Wicked Pleasures (88 page)

‘Let him go home to that house of his he loves so much,’ the new psychiatrist had said, ‘and see if that doesn’t do him some good.’

Nanny and Georgina had gone together with Tallow to fetch him, and the doctor had been right, it had worked straight away; as the car had swung round the corner out of the woods and into the Great Drive, Alexander’s mouth had softened into a smile, and his blue eyes had filled with tears.

‘How lovely,’ he had said. ‘Home.’

He was still not well, he was vague, still quietly distant much of the time, physically frail, and heavily dosed with anti-depressant; but gradually, they watched him growing stronger, and by the time the spring came, and the daffodils were beginning to daub the meadows of the park with great banks of gold, he was beginning to talk, to smile, to be himself again.

She hadn’t seen Kendrick since. Nanny and Angie had both urged her to go and see him off at Heathrow, but she refused. ‘I can’t leave Daddy. And Kendrick will understand.’

Kendrick did understand – at first. He told her on the phone he loved her, that of course she must stay with her dad, that he felt guilty too, just a little. But he was angry when she told him she had dropped out of college, and angrier and very hurt when she refused to go to New York for his twenty-first birthday in February: ‘It’s important, Georgina, it’s only a small family celebration, but I really want you to be there.’ Georgina had refused, saying she couldn’t leave, that her father was still very ill, that her own birthday would certainly go unremarked, at her own request.

‘The doctor specifically said I should stay here, be with him, that it was important in helping him get better. I don’t want to fail him, Kendrick.’

‘You’re taking this much too seriously,’ said Kendrick, clearly irritated. ‘He’s getting better, you said so, and he won’t miss you for two days, for God’s sake. And whenever are we going to tell people, make the announcement?’

Georgina said that wasn’t the point and she didn’t know when they could make the announcement. Kendrick put the phone down. He called back to apologize, but things between them were strained.

She was walking in the woods one windy March day when she met Martin Dunbar. She had the dogs with her; they had been very subdued ever since Alexander had been taken ill, hanging about at the bottom of the stairs when he had been in bed, and haunting him now from the moment he appeared in the morning until he went back after supper. Even walks seemed to hold little pleasure for them; she had had trouble getting them out.

‘Georgina!’ said Martin. ‘How lovely to see you. It’s been such a long time. How’s your father? I popped in last week, when you were out shopping, and he certainly seemed a little better.’

‘Oh, he is better,’ said Georgina. ‘Definitely. Getting home to Hartest has made all the difference. He’s talking quite a lot these days, and this morning at breakfast he even laughed, over Bernard Levin’s column in
The Times
.’

‘Well, that
is
good news. It must have been very worrying for you. And you must miss college. When are you going back?’

‘Oh – I don’t know. Not yet. Not till he’s quite well.’

‘What a good daughter you are,’ he said, and his eyes were sad even as he smiled at her. ‘Alexander is lucky to have you.’

Oh God, she thought, if only, if only he knew.

Kendrick didn’t come for Easter; he was studying very hard for his finals. He begged her to go over, but she said she couldn’t. ‘Daddy’s so much better, I don’t want to upset things now. We go for quite a long walk every day, he says it does more for him than all the drugs. I’m sorry, Kendrick.’

‘That’s all right,’ he said. His voice was rather distant; he seemed a long way away suddenly.

‘Georgina? This is Angie. How’s Alexander? I’m sorry I haven’t been over lately. Things have been a bit – difficult.’

‘Of course. He’s better. Definitely. How are you?’

‘I’m feeling pretty good, Georgina, thank you. I’ve rung to ask you to a wedding.’

‘That’d be fun,’ said Georgina cautiously. ‘Whose?’

‘Mine.’ Angie’s voice sounded triumphant, almost wobbly.

‘Yours? But I thought –’

‘Yes, we all thought. But Mary Rose has decided to give Baby a divorce. Just like that. So it means we can get married.’

‘Oh Angie, that’s wonderful news. I’m pleased.’ Slightly to her own surprise, Georgina discovered she really was. ‘When?’

‘In just over a month. They’re rushing it through. Last Saturday in April. Kendrick will be over of course, and Melissa and Freddy, and Fred the Third and Mrs Praeger – you know I’ve never even met her – everyone really. So keep it free, won’t you, and find a really splendid hat.’

‘I will.’

Georgina thought how odd it was that someone who had been as good as married to Baby for what was after all a long time should never have met his mother.

‘When did you hear?’

‘Oh, only about two hours ago,’ said Angie. ‘I haven’t hit the ground yet. I expect Kendrick will be ringing you, but I wanted to tell you myself first.’

She’s really excited, thought Georgina, smiling into the phone. She really does love him.

Kendrick phoned her later that night, and talked to her about it; he was clearly feeling a little confused, pleased he said for his father, but sad for his mother, impressed by the huge gesture she had made.

‘I think she still loves Dad, and she just can’t face the guilt of denying him what he so wants, now that he’s – well, now he’s ill.’

‘Well, I think that’s really nice,’ said Georgina carefully, anxious not to upset Kendrick. ‘How do the others feel?’

‘Well, Melissa is of course in a great spin, planning her bridesmaid’s dress, and her hairstyle, and wondering if Max might be best man, and Freddy is – well, a little quiet.’

‘But he will come?’ said Georgina anxiously. ‘Uncle Baby would break his heart if he didn’t.’

‘Oh yes he’ll come,’ said Kendrick.

‘And Grandpa and Grandma?’

‘Yes of course. Grandma is terribly excited, almost as much as Melissa.’

‘Well,’ said Georgina, laughing, ‘she never seems all that much older than Melissa to me.’

‘And then there’s us,’ said Kendrick. ‘We can talk to Dad now, can’t we? Make it official. Specially as your dad seems to be getting better.’

‘Yes,’ said Georgina, ‘yes, I suppose we can.’

Baby and Angie were married on a breezy gold and blue spring day, a register office wedding in Oxford and then a blessing in the village church. It was a poignant occasion; nobody there able to quite forget that the only thing that had made it possible, for all its defiant happiness, its triumph, its courage, was the fact that Baby was dying.

The entire family and a few close friends were there, Fred III looking stern as Freddy pushed Baby up the aisle in a wheelchair dressed for the occasion in white ribbons. Betsey, her eyes very bright, clutched Fred’s hand, dared by his fierce old face to cry. Melissa, as bridesmaid, looked ravishing in a dress from Mexicana, all endless layers of white lace and frills, with white roses tangled in her golden hair; it was remarked upon by most of the family that her attention seemed fixed more firmly on Max than on the bride and groom; as Max had not brought Gemma, saying the occasion was strictly family, she had him and her fantasies about him to herself. The twins, who were being restrained with great difficulty at the back of the church by their nanny, were dressed as page boys, in white sailor suits, and Mrs Wicks almost stole the whole show by appearing in a full-length white silk dress with a very floaty skirt, slashed up one side to the knee, revealing an extremely shapely leg, as Max remarked to Georgina in a hoarse stage whisper, designed to be heard by the legs’ owner. She wore what could only be described as a coronet in her red curls, and over the white dress a silver fox jacket. She had refused to allow Clifford to come, as she said he would be an intruder; Baby proposed the theory later to Angie that she wanted a free hand with Alexander. Georgina caught sight of Nanny’s face as Mrs Wicks arrived; her lips were folded in so tightly they were invisible, her eyes brilliant with disapproval.

Alexander, to everyone’s surprise and pleasure, had insisted on coming; he said he felt much stronger, and he would not have missed it for the world. He was looking pale and particularly vague, and he clung rather tightly to Georgina’s hand throughout the service, but he sang all the hymns very vigorously and smiled most benevolently on the bride as she came down the aisle.

The bride was wearing an utterly simple, low-waisted, ankle-length white crepe dress by Jean Muir, skimming over her body, demurely high at the front and slashed almost to her cleavage at the back (covered for the church service by a long matching jacket). She carried a great bouquet of white roses and freesia, and in her hair, as if to acknowledge the considerable effrontery of her virginal attire, she wore a coronet of blood-red roses. She looked very pretty and extraordinarily young, and when the vicar pronounced the blessing she leant down and kissed Baby in his wheelchair and flung her arms round his neck.

‘Theatrical nonsense,’ Georgina heard Nanny hiss in Mrs Tallow’s ear, but when she looked round, she saw that she was smiling.

Tommy Soames-Maxwell had slipped into the back of the church at the very last minute and then slipped out again, almost unnoticed by most of the guests, and driven swiftly away again; he had asked Angie if he might come, saying he would not miss it for anything if she would have him there, but he had no wish to embarrass or upset Alexander or anyone else in the family. Even Charlotte
was mollified by this behaviour and told Georgina afterwards at the reception at the house that perhaps she had misjudged him just a little and he was not after all entirely bad. Georgina, who had a sneaking liking for the supposedly wicked Tommy, and knew from Max how kind he had been to Baby, said cautiously that she didn’t think he was entirely bad either.

Fred III got up at the reception and asked everyone to raise their glasses to the bride and groom, on what was a wonderfully happy day; he said from where he was looking, Baby was an outstandingly fortunate man, and nobody was to be fooled by the wheelchair or any other damnfool nonsense into thinking otherwise. It was a charming and graceful little speech, entirely defusing any awkwardness from the situation; nevertheless Georgina, looking at Baby and Angie through eyes blurred with tears, found it impossible not to wonder how long the marriage would be allowed to last, and how much that thought had shadowed the day for them.

Kendrick drove her away after the reception; he said he had no idea where he was going, but he wanted to get her away from everyone. It was still quite early, before seven, and dusk was only just beginning to settle on the Cotswold hills. Baby had been exhausted, although very happy, and it was tacitly agreed that everyone should quietly disappear. Georgina had been worried about Alexander and said she should drive him home, but he had insisted on going back with Nanny and the Tallows. He was very tired, he said, and certainly he had behaved slightly strangely at the reception; after shaking Baby’s hand and telling him he was a lucky chap, and kissing Angie in a rather desultory manner, he had disappeared for the rest of the afternoon and was found by Charlotte playing with the twins in the nursery. He said he was sorry, but he hadn’t felt like talking.