To Be the Best (34 page)

‘I wanted to give a dinner party for them, but Philip was telling me earlier that they’re leaving in a couple of days. Off on their honeymoon.’

‘Yes. To Vienna, West Berlin, and then down to the south of France and the Villa Faviola.’

‘Pretty coolish in those places right now. I would have thought they’d have chosen somewhere warm. Like Shane’s hotel in Barbados, for instance.’

‘Philip’s always loved the Imperial in Vienna, ever since Grandy took us there when we were children. He and Emily think it’s one of the greatest hotels in the world, and he wanted Madelana to see it. They’re going to be staying in the Royal Suite, which is quite magnificent. It was Maddy who suggested that they then go on to Berlin, ending up at
Faviola. She’s heard a lot about it from me and Emily. Anyway, Maddy seems to have an obsession about Grandy, is wildly curious about every blessed home she owned. So naturally Faviola is a
must.’

Michael laughed, fully understanding why Madelana was obsessed with Emma Harte. So many people had been, throughout her life, and after her death, which was why she was a legendary lady. Unexpectedly, he felt an easing of the tension within himself. ‘I haven’t had a chance to tell you, Paula, but I think you’ve done Aunt Emma proud tonight,’ he said. ‘This is a fabulous party, one of the best I’ve been to in the longest time, and – ‘

‘Mind if I take over, old chap?’ Anthony said with a huge grin.

‘Every time I dance with you, one of your male relatives cuts in,’ Michael grumbled, relinquishing her to the Earl of Dunvale. ‘No doubt about it, Paula, you’re the belle of the ball tonight.’

Paula laughed, winked at him mischievously.

Michael stepped to one side, ambled off, went in search of young Amanda.

Anthony took Paula in his arms and whirled her into the middle of the floor. After a couple of seconds, he said against her hair, ‘Any chance of talking you and Shane into coming over to Ireland for a long weekend soon? It’s been ages since you’ve visited Clonloughlin, and Sally and I would love to have you. You could bring Patrick and Linnet with you.’

‘What a lovely idea, Anthony, and thanks for asking us. Perhaps we
can
make it…at the end of January. I’ll talk to Shane. As far as I know, neither one of us is planning any foreign trips.’

‘What a change that is!’ Anthony answered in an amused voice. ‘You two are worse than a couple of gypsies these days, forever trotting off around the world, wheeling and dealing. I can hardly keep track of you both.’

Before she had an opportunity to answer, Alexander was tapping Anthony on the shoulder, exclaiming, ‘You’re monopolizing the lady. It’s my turn, Cousin.’

So saying, Sandy manoeuvred her into his arms and they swept away from Anthony. The latter stood gaping at them, a surprised look settling on his face.

They danced without speaking at first, enjoying being together on the floor. As children they had favoured each other as dancing partners. They had been in step then, as they were now.

Eventually, Alexander murmured quietly, ‘Thanks so much, Paula.’

She looked up at him in puzzlement. ‘What for, Sandy?’

‘Christmas at Pennistone Royal, and this evening. For a short while you’ve turned the clock back for me, brought back so many lovely memories…of the past…of people whom I truly loved. Gran…my darling Maggie…your father…’

‘Oh Sandy, you sound so sad!’ Paula exclaimed. ‘And I wanted the Christmas holidays and tonight to be happy occasions for all of us. I didn’t – ’

‘And you succeeded admirably, Paula! They have been wonderful. And I’m not a bit sad. Quite the contrary, in fact.’

‘Are you sure?’ she asked in concern.

‘Positive,’ he lied smoothly, smiling at her.

Paula offered him a warm and loving smile in return, moved closer into his arms, gave his shoulder a squeeze. Her cousin Sandy had always been very special to her, and she was determined not to neglect him in the future. He needed her as much as he needed his sister, Emily. He was quite lonely, really. She realized that more than ever.

Sandy stared ahead, glad that they were on the floor, which was dim and crowded, since he was no longer able to keep the bleak look out of his eyes, the grim expression from his mouth. But Paula could not see his face, and everyone else
was too preoccupied to notice, and for these small mercies he was thankful. They finished the dance, and, to his relief, not once did his step falter.

Sandy was a devastated man, and it was only a matter of weeks before the others knew this. They would have to know. He had no alternative but to tell them. He dreaded the day.

‘Well, Paula, what do
you
think? Can the modern woman have it all?’ Sir Ronald asked, looking at her quizzically, his eyes twinkling. ‘You know – career, marriage and children.’

‘Only if she’s one of Emma Harte’s granddaughters,’ Paula quipped with a wicked grin.

Sir Ronald and the others seated at the table chuckled, and then Paula went on, ‘But seriously, Grandy did teach us to be well organized, and that’s my secret, and Emily’s too. So, my answer is
yes,
the modern woman can have it all, provided she plans her life properly, and is a master of organization.’

‘There are many who would differ with you, Paula,’ Sir Ronald countered, ‘who say you can have
two
of those things, but not all three. However, don’t get me wrong, my dear, I applaud the way you and Emily run your lives. You’re both quite remarkable, quite remarkable indeed.’

Paula said, ‘Let’s ask Maddy what she thinks…here she comes now…and if anyone personifies the modern woman of the eighties, then she certainly does.’

Several pairs of eyes focused on Madelana and Philip, who were approaching the table. She was glowing and radiant in a Pauline Trigère evening gown of deep purple chiffon overpatterned with swirls of purple cut velvet. With it she wore a magnificent diamond-and-pearl choker and matching chandelier earrings which had been wedding presents from Philip. Her hair was upswept, and, if anything,
she was more striking than ever. Added to her natural gracefulness and poise was a new and lovely serenity.

She clung to her husband’s arm as if never to let him go, and Philip looked equally possessive, proud of her, as they drew to a standstill at the table.

‘Join us,’ Paula said, beaming at them.

They did so, and Philip said, ‘Congratulations, darling. This has been a smashing evening, truly remarkable, and it was an inspiration on your part to fly Lester Lannin in from the States.’

‘Thanks, Pip.’ Turning to Madelana, Paula went on, ‘Listen, Maddy dear, Uncle Ronnie just asked me if the modern woman can have it all…marriage, career, babies. And I said who better to answer that than you…the career girl newly married.’

‘I
hope
I can have it
all
,’ Madelana laughed, glancing at Philip out of the corner of her eye. ‘Philip wants me to continue working, to have a career, and I think I’d like to do so even after I have a child.’

‘Anything that makes my wife happy is perfectly all right by me,’ Philip announced, endorsing her words. He reached for her left hand on which she wore a platinum wedding band and a thirty-carat diamond that was flawless and blazed in the candlelight.

Madelana returned Philip’s squeeze, looked from Paula to Sir Ronald, said quietly, ‘I think it’s a terrible waste for an educated woman with a career to stop working when she has a baby. I believe one can do both…it’s all a question of juggling. And of course it depends on the woman, to a certain extent.’

Shane exclaimed, ‘This is it! The last waltz!’

He sprang up, walked around the table, took hold of Paula’s arm. Leading her off, he said, ‘I wasn’t going to let anyone else grab you for this one, my love.’

‘I would have refused anyone who asked.’

They moved into each other’s arms, and Shane held her tightly as they waltzed. Paula relaxed against his body, feeling safe and content with him, as she had since childhood. They were lucky, she and Shane. They had so much together. Their deep and abiding love. Their children. Shared interests. A common background. And he understood her so well, understood her immense need to fulfil her destiny as Emma Harte’s heir. She wished she had pointed out to Sir Ronald a few seconds ago that a woman could only
really
have it all if she were married to the right man. She was. And he was a very special man. He had been a wonderful father to her children by Jim Fairley, treating them as though they were his own, loving them as though he were their natural father.

She thought of Jim then, but in the most fleeting way. He had become a dim figure in her mind, and her memories of him were fragmented, blurred by events that had taken place since his death, by those whom she loved, those who now peopled her life, by time passing. It seemed to her that she could not remember when she had not been Shane’s wife. But the years
had
flown by since their marriage. This sudden thought made her draw away, look up at him.

He stared down at her, his black brows knitting together.

‘What’s the matter?’

‘Nothing, darling. I was just thinking that very soon a new year will begin, and I expect that it, too, will disappear in a flash, like all the others have.’

‘Too true, my love. On the other hand, look at it this way –1982 is only the
first
of the next fifty years we’re going to spend together.’

‘Oh Shane, what a lovely thing to say, and it’s a beautiful thought with which to start the new year.’

He brushed her cheek with his mouth, tightened his arm around her, swirled her around several times, and moved her out into the middle of the ballroom. Paula smiled inside,
loving him so very much. Then she peered around the ballroom, seeking members of the family, her closest friends. It truly was a gathering of the clans…the Hartes, the O’Neills and the Kallinskis were all represented tonight.

She spotted her mother dancing with Jason, looking as much in love as Madelana, who dreamily floated by in Philip’s arms. Her father-in-law, Bryan, was leading Shane’s mother in a sweeping, old-fashioned waltz, and Geraldine winked at her as they went sailing grandly past. Emily and Winston were coming onto the floor, followed closely by Michael and Amanda. She saw her Aunt Elizabeth gazing into the face of her French husband, Marc Deboyne, who was obviously enjoying himself tremendously tonight; even her old Aunt Edwina was on her feet making an effort, being solicitously shepherded around by a gallant Sir Ronald.

The music stopped abruptly, and Lester Lannin was saying into the microphone, ‘Ladies and gentlemen…it’s almost midnight. We have BBC radio on the hotel’s relay system. Here it comes…here’s Big Ben…the countdown to midnight…’

Everyone had stopped dancing to listen to the orchestra leader, and the ballroom was quiet, perfectly still. The chimes of the great clock in Westminster boomed out again and again. When the last stroke finally reverberated there was a resounding drumroll, and Shane was hugging Paula, kissing her, wishing her a happy new year, to be followed by Philip, then Madelana, doing the same thing.

Paula returned Madelana’s affectionate embrace.

‘Let me say it again, Maddy…welcome to the family. And may this be the first of many happy years for you and Philip.’

Maddy was touched by Paula’s lovely words, but before she had a chance to respond the orchestra struck up
Auld Lang Syne.

Paula and Philip grabbed hold of her hands, pulled her forward as they began to sing.

Encircled by her new family, Maddy felt their love flowing out to her, and she wondered how
she
had ever been so lucky to become one of
them.
But she had, and she would be forever grateful. For years she had had nothing but sadness and loss. Now at last everything had changed.

Madelana lay with her head resting on Philip’s shoulder.

The bedroom was shadow-filled, quiet except for the sound of his even breathing as he dozed, the faint rustling of the silk curtains, the ticking of the ormolu clock on the antique French Provincial chest.

The weather was somewhat mild for January, spring-like almost, and earlier Philip had opened the tall window. Now the night air blowing in was fresh and cool, laden with the tangy salt smell of the Mediterranean, the freshness of green-growing things in the sprawling gardens of Faviola.

She slipped out of bed, glided over to the window, leaned against the sill, looked out at the grounds, enjoying the gentle silence that pervaded the landscape at this late hour. She lifted her eyes. The sky was a deep pavonian blue that was nearly black, and resembled a canopy of velvet, high-flung like a great are above the earth, filled with brilliant stars. Earlier, clouds had obscured the moon, but they had drifted away, and she saw that it was full tonight, a perfect sphere, and clear.

A long sigh of contentment trickled through her. They had been at the villa for ten days, relaxing, taking it easy after their trips to Vienna and Berlin. They had done very little since they had been here, except love each other, sleep late, go for walks in the gardens and on the beach, and take leisurely drives along the coast. They had spent most of their time at the villa, where Solange fussed over them like a mother hen, and Marcel cooked imaginative and delicious meals, and was forever thinking up some new dish with which to tempt them.

They read and listened to music, and sometimes she
played her guitar for Philip, and sang her favourite Southern folk songs. He listened enraptured, and Madelana was pleased and flattered that he found her music entertaining. ‘It’s been ten days of absolute bliss, doing nothing in particular, having you all to myself,’ Philip had said to her that morning, and she had told him she felt exactly the same way.

A tranquillity abounded here at Faviola, just as it did at Dunoon, and she drew enormous strength, as well as pleasure, from the quietness and the natural beauty of both places.
Dunoon.
It was her home now, just as the penthouse atop the McGill Tower in Sydney was her home. But it was the house on the sheep station at Coonamble that she loved the most. She had fallen in love with it at first sight. As she had with Philip. And he with her.