The Wedding Dress (19 page)

“
Monsieur Florian, I should
adore
to go! Please tell me some more,
”
Loraine begged. And her youthful enthusiasm was so infectious that the great designer smiled indulgently, and, leaning back in his chair, looked more relaxed than she had seen him look since the new Collection opened.

“
Well, as the title implies, the actual stage spectacle will be cast in the mould of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,
”
Florian explained.
“
That does not concern us. That is something for the theatre W
o
rld. But, when
the
performance
is over, there will be a bail
—
”

“
On stage?
”
interjected Loraine eagerly.

“
On the stage,
”
Florian assured her.
“
Possibly this will include set, period dances, with picked dancers
—
and there we might include you,
chérie
—
though that I will decide later. In general, all you do is attend the Fete wearing a Florian design, which will attract a certain amount of attention,
”
he added, without false modesty.
“
And so that no one shall give the credit to any of my rivals, you will be in my party.
”

“
Oh, monsieur, how lovely!
”
her eyes sparkled.
“
Who else will be there?
”

“
My wife, of course. Possibly Marianne and Roger Senloe, as they may be in Paris at that time. And,
”
again that indulgent smile,
“
I have no doubt you would like to choose your own partner for the occasion.
”

“
You mean I can bring
someone
else?
”

“
Of course.
”

“
They
—
he wouldn’t have to wear fancy dress, would he?
”
She could not quite see Philip submitting to satins and laces.

“
Oh, no!
”
Florian’s expression suggested that he had no intention of submitting either.
“
But, in compliment to the event, your dress and my wife’s dress will naturally have some suggestion of the period. A fascinating possibility,
”
he murmured, half to himself, and already she could see him pencilling absently on the block in front of him.

“
Monsieur Florian, I think it’s the most wonderful idea,
”
Loraine told him.
“
And I ca
n
’t thank you enough for choosing me. It
was
kind of you.
”

“
It was also good judgement on my part,
chérie
,”
he replied, as he went on sketching.
“
You are the one I can see in a dress reminiscent of the period.
”

But he was smiling, she noticed, and she guessed he was not displeased to give her this treat
—
which was handsome of him, she reflected, when she remembered the scene of insubordination which had taken place in this very room on the morning of the opening day.

“
Monsieur Florian,
”
Loraine said on impulse,
“
I never really thanked you for the
—
the very kind way you helped me on the opening day of the Collection.
”

“
I do not recall, Loraine, that you left me much choice,
”
he retorted, with some humor.

“
Oh, I
—
I know. I’m terribly sorry. But
—
I thought you might like to know, monsieur
—
that...” She
hesitated for the right words and compromised with a safe generality
—
that everything is all right now.
”

“
You are indeed fortunate,
petite.
I congratulate you,
”
Florian said a little sardonically.
“
It is seldom that
everything
is all right with any of us. Pray tell me just what happened.
”

“
Oh, well
—
”
she had not quite bargained for a
detailed statement, and now slightly regretted the impulse to express her gratitude by making this artless confidence.
“
You remember you were kind enough to promise me a very personal success when I wore the wedding dress?
”

“
What I said was that every man present would see in you the perfect
—
the inevitable bride,
”
he corrected her firmly.

She laughed a little self-consciously.

“
I thought you might like to know that the wedding dress had what might be called the right effect on the right person.
”

“
You are remarkably cautious in your statements,
m
on
chère
.”
Florian was still sketching.
“
May I be indiscreet enough to ask you who the right person was?
”

“
I think
—
you know. You saw him at the theatre.
”

“
Monsieur
Philippe
?
”
Florian looked up suddenly and straight across at her.
“
So you thought I was interested in the effect of the wedding dress on Monsieur Philippe?
”

“
I
—
you were kind enough to imply something of the kind.
”

“
You are mistaken,
chérie
,”
he said, but quite gently.
“
Monsieur Philippe did not enter into my calculations, except as a minor counter-player. The man whose reactions interested me profoundly was your guardian.
”

CHAPTER T
EN

“
MY guardian, Monsieur Florian?
”
repeated Loraine in astonishment.
“
Why should you be interested in the way
he
reacted when he saw me in the wedding dress?
”

“
You didn’t find his reactions interesting?
”

“
Well
—
”
she began. Then she stopped. For with
extraordinary poignancy she recaptured the moment when Paul had risen to his
feet and murmured,
“
You darling!
”
as she passed. And she remembered how, inexplicably, this had brought tears into her eyes.

“
I was very
—
gratified, of course, by his pleasure and admiration,
”
she said at last.

“
Gratified?
”
Florian made a disparaging little grimace.
“
Gratification is not a warm or an endearing emotion, Loraine. My impression was that you were greatly moved.
”

“
Well, yes
—
I was,
”
she admitted reluctantly.

“
By the occasion?
—
or by the
unexpected
tribute?
”

“
By both, I suppose,
”
Loraine said slowly.
“
It wasn’t at all what I had expected.
”

“
No? I remember,
”
Florian reflectively pencilled in a few extra lines on his sketch,
“
you said something very odd to me afterwards in the dressing-room. You said
—
'I didn’t look at Philip, after all. I looked at Paul.’ Perhaps that also was unexpected?
”

Loraine looked faintly startled, and began to explain eagerly. But Florian glanced suddenly at his watch and exclaimed:

“
You must go,
ma
chère
,
or you will be late for the afternoon Show, and then Madame Moisant will be very angry with me as well as you.
”

There was no question of lingering after that, to explain her reactions at length. He had already been generous with his time. So Loraine thanked him once more for the invitation to the Fete du Roi Soleil, and made her way down to the dressing-room in a somewhat thoughtful state of mind.

“
Well?
”
Madame Moisant greeted her with a mixture of sharpness and indulgence.
“
It was interesting, what Monsieur Florian had to say?
”

“
Yes, indeed,
m
adame! Did you know that he had chosen me to go to the big Fete at the Monique in three weeks’ time?
”

“
Of course.
”
Madame Moisant smiled with faintly acid amusement at the idea of her not knowing everything which went on under the roof of Florian’s.
“
It was I who spoke up for you when we were discussing who would be suitable.
”

“
Oh, madame, you darling!
”

In her exuberant delight, Loraine flung her arms round the astonished directrice and hugged her
—
a tribute which had probably never before been paid to Madame Moisant.

“
Come, come, Loraine, we will not be sentimental about it,
”
she said, though in a tone of great good humor.
“
All is business in these matters. You were the most suitable and I said so.
Voila tout!
”

“
As you like.
”
Loraine smiled almost affectionately at Madame Moisant. And then they were both caught up in the demands of the afternoon Show, and no more conversation was possible.

Not until Loraine was on her way home did she have much time to reflect on her conversation with Florian. And, even then, she naturally thought more of the exciting assignment for which he had chosen her than his odd insistence on the fact that Paul’s reactions to the wedding dress had been of anything more than passing interest.

“
It was a pity I didn’t have time to explain that Paul is too much in love with Elinor to have interesting reactions about anyone else,
”
she thought amusedly.
“
Particularly now she’s no longer engaged to Philip.
”

Even so, Florian’s words came back to her with some force when she entered the flat and found Paul
—
who had apparently preceded her by minutes only
—
standing by the hall table, turning over the one or two letters there.

He
had
been sweet about the wedding dress and, in fresh gratitude for his affectionate admiration on that great occasion, she went over and put her arm round him.

“
Hallo, Paul!
”

“
Hallo, my dear.
”
He put down the letters and gave her a light, guardianly kiss.
“
You’re home early, aren’t you?
”

“
For present time, yes. I don’t know if I was just lucky or whether we’re beginning to revert to normal.
”

“
Time things were a little easier,
”
he declared with some emphasis.
“
Florian’s a slave-driver. He’s been working you to death.
”

She thought of telling him that Florian had spoken up well for him that afternoon and that he might display a little respectful gratitude. But suddenly she felt that, for some reason, the joke might fall a trifle flat. And so she just said something general about having to pay some sort of penalty for success.

“
Very likely. But since you have an early evening for once, let’s have a drink and then go out somewhere for dinner,
”
he suggested.
“
It’s too lovely an evening to stay in. I know a charming place about eight or ten miles along the river. What do you say?
”

“
That’s an inspiration!
”
Loraine declared.
“
Just wait while I change and we’ll go.
”

She ran to her room and quickly changed into the simple but infinitely becoming dress which Paul had once mistaken for a Florian model. And by the time she rejoined him in the drawing-room, he had already poured out a glass of her favorite sherry.

Over their drinks she began to tell him about Florian’s decision to include her in his party for the famous Fete at the Monique. And then, in the middle of her description of her interview, Mimi came in to say that she was wanted on the telephone.

“
Tell whoever it is not to keep you too long,
”
Paul called after her,
“
or the best of the evening will be gone.
”
Loraine took care not to answer that specifically, because she knew it was at least extremely probable that her roller was Philip. And, sure enough, as soon as she lifted the receiver, she heard that well-pitched, attractive voice which always made him sound as though he were smiling slightly.

“
Darling Loraine! It’s my lucky evening, I see. I hardly dared hope to find you in yet.
”

“
We weren’t quite so madly busy today, and I got away at something more like my usual time.
”

“
Good for you. Let’s celebrate the fact by going out somewhere together. I’ll come and collect you in fifteen minutes, and meanwhile, you think out just where you’d like to go.
”

“
Oh, Philip, I’m terribly sorry.
”
She slightly lowered her voice, although, with the drawing-room door shut, Paul could certainly not hear what she was saying.
“
I’m afraid I can’t.
”

“
Why not?
”
he wanted to know.

“
I’ve just arranged to go out with Paul.
”

“
Can’t you cancel that?
”

“
Well
—
no.
”

“
Do you mean it’s a long-standing arrangement, or just a spur-of-the-moment idea?
”

“
We both thought it was such a lovely evening, and as I
was home early
—
”

“
But
I
find it a lovely evening too,
”
Philip interrupted, on a note of imperious good humor,
“
and I also would like to take advantage of the fact that you’re home early.
”

“
But, Philip
—
he asked me first.
”

“
Good lord, just explain to him that you have a more acceptable offer. A guardian isn’t much more than a fill-in in one’s social life, surely?
”

“
That’s not
at all
the way I regard Paul,
”
she said indignantly.
“
I couldn’t think of saying such a thing to him.
”

“
No?
”
Philip sounded amused, but also slightly irritated, by what he evidently regarded as excessive consideration for Paul’s feelings.
“
Well, then, tell him you forgot you had a prior engagement with me, and that I’ve just rung up to remind you of the fact.
”

“
But that isn’t true.
”

“
Don’t be a darling little prig. It wouldn’t be the first fib you’ve told him,
”
was the laughing retort.

“
I don’t know what you mean by that, exactly.
”

“
Only that you couldn’t have skated over all the thin ice of the last few weeks without telling him a few lies,
”
was the careless reply.

“
I didn’t tell him any lies! I only
—
”

“
Well, don’t let’s split hairs about that now, sweetheart
—
”
This time there was an unmistakably impatient
note in Philip’s voice.
“
Tell him whatever your imagination and your conscience will permit, and be ready for me in a quarter of an hour.
”

“
I’m sorry
—
I can’t.
”
For the first time in her life, she felt a little spurt of genuine anger where Philip was concerned.
“
I’ve told you. I can’t alter my present arrangement.
”

There was a very slight pause, during which she wondered apprehensively if she had made him really angry in his turn. But perhaps he had heard the unusual note in her voice. At any rate, when his reply came, it was not at all what she expected. He said, gently and persuasively.

“
Loraine dear, I’ve something very important to say to you. Can you really not find time for me?
”

“
Oh, Philip
—
any
time but tonight! You have no idea how sorry I am to say ‘no’. But,
”
she lowered her voice still further,
“
it would be a sort of slap in the face to Paul.
”

“
I could bear that,
”
he replied callously.

“
Well, I couldn’t,
”
stated Loraine flatly. And then, as though to soften that
—
”
The very next day early evening
I can manage
—
”

“
That might be too late.
”
His voice was unbelievably a trifle cold.
“
I’m going back to England soon.
”

“
Going back to England!
”
She was aghast.
“
But you
can’t.
I was just going to tell you
—
Florian wants me to join his party for the Fete at the Monique, and he said I could bring my own partner, and
—
and of course I want to have
you.
”

He laughed at that. A much more indulgent, Philip-like laugh. But he said teasingly: