A Wedding in Africa (The Africa Series) (15 page)

Right now, she had a party to go to. It would be the perfect place to distract her from her guilt, her miserable thoughts. Just for one evening, mingling with strangers who knew nothing of her past, she could forget who she was, what she’d done and just pretend to be the person she’d always wanted to be. Someone who could learn to forgive herself for all the pain she’d caused and maybe even start to enjoy her life.

The Du Preez family home was a magnificent Cape Dutch style mansion built in the style of Cecil Rhodes’ Cape Town property, Groote Schuur. It was situated on the edge of Nelspruit, the capital city of the Mpumalanga province. Nestling in an affluent suburb in the lush green hills, with views overlooking the lowveld botanical gardens, the Du Preez residence exuded wealth and taste.

Lacey peered out of the window as Tate drove his Mercedes through the electronic gates. The car purred gently along a gravel drive flanked by perfectly symmetrical hedges of starry blue plumbago. They drew to a halt at the foot of the stone steps that led up to two enormous, ornatelycarved teak doors. Tate got out of the car and grinned in recognition at the valet who had appeared from nowhere. He lobbed the car keys at him in an underhand throw, and the valet caught them with a theatrical flourish. Tate nodded his head to acknowledge the catch, then opened the passenger door for Lacey.

Her dress had ridden up a little on the journey and Tate’s blood pressure rose at the sight of those shapely legs in hot high-heels. He knew she’d scrub up well, but he couldn’t have begun to imagine just how well! She was stunning. Totally stunning. He noticed that she’d tied her hair up in some weird, complicated knot at the back. It looked amazing and he loved it – especially the little wispy bits and loose curls that dangled out of the clasp. It made her look stylish and glamorous. Even better, it exposed a smooth creamy neck that he desperately wanted to touch. To kiss.

But that wasn’t what tonight was all about, was it? It was all about showing Tilly and Lacey that he was just an ordinary guy who wasn’t looking to break hearts, break up romances – nor start one of his own, for that matter. So crazy thoughts about kissing Lacey’s neck had to be binned. Pronto!

Instead, he gallantly cupped Lacey’s elbow and guided her up the steps. Lacey could feel the subtle pressure of his fingers against her skin, and it caused goose bumps all up her arm. Great! Not exactly the cool, calm image she was hoping for tonight. She could only pray he hadn’t noticed. She was also hoping he hadn’t noticed her sharp intake of breath when she first saw him in his beautifully-cut black dinner jacket and crisp, white shirt. His lovely, unruly black hair was slicked back in a …. well, there was no other way to describe it other than a movie-star-on-the-redcarpet sort of style. He was utterly gorgeous and just looking at him made her knees buckle and her resolve weaken in - what did Mortimer call it? – a “silly girlish crush” kind of way. Well, Mortimer was right. She was being silly - and it probably was nothing more than a girlish crush - so the sooner she was gone from Matshana, from Tate Maddox, the better.

Luckily, she didn’t have to worry whether Tate had spotted her reactions. The minute they stepped through the doors, into the sumptuous wood-panelled hall, he was swamped by what must surely be half the female population of Nelspruit. Squeals of delight and dozens of pouting air kisses rained down on him. Even the male guests beamed at him and gave him a friendly thumbs-up or a wink. It was plain to see that Tate Maddox was something of a celebrity in these parts. And a very popular one at that!

Tate accepted the over-the-top greetings with a slightly embarrassed smile, but his face lit up with genuine warmth when Tilly’s pencil-thin form emerged from the melee in a glorious, skin-tight silver gown split up to the thigh.

‘Shoo, you lot!’ Tilly playfully pushed the gaggle of giggling girls to one side. ‘You’ll scare him away before he’s even through the door. Don’t you know by now how damn hard it is to get Tate to come to a party?’

Tate laughed and pulled Tilly towards him, planting a friendly kiss on both cheeks. ‘Am I really that anti-social?’ he said with a slight frown.

‘Darling, you’re much, much worse than that!’ Tilly rippled with pleasure and her huge teardrop diamond earrings sparkled. ‘Lacey! How absolutely lovely to see you again. That dress! Omigod! It’s so heavenly!’

‘So is yours, Tilly,’ Lacey replied with genuine warmth. It was hard not to respond to Tilly’s infectious enthusiasm. ‘You look beautiful.’

Tilly did a little twirl for Tate’s benefit. ‘See,’ she pouted. ‘At least Lacey noticed this divine dress. I went all the way to Milan for this little number!’

‘It was well worth it, Tilly. It suits you.’

 

‘Suits me!’ Tilly remonstrated. ‘Is that the best you can do?’ Tate held out his hands and shrugged helplessly. ‘It’s… gorgeous? Fantastic? Is that better?’

Tilly nodded and squeezed his arm affectionately. ‘See what I have to put up with Lacey? He’s hopeless. Utterly hopeless. Now you just go and mingle with some of the men, Tate darling. Joshua Ncube’s here with his brother, and your old pal Abel Chikepo’s flown in from Zimbabwe. I’ll look after Lacey. My mother’s dying to meet her.’

‘You okay with that?’ Tate’s gaze swept across Lacey’s face, searching for signs.

 

‘Of course she’s okay! Now go and enjoy yourself! We’ll come find you later.’ Tilly grabbed Lacey’s hand and pulled her out of the crush.

Delighted to be somewhere completely different, away from all the familiar Cape Town gossip, Lacey allowed herself to be swept along on the tide of Tilly’s irrepressible enthusiasm. It was easy to see why Tate liked her. She was great fun and a perfect antidote to Tate’s introverted personality and strange sense of melancholy. Tilly was also just the right woman to drag him out of his beloved Matshana, and get him out and about a bit more. She was just what he needed.

‘Thanks so much for persuading Tate to come,’ Tilly remarked unexpectedly. ‘I figured he might if you came too.’

‘Goodness! I had nothing to do with it, Tilly. I’m sure he wanted to come anyway. I’m just here because I wanted to see you again and wish you happy birthday.’

Tilly shrugged. ‘Thanks, Lacey darling. I’d like to believe that. Truly I would, but I’m not as naive as Tate thinks. I know he’s not really interested in me in that way. I’m not his type at all really. I guess I just keep hoping he’ll change his mind one day. But even if he doesn’t, I’m enjoying every minute of my time with him. It’s not every girl who gets to date Tate Maddox – even for a little while. All my girlfriends are peagreen with envy!’

Lacey stole a glance at Tate over her shoulder. He was standing with a group of friends, talking and laughing. Even among men, his peers, he stood out in the crowd. His presence was like a magnet. His dark, brooding good looks smouldered like rare black diamonds in a sea of semi-precious stones. Women everywhere seemed fixated by him, stealing furtive glances in his direction with eyes that said it all.

Just like she was really! Until Tate looked up and met her eyes. Then, just for a second, everyone else in the room seemed to disappear. All the laughter, the chatter, the tinkling glasses and background music were silenced. Nothing, and no-one, could break the electrifying connection of sparkling emerald and dark, gleaming gunmetal.

‘I wish he’d look at me that way,’ Tilly whispered in Lacey’s ear.

Lacey blushed, and tugged her gaze away from Tate’s eyes. ‘He probably can’t believe I’m actually wearing a dress! He’s used to seeing me in jeans. Next to you, he must think I’m a real style disaster.’

‘Judging by that look, I think he thinks you’re a very special lady.’

‘Nonsense!’ Lacey stammered. ‘I’m not sure he even likes me, let alone thinks I’m “special”. The truth is, Tilly, he can’t wait to get me out of his home, so he can have Matshana all to himself again.’

‘Do you want to know what I think, Lacey?’ Tilly leaned forward conspiratorially. ‘I think you’re exactly what he needs at Matshana. He doesn’t need me. He needs someone like you. And I’ll let you into another secret, shall I?
Nothing
, I mean
nothing
, would make me happier than to see my most favourite person in the whole wide world happy at last. My darling Tate deserves to be happy, Lacey. I just wish I could be the one to do it. Now, here’s Mummy. Don’t tell her what I just said, will you? She’d kill me if she thought I was willing to give up South Africa’s most eligible bachelor without a fight!’

Lacey was still reeling from the shock of Tilly’s revelation, and the overwhelming sense of affection and respect that she felt for this lovely, thoughtful young woman, that she didn’t notice a tall, perfectly-groomed older woman approach them.

‘Mummy, this is Lacey. Isn’t she just divine? Don’t you just love her dress?’

The older woman’s eyes quickly appraised her daughter’s guest before she extended a bony hand with elegantly manicured fingernails. ‘Miss Van der Zyl,’ she said in a cut-glass accent. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you. Your family is very well-connected in South Africa.’

‘It’s mainly in Cape Town,’ Lacey hurriedly sought to dispel the notion that she was in any way part of the colonial aristocracy. ‘Well, that’s as maybe. Tilly, go and mingle with your guests, darling. I’d like to get to know Miss Van der Zyl better.’

Tilly frowned at Lacey, but knew better than to argue with her formidable mother. With a quick squeeze of Lacey’s fingers for luck, she went, leaving her bewildered guest alone with one of the region’s most powerful matriarchs.

‘So, are you enjoying your stay at Matshana?’
‘Very much thank you, Mrs Du Preez,’ Lacey replied, still clutching her glass of wine, but way too nervous to take a drink. ‘It’s a magical place. The lodges are fantastic.’

‘Yes they are. Not that I’m keen on tourists, as you can imagine. But Tate assures me that only top drawer people will be able to afford to stay there, so I take comfort in that.’

Lacey chewed her bottom lip and her fingers tightened their grip on the stem of her wine glass.

 

‘And is Tate looking after you? Not leaving you alone, too much? He can be a little… insular at times.’

 

‘He’s been a wonderful host,’ Lacey replied, casting a surreptitious glance at Tate who was now chatting animatedly to Tilly.

‘He’s a wonderful boy,’ Mrs Du Preez followed the direction of Lacey’s gaze and her eyes narrowed. ‘As you can see, he and Tilly get on so well together. They were made for each other, don’t you agree? And Tilly’s the only one who can bring him out of his shell.’

‘I reckon Tilly could bring anyone out of their shell. She’s adorable.’

Mrs Du Preez nodded. ‘She is, isn’t she? And I’m glad that Tate can see it, too. Half the girls in the area have set their caps at that poor boy over the years, but he only has eyes for Tilly. In fact, he must be utterly weary of women throwing themselves at him by now. And, my goodness, many have tried. Believe me. But he realises that my daughter is the right girl for him. They’re so good together, don’t you agree, Miss Van der Zyl?’

To her horror, Lacey realised that Mrs Du Preez had placed her firmly in the category of women who tried to “set their caps” at Tate Maddox. How perfectly awful! She bitterly regretted having chucked her engagement ring on the bed, right now. It would be the perfect foil for Mrs Du Preez’s loaded barbs.

Anxiously, she fiddled with the empty space on her third finger where the ring used to be. It felt odd without those three familiar diamonds and she desperately wished she was still wearing it. She wished she was still safely engaged to another man. That way she wouldn’t be seen as a threat to Mrs Du Preez’s matrimonial plans; that she wasn’t remotely in the running for the area’s most eligible bachelor. But, without an engagement ring, only her pride and sense of outrage could combat the insinuations.

‘I think Tate and Tilly suit each other perfectly,’ she replied in clipped tones.

Mrs Du Preez didn’t seem to notice. ‘You’re right, of course. And the poor boy deserves a chance of happiness after all he’s been through. Tilly’s just the girl to help heal his broken heart.’

‘Broken heart? I didn’t know Tate had a broken heart.’

‘Ghastly affair,’ Mrs Du Preez turned her back to the room - the consummate gossip - and inclined her head towards Lacey. ‘There was some hoo-hah with one of the servants. No-one knows for sure, but it ended up with his wife walking out on him.’

‘His
wife
!’ Lacey was shocked. ‘I didn’t know Tate had been married.’ ‘Nice girl. Not very popular round here, but I always liked her. Miranda. That was her name.’

 

‘So what happened? Why did she leave him?’

‘All we knew was that there was a terrible fight between the two brothers about one of the servants. Heaven only knows what that was all about. But it was such a pity - Gareth was a real asset to our local community. He was such a get-up-and-go kind of person. Much more outgoing than his brother. Anyway, after the fight, Miranda packed her bags and left with Gareth. And neither one has been back since.’

Suddenly, Lacey could picture the scene quite clearly. Miranda must have found out that Tate had fathered a lovechild. The poor woman. How awful to be confronted with your husband’s betrayal like that. And, obviously, Gareth must have been livid, too. His own brother had betrayed his wife
and
fathered an illegitimate child at the same time. And what about poor Nandi? Gareth must have been furious that Tate had involved her in all the scandal. No wonder he was willing to help Miranda escape.

‘It was quite a shock to our community, I can tell you,’ Mrs Du Preez continued, oblivious to Lacey’s shock and outrage. ‘But we’re over it now. And, thanks to Tilly, Tate is just beginning to come to terms with losing his wife
and
his brother at the same time. Family are so important, aren’t they? Do you have brothers and sisters, Miss Van der Zyl?’

Lacey felt the earth shudder beneath her feet and her head began to swim. She placed the glass of wine on a passing waiter’s tray and stared at the floor. ‘I did have a brother… once. His name was Michael.’

‘Oh dear, so there’s been a falling out in your family, too, I see. Oh well, it happens to the best of us. Even the most prestigious families can fall out. Were you and Michael very close as children?’