Whispers of Love (34 page)

She felt on edge herself because there was so much she needed to do; so many things she'd had to put off, and she knew quite well she could never do any of them if Lilian was there.

Leaving them to discuss it all between themselves she went through to the kitchen and
made a fresh pot of tea, hoping that might help to calm all of them down.

In fact, it had the opposite effect on Lilian because she protested they hadn't time to sit drinking tea and gossiping. Marlene, however, seemed grateful and asked for a refill.

When Lilian and Marlene finally left, just before five o'clock, Christabel went back into her sitting room, collapsed on the sofa, and closed her eyes. For the next twenty minutes she gave herself up to enjoying the peace and utter silence that filled her home.

Half an hour later it was with an overwhelming feeling of relief that she phoned Mark to let him know that Lilian had gone home.

‘Marlene and Bill came to collect her, did they?'

‘No, Bill and the children are still in America. Marlene came on her own and she'd arranged for a taxi to take Lilian and all her luggage back to London.'

‘Whew! Marlene is a very enterprising lady.' He laughed. ‘Or one with a conscience,' he added thoughtfully. ‘She was probably beginning to feel guilty about leaving you to cope with her mother when she knew you had so much to do.'

‘Whatever her reasons, it is a tremendous relief,' Christabel agreed. ‘I'm looking forward to seeing you this evening and for the two of us having the chance to enjoy a quiet meal on our own for the first time in ages.'

‘I take it that is an invitation, so I'll see you as soon as surgery is over,' he promised.

By the time Mark arrived shortly after seven she'd tidied away all traces of Lilian's stay, taken a bath, changed into a dress she knew was one of his favourites and was all ready to be taken out.

‘I thought you would want a quiet evening at home and then an early night after what you have endured over the past few weeks.' He smiled, taking her into his arms and kissing her.

‘On the contrary,' she told him as she returned his kiss, ‘I feel as if a heavy load has been lifted off my shoulders and I want to celebrate with an exciting night out.'

‘In that case, since you are bubbling over with energy, get your coat and let's be off.'

Christabel hesitated. ‘I suppose I ought to phone and see if Marlene has managed to get Lilian safely back to her place?'

‘If they only left at five o'clock, then there's plenty of time to do that later on in the evening,' Mark told her. ‘I wouldn't imagine they'd be home much before ten o'clock and if I know anything about Lilian, she will insist on at least one stop on the way so it might even be midnight before they get to London. In the meantime, we can have a nice meal at the Grand in New Brighton and catch up on what still remains to be organised for our wedding,' he suggested.

‘We can also make plans on what we are going to do about Neil's, which is sooner than you think. We haven't even booked a hotel and it is certainly too far to come back the same day,' she replied.

Christabel couldn't believe how much she achieved during the next few weeks. She could feel the excitement building up inside her as everything began to fall into place.

Up until now she had felt weighed down by all her responsibilities and commitments and the fact that she had had to push all her wedding plans to the back of her mind because there were so many other things going on in her life.

Now she felt that she really could start counting the days, even the hours, until she and Mark were married and could finally begin their life together.

From now on it was all she wanted: a happy, peaceful life with the man she loved and the comfort of knowing that he was always there at her side to support her and share her problems.

Mark had certainly done far more than she had expected. The house purchase had been finalised and the decorating was virtually completed. With his help she organised all the furniture and furbishing that they would need initially.

‘Shall we do the rest after we move in?' Mark suggested. ‘It might be much better that way because our ideas about what we want may change after we are actually living in the house.'

Even though she'd always tried to be independent she was beginning to realise that there were times when she needed a man to lean on and that she simply couldn't carry all the problems and upsets that life threw at her completely on her own.

She thought back to the months after Philip had died when Lewis had helped her through the greatest problem she'd ever had to face. It was strange to think that she'd known Mark even in those days but that he certainly didn't know anything about what had happened to her at the time or the weeks she'd been forced to spend isolated in the dismal little room in Wilcock Court with only Maggie Nelson as a friend.

There had been so many family traumas since then that she rarely thought about any of it these days. Now, she told herself, she was far too busy planning the future, hers and Mark's, to start thinking about the past.

Christabel thoroughly enjoyed her solo shopping trip in Liverpool to select her wedding outfit. It was the one thing she really had wanted to do on her own. She finally chose a matching dress and jacket in a very pale turquoise blue together with a matching hat which had a neat brim and was decorated with a large white flower at one side.

As she tried it on, she knew she looked elegant. The colour suited her and the outfit was not too fussy. All that remained to be done now was to decide what little Jill was to wear.

When she telephoned Kay and described her own outfit Kay suggested that perhaps a white dress with a pale turquoise sash, some white socks and black patent shoes would complement it perfectly.

‘Can you buy those for her in that village where you live?' Christabel asked worriedly.

‘I may not be able to buy the right sort of dress in Cookham, but there are several quite large towns nearby. I can probably get what we want in Maidenhead or in Windsor, so don't worry about it,' Kay assured her.

‘I wish I was going to have the opportunity of seeing her all dressed up before my big day just to be on the safe side. It would be terrible if the colour of the sash clashed with what I will be wearing.'

‘I don't think for one moment that it will but, to be on the safe side, I'll bring along a white sash in the same material as the dress.'

‘That sounds like a good idea, or else not have a sash at all.'

‘What do you want Jill to wear on her head, a hat or some flowers, or simply a hair band?'

‘A hair band that matches her sash would be nice, but otherwise a white one, or flowers; forget-me-nots, perhaps. I'll have to leave the choice up to you, Kay.'

‘Forget-me-nots! They'll have to be artificial ones because they won't be in season in September,' Kay pointed out.

‘If she has a pale turquoise hair band then she could have white rosebuds attached to it,' Christabel suggested.

‘Leave it with me and I'll select whatever I think is going to look best,' Kay promised.

‘I'm sure she will look lovely whatever you decide on. Is she still excited about being a flower girl?'

‘I think she has more or less forgotten about it because she has been so poorly,' Kay sighed. ‘I'm sure, though, that once we start looking for her dress and all the other bits and bobs she'll get excited again.'

‘I'm certainly looking forward to her being there,' Christabel said softly. ‘You and Stuart as well, of course, Kay. Is there any chance of you coming to stay here for a few days before the wedding, because there are several things I want to discuss with you?'

‘I very much doubt it,' Kay told her quickly. ‘Stuart's father will have to stand in for Stuart at work when we come up for your wedding and, as you know, his health hasn't been too good lately. Stuart will probably think that if we are away for more than the long weekend we've already planned, it might put too much extra strain on him.'

‘Couldn't you and Jill come on your own for a few days?' Christabel persisted.

‘That would mean taking Jill out of school and her teacher has already expressed disapproval about her missing school for two days for the wedding. It's such a pity you didn't arrange your wedding for before the start of the new school term.'

‘Yes, Kay, I do understand. I did intend for it to be in August, as you very well know, but when Mark's son wanted his wedding to be before ours it meant putting it back. Then, with your aunt Lilian being taken ill and having to stay here, it meant delaying everything yet again. You've no idea what a rush it has been to organise everything as it is. Nevertheless,' she went on in a determined voice, ‘you must make time to come and see me either before the wedding or as soon as we get back from our little holiday.'

‘You mean your honeymoon, Aunt Christabel,' Kay intervened with a little laugh.

‘Very well, honeymoon. Now listen to me, Kay, I am being serious. It's to do with this house as well as several other things.'

‘Yes, I hadn't forgotten that you are moving to a new house in Formby. What are you planning to do with Rolleston Drive?' Kay asked, her voice laced with curiosity.

‘Well, that's something I have to discuss with you, but I am not prepared to do it on the telephone, that is why it is so important that you come and stay for a few days.'

‘Well, I'm afraid, Aunt Christabel, that since
your wedding is only ten days' away it will have to be afterwards. Don't forget, I still have to shop for Jill's outfit,' Kay reminded her.

Christabel knew it was pointless arguing. Surely, though, Kay was concerned about what was going to happen to the house that had been her childhood home. Unless, of course, she hadn't realised that under the terms of Lewis's will she was now the owner so she had to be the one to deal with it?

There were probably innumerable questions that Kay would be bound to ask, Christabel thought, and she wondered what her eventual decision about the house would be. She still harboured hopes that Kay might be persuaded to move back to Wallasey. Though by then she and Mark would be living in Formby, it would still mean that Kay and her family would be so much closer and it would be so much easier for her to visit Kay and even to have Jill to stay with her and Mark from time to time.

‘Very well, dear, I'll have to be patient, I suppose. Don't forget, though, that there are all your father's papers to be sorted.'

‘I don't suppose there are any that are of any importance,' Kay said dismissively. ‘Maybe you could sort through them and dispose of any that are not important and bundle up the rest and send them to me or keep them until I see you?'

The next few days, however, seemed to fly by and Christabel had no chance to look at the
papers. There were so many last-minute touches because she wanted everything to go like clockwork and that meant making sure that every detail was taken care of.

When Mark phoned her a couple of days before their wedding and she asked him what he was planning to do on his stag night, he confessed that he'd decided that he was far too old for that sort of thing.

‘What I'm planning to do is have an evening out with my partner at the practice and my own two sons.'

‘Well, at least I can rely on Cecil Roberts to make sure that the boys don't lead you into trouble,' Christabel laughed.

‘Since it is unlucky to see you on the eve of our getting married, I think we should have dinner together somewhere special tonight,' he suggested. ‘Where would you like to go?'

‘Surprise me,' she told him archly.

‘Very well, I'll pick you up at seven-thirty, so mind you are ready,' he warned before he rang off.

They dined at the Paradise Restaurant which was one of Christabel's favourites. Mark had preordered when he'd booked, everything from the wine to the dessert.

‘All you have to do is relax,' he told Christabel as they took their places at the table. ‘I've ordered your favourite dishes, and the wine I know you like. What more could any prospective bride want?'

‘For her prospective husband to always be so considerate,' Christabel told him. She stretched a hand across the table and took one of his. ‘This really is lovely, Mark, and it is just what I need.'

‘Why do you say that? You're not feeling nervous about the future, are you?' he asked anxiously.

‘Perhaps, just a little; it's a big step we're taking, you know,' Christabel told him thoughtfully.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. ‘You're not regretting it, are you, my dear?'

‘Of course not!' She smiled brightly. ‘It's simply that I'm worried in case everything doesn't go smoothly.'

‘Stop worrying, then, Christabel. You are such a perfectionist. What does it matter if someone fluffs their words or knocks over a glass of wine?'

She nodded in agreement but remained silent as the waiter approached and began to fill their wine glasses.

‘To us!' Mark raised his glass and waited for her to do the same, then touched her glass with his before he took a sip. ‘To us and our future,' he said firmly.

‘May it always be as wonderful as this evening,' Christabel murmured earnestly.

The serious moment passed. The food was excellent and, because the dishes were all her favourites, she enjoyed every minute of their evening together.

‘An early night? Is that what the doctor orders?' She smiled.

As they reached her front door she could hear the phone ringing as she preceded him inside. ‘Now, I wonder who this can be?' she murmured as she picked up the receiver from the hall table.

‘Some last-minute well-wisher, I imagine; they've probably been trying to reach you all evening,' Mark told her.

She smiled as she spoke into the phone, then the expression on her face changed. She drew in a sharp breath and looked at Mark with wide-eyed distress written all over her face.