The Scent of His Woman

by Maggie Pritchard

  It was a lovely way to wake, his breath on her neck, his hand cool as it stroked her thigh, the promise of more. Lexie turned into his arms, seeking his mouth, sighing as he came to meet her and her world dissolved into the kiss. Geth was a good lover, inventive, gentle, sometimes not so gentle, but always considerate and plain damn great at it, but this slow, tender loving was on a whole different level. Touching, tasting, kissing, all of those elements were familiar, but there was none of that frenetic building of need, none of that desperate search for fulfillment. This was fulfillment, being together, not only making love, but giving love, knowing that together they would arrive at heaven.

  She slept in his arms and just as sleep claimed him too Geth realised just how weak his plan was.

  The drive to the farm had been uneventful, if you could call rattling along for nearly a hundred miles in Belinda uneventful. By the time Lexie pulled her little green rattletrap to a halt beside the cottage Geth was in actual pain. His long legs cramped as he stretched them out, and he felt ever so slightly disorientated from the strange swaying movement of the car in motion. Lexie had insisted on driving to Cardigan.

  ‘Belinda hates being left standing, she may not even start for me now after being here for days. I need to give her a good run to charge everything up and so I might as well drive to your farm. You give me instructions and I’ll find it ok.’

  ‘Look it’s too far, we’ll take my car and I’ll get that thing sorted out for you when we get back.’

  ‘No, I’m taking Belinda, I might need a car while were there anyway.’

  ‘If you do there are plenty you can borrow, there’s no need to take that thing.’

  Geth had tried but there was not changing her mind, and rather than let her drive all that way alone, he’d left the Porsche in Cardiff and endured the journey at her side. She drove well, not fast obviously, but with care and just a touch of panache. It wasn’t the driver, it was the damn car. It swayed around corners, seemed to leap over bumps and made enough noise to give him a headache. Add to that a complete lack of any comfort, heavens there was even a draught from the windows, and it added up to the worst nightmare of a car. Lexie however seemed to love it. He’d never understand women.

  ‘Well at least we made it in one piece.’ It was said with little grace and Lexie smiled, it made a change for her to be able to rattle him.

  ‘Oh stop moaning, it makes a change for you to step out of your gilded luxury once in a while and remember how ordinary people live.’

  ‘Huh, take my word for it, ordinary people don’t drive 2CVs!’

  ‘OMG, you live in a castle? It’s, it’s...’

  ‘It’s a monstrosity, that’s what it is, in every way, it’s too big, too difficult to heat and the upkeep bills are a nightmare, but Caer-hafod is home and we all love it, heavens knows why. I prefer to stay in the cottage though, it’s more compact and I’m used to my own space now.’

  ‘What does it mean, Caer-hafod?’

  ‘Fortified summer farmstead, it’s one of the old native Welsh refuges, harking back to when farming was not the static thing it is today, families lived where they needed to be, lush lowland pastures in the summer, but moving to a more sheltered winter location. And of course you had to protect what was yours against a whole gamut of would-be raiders, hence the strange dwelling you see here.’

  ‘So do you have a winter house too?’

  ‘No, not any more, it does exist though, it’s about ten miles away, Caer-hendre is a residential home now I believe.’

  Lexie stared open mouthed at the farm, it was something between a large farmhouse and a small castle. An odd mixture of the two. The central house was a solid stone farmhouse, big, but still a house. The east end however rose into a tower, topped by a parapet. The whole was surrounded by a solid wall of outbuildings and high defensive structures. It looked as if once the house was built, its inhabitants had periodically responded to some threat or danger by collecting more and more of the local stone to fortify their home. A tower here, a stretch of wall or a barn there, always with one eye on farming practicalities.

  Geth had not directed her to the farm however, but to a cottage that stood a little way from the main farmhouse, in its own, well tended garden. It was made of the same light grey limestone as the bigger house and topped with smooth slate tiles. Geth had lifted their bags from the car and was making his way up the cottage path as he spoke, so she followed looking around as she did so. Lexie loved it, everything about this neat little house appealed to her. She loved the sleepy little windows, and the bright painted front door, green not red like the many front doors they driven past. She loved the clean lined simple pine kitchen, and the cozy living room where soft sofa’s sat invitingly in front of a log burning stove. She explored the narrow wooden staircase, a deep red runner painted down the centre of it led her to one well lit bedroom, which had obviously been made from two smaller ones, and a good sized modern bathroom. Geth had dumped their bags on the king sized bed and was unpacking his, dropping his stuff into the deep drawers of a pine captain’s chest with confident familiarity.

  ‘There’s plenty of room, just put your stuff where you like. then we’ll freshen up and head over to the farm. You can meet everyone and then I’ll show you around.’

  As she showered and changed Lexie felt the tension build. This was it, crunch time. She needed to act the loving fiancée, but how was it possible to fool his family? Surely they’d know, pick up on the signs of the fraud. Her sisters would, she was sure of it, knowing her as they did. Geth’s family sounded a close knit one, they’d suss her out for sure.

  ‘Hey, don’t look so worried, they’ll love you, I promise.’

  ‘How do you know? They might not, you said your Mum wants you to marry her friend’s daughter. Why would she like me? They’ll know we’re pretending, I just know they will. How can I even pretend to look like a fiancée?’

  Geth laughed and before she could utter another word, pulled he into his arms and kissed her. Kissed her so thoroughly she was rocked to her core. Then he stepped back and smiled.

  ‘There, now you look like a fiancée, a well kissed, loved up fiancée, so stop worrying.’

  They left the cottage arm in arm leaving the cottage unlocked, that simple act of not locking the door brought home to Lexie the differences in them. He’d been surrounded, cocooned in safety his whole life. First here, growing up surrounded by family, where the idea of locking of doors did not even register, and as he’d moved on, his wealth, power and position continued to guarantee freedom and security. He had known nothing else, how could he even begin to understand her, they were so different. Her life had been fraught with uncertainty, her parents had been what might be termed ‘new age travelers’, committed to enjoying what they saw as freedom, but sadly oblivious to their children’s need for at least a modicum of stability. Not that it had been a bad life most of the time. They enjoyed a freedom she now knew most children did not. They were always on the move so schooling was sporadic and in-between they played around whatever camp, or commune they’d stopped at. her happy memories were of long lazy summer days, and of evenings spent listening to the music that always accompanied the shared meals, often as not around a smoking camp fire. It was not even as if she really had ‘bad memories’, it was more a constant sense of uncertainty. They never knew how long they would be staying, or where they would go next. The nature of the ‘moving on’ was another unknown, sometimes their parents just decided to take off, following some nameless wanderlust, but other times they would be driven off, usually by an irate landowner, and while it was accepted, at least by the adults as part and parcel of the lifestyle, for Lexie and her sisters it made for a life that seemed to be forever shifting, changing. Little wonder that the three had settled down together at the earliest opportunity, leaving their parents to continue the wandering life they loved. Lexie had been just sixteen, when her sisters, faced with yet another family move announced the intention of staying put
, getting a job and renting a roof to live under.

  ‘Hey, smile, it’ll be fine.’

  Geth draped an arm over her shoulder and the warmth of it seemed to permeate down her spine, bolstering her confidence as it went.

  Mared met them at the door, and with her characteristic enthusiasm threw her arms around Lexie laughing.

  ‘Oh do come in, it’s been so long, Geth did Montreal have to last nearly a week, I’ve just been dying to see Lexie again and Mam and Dad are so looking forward to meeting her. I’ve told them all about you, and they love you already.’

  Kissing Lexie enthusiastically she fairly dragged her down the wide carpeted hallway, through an open doorway into a large airy room.

  ‘Mam, here they are, look, didn’t I tell you she was lovely? So much nicer than his usual girlfriends.’

  ‘Mared, slow down give us a chance to get through the door.’

  Geth moved forward kissed his mother and turned to retrieve a bemused Lexie from his overenthusiastic sister.

  ‘Mam, Dad, I’d like you to meet Lexie, Lexie, this is my Mam and Dad.’

  Geth’s mother smiled and moved forward to envelop Lexie in a Chanel scented hug.

  ‘It’s so nice to meet you at last my dear, Mared has been on pins all day singing your praises, I almost feel I know you already. You must call me Betty, all my friends do and I just know we are going to be great friends. Now come and meet the rest of the family. Robert, do come and meet our prospective daughter in law.’

  Robert Mathias got to his feet and Lexie could see where Geth got his height from. His father was at least six four, and broad with it, his silver hair still streaked with gold and eyes as blue as his son’s but brighter somehow, a twinkling wicked blue. He moved forward and bent over to kiss the cheek Lexie offered.

  ‘Welcome to Caer-hafod Lexie, now come and sit by me and tell me all about how such a little thing as you got our Geth to pop the question. Believe me his mother and I were getting sick of waiting for him to find a nice girl and settle down.’

  ‘Now Dad, behave, if you think I’m letting you hog my girl, you are wrong, Lexie come meet Rhys and Becca, they’re at least half civilized, not like this old man.’

  ‘Hey enough of the old, just because you’ve made it in the big city, don’t think I can’t still keep a pup like you in line.’

  Father and son, joke wrestled with real affection as they quipped, before Geth, still laughing, led Lexie over to where his brother and sister in law waited to be introduced. The similarity between the brothers was striking, though Rhys was a little shorter and stockier than Geth, they both had the trademark Mathias, blonde good looks and fatal charm. More kisses and bear hugs, before Becca, a diminutive curvy blonde, led her to a small drinks table.

  ‘Wine of juice?’ ‘I’ll stick to juice if that’s ok.’

  Mared poured Lexie a white grape juice from the open bottle in a silver chiller. Then after topping up her own glass, she proposed a toast.

  ‘To Geth and Lexie, health and happiness, and if I might say so, it’s about time.’ Laughing the family repeated the toast amidst clinking glasses, Lexie felt Mared wrap her arms around her.’

  See, we all love you already and we are going to be the best of sisters, I’ve always wanted a sister.’

  Lunch was a noisy, boisterous affair, that took place at an enormous trestle table on the patio which led directly off the kitchen at the back of the house. Lexie helped load the table with dish after dish of mouthwatering food. Sliced meats, salads, bowls of steaming floury potatoes, heaped platters of crusty rolls, all washed down with a crisp Italian white, or the delicious white grape juice which Lexie preferred. Swept along on the tide of affection, she forgot all her earlier misgivings and enjoyed the meal more than she’d ever expected to. It seemed so right, so natural, to have Geth sat to her left, one arm loosely draped over the back of her chair as he and Rhys argued the merits and de-merits of a new four by four Rhys was considering. Mared on her right, excited about the evening to come.

  ‘Will you wear the beaded dress to the party tonight Lexie? I loved that on you, we must get dressed together, that way you can help me with my hair and I’ll do your makeup.’

  ‘Oh no you don’t sis, if you think you’re stealing Lexie for a girlie pre-party party, you can think again. I’ve shared her all afternoon and will have to share her all evening, so I’ll have her to myself for a while in between.’ Lexie rose to her feet in mock indignation, ‘well I like that, talking abut me as if I was a bag of sweets, I’ll make my own mind up where I dress if you don’t mind.’

  ‘Ok, ok, you choose, a girlie dressing up session complete with pink marshmallows and fizzy wine, or a guided tour of the farm, complete with all things fluffy and cute and accompanied by my charming self. We can shower and change at the cottage and still be back here in time for you to help with the finishing touches Mared will need before she’s fit be see in public.’

  Mared feigned indignation, thumping her brother playfully.

  ‘Beast, I’m always impeccable.’

  ‘Well as pink is not my style, and I’m not that keen on marshmallows, sorry Mared,

  I’ll go for the cute fluffy tour and see you later.’

  ‘Oh and I was going to scrounge some of that perfume you wear, it’s just divine.’ ‘Oh it’s just something I make for myself, I like to have something unique, so I

  suppose you could say it was a secret recipe. I tell you what though, when you get a chance pop into my shop and I’ll mix something for you. Then you’ll have your very own secret scent.’

  ‘What a great idea, a scent that’s unique to the lady who wears it. It might be worth us having a think about starting up a business, really exclusive bespoke perfumes. With your flair and my contacts it would be a sure fire winner.’

  ‘Well the only thing that’s sure right now is that we are off, come on cariad, you and sis here can plot world domination in perfumery another time.’

  They were accompanied on their tour of the farm by a trio of muscovy ducks. They followed without a sound, keeping almost exactly three meters behind at all times. It was a bit disconcerting, and Lexie found herself wondering if they were a Welsh equivalent of guard geese. She’d heard of people who kept the large, aggressive white birds in lieu of a dog.

  ‘Are they any use as guards? They seem too quiet, not aggressive enough, or do they go into attack mode at a secret signal from you?’

  Geth laughed, ‘no not from me and they’d not make much of an attack, even if there were a flock of them. No it’s Mam’s fault, she got them as an embryonic flock for the table. The idea was to get a drake, breed and produce a nice line in fresh duckling. She wanted something a bit different and so went for Muscovies. The only thing was she didn't reckon on them being such little characters. Before long she was not the only one they’d charmed and it suddenly became impossible to imagine the place without them. They’re waiting now to see if we stop, then they’ll crowd round for petting and treats. I’ve even seen Rhys feeding them cake crumbs for goodness sake.’

  Laughing they finished the tour, having admired the herd of pedigree Welsh Black cattle, gazed in awe at the three Tamworth sows and been head-butted by over friendly milking goats Lexie felt more relaxed than she’d done all day. Visiting the animals seemed to put the finishing touches to the portrait she was painting in her head about his family. Their strength as a unit seemed to be embodied in this farm. There was more there than value in money. Like the family, the stock was of course intrinsically linked to wealth, but both family and farm were so much more. Complete units, made of individuals with a role to play. Breadwinners, nurturers, beauties and even comics, all worked together to a common end. Lexie envied them that, because it represented that security that was missing from her own life, had always been missing. No matter where Geth went, he would always have roots here, a family that cared, home. She had her sisters, of course she did, but they were more a defensive little trio than a balanced famil
y like this one. They looked after one another not because they were ‘family’, but more because they knew how vulnerable they were, just the three of them. For goodness sake they had no idea where their parents were, depend on them, the idea was preposterous. This glimpse into the life of a real family brought her own lack of stability flooding back, and it made her just a little edgy. She liked them, and the more she liked them the worse she felt about the deception.

  ‘Hey, smile, I don’t like to see you frown, not good for my image to have the girl on my arm looking in any way discontented.’

  When she didn’t answer, he stopped and turned her to face him, concern darkening his eyes as he took in her worried expression.

  ‘It’s just that now I’ve met your family I’m even more unhappy with deceiving them, it feels so wrong, mean, they’ve been so nice to me, and they’re all so happy for us. This is wrong Geth, it’s just mean to cause such upset to nice people who just want the best for you, for us.’

  Geth couldn’t answer for a moment, her words, so heartfelt had him at a disadvantage. For the first time he found himself questioning his own behaviour. Mean, was that what this was? It had started out as a simple plan to ease the visit, to allow him to do his filial duty while avoiding Mam’s matchmaking. True the prospect of keeping Lexie with him had figured, as had protecting her from the worst of the fallout from the press, but mean?

  ‘Come on now, that’s a bit strong. Ok they’re glad to see me settling down, and I’m glad they like you, though I knew they would, they like most people, as you say they’re nice, it comes with the territory. But they won’t think any less of you when we end this. They’re used to my fickle ways, it will be a disappointment, certainly to Mam, but it won’t cause any permanent damage, I promise.’