Breaking/Making Up: Something Borrowed\Vendetta (6 page)

‘You have James to thank for that,’ Kate informed her. ‘I also heard him sneakily instructing the drink waiters to ply everyone with as much liquor as they could handle to keep them out of our way while the official photographs were being finished. By the time we make our grand entrance they’ll be high as kites on sherry and a quite lethal fruit punch. I know: I sampled it.’

‘I could do with a shot of something lethal myself,’ Ashleigh said drily. Kate’s ebullience hadn’t totally distracted her from how she had left James a little earlier. Neither could she forget that in a couple of hours she would be driving off on her honeymoon with a husband who didn’t really believe his bride loved him.

‘I could do with sitting down as well,’ she continued with a sigh. ‘I didn’t exactly have a chance to break in these shoes before today, and they’re killing me.’

‘Ditto repeato,’ Kate groaned expressively.

Both girls looked at each other and laughed again.

‘Just as well we didn’t decide to become models, eh, Kate?’

Kate made a face. ‘Well, I didn’t have much option on that count, being five feet two and having a face that
didn’t
launch a thousand ships.’

‘You have a
great
face,’ Ashleigh insisted, stopping to look at her friend. And she did, all her big, bold features combining well to present an arresting, vivacious image.

Kate beamed with pleasure at the compliment. ‘You are so good for my self-esteem, do you know that?’

‘Will you two giggling Gerties mind shaking a leg?’ James called over from where the rest of the bridal group were waiting impatiently beside the pink rhododendrons. ‘We’re all dying of dehydration and hunger here.’

Ashleigh was astonished and relieved to see that James was actually smiling at her. Gone was his earlier scowl, his look of pained anguish. He was a totally different man, confident and positive in his manner. She heaved a happy sigh. Everything was going to be all right after all.

Walking quickly over, she slipped a loving arm through his, smiling up into his face. Clearly her gesture startled him, for he stared back down at her for a second before expelling an exasperated though good-natured sigh.

‘Right,’ the photographer announced. ‘Everyone facing front and smiling.’

‘Wait!’ Kate shouted, making everyone jump. She rushed over and started straightening Ashleigh’s veil where it had caught slightly on some beading on her shoulder. Suddenly she stopped and frowned down at Ashleigh’s bare neckline. ‘What happened to the locket?’ she asked.

Ashleigh groaned silently. Trust Kate to notice and comment. She opened her mouth to voice an excuse, but nothing came to mind, and she was left looking like a flapping flounder.

‘It broke,’ James said coolly from beside her. ‘In the car.’

‘Oh, what a pity!’

‘Not to worry, Kate,’ Ashleigh inserted swiftly, having regathered her wits. ‘I still have your garter, which was borrowed as well as blue.’

‘A garter?’ The new best man perked up. ‘How quaint. Can I see it?’

‘Certainly not while it’s on,’ James intervened firmly.

Rhys laughed. ‘How possessive you are! But rightly so. Your bride is as lovely as you described to me. I fully understand you now, dear friend. Some things are worth any sacrifice.’

Flattered and flustered, Ashleigh lifted startled eyes to her husband, catching the end of a harsh glare thrown his best man’s way.

‘Do you think we could get on with this, folks?’ the photographer sighed.

The session seemed interminable, as was having to keep on smiling. By the time it drew to an end Ashleigh’s mouth was aching. She was also harbouring the beginnings of a headache.

‘Something wrong, darling?’ James murmured from her side when she put a hand to her temple.

‘Only a very small headache,’ she smiled softly, thinking that she did so like his calling her that.

‘I’ll get you something for it. Kate! Take Ashleigh over to that garden seat there while I rustle up some aspirin. Or do you need something stronger?’ he directed back at his bride.

‘Well...panadol is kinder to the stomach.’

His mouth curved into a wry smile. ‘Of course. Doctor knows best.’

She flinched, knowing how men didn’t like to be corrected, or told things by a woman. She could never tell her father or brother anything—even about medicine—without earning a reproachful glare or a sarcastic remark. ‘Sorry,’ she murmured.

‘Don’t be. I’m proud of your being a doctor. Kate? The seat, please. Be back shortly.’ And, flashing them a parting smile, he strode off.

‘I didn’t realise James could be so masterful,’ Kate remarked as she led Ashleigh in the direction of the shaded seat. ‘It’s very attractive on him, isn’t it? I mean, being nice is all very well, but a man shouldn’t be too,
too
nice. If he is people walk all over him, including his wife, and then he might lose her respect, don’t you agree?’

Ashleigh did.

‘Rhys is a very interesting man too,’ Kate raved on. ‘I could talk to him all day. The places he’s been and the people he’s met! Fantastic!’

‘Don’t tell me you’ve finally met a man you didn’t want to put solidly in his place,’ Ashleigh said, amazement in her voice.

‘I can’t imagine anyone putting Rhys Stevenson in his place.’

‘Kate! I do believe you’re smitten.’

‘Not at all. Just jealous.’

‘Of what?’

‘Of his lifestyle.’

‘Well, we can’t all be movie directors!’

‘Why not, if that’s what we’d like to be?’ she said quite aggressively.

Ashleigh stopped and stared at her friend.

‘Now don’t go giving me one of those looks of yours,’ Kate huffed.

‘What looks?’

‘Oh, your “one must keep one’s feet firmly on the ground” looks. Life is meant to be lived, Ashleigh. And I’m not so sure I want to live the rest of mine in good old Glenbrook! Oh, forget it,’ she grumbled. ‘You wouldn’t understand. Not only do you have a rewarding career, but you’ve just married a great bloke whom it’s quite clear you’re mad about—and who’s mad about you—so what would you know about frustration?’

Suddenly she smiled, a sort of brave, sad smile that caught at Ashleigh’s heart. She hadn’t realised her dear friend was so unhappy. One would never have guessed. She so wished there was something she could do.

‘Just listen to me,’ Kate laughed, but it had a brittle edge to it. ‘As if this is the right moment to be pouring out all my worries and woes. Now come along and sit down before I get into trouble for not doing as his lord and master commanded. Heavens, if I didn’t know different I might have thought it was Jake telling me what to do. Remember how he used to boss us around at school?’

‘Yes, Kate,’ Ashleigh said stiffly. ‘I haven’t forgotten. But I’m
trying
to.’

‘Oh...oh, sorry, love. God, me and my big mouth. Is your headache very bad? I guess I haven’t made it any better by my whingeing then bringing up ancient history. Truly, Ashleigh, I’m a real clot. Forgive me?’

Ashleigh patted her friend’s hand. ‘Of course, but I would rather you not talk about Jake, especially in front of James. It’s rather a sore point between us, I’m afraid.’

‘I won’t, believe me. The James I’m seeing today might just bite my head off. Aah...here he is now...’

‘Nurse Hargraves to the rescue,’ he said mockingly, and pressed the glass of iced water he was carrying into her free hand. ‘Now...give me that infernal bouquet and hold out your other hand,’ he commanded.

She did, and he dropped two white tablets into her palm.

‘Swallow them up straight away. I know you medical people. Great at dosing others but rotten at taking things yourself. Gone? Good. Look, I’m sorry, but we’ll have to make an appearance in the marquee. Mother is making unhappy noises.’

Ashleigh was surprised to find she quite enjoyed the feeling of being cosseted, not having had that experience since her mother died. Leaving the empty glass behind on the garden seat, she allowed James to walk herself and Kate over to the marquee, a lovely, warm sensation spreading in the pit of her stomach at having his solicitous arm around her waist.

If this was what being married to James was going to be like then she was all for it. Being married to her seemed to be good for him too. As Kate had rightly observed, James wasn’t usually so quick to take control of situations, to taking the role of leader. Yes, he certainly was coming out from under the shadow of his brother and being his own man. And suddenly Ashleigh no longer minded.

‘Oh-oh,’ James whispered in her ear. ‘Brace yourself. Here come the aunts and uncles and various assorted cousins to tell you how beautiful you are and how lucky I am. You’ll have to kiss the men too. Convention, you know. And we must uphold all the social conventions,’ he added quite testily. ‘Mother would have a seizure if we didn’t!’

It wasn’t till they’d finally taken their adjoining seats at the main bridal table under the huge tent that a puzzling thought struck Ashleigh. James never called his mother ‘Mother’. He always called her Nancy. Neither was he in the habit of using that caustic, almost cutting tone when speaking about her foibles.

A deep frown settled on to her high, wide forehead as she tried to fathom out why she was so bothered by that, since the reason for it was clear enough. Mother and son had clearly had an argument that morning about Jake’s letter—hence Nancy’s agitation and tears—and James was taking his anger out on her by being disdainful and aloof.

Yet it
did
bother her. Quite considerably. Perhaps because she wanted her wedding-day to be a really happy occasion.

‘James,’ she whispered, and he leant her way, pressing his whole side against hers.

A shivery charge zoomed through her body. ‘Please don’t be cross with your mother,’ she said thickly.

The muscles along his arm stiffened. ‘What makes you think I’m cross with her?’

‘You don’t usually call her “Mother” like that, for one thing. And you were...well, you were sarcastic when talking about her. That’s not like you.’

‘I see,’ he murmured thoughtfully. ‘And what would you like me to do about it?’

‘Go and talk to her and make up. She looks so unhappy.’ Which the woman did, not a smile having passing Nancy’s thinnish lips all day.

‘Mmmm...well, we can’t have that, can we?’ he muttered in a voice that didn’t sound as conciliatory as Ashleigh might have hoped.

He got to his feet and strode off in the direction of his mother, leaving Ashleigh feeling oddly perturbed.

‘God, it
is
good to be sitting down,’ Kate pronounced from her right-hand side. ‘Where’s James off to?’

‘Has to see his mother about something,’ came her suitably vague answer.

‘I have to give Mrs Hargraves credit where credit it due,’ Kate said. ‘This is all top-drawer stuff. Genuine lace tablecloths, real silver cutlery, candelabras, the finest crystal glasses. We might be out under a circus tent—if you can recognise canvas through the decorations—but it could well be a king’s banquet table, judging by the accoutrements.’

Ashleigh agreed that Nancy had pulled out all stops in making sure that her son’s wedding had no equal in the history of Glenbrook. Right at this moment two hundred happy, suitably intoxicated guests were busy finding their silver-embossed place-names at one of the twenty lace-covered tables, while a small orchestra played subtle wedding music and silver, white and burgundy streamers and balloons fluttered over their heads. A four-tier wedding cake stood proudly on its own table to one side, patiently awaiting its part in the celebration that was about to start. The caterers were hovering, clearly wanting to serve the first course of the meal.

Ashleigh was still glancing around when her eyes landed on James talking to his mother in a far corner. They were too far away for her to see the expressions in their eyes, but their body language reeked of a barely controlled anger, Nancy making sharp movements with her head and hands while she spoke. James’s fists were balled at his side, his broad shoulders held stiffly while he stood silently and listened. Suddenly James launched into speech, and Nancy’s head rocked back, as though his words were like a physical blow. She stared back at him while he raved on, her face frozen.

At last he finished speaking and they simply stood there, eyeing each other, both still obviously livid, each one seemingly waiting for the other to break first.

It wasn’t James.

Quite abruptly Nancy leant forward and kissed her son on the cheek, after which she plastered a smile on her face and went about her hostess duties with the sort of serenely smiling look on her face one might have expected from Nancy, but which had been absent all afternoon.

The whole incident rattled Ashleigh, especially with James making his way swiftly across the room towards her with a black look still on his face. What on earth was going on with those two? She could understand that initially James wasn’t pleased with his mother’s having taken a returned gift from his brother to his bride on her wedding-day, especially when that same bride had once been besotted with that brother.

But surely, with her having discarded the locket, James could see that Jake was not going to be a threat to their relationship? Why couldn’t he forgive and forget? But no, she thought irritably, he was a typical male, whose anger was not allowed to be so quickly discarded.

Ashleigh was initially astonished when, just as suddenly as his mother, James appeared to pull himself together and adopt a more pleasant expression. Yet as he drew closer there was no mistaking the hard glint remaining in his eyes, or the tension in his stiffly held arms and shoulders. Though, once he became aware of Ashleigh’s reproachful eyes upon him, he shrugged and smiled.

‘I’m afraid she’s still not pleased with me,’ he confessed on sitting down beside her, ‘but she’s agreed to play her part a bit more convincingly.’

‘Play her part?’ Ashleigh repeated, frowning. ‘Isn’t that an odd way of putting it? Your mother
loves
you, James. She wouldn’t want there to be bad feeling between you. She—’

‘For God’s sake, don’t start worrying about
her
,’ he suddenly snapped. ‘She’ll survive.’