by Sue Nicholls
Where has he seen that fellow before? He searches his memory. He has a good memory for faces – can’t remember names but faces he's good at. Jack's voice interrupts his pondering and Mick is distracted. Never mind, it will come to him.
Chapter 66
Fee kicks of her shoes and pulls aside the vertical blind. The glass door glides easily along its metal channel at her touch. Outside, the smooth honey-coloured deck warms the soles of her feet and the scent of flowers fills her head. Shiny leaves in shades of green and yellow, interspersed with outrageously coloured blooms, burgeon from gardens and tumble over rails to right and left. In front of her, beyond a set of deeply cushioned chairs and a rectangular void in the deck, is a gate, and beyond it the beach and sea. She crosses to the edge of the rectangular cut-out and stands with her toes hooked over the edge. Coloured fish weave a graceful ballet in shaded water beneath the wooden slats of the entire deck. She stares for a moment at the beautiful creatures, then raises her eyes to the ocean. Skirting the hole, she crosses to the gate and places her hand on the scalding catch. Two steps lead down to white, sizzling sand, exactly like the brochure, and beyond the beach, about twenty metres away, the sea murmurs gently.
‘Well my darling, how do you like it so far?’ Will is at her side, smiling down at her.
She wraps her arms around his body and with eyes closed, leans her head on his chest. ‘It’s perfect.’
With his arm around her shoulders he draws her back to their cool, marbled room and lifts a champagne bottle from a tumble of ice in a silver bucket. ‘Just as I promised?’ He grins.
‘Just as you promised.’ She nods, watching as he polishes two flutes and wraps the white cloth round the neck of the bottle. There is a muffled pop and golden liquid flows into the glasses in a mist of vapour. He hands her a glass and raises his own. ‘To us.’
‘To us.’
They sit outside for a long time, watching the ruddy face of the sun dip into the pillow of the sea. The tension begins to leave Fee’s shoulders as Will describes his plans for the following day. ‘I've done a bit of research. There’s a walk along the cliffs. You can’t see it from here because of all this greenery, but it’s round there.’ He hooks his fingers in a curve to indicate the area behind and to the left of where they are sitting. ‘Apparently there’s a little restaurant up there where they sell fresh mussels.’ He winks at her. ‘I know how much you like mussels!’
Fee laughs. The sound catches her by surprise, and she wonders when she last laughed out loud.
‘There’s a private bay just over the headland. I’ve hired a sailing boat so we can get to it. Apparently, it’s the only way in but then we’ll have the place to ourselves. I thought we could do some diving.’
Fee widens her eyes. ‘It’s been a long time since I scuba-dived. I’m not sure I can remember how.’
Will shrugs, ‘You’ll be fine, it’s like riding a bike, well, without the pedals of course.’ He grins like a boy. ‘Anyway, I’ve hired the kit now.’
‘I didn't know you could sail.’ There is so much to learn about this amazing man.
‘Aah, I have many talents.’ He winks at her. ‘Would you like me to show you another one?’
‘And what might that be?’
‘Follow me and I'll demonstrate.’ He stands and takes her hand. ‘Oh, by the way, I’ve organised a surprise for you tomorrow afternoon.’
Fee tilts her head at him. ‘What is it?’
‘Well,’ They reach the bed and he puts his arms around her, ‘I could tell you,’ He kisses her tenderly, ‘But then I'd have to kill you.’
***
She is wearing a rather dressy affair of gauzy layers that exposes shoulders, already pink from the morning’s walk. Will is in a dashing dark suit and tie.
‘We look like a couple of guests at a wedding.’ She smiles, and he fires her an enigmatic look. The telephone rings in their room and Will rushes to answer it.
‘The car’s here, come on.’ He hustles her from the room and down to the foyer.
A shining black limousine stands outside with a uniformed chauffeur holding open the rear door. Fee slides across the smooth, warmth of the leather seat and waits for Will to join her. ‘Will, what...?’
He lifts a finger to her lips. ‘Shhh, just wait and see.’
The car pulls away and cruises along the coast road, its wheels sending up sandy dust that fogs out the view behind. Fee sits in silence beside Will, trying to guess what lies ahead. She becomes aware that he is looking at her and turns to meet his gaze. He is holding something out to her - a small box. She knows what it will hold and is in no doubt now, that she will accept this engagement ring with all her heart. Smiling, she watches as he drops to one knee on the floor of the car and opens the small casket, then he takes her hand, and her eyes move to the box. Nestled in the satin is not an engagement ring but a plain golden band.
‘Will!’ She stares at the ring in bafflement. ‘I don't know...’
‘Fee, please. Don’t make me wait any longer.’
The car pulls up outside a tiny, white church.
‘Don't say a word yet.’ Will snaps the box shut and pockets it. ‘Come inside and have a look. Take your time.’ He leaps from the car, and the chauffeur opens Fee’s door.
Hand in hand, they step into a miniature chapel. Outside in the dazzling light the driver waits to be summoned. Will watches Fee’s face as she looks around, his own expression is a mixture of love and fear.
Music plays faintly in the background and, although feeling duped, Fee is captivated by the trouble he has taken. She looks at the small coloured window and the stone floor. What will she do? Does she love Will? Yes, of that she is sure. Would she have married him eventually? Yes, that too. If in the future, then why not now?
‘But there’s Kitty, I want her to know you too, and to be at our wedding.’
‘She is.’ Will grins at her and jerks his head towards the back of the chapel.
To Fee’s astonishment, her daughter stands, alone and beaming in the doorway, wearing a pretty, lilac dress and clutching a posy of freesias.
‘Hello Mummy,’ she calls, her eyes sparkling.
‘Gloria took her to the airport, and she travelled as an unaccompanied minor. Gloria really loves a conspiracy,’ Will tells her. ‘So, what do you think?’
Fee feels her throat constrict. She nods her head slowly, then more decisively. ‘Yes, I will marry you.’
Kitty flies up the aisle, her curls bouncing under a small floral band, ‘Mummy, you look beautiful. Come on.’ She grabs Fee's hand and pulls her towards the altar. ‘Have you got the ring, Will?’
Will pats his pocket, ‘Right here little lady,’ he reassures in an American accent.
Kitty giggles.
A minister arrives though a door at the back, and behind Fee the chauffeur and an unknown lady slide through the entrance.
‘That's Maria, she’s been looking after me.’ Kitty is jigging with excitement. ‘Were you surprised Mummy?’
‘That doesn’t go anywhere near describing how I feel you little monkey.’ Fee hugs her daughter to her then turns to Will. ‘OK, let’s do this.’
***
Afterwards, Leaving the beaming taxi driver to drive Maria home, they climb the shining white steps to the hotel. A quiet cheer rises from behind the reception desk and staff begin to clap. Soon guests, clad in sandals and swimsuits, are joining in.
In the restaurant, their table is unmistakable, strewn as it is with fragrant Frangipane, Amaryllis and Orchid flowers. Once their glasses have been charged, Will raises his flute. ‘Thank you, my lovely Fee. You had me worried there for a moment.’
‘Well, you took a bit of a risk, husband.’ Fee leans towards Kitty. ‘And as for you, young lady, how on earth did you manage to keep such a huge secret?’
‘Gloria helped, but Will organised it all. He got my passport and visa - you signed the forms you know.’
‘I did?’
Will looks
sheepish, ‘I’m afraid I tricked you a bit. All those forms I gave you to sign, some of them were for your passport and visa, one was a marriage form, and one was for Kitty's passport.’
‘I can't believe I was so stupid.’
'You were distracted. I took advantage.'
Fee punches him lightly on his suited arm. 'I'm not sure I'll ever be able to trust you again.'
Dishes of food begin to arrive: lobster, langoustines, caviar, salads, cheeses and fruit. After their meal, sated and exhausted, the little family climb aboard the gleaming lift, and are fired off to the cool peace of their bedroom. A small bed has been erected for Kitty, who will spend one night with them. In the morning Maria will collect her and put her on a plane back to London.
Chapter 67
‘Hi Gloria, it’s Paul.’
Gloria stands in the empty hall holding the telephone and her heart drops to her boots. ‘Hello, Paul, how are you?’
‘I’m round the corner. I thought I’d come and see Kitty?’
‘Well, er, she’s not here. She went to tea with a friend.’ Gloria prays silently for forgiveness of her lie.
‘That’s OK. Tell me where and I’ll pick her up afterwards. I expect she could do with some parent time, with Fee being away.’
Gloria is hopeless at lying. ‘Paul, you’d better come round; I’ve got somethin’ to tell you.’
In the lounge, she sits opposite Paul, wearing an expression of profound discomfort. ‘Kitty went to Mauritius.’
He frowns, not understanding. ‘They took her with them?’
‘No. I drove her to the airport and put her on a plane. The thing is, it’s not Fee’s fault.’ Gloria dries up and gives her head a small shake. Placing her hands on the arms of her chair she gets ready to push herself upright. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’
‘No. Just tell me what’s going on.’
She subsides into the cushions and meets Paul’s baffled gaze. ‘They’re getting’ married. - Fee and Will. It’s a surprise.’ She rushes on. ‘Fee doesn’t know anythin’ about it. Will arranged it all, and Kitty and I kept it a secret. Kitty went this mornin’, to be a bridesmaid.’
Paul wonders if things could get any worse. Being raided by the police should top the list but this overshadows everything. He stares at Gloria as she stands up. ‘I’ll make that tea.’ She scuttles from the room.
Kitty did not tell him, her own father, that Mummy was about to re-marry. Tears blur his vision, and he pats his pockets for a tissue.
Gloria comes in with the tray and her expression softens when she sees him blowing his nose. ‘I’m sorry Paul. I didn’t know how to tell you. ‘Here.’ She hands him a cup, and he takes a sip.
She explains about the telephone call from Will, and her conspiracy with Kitty, buying an outfit and handing her over to a stewardess at the airport.
‘So, you don’t know if Fee went through with it?’
‘Not yet.’
Paul blows his tea, sending little ripples across the surface. ‘What’s he like?’
‘I’m not sure. I haven’t met him. He seemed nice enough on the phone. Well spoken, and he smiled a lot.’
‘I thought you said you hadn’t met him.’
Gloria puts down her cup. ‘I haven’t but you can hear someone smilin’ in their voice, can’t you?’
‘Never thought about it.’ Paul shrugs.
He has bought a new phone. There is no way Fee is going to outdo him with her technology. At that moment it starts to ring, and he digs it out of his pocket. ‘Oh, hi mate. Good trip?’
Gloria hears her son’s voice speaking faintly into Paul’s ear, and beams.
‘What?’ Paul leaps to his feet. ‘OK. I’m at Fee’s with your mum. Yes. See you in about an hour.’ He lowers the phone slowly, a look of disbelief on his face.
Gloria reaches over to touch his arm.
‘What’s happened Paul? Are they alright? There hasn’t been another accident has there?’
‘No.’ He puts his hands to his temples and squeezes his eyes shut. ‘I need to think.’ He focusses on what Mick has told him. He needs proof. ‘Gloria, is Fee’s phone at home?’
‘Yes. It’s in her room. It was too expensive to use over there.’
Flying upstairs he realises he does not know which room is Fee’s, but after a brief search, her room is obvious. It has her smell, and the compulsive neatness he had almost forgotten.
The mobile is in the bedside drawer and he switches it on. Thankfully it has some battery left and when it comes to life, he searches for her call history, then he throws the phone onto the bed and without a word, gallops down the stairs and out of the front door.
Chapter 68
The hall phone rings, and Gloria gives a lurch. ‘Hello?’
‘Gloria, it’s me.’ Fee’s voice is joyful.
‘Fee. Can you forgive me?’
‘Yes, I forgive you. I do. What a time I’ve had, thanks to Will, and you and Kitty.’
Gloria’s knees buckle and she sits on the bottom stair, dropping the duster that was clutched in her hand. ‘I’m so relieved. Tell me all about it.’
When Fee has given Gloria a brief account of her wedding day, she confirms that Kitty will be on her return journey as planned.
Gloria takes a breath. ‘I had to tell Paul about the weddin’. He wanted to take Kitty out for the evening.’
‘Oh.’ There is a pause. ‘Well he had to know some time. I’m sorry you had to tell him; it should have come from me. How did he take it?’
‘Not too bad.’ She does not mention his disappearance - best not to worry Fee while she is on her honeymoon.
Fee speaks. ‘I must go - this is costing a bomb. Let me know when Kitty gets home.’
‘OK.’ Gloria takes a note of the number.
***
Paul sits at the departure gate. He had to pay nearly a thousand pounds for a last-minute flight, plus the cost of a rail journey to London for an emergency visa and the taxi to get here.
His phone rings from an unknown number.
'Is that you, Paul?' Paul pulls the receiver a short distance from his ear.
'Yes Gloria. Is everything alright?' He keeps his voice low in the public space.
'I didn't think I'd get you with this silly phone, but it works.'
‘'Yes, it works. You can speak normally, no need to shout. What's up?'
Gloria moderates her voice. 'I just wanted to see if you were OK. You ran away, and I was worried about you? I couldn’t get hold of you at home, then I remembered that Mick had put your number in the phone for me.'
‘Sorry about that. I had to meet Maurice about something.’ He puts his bag between his feet and pats his coat for his cigarettes before realising that he cannot smoke in here. ‘Have you heard from Fee?’
With sympathy Gloria says, ‘Yes. They got married Paul. She sounded happy.’
He bites his lip.
‘Are you OK?’
‘Yeah, fine. I’ve been called away on business. When Kitty gets back, give her a kiss from me and tell her I’ll see her in a few days. Maurice will feed Topsy, so she needn’t worry about that.’
People around him stir, and a queue begins to form at the desk.
'I have to go Gloria. You can call Mick or Maurice if you need anything. Will you be OK with the kids?'
'Yes, we’ll be fine. I’ll get Mick to collect Kitty if necessary. Don't worry.'
***
Gloria presses the button to end her call, with a sense that something odd is going on.
***
The sun burns Paul's neck and cooks his shoulders as he pays the Asian taxi driver with currency obtained from a cash machine at the airport. His clothes are completely inappropriate for the climate in Mauritius. The car drives off and he turns to a flight of white steps leading up to a low, wood and glass hotel. Behind him cars, scooters, bicycles and horse drawn tourist carriages vie for space on the road, but in front, to either side of the steps, lush trees and heavy
flowers flop over tightly cropped squares of grass. He picks up his small bag and climbs to the entrance. Familiar smells: sunscreen and expensive perfume pervade the air-conditioned foyer. He approaches the reception desk and drops his case on the floor. A small, dark skinned man raises his eyebrows in expectation. 'Good morning sir, do you have a reservation?'
'No, I'm afraid I left home in a bit of a hurry. I'm here to find someone.'
‘I’ll help if I can, sir.’ The man pulls the immaculate cuffs of his shirt from inside the sleeves of his navy jacket and places his fingers on the edge of the smooth wooden counter. His badge advertises his role as Manager and his name, Francois Bernier.
'I'm looking for a couple,’ says Paul, ‘A man and woman who married here recently. I'm afraid I don't know their surname, but the woman's name, before, was Fiona Thomas.
The manager’s expression becomes suspicious. 'May I ask your business with them sir?'
Paul thrusts his face at the bloke. 'Look, I need to see Fee. I don’t have to explain my reasons to you.'
Bernier pulls himself up and points the end of his nose at Paul. ‘Well Sir, I’m afraid she and her husband are out now. Perhaps you’d like a cold drink while you wait. There is a bar through there, or we can bring something out here if you prefer. He indicates low chairs not far away.
‘No thanks. Do you know where they went?