The Scent of His Woman

by Maggie Pritchard

  ‘That’s not what I mean and you know it, and anyway I think you’re wrong, they’ll be more hurt than you think. If they ever found out it was only ever a plan to get you out of a sticky situation, they’d be more than upset, they’d be hurt, confused and disgusted. I don’t want them to feel like that about me. I can’t do this, I really can’t...’

  He pulled her into his arms as she faltered. An overwhelming need to soothe her anxiety flooding through him.

  ‘Hey, where did all that come from? They won’t find out, how can they? All we’re going to do is have a nice evening, then go back to our normal lives. When I prove to be a less than perfect fiancé and you dump me, all their sympathy will be with you. I’ll be in the bad books for a few days until I convince them that you’re better off without me. Simple. You worry too much.’

  Less than convinced, Lexie tensed as he kissed her, just for a moment, then his mouth pushed the anxiety away, obliterating it, at least for now.

  Chapter 9

  The summer evening was at its most beguiling as they made their way back to the farmhouse later that evening. The air was balmy, scented by a combination of the cottage garden roses and the banks of wild honeysuckle that rambled over the ancient stonework. Lexie leant into Geth, letting his arm around her waist support her, naturally falling into step with him. They’d both showered and changed, he into a grey silk shirt and dark slacks, that enhanced his blonde, blue eyed good looks, while Lexie had taken Mared’s advice and wore the beaded vintage dress. It swished as she moved, under the weight of both fabric and beading, as she looked down the tiny glass beads caught the fading light and the dress seemed to shimmer. For once she’d opted for heels, black of course, an imitation of the thirties flapper Mary-Jane style shoe. Rich brocade, with straps fastened by tiny silver buckles, they set the dress off perfectly. Geth kept the pace slow, not hurrying, enjoying the evening and having her on his arm. Her perfume, that simple, elegant scent she made herself drifted, heady as it mixed with the already scented air. He’d never appreciated perfume before. It was something he spent money on when the girl of the moment indicated she wanted some. Seldom did he enjoy the fragrance himself, much preferring the unadorned scent of a woman, but Lexie’s perfume was a part of her. He found he missed it if she was not with him. He noticed that it lingered where she’d been, on the air as she passed, on towels, on pillows. It assailed his nostrils now, gently wafting up from her cloud of russet curls. It felt good, all of this, her scent, her warmth, the way her body moved in time to his.

  ‘The guests will begin to arrive soon, so don’t let Mared keep you too long. I’ll have one drink with Dad and then come to get you, and whatever state she’s in I’ll be reclaiming you. I want you on my arm, so I can show you off.’

  ‘What, like a talisman to ward off evil spirits and young ladies in search of a husband?’

  ‘No, that’s not what I meant, and you know it. You will be the best looking woman there, and that means you belong with me, my fiancée remember.’

  ‘Even in black? I expected you to complain about that.’

  ‘Even in black, and don’t tease, I might have another overwhelming urge for a black silk handkerchief.’

  As he spoke he ran one hand up the back of her leg, pushing up the heavy beaded fabric and causing her to squeak as she pulled out of reach and headed for the open doorway of the farmhouse.

  ‘Keep your hands off my panties, you perve.’ She quipped as she headed upstairs to find Mared, leaving him with just a tantalizing glimpse of bare leg.

  He went in search of his father, knowing there would be a good single malt there as well. There it was again, that sense of loss, as if it was not just her perfume that faded as she ran upstairs, the room seemed less bright too.

  ‘Oh thank goodness, there you are, I’m in such a muddle, I’d decided to wear the red dress, but now I’m not sure, the blue Versace might be better, but then again are they both too dressy, you know I wouldn’t want anyone to think I was over dressed.’

  Mared had not even looked up properly, and when she did she let out a squawk. ‘Oh my now you look so fabulous, none of these will do, oh do help me look through all my dresses again.’

  ‘Calm down, for goodness sake, here have a drink and then try on the dress you like best. All that matters is that you wear the dress that makes you feel good.’

  Pouring two flutes of golden champagne, Lexie smiled at Mared and felt again how quickly she’d come to like the younger woman. For all her surface gloss Mared needed to feel reassured and like women the world over felt safest when she looked her best. She seemed genuinely unaware of how lovely she was and took great pains with every facet of her look.

  ‘Then when you’ve dressed, we’ll finish your hair and be at the party before the guests all arrive.’

  Half an hour later, Mared was satisfied that the red dress, her first choice, was indeed the right choice, teamed with matching red pumps, black clutch and chunky black glass and silver jewellery, she declared it ‘funky enough but not so short that Mam will fit’.

  ‘Right then, squirt of Shalimar and I’m ready to go for it. Now you lead the way as you’re the face everyone wants to see, the femme fatale who’s snared the elusive Gethyn. I swear you're the reason most of the great and good of the county are here.’

  The innocent remark made Lexie cringe inwardly and as they descended she offered a short prayer that neither guests or family would ever know the truth of why she was here. Geth met her as they reached the hallway, his eyes holding hers, so that for a second the party around them was forgotten. Then he was taking her hand and “curtain up” she thought.

  ‘Come on cariad, let me get you a drink before we start introductions, everyone wants to meet you.’

  As they made their way across the now crowded room Geth stopped in response to friendly greetings, introducing Lexie, accepting good wishes then moving on. Despite his practiced technique it took what seemed to Lexie like an eternity to navigate the throng and reach the kitchen where a comprehensive bar had been set up. Geth filled a tulip glass with golden grape juice for Lexie, but opted for a second whiskey himself, then they were back in circulation. Slower this time, taking time to chat, to accept congratulations, answering gently probing questions. Where, how, had they met? Were they planning a long engagement? What were the wedding plans? Lexie, smiling, could only marvel at the practiced way Geth answered each with charm, but giving nothing away. This was the professional at work, he was utilizing all those skills that had made him an international businessman with a reputation for setting up multi-million pound deals, and it came easily to him. Maybe a little too easily she thought with some discomfort.

  ‘Ah here you are, Gethyn, I’m going to steal Lexie for a while, I want to show off my prospective daughter in-law.

  ‘Ok Mam, but I want her back for the dancing.’

  Laughing Betty Mathias, linked her arm through Lexie’s and drew her over to where her husband was in deep conversation with a tall distinguished looking man, while two women stood beside them sipping champagne.

  ‘Cynthia, Sally, I’d like you to meet Lexie, Gethyn’s fiancée. Lexie Cynthia is one of my dearest friends, and this is her daughter Sally.’

  ‘Hello my dear, so pleased to meet you, we were delighted to hear Gethyn had finally found the right girl to settle down with. Maybe now we’ll see a bit more of him. There was a time he spent as much time over at our farm as here at home. My boys and he were inseparable growing up. I miss those days, don’t you Bet?’

  Lexie was enveloped in a cloud of perfume as Cynthia hugged her. The woman’s affection seemed genuine and her daughter Sally smiled prettily. For a fleeting moment Lexie had thought this must be the matchmaking mum and daughter, but the thought was dismissed by their welcome and the easy conversation that followed. By the time Geth made his way over to join them she felt at ease for the first time all evening and as they went in to sample the buffet laid out in the conservatory she realised she wa
s actually enjoying the evening and looking forward to the dancing. The food was, as it had been at lunch, plentiful and delicious. This time though a catering firm had been used and while some guests helped themselves, others were served by the attendant staff hired in for the night. Lexie found she was ready to eat, and helped herself to one of the vegetarian options, a savoury lentil loaf, added a generous dollop of Waldorf salad and a crusty roll. By the time she’d made her choices, Geth had heaped his own plate, signaled to the waiter for two glasses of champagne and they made their way through the open doors of the conservatory to where the wooden tables had been covered with snowy white linen so supper could be enjoyed under the stars. Apart from two or three people who stood just around the corner smoking, they were alone.

  ‘It’s a lovely party.’

  ‘Yes, it is, Mam is having the time of her life, she thrives on company, Dad’s happier with a smaller group of friends, but he knows how she loves this type of evening, so he’s happy too.’

  ‘You are so lucky having such a lovely family, a lovely home.’

  ‘Yes I know, but you sound wistful, as if it’s something you would envy. Believe me it’s not all like this, it comes with its own set of drawbacks, everything does.’

  “I do envy you, having roots, a place, people to come back to, to turn to if the need arises.’

  ‘But you have that too, your sisters are important to you, there for you.’

  ‘Oh yes, but that’s just it, we’re there for each other because there is no-one else. We’ve had to look out for each other all our lives.’

  ‘What about your parents, are they...?’

  ‘Dead, no, Nepal, last I heard, a commune in Cornwall before that, and for their next adventure just stick a pin on the map of the world. They’re wanderers, New Age Travelers, call them what you will. Just don’t call them ‘homemakers’.’

  ‘You sound almost bitter.’

  ‘Do I? I don’t mean to. I, we love them, and we know they love us. They just never realised we needed something more than forever moving. Not even uprooting, we never stayed long enough anywhere to put down roots. Oh we had a lovely childhood in many ways, seldom in school, seeing the world, no rules, music, parties. It was only as we grew older and began to appreciate just how transient, unstable that existence was that we began to want more, something different.’

  ‘What do you mean different, what exactly.’

  ‘Well take Netia, for example, she’s the oldest of us. She always soaked up the hippie environmental concerns. Protested every chance she got, spent hours counting butterflies. It was her dream, to make a difference, save the planet, but she never got the chance to really follow that dream.’

  She stopped to sip her drink, gather her thoughts, find a way of explaining to him without making it seem bitter.

  ‘To do that you need an education, school, university. You need to understand how it all works, how to distinguish fact from emotion, how to research, and find the right answers. We were never in school, moving constantly, she didn’t have a hope. Then when we rebelled, refused to move on, she was the one old enough to work, so she did and supported us, Florence and me.’

  ‘The three of you stayed put, set up home together, that must have taken some guts.’

  ‘It did and then in way it didn’t. Oh we had to manage money, keep a roof over our heads, all that was new and scary, but for the first time we had a place to call home. Somewhere we could feel safe, and we had each other.’

  ‘How old were you?’

  ‘I was just thirteen, Florence was fifteen and Netia was nineteen, so you see she had to work. We did too, as soon as we were old enough, but without Netia we wouldn’t have been able to do it. So you see she never fulfilled her dreams. Oh she has got her qualification now, a degree and a masters in environmental policy or something, but only because her husband doesn't like her to work so she went back to college.’

  ‘So she married?’

  ‘Yes she went for a solid dependable bloke, at least so he seemed, until after twenty something years of marriage he cheated on her, but that’s a long story and the dancing is starting, so it will keep.’

  ‘Ok, but what about the other sister, the one I met, is she married too.’

  ‘Yes as a matter of fact, happily, now enough about my sisters, it’s time for more champagne and dancing please.’

  ‘Well, Miss Owen, I do believe you are enjoying this party after all, might even be a bit tipsy?’

  ‘I am, enjoying myself that is, not tipsy, I’ve only had two glasses of champagne, I prefer this juice.’

  ‘Well I’d better do something about that then, if you're not tipsy how can I take advantage of you later on?’

  ‘Oh I’m sure you’ll find a way, you seem to have managed it quite well up till now.’

  Laughing they made their way to the big barn where the music had started and couples were lining up for the first dance. Others helped themselves to drinks or watched from the vantage points on the bales of hay stacked around the perimeter in lieu of seating and Geth settled Lexie in a good spot before going to get drinks.

  ‘Let’s watch the first one, then we’ll give the second dance a go, they get more complicated as the evening goes on, so we need to start early.’

  Lexie watched the dancers line up for the first dance in response to instructions from the caller, a stout old gent in a tweed suit, the microphone in one hand and a pint in the other. The dance was called Jack-y-Do, jackdaw she assumed. The boys lined up on one side and the girls on the other, partners facing and the lines abut two meters apart. The musicians began a lively tune and the caller began to issue instruction, his singsong lilt keeping time with the music. Lexie realised he was calling in Welsh, and she began to watch carefully, trying to match the dance to the words.

  ‘Ymlaen dau tri pedwar, nol dau tri pedwar. Ymlaen dau tri pedwar, a newid.’ She watched the dancers move forward and back 4 steps. Then forward four steps to their partners and change places. They did this twice, until they were back where they’d started. Then the couple at the end of the row clasped both hands and slip stepped down the centre of the set to the bottom and back, before casting out followed by the other dancers. At the bottom of the set they joined hands to form a bridge and everyone else in turn met their partner at the bottom of the set, joined hands, and lead up under the bridge to re-form the set with a new couple in top position. By the time Geth rejoined her, Lexie had lost all track of the caller, but understood the dance, it would be repeated now she knew the with a new top couple each time, until all were back in their original places.

  ‘Well what do you think, simple enough, and all you need to do is follow me. Shall we try the next?’

  Lexie managed the next two dances , Cylch Cymreig and Lucky Seven,with help from Geth, so by the next, Dawns Harlech she was thoroughly enjoying herself. It was fast enough to bring a flush to her cheeks, but not so furious as to rob her of breath. As the evening progressed the dancing would probably become more demanding both of energy and skill, but for now she was enjoying herself immensely.

  Geth swung her around, her copper curls flying fee, her slender body almost taking flight. She was lost in the dance, in the experience and he loved to watch her like this. Loved the way she smiled at him when the steps brought them back together as a couple. She was the loveliest girl at the party and she was his. He missed a step, as the sheer rightness of that thought hit him. His plan was rubbish, deserved to be. How could he have been so stupid as not to see it. Let her go, later maybe, when they’d both had enough, but that time was not now. She knew it too, that was why she was uneasy about the deception, she was not ready for this to end. Tonight they’d talk, he’d tell her, keep her. At least for now, at least until he fell out of love with her and her with him.

  The dance ended and they left the floor and returned to the main house, it was time for present giving, the family had joined together to commission a painting of the farm as their anniversary gift and i
t was to be unveiled in the drawing room. They and closest friends were already gathering, more champagne was being poured for the toast and the painting had been hung in place with a silk cloth draped over it. Rhys, who having been given the task of keeping his parents out of the way had contrived to get them to pose for photographs down by the river and was expected to lead them back within the next few minutes. As they waited Becca stood watching the path, ready warn of their arrival.

  ‘Ok, here they come, out of sight everyone.’

  Geth drew Lexie behind a curtain, smiling, the others similarly ducked behind furniture and drapes or hid behind the doors to the hallway. As the voices of the approaching group became louder, she had an impulse to giggle and buried her face in Geth’s shirt to stifle the moment. He felt her shoulders shake, her breath warming his skin and without thinking buried his hands in the silk of her curls and lifted her face to his. They were still kissing when Rhys gave the signal and all those hidden burst out laughing and shouting greetings. They were last to join the fun, Lexie blushing at the nudges and winks. Then the cloth was removed, glasses clinked a toast, hugs, tears, laughter, all of these combined into a magical moment and all the while cameras flashed recording it all for the future. The crowd began to move out into the garden to leave the family to admire the painting and take private photos, and Lexie drifted with them. Geth tried to stop her, tried to pull her into their circle, but she was determined and slipped out knowing he could not make a scene not at this special moment.

  She wandered back towards the barn, the lively music drawing her. Others were heading that way too, and there was a sense of party in the air. The barn was full now, and the dance floor fairly bounced with the beat. Without Geth, she decided to find a seat where she had a good view of the dancing, so she climbed up onto the bales, finding a seat about two thirds of the way up near the open doorway. The scented summer breeze was refreshing, she was glad of it. A new dance was just getting started and for a while she lost herself following the intricate steps. She was hardly aware of the voices until the second girl spoke. Sally’s words however, sliced through like a knife, pushing the dance and the music aside with its venom.