OF DREAMS AND CEREMONIES (4 page)

"Ah. Maybe not. What a pity! It would have been nice to have it all here."

"It'll be nice in town, too. Do you remember they have rooms set up at the old courthouse?"

"Yes, of course."

"There's the Disraeli Room on weekdays," Nicholas chattered on, "and Midsomer Court on Fridays and weekends. Midsomer Court has the nicer name, but it looks kind of plain judging from the photos. Though there's this terrific light coming in through the high windows … The Disraeli Room is older, and more what I imagined. Like I said, though, it depends on the exact day we're doing this …" He finally trailed off, seeing that everyone was watching him in amusement. "What?"

"You've researched this, then," Robert commented.

"Yeah."

"Wondered what you were both doing up there in your room for all those hours …" This was greeted with guffaws from various adults around the table.

Nicholas sniffed and said primly, "David was sleeping off his jet lag, so I had to occupy myself
somehow
…"

"All right, all right," said Richard, quite amicably. "That's enough of that. Simon, perhaps it's time to clear the plates?"

"Oh!" Nicholas exclaimed as they were walking through the house after lunch. "I can show you …" He took Dave's hand and led him round a corner and into what seemed to be a study or maybe even a small library. A profusion of framed photos covered a great deal of one wall. Nicholas only took a moment to find the one he was looking for. "See? This was Robert and Penelope's wedding. We're all in morning suits. It's what's expected, it's traditional, but really I just love it. Everyone looks so smart!"

"Well," Dave admitted, "you
do
look smart." All the men in the photo looked very - whatever that word Nicholas used was. Dapper. They were very dapper -

and especially Nicholas with his tall slim frame and his broad shoulders. But even Robert looked great, despite the fact he tended to appear as if he'd just been hauled backwards out of a rugby scrum - and the rather sturdy Richard was every inch the Earl.

"I jump at any excuse to wear Morning Grey, to be honest - I prefer that to the traditional black jacket and striped trousers like Robert and my father are in here, and I figure it's our wedding so we can just go with the grey if we want to - but we can add a bit of colour to things with the ties and waistcoats, if you like. Hey! Maybe, like, a rainbow of colours - subtle colours, I mean, but each of us in a different colour of the rainbow." Nicholas nudged him with an elbow. "Gay pride, you know?"

"Yeah. I get it."

After a pause that became a bit too lengthy, Nicholas said, "Well, we don't have to wave the whole Gay Pride flag thing, but
God
you'll look gorgeous in a morning suit, David. I promise you will."

"They have
tails
," he complained.

"A cutaway skirt," said Nicholas.

"A skirt! Like
that
makes it better." Dave sighed, and took a step back. Considered Nicholas, and tried to judge just how important this was to him compared to how important it was to himself. They seemed equally determined at this point. "I think I told you already," Dave eventually said, "I've never worn a suit before."

"There's a first time for everything," Nicholas remarked - and he made his point by complacently patting Dave's rear. "As well you know."

"Nicholas. I just don't do suits."

"But - "

"You look great," Dave said, indicating the photo again. "You really do. But my idea of dressing up is the white shirt and jeans I wore on the first day I came here."

Nicholas's mouth pinched up unhappily. "You're not suggesting," he slowly responded, "that you wear
jeans
for our wedding … ?"

"Well, no," said Dave, privately thinking that actually he'd be perfectly happy with the kind of wedding where
everyone
wore jeans. "I don't know, all right? Not jeans. But … not a suit either."

Nicholas let out a gusted sigh. "All right. Well. We'll have to think about that, then."

"
You
can still wear a morning suit, can't you? If that's what makes you happy?"

That earned him a smile, tiny but genuine, and Nicholas reached to hold Dave's hand again. "All right. Come on," he continued rather more robustly. "Let's not keep Frank waiting."

Dave was given a tour of the old stable block which had been converted to, among other things, a working garage and a display area for an impressive range of cars. Frank led the way, while Dave followed with Nicholas tagging along after him. Dave and Nicholas held hands the entire time. Perhaps they needed the mutual reassurance. Frank seemed like a fairly quiet man by nature, but it didn't take much to get him talking. He provided a potted history for each car, and lovingly listed both their strengths and their weaknesses. He had polishing cloths stowed in a pocket, and at the slightest provocation would haul them out, one in each hand, and buff the paintwork and chrome.

When they reached the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, Dave was way more impressed than he thought he'd be. "That's something," was his verdict.

"Yes, sir, it is."

Dave turned to Nicholas. "You said we'll be going into town for the ceremony … ?"

"Yes. We'll be going to Beaconsfield."

"Will we go in this … ?"

Nicholas was suddenly beaming again. "
God
, yes!"

"There you go. Got that sorted."

And with a pealing laugh, Nicholas slid his arms around Dave's waist, and clung on, tucking his head in beside Dave's like they'd never be parted again.

"And for the honeymoon, sir?" Frank smoothly asked after a moment or two. "Will the two of you be driving somewhere?"

"I don't know! Nicholas? I haven't had much of a chance to think about any of this."

"Because I thought, sir, that you might like to take the Jaguar XJ."

"Oh!" Dave looked back down the line of gleaming bonnets to where the Jaguar waited, ready to prowl. "In that case, yes, I think we will be driving somewhere, absolutely!"

"I'll have you added to the family's insurance policy, sir. Shouldn't take more than a phone call."

"Thank you. Really, thanks. That's great."

Nicholas clung on even harder, and Dave found himself pressing a kiss to the man's dark hair, just instinctively and without embarrassment.

"So, then you have
that
sorted out as well, sir," said Frank with a certain sense of satisfaction.

It seemed, for now at least, that the wedding was the main topic of conversation for the entire family - though Nicholas was no doubt the only one of them to find it so endlessly fascinating. Over dinner that evening, Richard said, "David, forgive me for not asking before. I assume you'll be inviting guests from Australia?"

"Oh. Yes." They'd already established that Dave had no 'real' family any more, being the only child of parents who'd died - his mother when he was just a boy. But that didn't mean he didn't have
family
. "My friend Denise," he said, "and her husband and daughter. Well, Zoe is still a baby, but she can travel, can't she?" He looked about him, figuring that someone in the Goring family would know the answer to that. "She'll be … getting on for six months old in October."

Penelope said, "I'm sure that'll be fine, David."

There were other assenting murmurs around the table. Someone chipped in, "Prudence came to Germany with us when she wasn't even
three
months." - "Oh, that explains it," someone else teased.

"Zoe is a healthy baby … ?" Penelope asked, smoothly ignoring the repartee.

"Yes. Well, as far as I know," he added, though he figured that Denise would have told him if there was anything very wrong. Zoe was his godchild, after all - on an informal basis anyway. "She seemed to be thriving last Saturday!" God, he thought … was it really less than a week ago that he'd been in Australia?

"I'm sure she'll be fine. It will be lovely to meet your friends."

"And there's Charlie, as well," Dave continued. "I'd like to invite Charlie. I don't know that he'd want to bring anyone. And that's probably about it."

"Excellent," said Richard. "They'd be very welcome to stay here with us, if that's what they'd like. There's plenty of room, certainly for another four."

"Oh. Thank you. That's very good of you."

"Perhaps you'll let them know. You must phone them whenever you like. Nicholas, we really ought to be sending out invitations, as soon as you've decided on a date."

"I'm on it, Father!"

There was some wry chuckling and comments such as "Of course he is" from around the table.

Nicholas ignored them, and was instead contemplating Dave. After a moment, he asked, "Who'll be your witness?"

"Denise." This was met with a nod, as if Nicholas had known the answer all along. Dave asked, "Who'll be yours?"

"Robert." Nicholas looked across the table at his eldest brother. "If you will … ?"

"I'd be honoured," said Robert in low fervent tones. The two of them each stood, and shook hands across the table. Such an honestly felt moment moved everyone, and there was a respectful silence for a while as the brothers sat back down again.

Dave sighed, and reflected that if it was evening here in England then it must be early morning in Australia. He'd see Simon about phoning Denise once dinner was over, though he'd have to figure out how to cover the costs of the call. Denise hadn't heard his news yet, though he knew she wouldn't be surprised. And in any case … he missed her.

"You little beauty!" was Denise's reaction to his announcement. "I knew it!"

"I know you knew it. And you were right."

"Still. That was fast work."

Dave could hear his own chuckle echoing down the line. "Mate, I was engaged within about five minutes of walking into the house."

She made some more jubilant noises, and hollered out the news to Vittorio, before at last saying rather more seriously, "Davey, I'm really happy for you, mate."

"Thanks, Denny." He smiled, imagining her smiling. Not that he had to imagine it, really, as he could hear it in her voice.

"And you're happy, right?" Denise continued.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"So, have you, like, started talking about dates and things … ? I suppose it's a bit soon to be getting into all that!"

Dave snorted. "
Yeah
, we've been talking dates … The ceremony's at eleven a.m. on the thirty-first of October, in the Disraeli Room at the old magistrate's courthouse in Beaconsfield. Which is somewhere near here, in Buckinghamshire. We haven't formally registered our notice, or whatever it is, but Nicholas called to make sure the time was available, and we're going in to fix it up as soon as we can. Apparently we can't do that until I've been here for nine days, or whatever."

There was a brief pause, before Denise said, "Oh."

"After the ceremony, the reception's in the garden back here at the house." Then he burst out, "God,
tell
me you'll be here, Denise. Tell me you'll come. With Zoe and Vittorio, too, of course. I'm gonna ask Charlie as well. You can all stay here at the house - Richard said you should. The Earl, I mean. My future father-in-law! Denise - "

"Of
course
we'll be there, Davey. Of
course
we will."

"And you'll be my witness, like you said."

"Oh, Davey mate," she said quietly, almost sorrowfully, "of course I will. I'll
always
stand beside you. That's what I said, and I meant it."

"Good," he said. "Good."

Another pause lengthened. Eventually Denise asked, "Are you all right, Davey? I mean, I know you're happy about Nicholas, but … are you all right otherwise?"

"I guess."

"Now, come on, don't clam up like a big dumb Aussie male on me now. You're made of sterner stuff, mate."

In almost no time at all, Dave was confessing, "I just don't like being the centre of attention, you know? I mean, if I'd been marrying you,
you'd
be the centre of attention, cos you'd be the bride! But here - "

"Are you telling me you feel like you're the bride in this, Davey?"

"
No. God
, no. I'm not. And I'm not talking about what goes on in bed or anything - "

"Uh huh."

"Just … God, they're
all
here. The entire family. Not to mention the servants, for God's sake. Servants! And everyone's curious, and when they're around Nicholas hardly talks about anything other than the wedding, and - "

"Are they treating you okay? Is anyone giving you grief?"

"No grief at all. They're all really happy about it.

They're
staggeringly
open-minded about the whole gay thing."

"Well, look. Don't you think it will be, like, a seven-day wonder? If they're that cool, then it won't take long before you just fit in, and you're part of the family already. Then it won't be such an issue, right?"

"Right," he agreed, though doubtingly.

"Just give it a few more days, love. Once the planning's properly underway for the wedding, and once people are used to having you around, I bet it'll be fine. And in the meantime, maybe you and Nicholas could go do some sightseeing, or something? Find an excuse to get out of the house for a while, you know?

With just the two of you."

Dave grinned down the phone. "Denny, you're brilliant. Of course that's what we'll do. That's just
brilliant
."

"Any time, mate."

"So, look," he said. "Seeing as you're such a genius, you have to help me find something to wear for the wedding that isn't jeans and isn't a morning suit."

"A
mourning
suit?"

"I know, right? That's what I said!" And he explained the situation, and how he didn't want to let Nicholas down, but he just couldn't wear a suit, and eventually Denise said very seriously, "Let me think about it, all right? We'll come up with something, I promise. But give me a few days to think about it."

"God, thank you
so much
," he said. "Love you, Denny."

"Love you, too, mate. Always."

And finally they said their goodbyes and hung up.

three

The next day, with Nicholas happily curled up beside him in the passenger seat, Dave carefully drove the Jaguar XJ out of the garage and down the gravel driveway. Frank stood there watching them go - Dave glimpsed him in the wing mirror - Frank's smile happy yet with a slight poignancy to it which Dave wondered was more about Nicholas or more about the car.