2010
Stuart knew he was falling in love. He’d probably already passed the point of no return. Until today it had been a slow burn, the attraction acknowledged, without too much thought of where it might lead. But after that kiss in the garden…He sighed and scrubbed at his hair as if he could wash away his feelings. No way. He allowed the hot water to rinse away the exotic-smelling suds and stepped out of the shower, his head still full of thoughts of Natalie. As he combed his hair and splashed aftershave on his bristle-free face, Stuart told himself it was probably for the best that she was going home on Monday. It gave him two weeks to decide if it was the real thing or lust accentuated by sun and wine. And if it was l’amour vrai, he had a problem. Because he would want Natalie to feel the same about him and want a serious relationship. And then he’d have to share his secret. Which might spoil everything.
The first person Stuart saw downstairs was Natalie, looking fabulous in a strapless peach top and white linen trousers. Her face and arms glowed from the sun and he caught his breath when she smiled at him.
‘Hi. I was on my way outside for drinks on the veranda before dinner. I think we’re the first down, apart from Alan. Shall we join him?’
‘Sure. I could murder a beer. You…look nice.’
‘Thanks.’ Natalie’s face flushed and she turned away as if trying to hide it. Outside, Alan was discussing something with Adele, in French. It involved a lot of arm waving on both sides. He called them over to a makeshift bar set up in a corner.
‘Glad someone’s down! Tabby’s faffing about, changed her mind twice about what to wear and there’s no sign of Rose and co. Just had to tell Adele to put back dinner for a bit and she’s not best pleased.’ With that the housekeeper, muttering something under her breath, stormed off towards the kitchen.
‘What’ll you have? There’s a superb chilled rosé from Provence, naturellement, for you Natalie, if you wish, and some local iced Biere des Cigales for us men, which I always find particularly refreshing on a hot day. Or there’s home-made lemonade if you prefer.’
Natalie accepted the lemonade and Stuart was happy to try the beer. After the proverbial ‘Santé!’ Stuart took a long swallow from the bottle and grinned. ‘Just what I needed! And it’s pretty good, too.’
Voices behind them proclaimed the arrival of Rose and her family, apologising for being late.
‘Sorry, Dad, but Kimberley insisted on having her hair plaited and it took forever.’ Rose ushered her daughter forward. ‘She wants me to do it again for the wedding, to match the lovely dress Tabby bought her to wear. Do you think she’ll make a pretty flower girl?’ Stuart picked up a note of pride, mingled with exasperation, in her voice.
Alan beamed at his granddaughter, who swirled around to show off her intricately woven plait.
‘Beautiful! I bet Grandma Tabby will be envious. Her hair isn’t long enough for something like that. Ah! And here she is at last!’
They all turned as one to see Tabby sashay toward them, dressed in what looked like even to Stuart’s inexpert eyes, a pair of designer silk trousers and matching top. He saw the gleam of admiration in Alan’s eyes and smiled at his mother. She gave him a hug before kissing Alan.
‘Apologies for keeping you waiting, but it is a bride’s privilege, you know. I promise to be on time tomorrow as le maire is a stickler for punctuality.’ Tabby laughed, adding, ‘Who’s not got a drink? Do come and get one.’
Within minutes further drinks were poured and conversations took wing. Stuart edged towards Natalie, standing to one side on her own.
‘What do you think so far?’
Her eyes sparkled. ‘About what; the lemonade, the villa or the company?’
Stuart laughed.
‘Everything, I guess.’
‘Well, the lemonade is delicious, I think the villa is stunning and the company is très charmant. Happy now?’
‘Guess so. And it looks as if everyone’s enjoying themselves, particularly Mum.’ He nodded towards Tabby, who was laughing with Alan, their heads close together. Stuart, although pleased for his mother, could not help experiencing a twinge of envy. He had expected to be happily married at his age, possibly a father…Pulling himself together, he turned his attention back to Natalie, who was giving him a quizzical look.
‘You all right? Seem a bit sad.’
‘I’m fine, a bit maudlin, thinking about Dad,’ he lied. ‘All feels a bit strange, but happy.’
Natalie nodded.
‘I suppose it must be. But you can tell how in love they are, so–’
‘What are you two being so serious about? Come on, Adele’s serving dinner.’ Tabby pulled at Stuart’s arm and, laughing, he followed her to the laden table, Natalie at his side. The tantalising smell of meat cooked in wine and garlic hit his nostrils.
‘Mm, looks and smells great, Mum. I didn’t think I’d be hungry after the spread at lunchtime, but now I’m ready to tuck in.’ He sat down opposite Tabby, with Alan between them at the head of the table. Natalie sat on his left with Rose opposite and Blake and the children filling the other seats. Dishes of roast potatoes and vegetables lined the middle of the table forming a guard of honour for the huge casserole dish in the centre. Bottles of wine and jugs of fresh lemonade and water were dotted about the table.
‘Please help yourselves – and enjoy!’ Alan called out, waving a bottle of Burgundy.
Stuart served Natalie first before filling his own plate and pouring them both a glass of wine. He was about to take a sip when Tabby asked how he’d spent the afternoon and he happily described their time in the garden. Out of the corner of his eye Stuart was glad to see Natalie and Rose talking like long-lost sisters and smiled inwardly. Women! Didn’t take them long to strike up new friendships. He had always found it difficult, but genuinely felt comfortable with Rose. A quick glance at Blake confirmed he was endeavouring to keep the children’s voices down while glancing at his mobile. Stuart frowned. Blake seemed detached from his family and that wasn’t good. The sound level from that part of the table rose, and Blake appeared to give up the fight.
‘Are you listening, Stuart? Alan just asked you if there’s anywhere special you’d like to go while you’re here.’ Tabby tugged his arm.
‘Oh, sorry.’ He smiled at Alan who appeared more amused than annoyed. ‘I’d like to visit Aix-en-Provence and catch the sights…’ Alan and Tabby became animated as they vied to suggest the best places to visit.
‘Why don’t you take Natalie there on Sunday? You can borrow my car and have a bit of time together before she leaves,’ his mother whispered, giving him a wink.
‘Well, I’ll have to ask her, I don’t know if Natalie has her own plans–’
‘Did I hear my name mentioned?’
He turned to face her, wishing Tabby hadn’t been so blatant with her designs.
‘Yes, I happened to say I’d like to visit Aix and Mum wondered if you’d like to go with me on Sunday. You don’t have to–’
Her smile was warm. ‘I’d love to! I’ve heard what a beautiful city it is, and it would be wonderful to see where Cézanne lived.’
Tabby beamed at them both. ‘There you are, that’s settled. And we can recommend a fabulous restaurant for lunch. Now,’ she addressed the table, ‘has everyone finished? There’s dessert if you have.’
Adele appeared beside Tabby, ready to clear the table. Within minutes the plates and dishes were replaced with a bowl brimming with fresh fruit salad, individual pots of panna cotta, an apricot tart and a jug of cream. Stuart felt full just looking.
‘Can I have your attention, please?’ Alan stood and looked around the table. ‘As you may know, my lovely bride-to-be has decreed I must stay elsewhere tonight and I’m off shortly to a nearby hotel.’ He attempted a hard-done-by look, but Stuart wasn’t fooled. He imagined Alan would quite like to escape what was likely to be a frenzied few hours in the morning. Tabby patted Alan’s hand and he continued, ‘Before I go, I’d like to thank you all for coming and supporting us on what will be a very special day.’ He glanced at Tabby and smiled. ‘I’d like to propose a toast to you all – my family!’ he cried, raising a glass.
‘To family!’ Glasses were clinked and Alan sat down, but not before he kissed Tabby.
Stuart found his throat tighten as he saw his mother look lovingly at Alan. Saturday promised to be a quite a day.
***
Natalie woke early, the sun filtering through the slats of the shutters. She stretched slowly, enjoying the silky touch of the cotton sheets. She had enjoyed a dreamless, peaceful sleep and was ready for the busy day ahead. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Natalie stood and padded to the window and opened the shutters. For a moment she had to close her eyes against the glare of the sun after the dimness of the room. Taking a deep breath, she again caught the scent of jasmine and lavender and smiled. The deep blue sky was cloudless and the villas nestled on the far hills shimmered in a heat haze. Already her skin prickled with the heat while the faintest of breezes caressed her warm cheeks. For a moment she thought of her cottage with its scary secrets and ‘ghosts’. Being here offered only a brief respite and she’d have to go back, alone, to face whatever else was thrown at her. Not great, she thought, frowning.
With reluctance, Natalie turned her back on the idyllic scene outside and padded into the bathroom and a cooling shower. As she soaped her body, the unbidden memory of Stuart’s kiss brought heat to her cheeks. She couldn’t remember the last time a kiss had stirred her as much. It had felt so right, stirring something inside her which had been buried so long…While drying and styling her hair, she asked herself if perhaps she was now ready for a new relationship. And Stuart was so different to Liam it might work. She bit her lip. Was Stuart looking for a relationship or a flirty romance to heal his wounded heart? Ah well, no time to ponder now, time to get dressed…
The sound of laughter from the veranda showed at least some of the family were up for the early breakfast. As Natalie stepped outside she received appraising glances of approval from Stuart and Blake, the source of the laughter, and the only ones up.
Stuart stood and pulled out a chair for her.
‘Morning. You look wonderful. Love the dress.’ He dropped a kiss on her cheek as she sat down.
‘Thanks and you’re looking rather dapper yourself this morning.’ She slid into the chair, murmuring a good morning to Blake who grinned in return, waving a croissant. Natalie smoothed down the silk skirt of her dress. She knew it suited her and smiled at Stuart as he poured her a cup of coffee. He wore cream flannel trousers, a deep blue crisp cotton shirt and a silk tie which she guessed would be removed as soon as the ceremony was over. Dapper indeed.
Before Natalie could take a sip of coffee, Rose and the children joined them, dressed head to toe in their new French clothes. Hugs and kisses were shared and Adele appeared, ready to take any orders for a cooked breakfast. The only one missing was Tabby.
‘Where’s your mother?’ Natalie asked, concerned.
‘She’s having a quiet breakfast in her room and will appear when the cars arrive. I think she enjoys the idea of a dramatic entrance.’ Stuart chuckled, reaching for the coffee pot. ‘It’s going to be a bit weird, watching our parents get married, don’t you think, Rose?’
She looked up from a bowl of yogurt and fruit, grinning.
‘Yeh, it does seem strange, but kinda sweet. Mum’s death hit Dad really hard and I was a bit worried about him for a while. Now,’ she laughed, ‘he’s like a kid who’s been given the keys to the sweet shop! And I couldn’t be more happy.’ Rose ate a spoonful of yogurt. ‘But I don’t expect to see much of him and Tabby while we’re here. Just hope he doesn’t overdo things,’ she whispered, with a saucy wink.
Natalie noticed Stuart’s look of embarrassment. No-one really liked the idea of their parents being sexually active, but if they were fit and healthy…Pushing away the unwanted vision of her own parents in bed together, she bit on her croissant.
Breakfast proceeded noisily, as if everyone wanted to let rip before the solemnity of the wedding itself. Half an hour later Adele rushed in, pointing at her watch, and they realised, with a shock, they had about twenty minutes before the cars arrived. Natalie shot upstairs to put the final touches to her make-up and pin a small, deep gold fascinator in her hair. A quick glance in the mirror and she was ready.
The wedding cars drew up outside the Ville D’Allauch, the ochre coloured town hall with a grand portico entrance. The French flag hung still on its pole. Natalie had shared a car with Tabby and Stuart leaving Rose’s family to fill the second car. Alan was to have made his own way. The cars, festooned with real flowers had, by necessity, to be standard size rather than limos usually used on these occasions. The streets of the town were narrow and winding and Natalie loved the style of the old buildings they passed. Stuart helped his mother to alight before opening the door for Natalie. Tabby looked radiant in a lacy cream dress falling just below her knees and matched with a large brim hat. She carried a small bouquet of red calla lilies. Natalie stood back to allow the family to proceed, tucking herself in behind Rose and Blake. The heat encouraged them to move speedily inside to the coolness of the entrance hall. A smiling official escorted them to a large room presided over by Le Maire, who stood in front of his desk in conversation with the waiting Alan. Already seated in rows behind were the couple’s local friends who turned to admire the bridal party.
At this point Natalie cursed herself for her poor French and could only guess what the mayor was saying in welcome. Tabby joined her bridegroom, resplendent in a cream linen suit displaying a red rose in his buttonhole to match his tie. Once everyone was seated the ceremony began, in French. Stuart took a seat next to Natalie and they shared a grin. Fortunately the happy couple were fluent in French and made their responses at the right moments, judging by the mayor’s nods of approval. A photographer stood to one side, poised with his camera for the de rigeur photos.
Cheers and claps broke out when Alan slipped the gold band on Tabby’s finger and the photographer moved in closer. The mayor shook the smiling couple’s hands, and after much gesticulation from him, Alan kissed Tabby, to another outbreak of cheers. Once the formal paperwork was signed and sealed, the guests stood and the couple led the way outside.
‘Ah, that was lovely! And your mum looks fab!’ Natalie murmured to Stuart as they milled around in the intense heat, bereft of shade.
Stuart, running his fingers inside his collar, had beads of perspiration on his brow. He dabbed his face with a handkerchief before answering. ‘Thanks, I thought it went well, as much as I could follow what was happening–’
‘Gather round, please, everyone. Group photo!’ called Alan, waving his hand at the guests. Obediently people shuffled into position and the photographer snapped several shots before declaring himself happy. The wedding cars pulled up and Alan and Tabby disappeared in the first, while Rose’s family climbed into the second. Natalie was wondering how she and Stuart were meant to get home when a third car arrived.
‘That’s ours. Don’t worry, we’re not expected to walk.’ He grabbed her hand, laughing, and followed her into the back of the mercifully cool car. Other cars arrived for the remaining guests, all heading for the villa and the celebratory party.
‘Do you mind if I kiss you? We won’t get any time on our own for ages and you look irresistible,’ he murmured in her ear. Natalie nodded. Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned in and kissed her mouth, his tongue gently opening her lips. For a few minutes, she was oblivious of anything else. A discreet cough reminded her where they were and Stuart pulled back, grinning at the driver, who gave him the thumbs up, saying something which sounded like ‘Bonne chance, monsieur!’
Natalie settled into Stuart’s arms as the car navigated the narrow streets busy with weekend shoppers and tourists. She wanted the drive to last forever.
They arrived back to find the villa transformed. The gardens were festooned with bunches of helium balloons fastened to poles, and groups of tables, shaded by a huge gazebo, covered the lawn. Vases of flowers inside and out provided extra splashes of colour.
‘Wow! How on earth did all this happen so quickly?’ Natalie stared, her mouth open in amazement.
Stuart chuckled. ‘Alan organised it on the q.t. Mum allowed him to book the caterers and he wanted to do something special and arranged for a small army of people to set everything up once we left this morning. Looks like Mum’s speechless for once.’ He nodded towards Tabby, who with Alan’s arm around her, gazed wide-eyed around the sumptuous settings. Waiters and waitresses circled around, bearing trays of champagne flutes and Stuart took two, handing one to Natalie.
‘Santé! Here’s to a fun party.’ He kissed her lightly on the mouth before steering her towards their table.
Hours later, after a long, delicious celebratory lunch, and with all the speeches over, the guests were free to let their hair down and dance. The local band, tucked away on the veranda, and with a lead singer sounding like Elvis, had been playing tunes from the ’60s in the background, and now Alan led his wife onto the terrace for their first dance, a sedate waltz to Elvis’s ‘Hawaiian Wedding Song’, which then morphed into a jive to ‘Rock-A-Hula-Baby’. The guests stood and clapped as Alan and Tabby displayed their moves.
‘I think they’ve been practising, don’t you?’ Stuart asked Natalie, standing by his side.
‘They’re good together, for sure. Can you jive?’ She glanced at him as he watched his mother dancing more like a teenager than a mature woman.
‘I’m not as good as Mum, but I can make a reasonable fist of it. Mum and Dad taught me years ago. How about you?’
She found herself tapping her foot to the music and nodded. ‘A bit.’
‘As soon as they’ve finished let’s give it a go.’
After taking their bows, the newlyweds opened the floor to their guests and Stuart grabbed Natalie’s hand. They danced until they ran out of breath, took a break, then danced some more. The party ran on through the afternoon and the evening, by which time some of the older guests had drifted away and those remaining spent more time drinking and eating snacks from the trays brought round by the staff. By eleven even the band looked weary and were now playing slow smooches. Stuart grinned at Natalie. ‘Shall we have a last dance?’ Her feet were killing her but she couldn’t say no and allowed him to pull her onto her now bare feet, hoping they wouldn’t get trodden on.
The last dance, ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’, was sung with equal passion by the lead singer and Stuart drew her close as they joined the last few couples, including Tabby and Alan. Natalie closed her eyes, imagining they were the only ones dancing, aware of Stuart’s heartbeat close to hers. Copious champagne had left her light-headed and willing to be seduced by her surroundings – and Stuart. As the music stopped she opened her eyes to find Stuart’s unfocused gaze on her face. He tilted his head down and kissed her and she swayed in his embrace, tightening her arms around his neck.
A cough behind her broke the spell.
‘Sorry to interrupt you two, but we wanted to say goodnight.’ Alan’s voice held a hint of laughter.
She turned round to find Alan and Tabby grinning at them.
Stuart found his voice first.
‘Of course. Goodnight to you both and thanks for a wonderful time. You certainly know how to throw a great party!’ He kissed Tabby and shook Alan’s hand.
Natalie, somewhat sheepishly, murmured goodnight and kissed the hosts who, with a wave, disappeared indoors.
She had a sudden fit of the giggles and collapsed into Stuart’s arms, who promptly burst out laughing.
‘Talk about role reversal!’ he spluttered, trying to regain self-control. ‘Come on, I think it’s time for bed.’ He held her round the waist and steered her inside and up the stairs, halting outside her room. Natalie’s heart beat fast. Would he ask to come in? Or should she suggest it? Stuart made the decision by saying, ‘I think we’ve both had rather too much to drink so it’s probably best if we say goodnight. It’s not the right time…’ His voice was husky. He kissed her cheek and pulled back, a look of uncertainty on his face.
Natalie was deflated. Was she being rejected? Or was he right and they were both drunk and might regret it? Forcing a quick smile, she said goodnight and slipped into her room, eager for the oblivion of sleep. Her last conscious thought was that Stuart might be sharing her own doubts about entering a new relationship. What a muddle!