The Wedding Girl Read online

  Milly glanced at Simon. His neck was tense and his eyes fixed determinedly ahead. He reminded her of a young bulldog ready for a scrap.

  `I know what I want from marriage,' he said, frowning. `We both do. We don't need interference from some stranger.'

  `We'll just listen and nod,' said Milly. `And then we'll go.' She felt in her pocket for her gloves. `Anyway, I already know what he's going to say.'

  `What?'

  `Be kind to one another and don't sleep around.' Simon thought for a moment.

  `I expect I could manage the first part.'

  Milly gave him a thump and he laughed, drawing her near and planting a kiss on her shiny hair. As they neared the corner he reached in his pocket and bleeped his car open.

  `I could hardly find a parking space,' he said, as he started the engine. `The streets are so bloody congested.' He frowned. `Whether this new bill will really achieve anything ...'

  `The environment bill,' said Milly at once.

  `That's right,' said Simon. `Did you read about it today?'

  `Oh yes,' said Milly. She cast her mind quickly back to the Daily Telegraph. `Do you think they've got the emphasis quite right?'

  And as Simon began to talk, she looked out of the window and nodded occasionally, and wondered idly whether she should buy a third bikini for her honeymoon.

  Canon Lytton's drawing room was large, draughty and full of books. Books lined the walls, books covered every surface, and teetered in dusty piles on the floor. In addition, nearly everything in the room that wasn't a book, looked like a book. The teapot was shaped like a book, the firescreen was decorated with books; even the slabs of gingerbread sitting on the tea-tray resembled a set of encyclopaedia volumes.

  Canon Lytton himself resembled a sheet of old paper. His thin, powdery skin seemed in danger of tearing at any moment; whenever he laughed or frowned his face creased into a thousand lines. At the moment as he had been during most of the session he was frowning. His bushy white eyebrows were knitted together, his eyes narrowed in concentration and his bony hand, clutched around an undrunk cup of tea, was waving dangerously about in the air.

  `The secret of a successful marriage,' he was declaiming, `is trust. Trust is the key. Trust is the rock.'

  `Absolutely,' said Milly, as she had at intervals of three minutes for the past hour. She glanced at Simon. He was leaning forward, as though ready to interrupt. But Canon Lytton was not the sort of speaker to brook interruptions. Each time Simon had taken a breath to say something, the clergyman had raised the volume of his voice and turned away, leaving Simon stranded in frustrated but deferential silence. He would have liked to take issue with much of what Canon Lytton was saying, she could tell. As for herself, she hadn't listened to a word.

  Her gaze slid idly over to the glass-fronted bookcases to her left. There she was, reflected in the glass. Smart and shiny; grownup and groomed. She felt pleased with her appearance. Not that Canon Lytton appreciated it. He probably thought it was sinful to spend money on clothes. He would tell her she should have given it to the poor instead.

  She shifted her position slightly on the sofa, stifled a yawn, and looked up. To her horror, Canon Lytton was watching her. His eyes narrowed, and he broke off mid-sentence.

  `I'm sorry if I'm boring you, my dear,' he said sarcastically. `Perhaps you are familiar with this quotation already.'

  Milly felt her cheeks turn pink.

  `No,' she said, `I'm not. I was just ... um . . .' She glanced quickly at Simon, who grinned back and gave her a tiny wink. `I'm just a little tired,' she ended feebly.

  `Poor Milly's been frantic over the wedding arrangements,' put in Simon. `There's a lot to organize. The champagne, the cake ...'

  `Indeed,' said Canon Lytton severely. `But might I remind you that the point of a wedding is not the champagne, nor the cake; nor is it the presents you will no doubt receive.' His eyes flicked around the room, as though comparing his own dingy things with the shiny, sumptuous gifts piled high for Milly and Simon, and his frown deepened. `I am grieved,' he continued, stalking over to the window, `at the casual approach taken by many young couples to the wedding ceremony. The sacrament of marriage should not be viewed as a formality.'

  `Of course not,' said Milly.

  `It is not simply the preamble to a good party.'

  `No,' said Milly.

  `As the very words of the service remind us, marriage must not be undertaken carelessly, lightly, or selfishly, but-'

  `And it won't be!' Simon's voice broke in impatiently; he leaned forward in his seat. `Canon Lytton, I know you probably come across people every day who are getting married for the wrong reasons. But that's not us, OK? We love each other and we want to spend the rest of our lives together. And for us, that's a serious matter. The cake and the champagne have got nothing to do with it.'

  He broke off and for a moment there was silence. Milly took Simon's hand and squeezed it.

  `I see,' said Canon Lytton eventually. `Well, I'm glad to hear it.' He sat down, took a sip of cold tea and winced. `I don't mean to lecture you unduly,' he said, putting down his cup. `But you've no idea how many unsuitable couples I see coming before me to get married. Thoughtless young people who've barely known each other five minutes; silly girls who want an excuse to buy a nice dress ...'

  `I'm sure you do,' said Simon. `But Milly and I are the real thing. We're going to take it seriously. We're going to get it right. We know each other and we love each other and we're going to be very happy.' He leaned over and kissed Milly gently, then looked up at Canon Lytton, as though daring him to reply.

  `Yes,' said Canon Lytton. `Well. Perhaps I've said enough. You do seem to be on the right track.' He picked up his folder and began to rifle through it. `There are just a couple of other matters ...'

  `That was beautiful,' whispered Milly to Simon.

  `It was true,' he whispered back, and gently touched the corner of her mouth.

  `Ah yes,' said Canon Lytton, looking up. `I should have mentioned this before. As you will be aware, Reverend Harries neglected to read your banns last Sunday.'

  `Did he?' said Simon.

  `Surely you noticed?' said Canon Lytton looking beadily at Simon. `I take it you were at morning service?'

  `Oh yes,' said Simon after a pause. `Of course. Now you mention it, I thought something was wrong.'

  `He was most apologetic they always are.' Canon Lytton gave a tetchy sigh. `But the damage has been done. So you will have to be married by special licence.'

  `Oh,' said Milly. `What does that mean?'

  `It means, among other things,' said Canon Lytton, `that I must ask you to swear an oath.'

  `Zounds damnation,' said Milly.

  `I'm sorry?' He looked at her in puzzlement.

  `Nothing,' she said. `Carry on.'

  `You must swear a solemn oath that all the information you've given me is true,' said Canon Lytton. He held out a Bible to Milly, then passed her a piece of paper. `Just run your eyes down it, check that it's all correct, then read the oath aloud.'

  Milly stared down at the paper for a few seconds, then looked up with a bright smile.

  `Absolutely fine,' she said.

  `Melissa Grace Havill,' said Simon, reading over her shoulder. `Spinster.' He pulled a face. `Spinster!'

  'OK!' said Milly sharply. `Just let me read the oath.'

  `That's right,' said Canon Lytton. He beamed at her. `And then everything will be, as they say, above board.'

  By the time they emerged from the vicarage, the air was cold and dusky. Snowflakes were falling again; the street lamps were already on; a row of fairy lights from Christmas twinkled in a window opposite. Milly took a deep breath, shook out her legs, stiff from sitting still for so long, and looked at Simon. But before she could speak, a triumphant voice came ringing from the other side of the street.

  `Aha! I just caught you!'

  `Mummy!' exclaimed Milly.

  `Olivia,' said Simon. `What a lovely surprise.'


  Olivia crossed the street and beamed at them both. Snowflakes were resting lightly on her smartly cut blond hair and on the shoulders of her green cashmere coat. Nearly all of Olivia's clothes were in jewel colours sapphire blue, ruby red, amethyst purple accented by shiny gold buckles, gleaming buttons and gilt-trimmed shoes. She had once secretly toyed with the idea of turquoise-tinted contact lenses but had been unable to reassure herself that she wouldn't become the subject of smirks behind her back. And so instead she made the most of her natural blue by pasting a bright gold on her eyelids and visiting a beautician once a month to have her lashes dyed black.

  Now her eyes were fixed affectionately on Milly.

  `I don't suppose you asked Canon Lytton about the rose petals, did you?' she said.

  `Oh!' said Milly. `No, I forgot.'

  `I knew you would!' exclaimed Olivia. `So I thought I'd better pop round myself.' She smiled at Simon. `Isn't my little girl a scat- terhead?'

  `I wouldn't say so,' said Simon in a tight voice.

  `Of course you wouldn't! You're in love with her!' Olivia smiled gaily at him and ruffled his hair. In high heels she was very slightly taller than Simon, and he'd noticed though nobody else had that since he and Milly had become engaged, Olivia wore high heels more and more frequently.

  `I'd better be going,' he said. `I've got to get back to the office. We're frantic at the moment.'

  `Aren't we all!' exclaimed Olivia. `There are only four days to go, you know! Four days until you walk down that aisle! And I've a thousand things to do!' She looked at Milly. `What about you, darling? Are you rushing off?'

  `Not me,' said Milly. `I took the afternoon off.'

  `Well then, how about walking back into town with me? Perhaps we could have ...'

  `Hot chocolate at Mario's,' finished Milly.

  `Exactly.' Olivia smiled almost triumphantly at Simon. `I can read Milly's mind like an open book!'

  `Or an open letter,' said Simon. There was a short, tense pause.

  `Right, well,' said Olivia eventually, in clipped tones. `I won't be long. See you this evening, Simon.' She opened Canon Lytton's gate and began to walk quickly up the path, skidding slightly on the snow.

  `You shouldn't have said that,' said Milly to Simon, as soon as she was out of earshot. `About the letter. She made me promise not to tell you.'

  `Well, I'm sorry,' said Simon. `But she deserves it. What makes her think she's got the right to read a private letter from me to you?' Milly shrugged.

  `She did say it was an accident.'

  `An accident?' exclaimed Simon. `Milly, you must be joking. It was addressed to you and it was in your bedroom!'

  `Oh well,' said Milly good-naturedly. `It doesn't really matter.' She gave a sudden giggle. `It's a good thing you didn't write anything rude about her.'

  `Next time I will,' said Simon. He glanced at his watch. `Look, I've really got to go.'

  He took hold of her chilly fingers, kissed them gently one by one, then pulled her towards him. His mouth was soft and warm on hers; as he drew her gradually closer to him, Milly closed her eyes. Then, suddenly he let go of her, and a blast of cold snowy air hit her in the face.

  `I must run. See you later.'

  `Yes,' said Milly. `See you then.'

  She watched, smiling to herself, as he bleeped open the door of his car, got in and, without pausing, zoomed off down the street. Simon was always in a hurry. Always rushing off to do; to achieve. Like a puppy, he had to be out every day, either doing something constructive or determinedly enjoying himself. He couldn't bear wasting time; didn't understand how Milly could spend a day happily doing nothing, or approach a weekend with no plans made. Sometimes he would join her in a day of drifting indolence, repeating several times that it was nice to have a chance to relax. Then, after a few hours, he would leap up and announce he was going for a run.

  The first time she'd ever seen him, in someone else's kitchen, he'd been simultaneously conducting a conversation on his mobile phone, shovelling crisps into his mouth, and bleeping through the news headlines on Teletext. As Milly had poured herself a glass of wine, he'd held his glass out too and, in a gap in his conversation, had grinned at her and said, `Thanks.'

  `The party's happening in the other room,' Milly had pointed out.

  `I know,' Simon had said, his eyes back on the Teletext. 'I'll be along in a minute.' And Milly had rolled her eyes and left him to it, not even bothering to ask his name. But later on that evening, when he'd rejoined the party, he'd come up to her, introduced himself charmingly, and apologized for having been so distracted.

  `It was just a bit of business news I was particularly interested in,' he'd said.

  `Good news or bad news?' Milly had enquired, taking a gulp of wine and realizing that she was rather drunk.

  `That depends,' said Simon, `on who you are.'

  `But doesn't everything? Every piece of good news is someone else's bad news. Even . . .' She'd waved her glass vaguely in the air. `Even world peace. Bad news for arms manufacturers.'

  `Yes,' Simon had said slowly. `I suppose so. I'd never thought of it like that.'

  `Well, we can't all be great thinkers,' Milly had said, and had suppressed a desire to giggle.

  `Can I get you a drink?' he'd asked.

  `Not a drink,' she'd replied. `But you can light me a cigarette if you like.'

  He'd leaned towards her, cradling the flame carefully, and she'd registered that his skin was smooth and tanned, and his fingers strong, and he was wearing an aftershave she liked. Then, as she'd inhaled on the cigarette, his dark brown eyes had locked into hers, and to her surprise a tingle had run down her back, and she'd slowly smiled back at him.

  Later on, when the party had turned from bright, stand-up chatter into groups of people sitting on the floor and smoking joints, the discussion had turned to vivisection. Milly, who had happened to see a Blue Peter special on vivisection the week before while at home with a cold, had produced more hard facts and informed reasoning than anyone else, and Simon had gazed at her in admiration.

  He'd asked her out to dinner a few days later and talked a lot about business and politics. Milly, who knew nothing about either subject, had smiled and nodded and agreed with him; at the end of the evening, just before he kissed her for the first time, Simon had told her she was extraordinarily perceptive and understanding. When, a bit later on, she'd tried to tell him that she was woefully ignorant on the subject of politics indeed, on most subjects he'd chided her for being modest. `I saw you at that party,' he'd said, `destroying that guy's puerile arguments. You knew exactly what you were talking about. In fact,' he'd added, with darkening eyes, `it was quite a turn-on.' And Milly, who'd been about to admit to her source of information, had instead moved closer so that he could kiss her again.

  Simon's initial impression of her had never been corrected. He still told her she was too modest; he still thought she liked the same highbrow art exhibitions he did; he still asked her opinion on topics such as the American presidency campaign and listened carefully to her answers. He thought she liked sushi; he thought she had read Sartre. Without wanting to mislead him, but without wanting to disappoint him either, she'd allowed him to build up a picture of her which if she were honest with herself wasn't quite true.

  Quite what was going to happen when they started living together, she didn't know. Sometimes she felt alarmed at the degree to which she was being misrepresented; felt sure she would be exposed as a fraud the first time he caught her crying over a trashy novel. At other times, she told herself that his picture of her wasn't so inaccurate. Perhaps she wasn't quite the sophisticated woman he thought she was but she could be. She would be. It was simply a matter of discarding all her old clothes and wearing only the new ones. Making the odd intelligent comment and staying discreetly quiet the rest of the time.

  Once, in the early days of their relationship, as they lay together in Simon's huge double bed at Pinnacle Hall, Simon had told her that he'd known she was someone sp
ecial when she didn't start asking him questions about his father. `Most girls,' he'd said bitterly, `just want to know what it's like, being the son of Harry Pinnacle. Or they want me to get them a job interview or something. But you . . . you've never even mentioned him.'

  He'd gazed at her with incredulous eyes, and Milly had smiled sweetly and murmured an indistinct, sleepy response. She could hardly admit that the reason she'd never mentioned Harry Pinnacle was that she'd never heard of him.

  `So dinner with Harry Pinnacle tonight! That should be fun.' Her mother's voice interrupted Milly's thoughts, and she looked up.

  `Yes,' she said. `I suppose so.'

  `Has he still got that wonderful Austrian chef?'

  `I don't know,' said Milly. She had, she realized, begun to imitate Simon's discouraging tone when talking about Harry Pinnacle. Simon never prolonged a conversation about his father if he could help it; if people were too persistent he would change the subject abruptly, or even walk away. He had walked away from his future mother-in-law plenty of times as she pressed him for details and anecdotes about the great man. So far she had never seemed to notice.

  `The really lovely thing about Harry,' mused Olivia, `is that he's so normal.' She tucked Milly's arm cosily under her own and they began to walk down the snowy street together. `That's what I say to everybody. If you met him, you wouldn't think, here's a multimillionaire tycoon. You wouldn't think, here's a founder of a huge national chain. You'd think, what a charming man. And Simon's just the same.'

  `Simon isn't a multimillionaire tycoon,' said Milly. `He's an ordinary advertising salesman.'

  `Hardly ordinary, darling!'

  `Mummy . . .'

  `I know you don't like me saying it. But the fact is that Simon's going to be very wealthy one day.' Olivia's arm tightened slightly around Milly's. `And so are you.' Milly shrugged.

  `Maybe.'

  `There's no point pretending it's not going to happen. And when it does, your life will change.'

  `No it won't.'

  `The rich live differently, you know.'

  `A minute ago,' pointed out Milly, `you were saying how normal Harry is. He doesn't live differently, does he?'