IT WAS a wonderful wedding. Even the weather was right, warm but not too hot. The bride wore an ivory raw silk dress. She wore a veil, her head was covered with a little cap. Few people realised how artfully her hair had been arranged to look entirely normal. After the ceremony three girls asked Maddy for the name of her dressmaker.
The groom wore his military uniform. Maddy had never asked him the name of the regiment he had been attached to. But in the scarlet tunic that had been worn before the Battle of Waterloo, he looked magnificent.
Kate was a fantastic matron of honour, and looked beautiful in a new outfit made by Angie. Holding her hand was little Robbie, this time in a page-boy outfit, looking as pleased as anything as Mrs Cowley looked on proudly from her pew. Unusually, the best man was the groom’s father. Ed had asked Nick, who had been at first surprised and then quietly honoured. But, of course, he didn’t say so.
And Captain Smith gave the bride away, dressed in his naval uniform.
The reception was wonderful too, on a pretty white yacht moored in the bay. There was a great meal, there were witty speeches—including one by the bride—and afterwards a dance and party. But the bride and groom left early for their honeymoon. No one knew where. Ed was a great organiser.
After the guests had waved goodbye to the couple they trooped back into the hall and the music started up again. Time to have a good time! To celebrate!
Kate and Nick stood side by side on the deck, away from the music and laughter for a moment. For some reason they didn’t want to go straight back in. Kate felt happy, as if a job had been well done. She wanted to dance, but not just yet. It had been an exciting but an exhausting day.
‘Walk with me for a minute,’ she said to Nick. ‘I’d like some fresh air. It’s lovely to see so many friends together but I’d like five minutes’ peace.’
‘Good idea,’ said Nick.
She took his arm as they strolled along the deck. ‘Are you happy for them?’ she asked. ‘Or, better, do you think they will be happy?’
‘I think they will,’ said Nick, cautious as ever. ‘Ed is my son, but surprisingly I don’t know him all that well. I realize he’s had problems. That stretch in Africa, losing his first wife—they could have scarred him for life. And I don’t mean only physically. Maddy had problems, too. But I think they’ll be good for each other. And you helped bring them together, Kate. I have to thank you for it.’
Kate smiled. ‘They’re a lovely couple and what little I could do to help, I was happy to do. And didn’t they look gorgeous together?’
Nick smiled his customary guarded smile. ‘They say that the bridesmaids mustn’t look more glamorous than the bride. Well, as matron of honour in that pink dress, you came close. You look beautiful.’
Kate was shocked—and then delighted. This was not the reserved man she knew. ‘Nick? A compliment? Are you feeling well?’
‘Never better.’ They paced a few more yards and then he said, ‘I was remembering when we two were young. Teenagers together. We were happy then.’
Now Kate was apprehensive, even bewildered. This was for bid den ground. They never talked about their past. As they walked on she tried to take her hand from his arm and he took her hand, put it back where it had been.
‘On the ship,’ he said, ‘when Ed had sent for you and I came aboard later, I was angry because I hadn’t been consulted. However…I looked in your cabin when you were asleep. You looked just as you did when we were young. And I realized we can’t keep ignoring what happened the night of the storm years ago. The guilt we both feel has been poisoning our relationship.’
Now Kate was upset. ‘Nick, this is a happy day, don’t spoil it. It’s not the time to drag out old memories. We get on well enough now. Besides, we had an agreement never to talk about that night.’
‘We never made an agreement!’
‘We never needed to! It was there, it was obvious.’
He stopped, took hold of her other arm so they were facing each other. She could feel the tears in her eyes, knew that he could see them.
‘Kate, that night we made love! Don’t you think we need to talk?’
‘Perhaps,’ she said quietly. ‘Not now—but soon.’
Maddy and Ed hadn’t moved too far for their honeymoon. Both had travelled a lot, they didn’t need to go to foreign parts. Now they were sitting on the balcony of a gorgeous boutique hotel, watching the sun go down over the sea. On the table between them was the traditional bottle of champagne.
‘It was an amazing day,’ Maddy sighed as Ed popped the cork and pale champagne fizzed into her glass. ‘Everyone seemed to have a great time. I even saw Kate and your father dancing. They seemed to enjoy being together. Do you think they are happy, Ed?’
‘I think perhaps they could be happier.’ Ed said. ‘If they could find out how.’ He put down the champagne bottle and smiled at his wife. ‘But are we happy, Mrs Tremayne?’
‘Very happy, Mr Tremayne.’ She held up her hand, admired the new gold ring next to the antique one. ‘Everything is wonderful. Everybody is happy, but mostly you and me.’
‘That’s true,’ Ed said as he bent to kiss his beautiful new bride. ‘And I don’t think I could be happier.’