydie smiled encouragingly as her rather strained-looking brother, who was seated in front of her parents with his best man, looked over his shoulder to her. Her mother too had turned in her seat, and Lydie saw her mother give her great-aunt the once-over-and spotted great-aunt Alice doing likewise. Both appeared satisfied, and Lydie and her great-aunt took their seats and awaited the events. Lydie didn't know how her brother's insides were that morning, but hers were very definitely on the fidget. Why did Jonah Marriott want to come to the wedding anyway? Him and his, `I like weddings, Provided they're someone else's.' He wasn't remotely interested in this particular wedding. He just wanted to make her sweat, that was all.

She was not too clear why he would want to make her sweat. What was clear to her was that she had never felt so on edge. She hoped he wouldn't come, that he would fail to turn up and then realised that, should he not come, she would be the one left looking a fool. The things she'd invented to get him an invitation !

Lydie's great-aunt Alice had the seat nearest the aisle so that, being shorter than Lydie, she should have a good view of the wedding procession when it arrived. But Lydie's thoughts were more on Jonah Marriott, and her growing certainty that he would not come. She started to quite hate him-making her look a fool like that. Heaven alone knew what fresh lies she would now have to tell to cover his non- appearance.

Suddenly, though, she became aware that a tall man had strolled up the aisle and was standing at the entrance to their pew. She looked over to him, and her insides somersaulted. She was not sure her heart did not give a little flip too. He had come.

Their eyes met. He looked superb. Tall, immaculately suited, those fantastic blue eyes-not to mention he was extremely good looking-and sophisticated with it. 'Lydie,' he greeted her.

She flicked her gaze from him for a moment, and found her voice. `Jonah, I don't think you know my great-aunt, Miss Alice Gough. Aunty, Jonah Marriott, a fr-friend of mine.'

`Pleased to know you, Miss Gough.' Jonah pleasantly shook hands with her and then moved into the pew to go in front of Lydie and take a seat beside her. Whereupon he bent close to her ear, and asked, 'Where's the boyfriend?'

Oh, help! All at once it struck Lydie like a bolt from the blue that, somehow or other, for today's purposes, she was going to have to tell Jonah that he was her boyfriend! Oh, heavens. Yet she just couldn't have him mingling with her family and referring to someone else as her boyfriend.

'Er...' she began, but was so overwhelmingly conscious of him sitting so close to her, and of what she must say to him, that she could get no further.

`Er?' he prompted-and her newly discovered thumping tendency was on the march again.

She would have liked to move her head away from the close proximity with his, but she could not afford to have anyone else hear what she had to say. `I-um-need to talk to you-rather urgently-on that subject,' she said in a low voice.

`Shall we go outside?' he asked blandly, obviously picking up that she did not wish to be overheard.

She gave him a speaking look-she really was going to thump him before this wedding was over. `For the purposes of today, and until I can explain,' she said through gritted teeth, `you are my boyfriend.'

His head came closer, and to her amazement he brushed aside her night-dark hair and planted a kiss on her cheek. `Forgive me, darling,' he murmured, `I forgot to do that when we said Hello.'

Thump him? She'd like to throttle him! Her insides were having a fine old time within her. He was playing with her; she knew that he was. And, having designated him her boyfriend, there was not one darn thing she could do about it! She moved her head out of range, and gave him an icy look. He smiled. Lydie gave her attention to the printed Order of Service they had each been handed. `Do you know these hymns, Aunty?' She concentrated on her great-aunt instead.

`Backwards,' her great-aunt replied. `Is it serious?"

'What?"

'You and your man?'

Oh, grief. Lydie found she had the utmost trouble in lying to her great-aunt. 'I'm working on it.' She played for safety, saw and heard Alice Gough smile and then actually giggle, then the strains of Richard Wagner hit the air, and everyone got to their feet.

The ceremony was lovely. The bride looked radiant, and Lydie felt a lump in her throat as she witnessed her only brother being married. She saw her mother trying to be surreptitious as she reached for her handkerchief, and Lydie felt choked again when she spotted her father take a comforting hold of her mother's hand. Her father might have been very out of sorts with her mother all this week, with verbal communication between them at a minimum, but that did not mean they did not still care deeply for each other.

As they had always been going to have to provided Jonah turned up, that was-he and her father met up with each other as they mingled outside of the church. `How are you, Wilmot?' Jonah at once greeted her father, extending his hand.

Her father shook hands with him. 'I'm in your debt, Jonah. I think we should meet.'

Jonah nodded, his eyes on the man who had been a stone heavier and a lot healthier-looking the last time he had seen him-three years ago. `May I call you?' Jonah asked.

`If you would.' And, turning to his wife who had appeared at his elbow, `You remember Jonah?"

'Isn't it a perfect day?' Lydie's mother commented, evidently still uncertain whether to like her daughter's escort or not.

Jonah smiled politely, and looked at Lydie, `Quite perfect,' he replied to her mother.

There was no time then, or for some while, in which Lydie could explain to him why she had let her family believe that she and he were dating. But while Jonah was undoubtedly waiting, and she did not lose sight of the fact that she had some explaining to do, Lydie noticed that her great-aunt had started to wilt, and her great-aunt became her first priority.

The wedding reception was being held at the bride's home, Alcombe Hall. But when Lydie and her great-aunt started to walk the quite some distance to where Lydie had been able to park her car, Jonah took charge and offered, `My car's right here, Miss Gough.' And, before Lydie could say a word, he had opened up the passenger door and was helping Alice Gough in. Then Jonah was turning to the slightly stunned Lydie, his expression bland, but something indefinable lurking in his eyes. `See you shortly, dear,' he said, and Lydie knew then that if he made the smallest attempt to kiss her cheek in parting she was definitely going to thump him.

She took a step away. He got the message and he drove off, and Lydie mutinied like crazy. First of all Marriott had arrived at the church after her, yet had still somehow found a favoured parking spot, and secondly that was her great-aunt he had just gone off with, not his.

By the time she had reached her car, though, Lydie was starting to wonder what in thunder was the matter with her . She should be grateful to him that, whether or not he too had spotted her great-aunt's look of weariness, he had saved her the need to walk quite some way. Lydie recalled how Jonah had said he had the greatest respect for her father. That had been evident in the manner in which he had spoken to him-and she was grateful to him for that.

So, it appeared that there was nothing the matter with Jonah other than that he was enjoying himself hugely at her expense-she could still feel the imprint of his mouth against her cheek. And why wouldn't he enjoy himself at her expense? He might have asked to be invited to this wedding, but he hadn't asked to be nominated her boyfriend. Which then brought what was the matter with her down purely to nerves. Fact one, she found him extremely unsettling. Fact two, she owed him all that money. Fact three, she hadn't even got a job yet, and any time now he was going to tell her his idea for how she should begin to pay him back.

Lydie pinned a smile on her face on arriving at Alcombe Hall. She joined Jonah and her greataunt, who appeared to be getting on famously, and who had waited for her before tagging on to the procession waiting to shake hands and congratulate the bride and groom.

After which Jonah found a chair for her aunt and, with waiters hovering, accepted refreshment for the three of them. With everyone i n happy spirits time went by, with more photographs-a good number having been taken at the church and guests chatting and renewing old acquaintances until it was time for the meal and the speeches. But at no time did it seem the right time for Lydie to have a private conversation with the man who was, whether he liked it or not, her man friend in particular that day.

Jonah had been placed in between Lydie and her great-aunt at the meal table, and Lydie had to give him top marks that he saw to it that her great-aunt was not neglected. He was attentive to her too, pleasant and affable, but it was still just not the place in which for them to discuss what they had to discuss. Nor was there any space later, when the meal was at an end and all the speeches over and the guests started to move about. Because by then Lydie was thinking in terms of getting her great-aunt Alice home. She knew the dear love had enjoyed the wedding, but sensed she had had enough. And was certain of it when modern music started issuing forth from one of the rooms and her great-aunt visibly winced.

`You look worried?'

Lydie looked up to see Jonah addressing her. `I think I should take Aunt Alice home, but...' She didn't have to finish.