Twice Upon a Time (36 page)

‘But I thought you didn’t love him anymore?’ Ludo was asking, his hands running up and down her back in a way that was more sensual than comforting. She felt a shudder of involuntary pleasure. ‘Stop touching me like that when I’m weeping, you’re incorrigible,’ she said crossly.

‘Okay, but Gus, do you still love him?’ asked Ludo impatiently.

‘Of course I bloody love him,’ shouted Cinda, hitting Ludo on the arm. ’I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I think about him every day, every night. I can’t get over him, but I have to.’ She started to cry again, angry at herself for being so pathetic.

Was this what her mother felt each time her heart was broken? Now Cinda understood her pain a little better and she wished she had been kinder and more patient. She wished for so many things to be different, but it was all too late.

And then Ludo’s mouth was on hers, and she gasped as she felt his tongue flick into her mouth. Her whole body exploded with pleasure.
Stop it
, she told herself,
this isn’t Gus, it’s Ludo.

But then why did his kisses feel like Gus’s? Ludo never kissed her like this, did he? God, she wasn’t sure she even cared, it felt so good. She fell back onto the bed and felt how much he wanted her against her body.

With every ounce of strength she had, she dragged herself back to her senses and pushed Ludo away. ‘Stop it,’ she gasped. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Cinda, it’s me,’ he said, trying to kiss her again.

‘I know who you are. Stop the bullshit now,’ she said as she got off the bed. ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this after I just told you that I’m still in love with your brother.’

‘Cinda, listen to me,’ he pleaded.

Something in his voice made her turn around. ‘What?’ she demanded.

‘It’s me . . . It’s Gus,’ he said.

There was utter silence as Cinda took in the ridiculousness of Ludo’s statement.

‘Do you think I’m insane?’ she managed finally, almost laughing but not able to summon the humour.

Slowly, gently, Ludo got up from the bed and came towards her, holding her gaze the whole way. Taking her pointer finger, he kissed it on the tip, then put it into his mouth. Taking it out, he put it to his cheekbone and ran it over his skin.

Cinda was completely mesmerised. And then she saw it. Her finger had wiped away a smudge of concealer, and there it was. The tiny telltale freckle.

‘Oh my god,’ she said, in shock ‘Oh my freaking
god
,’ she repeated, wanting to laugh and cry simultaneously. She flung herself into Gus’s arms, kissing him over and over again.

‘What the hell? What are you doing?’ she asked him when she finally broke away from him for a moment.

‘I’m being the person I was meant to be all along,’ he answered, and he pulled her onto the bed.

‘Wait,’ said Cinda, jumping up and getting the magazine from her handbag.

‘Let me make sure I have this straight. This . . . is Ludo?’ she said staring at the pictures as she sat on the bed.

‘That’s Ludo,’ said Gus with a smile.

Cinda looked from Gus to the magazine and back to Gus again. ‘I knew he looked different,’ she said.

‘Oh, did you now?’ laughed Gus.

‘Honestly, I did,’ she said. ‘But I thought it was just Valentina’s love that had changed you.’ She threw the magazine onto the floor and climbed onto his lap. ‘So, do you want to tell me what’s going on?’ she asked.

‘Later,’ said Gus as he pulled her down to him. ‘We have other business to attend to.’

And Cinda felt herself melt into his arms.

‘Mamma says we can marry,’ he said afterwards as they lay naked together in the crumpled sheets.

Cinda laughed and propped herself up onto one elbow. ‘Easy, tiger.’

Gus blushed. ‘I’m just saying, one day, if you wanted to.’

Cinda lay back in his arms and then propped her head up again and looked at him, eyes shining. ‘Would that mean I would be the chatelaine of Avignon?’

Gus slapped her on the bottom. ‘I knew it! You were only ever after the house, weren’t you?’

‘Yep, you’ve caught me,’ she said with a laugh. They lay for a few more moments in silence. ‘So you and Ludo are going to do this forever?’ she asked.

Gus nodded. ‘We’ve talked about it endlessly and it’s the only way we can have the life each of us wants,’ he said as he stroked her shoulder.

‘But you’ve given up the throne,’ she said. ‘That’s everything you’ve been working for your whole life, isn’t it?

‘Not everything,’ he said and he smiled. ‘I love you, Lucinda Bloom. You make me a better version of myself. You woke me up again and I love you for that more than anything.’

She smiled and felt her eyes fill with happy tears. ‘And I love you, Gus or Ludo or whatever the hell your name is.’

44

‘No, it’s weird,’ said Alex as she circled Gus. She peered at him and then stepped back and then stepped forward again, performing a bizarre dance in Cinda’s room.

‘I know it’s unorthodox. But please, you can’t tell anyone,’ Gus said.

‘I’m not going to tell anyone. No-one would believe me, anyway,’ she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

Cinda walked out of the bathroom holding a stick of make-up. ‘Head up, we’ve got to fix you before dinner,’ she said and Gus dutifully raised his head while Cinda dabbed a dot of make-up on his cheek.

‘What the hell is that for?’ asked Alex.

‘It’s to cover my freckle. It’s the only real discerning mark between Ludo and me,’ said Gus.

‘I feel like I’m in a dream,’ said Alex, shaking her head.

‘But it’s a nice dream,’ said Cinda and she kissed the top of Gus’s head.

‘Yeah, for you maybe, but I’m going to have to remember to call you Ludo and you’re so not Ludo,’ said Alex.

‘Call me
darling
, like you do everyone else,’ said Gus cheekily, and Alex made a face at him.

‘This is ridiculous,’ she said. ‘There is no way you can fool your mother. She knows you better than anyone.’

Gus shook his head. ‘You’d be surprised,’ he said as a knock came at the door.

‘Come in,’ he called, and Ludo walked in with Valentina.

‘You’re here, fantastic,’ said Gus. ‘Cinda, this is Valentina.’

‘It’s wonderful to meet you, Lucinda,’ the pretty girl said, and Cinda smiled. ‘Ludo – or Gus, as I should call him now – has told me so much about you.’

‘Lovely to meet you too,’ Cinda said, and she had the feeling she was going to like this girl with the wide smile.

‘Everyone is filled with love tonight on Christmas Eve,’ said Valentina joyfully.

Gus grabbed Cinda’s hand. ‘Come on, let’s go and see if we can fool Mamma with both of us there.’

‘This is one screwed-up family,’ mumbled Alex as she watched them walk downstairs to the dining room.

The table was lavishly decorated and the room glowed with candlelight and soft lamps overhead.

They continued on to the living area, where the queen sat by the fireplace, nursing a sherry and staring at the roaring fire.

‘Boys!’ she cried when they walked into the room.

Gus tightened his grip on Cinda’s hand and she squeezed his hand back. He felt a bolt of courage enter his soul.

‘Mamma,’ said Ludo and he stepped forward with Valentina, who curtseyed to the queen.

‘Sweet girl, how lovely to see you again, how are your parents?’

‘Very well, thank you. They send their regards to you,’ said Valentina.

Gus glanced at Ludo, who was doing his best Gus impression, standing slightly stiffly behind Valentina. He wanted to laugh.
This
is utterly ridiculous
, he thought.
If they wrote this in a book, no-one
would believe it.

He stepped forward, still holding Cinda’s hand.

‘Hello, Mamma,’ he said easily with none of his usual formality and his mother glanced at Cinda’s hand in his.

‘Hello, Ludovic,’ she said, and she looked at Cinda with a knowing smile. ‘I knew you two lovebirds would find your way back together again. A mother knows these things,’ she said with a wink.

Gus nodded and looked at Cinda to avoid looking at his mother, sure he’d burst out laughing if he did. ‘Yes, Mamma, you’re usually right about these things. Now sit down – we have a surprise for you. Well, one from me and one from L . . . Gus,’ he said, catching himself just in time. No-one appeared to notice.

Queen Sofia sat on a chair and looked at her sons. Gus dropped Cinda’s hand and Valentina stood next to her. They smiled at each other.

Gus moved behind the sofa and pulled out a large flat package wrapped in white paper, which he put in front of his mother.

‘Merry Christmas, Mamma,’ he said, bending down to kiss her on both cheeks.

She smiled and carefully pulled off the paper to reveal the portrait Cinda had painted.

She looked at it for a long time and then looked up at Gus. ‘It’s wonderful,’ she said, and then turned to Cinda. ‘It’s truly wonderful.’

Cinda smiled and Gus breathed a sigh of relief.

‘You must paint me next,’ said the queen, and Gus rolled his eyes just a little, causing Cinda to swallow a bubble of laughter that threatened to escape her mouth.

Ludo stepped forward, looking nervous. ‘And now, Mamma, I would like to announce that I have asked Valentina to marry me and she has agreed. I know it’s been a short courtship, but I love her very much, and I hope you will give us your blessing.’

Their mother smiled at Ludo and Valentina. ‘Of course you will marry her. It’s perfect; I couldn’t have planned it better myself.’ She kissed them both. ‘Now, I must go and see where dinner is. I’m absolutely starving.’ She exited the room efficiently.

‘She bought it,’ said Ludo in a low voice after she’d left.

‘I can’t believe it,’ said Cinda.

‘She has no idea?’ asked Valentina.

‘None,’ said Gus and then they all laughed and hugged, trying to keep their excitement down.

Gus could barely keep his hands off Cinda during dinner, but since he was supposed to be Ludo now, he didn’t try to control himself as much as he normally would have. He watched Ludo and Valentina’s eyes glaze over as their mother started planning the wedding. She even started talking about having Valentina’s dress designed by her personal dressmaker.

‘No,’ said Valentina firmly. ‘I know who I want to design my dress already.’

‘Oh? Who?’ asked the sceptical queen. ‘A Spanish designer?’ She said it as though it left a sour taste in her mouth.

Valentina looked at Cinda. ‘I would like Jonas and Gideon to design my dress. I saw the picture in
Vogue
of the dress you wore to Alex’s party, and it was so beautiful. Do you think they would make it for me?’

Cinda grinned. ‘Are you serious? They would die for the opportunity.’

The queen sighed and threw up her hands in surrender.

‘And what about you, Ludo, do you have any plans for your future?’

Gus looked at Cinda and then at his mother. ‘I’m thinking I might learn guitar like Gus and start writing some songs. Maybe do some gigs, record some tracks. I think I’d like that.’

The queen raised her eyebrows.

‘I mean, Cinda and I can do whatever we like,’ he said with a wink at Ludo. ‘It’s not like I’m ever going to be king. And that’s okay. I can’t stand that formal stuff.’ His hand sought Cinda’s under the table and she smiled at him.

The queen shook her head as she sipped her wine and turned back to Ludo. ‘Now, you will be married in Sardinia of course,’ she said.

‘We’re not sure yet,’ said Valentina carefully and the queen frowned.

Gus turned to Cinda and whispered, ‘What about you? Where do you want to go? We really can do pretty much whatever we want.’

Cinda thought for a moment and then she smiled. ‘How do you feel about seeing in the new year in New Zealand?’

Spring

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