Wanderlust (7 page)

Will you stop interrogating people, Vi. Really you must stop that! But Americans had been extremely tolerant of her, in fact very few seemed to object, if any, and they were quite happy to answer all of her questions.

I don't mind, Audrey was quick to interject and Lady Violet apologized.

I'm so sorry. James is right. I have a frightful habit of asking too many questions. In England, everyone thinks me terribly rude. Americans seem to be better sports about it. She smiled ingenuously and Audrey laughed.

I don't mind. Actually, I was born in Hawaii and moved to San Francisco when I was eleven, my parents were from there originally.

How very interesting. She sounded genuinely fascinated and Audrey laughed, realizing that she hadn't introduced herself to them yet. She held out a hand, and they completed the formal introduction and then James invited her to join them for champagne. He was an incredibly handsome man with shiny black hair, broad shoulders, and impeccable, aristocratic hands. Audrey had to fight herself not to stare at him, but he was so good-looking that one found oneself mesmerized by him as he talked, and to watch them together was like watching a movie. They embodied all that was glamour. They had it all, they were beautiful people in beautiful clothes, with witty things to say, incredible jewels, and an air of ease about them that anybody would have envied.

Do you come to Europe often? It was Violet, asking questions again, but this time James didn't try to stop her.

I've only been once, Audrey confessed. When I was eighteen. I went with my grandfather. We went to London and Paris, and a week at some spa on the Lake of Geneva. And then we went home to San Francisco.

Evian probably. Terribly dull, isn't it? Violet and Audrey both laughed, James sat back watching his wife. He was obviously crazy about her, and as Audrey watched them she felt sorry for her sister. That was what marriage should have been like, two people who care about each other, who enjoy the same things, not strangers who only cared about how they looked to others. She would rather remain single for her entire life or wait until she found a man just like this one. And she found that she didn't envy Violet at all. She enjoyed watching the two of them together, as Violet went on chatting. My grandmother used to have this funny old house in Bath. She used to go there for the 'waters, and every year they would send me with her. I cannot begin to tell you how much I hated it ' except, she looked up at James with a broad smile, there was one summer that wasn't quite as awful.

I broke my leg shooting in Scotland, and went to stay with my great aunt, much against my will and better judgment, but ' there were a few benefits. Little Lady Vi here was one of them ' . His voice trailed off enticingly and she took the bait good-humoredly.

You mean there were others?

' Oh, a pretty little thing at the bakery, as I recall, and ' .

James, how could you! He was teasing her and she loved it and Audrey spent a delightful evening with them, laughing and teasing and talking about California, and the places she wanted to see in Europe.

How long are you planning to stay, Audrey? James asked her pleasantly as he poured the last of their second bottle of champagne into their glasses.

More or less until the end of the summer. I've promised my grandfather I would get home then. You see, I ' it's rather complicated, I'm afraid. I live with him, and he's eighty-one years old.

Must be rather dreary for you, my dear ' . James sounded solicitous but she was quick to shake her head, out of love and loyalty, and she had always loved living with him. It was just that now, for a little while, she needed to do something different.

He's a wonderful man, and actually we get along very well. She smiled. Not that you would believe that if you saw us together. We fight about politics constantly.

That's good for one's health. I always argue with Vi's father. We enjoy it very much. They all smiled, in one night they had become the best of friends. Now, tell us your plans.

Well, London first, and then Paris, and then I thought I might drive down to the South of France ' .

Drive? He looked surprised and she nodded. By yourself, or with a driver?

She smiled at him. You sound just like my grandfather. You'd be surprised, I'm a very good driver.

Still ' James wasn't at all sure he approved and Violet waved the enormous emerald ring at him.

Don't be so old-fashioned. I'm sure she'll do very well. And then where? She turned interested eyes to Audrey.

I'm not sure. I thought I'd spend a little bit of time on the Riviera, and then drive or take the train into Italy. I want to go to Rome ' Florence ' Milan ' She hesitated for only a fraction of a second, and neither of the other two noticed. ' and if I have time, I might spend a few days in Venice, and then I'll take the train back to Paris, and from there home.

And you plan to do all that by September?

What I can ' there are other things I'd like to do too, but I know there won't be time. I would have liked to go into Spain, perhaps Switzerland ' Austria ' Germany ' . India, Japan ' China ' she almost laughed at herself. The entire world was so appealing to her, it was like a giant apple that she wanted to bite and bite and bite until she devoured the whole thing right to the core, seeds and all.

I don't think you'll have time for half of that. James looked doubtful and Violet looked intrigued.

And you're doing all that alone? Audrey nodded. You're very brave, you know.

I don't really think I am. It's just ' She looked honestly up at them and she seemed very young. ' I've always wanted to do something like this ' my father was that way. He traveled all over the world, and then finally he wound up in Hawaii, but he was traveling to Fiji and Samoa and Bora-Bora ' I think it's something in my blood. All my life I've dreamed of traveling like this ' alone ' meeting people, doing things ' and now, suddenly, here I am ' . She looked as though she were about to explode with joy and Lady Violet threw her arms about her and gave her a hug.

You're a funny girl, you know. And terribly brave. I'm not sure I'd have the courage to do anything like that, without James. He smiled benevolently at her. He was beginning to think of bedding down with her for the night, and in a little while Audrey and her adventures would be distinctly de trop. He had eyes only for his wife. Are you enjoying yourself so far? As usual, Violet was curious.

I am. Audrey smiled at them, and she had correctly sensed James's heightening interest in his wife. And it was late anyway, and it had been a long day for all of them. She stood up, smiling at them, and shook hands with them both again. I've had a wonderful evening. Thank you both. And thank you very much for the champagne.

Shall we do something wonderful tomorrow then? Let's have lunch, shall we? Violet smiled and Audrey nodded.

I'd love that. See you tomorrow then. She left them chatting happily and went to her own cabin on the A deck. It had been a wonderful evening with them, and they were not at all the kind of people she had expected to meet. She had learned from Violet in the course of the evening that she was twenty-eight, and James was thirty-three, they had a five-year-old son, also James, and a little girl, Alexandra, who was three. They lived in London throughout the year, and had a house in the country, and in the summers they went to Cap d'Antibes. They led an indolent life of luxury and yet they weren't tiresome or snobbish. They were marvelous, and great fun to be with, and Audrey was looking forward to her lunch with them the next day, and as it turned out, she spent most of the crossing with them. They became an inseparable threesome, laughing and dancing and telling tales, drinking champagne until they could barely stop laughing anymore, making fun of the other passengers, and inviting them to join them now and then. But on the whole, the threesome was a huge success, and Audrey and the Hawthornes became fast friends. So much so that it was a mournful night as they faced the prospect of disembarking the next day.

Will you come to Cap d'Antibes with us? It was Violet's suggestion but James seemed anxious to second it. You'd have such a good time. We always do. There are such marvelous people there. Their favorites among them were the Murphys, of course, Gerald and Sara, with their endless parties, funny costumes, and intriguing friends. Hemingway had been there with them for a time, Fitzgerald always was, Picasso, Dos Passos ' but more than that it was the Murphys themselves who were so amusing. The Hawthornes were mad about them, and counted themselves lucky to be among their friends. Do come. Violet's eyes pleaded with her and Audrey was tempted to say yes. You're coming to the South of France anyway. Just plan to spend a little more time there.

Yes, James laughed, rather more like two months. Good God, Audrey, Violet's brother stayed with us for seven weeks last year he had such a good time. He pretended to frown then as he looked at his wife. He's not coming back again this year, is he, Lady Vi?

Now, don't start that again, James, you know he only stayed for two weeks in July. And this year, he can only stay for a few days. She turned her attention to Audrey again. We're counting on you. We'll be there by July second or third, and you just come.

I will, she promised, and suddenly the summer looked even more exciting.

There was a whole new world to discover, with the cast of characters they described in Antibes, and all the adventures they would share. They held out excitement like a handful of gems, and their promises danced in her head like little elves, as she lay in her bunk that night and ran it all through her head again ' a weekend in Saint-Tropez ' gambling in Monte Carl', as Vi called it in flawless but irreverent French ' Cannes ' Nice ' Villefranche ' the very words filled her with excitement, and her heart pounded as she lay there late into the night, thanking her lucky stars that she had met them.

The days in London flew by much too quickly. Audrey was delivered to Claridge's by James and Vi, with a special introduction to the manager. Her reservation had been at the Connaught, but James had insisted that she change, only because he preferred it. There was absolutely no reason why, and she would have been happy in either place, although James's introduction guaranteed her treatment the likes of which she'd never experienced anywhere. She attempted to explain it in a letter to Annabelle, but then finally tore it up for fear that her younger sister would be overwhelmed with envy. There were rivers of champagne, endless baskets of fruit, little silver trays of impeccable chocolates, and afternoons of shopping with Lady Vi, driven everywhere in their Rolls, taken to parties and plays. And Vi and James even gave a party for her. They introduced her to their closest friends, she fell in love with their children, and was in awe of their home. It was enormous and elegant, and looked more like a small palace than a house. Even in San Francisco, with all its grand homes, she had never seen anything like it. She almost hated to move on to Paris at week's end, and the only thing that consoled her was the fact that she'd be meeting them in Antibes in a few weeks, and she could hardly wait to see them.

Paris almost seemed dull in comparison, without Violet and James. And Audrey bought a wonderful little hat for her, at Patou, and an even more wonderful one for Annabelle, which she sent home. And almost everything she saw in Paris seemed to have a jungle motif that year. She bought a wild evening gown, striped like a zebra skin, and planned to wear it in Antibes when she visited Violet and James, perhaps even to one of the fabulous parties that the Murphys gave, if they invited her. But it was the first time in Audrey's life that she felt totally independent and grown up. She didn't have to answer to anyone, or be responsible for anything. It didn't matter what time she ate, or when she got up. She combed Montmartre at night, and drank red wine at noon. She went wandering along the Left Bank, and after two weeks of glorious liberty, she took the train to the South of France.

She had decided not to drive down after all, not because she was afraid of it, as James thought she should be, but more because she was feeling indolent now, and it was easier to go down on the train. She was wearing a long narrow pale blue skirt, a pair of espadrilles she had bought, and a big straw picture hat when she got off the train in Nice and saw Violet and James standing there, in costumes similar to hers. Violet was wearing a white sundress with a big straw hat with a red rose, and little red shoes, and James was wearing espadrilles just like Aud's. They were already tanned, and the children were waiting for them with the nurse in the car. Audrey plopped Alexandra onto her knees as they drove away, and James and Violet began singing a French song, as everyone laughed, and they drove too fast with the top down. It was a summer for happiness and excitement, and their whole life was devoid of fear or any kind of worry.

Audrey fell instantly in love with their house, and with the people who came there to visit them that night. There were artists and aristocrats, Frenchmen, and women from Rome, half a dozen Americans, and the most beautiful girl Audrey had ever seen who insisted on swimming in the pool nude. And Hemingway was supposed to come by but he had gone fishing on some exhausting expedition he had organized in the Caribbean instead. It was magical, and precisely what she had always dreamed. It was impossible to believe that only a month or so before she had been sedately at home, making sure that her grandfather's soft-boiled eggs weren't being undercooked.

And now she even understood her obsession with world news. It was a way of hanging on to something more, a world outside, a life beyond, only now she was part of it, night and day, with all these people she had never met before and would never see again, and the extraordinary people whom they knew and introduced her to daily. They took it all in stride, they were all so used to it. Everyone they knew had either written a book or put on a play, created a famous piece of art, or had been born into a titled family. They weren't just people there, they were more, they were the sculptors of a magical time in history, and Audrey could feel the moments being carved, the gold dust in her hair as she watched them.