His Wife

by Ashley Hastings

  Twenty-Five

  When I woke from my nap, Nathan was gone. I felt so much better after what had happened with Lawson, and I just wanted to forget about it. Now I needed a distraction to help me forget, and I knew the perfect one.

  I went downstairs to find Mother to talk about the party. We needed to start planning the Halloween masquerade ball as soon as possible. I found her in the sitting room that I had come to think of as her personal space.

  “Can we start the party planning? I want this ball to be the best party Peacock Alley has ever seen.” I sat down in an overstuffed chair, and poised my pen over the legal pad I had swiped from Nathan’s office earlier in anticipation of this discussion.

  "Darby, any party thrown at Peacock Alley is a lavish, sophisticated affair. I have already called the party planner, and we will meet with him later today to work out the details. There will be a lot of details, and I'm looking forward to having your help."

  Shocked that she had actually used my first name, I tried not to show my surprise. I bit my lip to keep my reaction secret.

  Mother was not finished. She sat down on the sofa across from me before continuing her thought. "Everything we choose will be high end, and you need to give some thought to your personal costume, of course. It should be well made and classy. I can give you the name of a costume designer in Memphis to hand make it for you. Nothing about your costume should be straight off of a rack."

  I was surprised that she imparted this information with no condescension in her tone at all. She seemed friendly enough, although not warm. Maybe the idea of the party was helping her relax towards me. It would certainly be a relief if it were true. I had an opportunity here to build some type of relationship with Mother, and I wanted to do that for Nathan's sake.

  "That would be great.” I smiled, trying to be genuine. I still wasn’t sure about her. “I guess the first thing I need to do is decide on my costume. We don't have a lot of time before the party to have something made."

  I was pretty sure dressing as a slutty superhero, my costume of choice last year, wouldn't make the grade here on the estate. I kept those thoughts to myself because Mother never seemed to appreciate my sense of humor, and she wouldn't want to hear about how I looked as Wonder Woman.

  "I think some sort of historical costume would be a nice touch. Peacock Alley is drenched in history, and for you the hostess of the party to wear something that gives a nod to the past, that would be the ultimate classy touch." She smiled encouragingly at me.

  My heart dropped. I was picturing myself wearing a heavy hoop skirt in wool and too many frilly petticoats. Maybe I would have a giant, powdered wig on my head, making me itch all night. That didn't sound fun to me at all.

  “Mm, right. Something historical.” I tried not to let my true thoughts show.

  Mother continued, thinking aloud. "Maybe you should be a flapper. You could have something really flashy made, which would be appropriate for your age. Maybe in silver? It will be important for you to stand out. We could even make silver one of the accent colors for the party."

  There was still a notable absence of snark in her tone, surprising because she loved to harp on my youth.

  "Flappers wore short skirts and lots of fringe. That would be fun, and you could order a wig or just go with your own lovely hair. Nathan would be thrilled, I think."

  "I love that idea. I think it's perfect!" My voice sounded much happier now, and my smile was completely genuine. I leaned forward in the chair as I took notes.

  The flapper idea sounded like a costume I could really get excited about wearing. Maybe this party would be a lot of fun for my husband and me.

  "Just don't overdo it. No cleavage because you will have a short skirt. Keep it balanced." Still, her voice didn't sound judgmental. "And I think you should keep your costume a secret from everyone, including Nathan. Make it a big surprise! We can arrange a grand entrance for you down the front staircase because that would be the most appropriate way for the hostess to enter. Together, we will make Nathan proud."

  “Thank you for including me in the planning. I’m even more excited now that we’ve decided on my costume.” I clapped my hands, imagining what I was going to look like. I was also pleased with how well we were working together.

  Mother immediately placed a call to the costume designer she recommended and put her on speakerphone. We discussed the details of what I was looking for, and Mother took all of my measurements on the spot, relaying them as she worked. The woman said she would begin her sewing right away and would send me my gown in about two weeks.

  Thrilled at our progress, I left Mother discussing her own costume with the seamstress, and I went back to my room and my laptop to start brainstorming ideas to talk about with the party planner. I wanted to be prepared for that discussion, and maybe impress Mother with my preparations. I wanted to continue the détente that was beginning between us.

  Twenty-Six

  The party planner was a delightfully gay man named Tanner. We met with him in Mother’s sitting room, and his enthusiasm about the party was infectious. He gushed over my wedding rings and my dark red hair in such an over the top way that I was oddly at ease with him from the beginning. I had my list of ideas for the party, and Mother had suggestions about what had worked well in the past. Tanner hadn't been in charge of last year's party, which was a relief to me. At least I didn't have to hear his thoughts on the perfect Savannah, and the choices she had made in previous years.

  The three of us put our heads together and came up with a great plan. My legal pad was almost full of my messy notes about what we decided.

  Tanner leaned back in his chair, and clapped his hands together once, loudly.

  "So, we agree we want lots of flameless candles in the maze, and some twinkle lights as well. Hanging life-size skeletons and pumpkins lit with real candles to line the driveway. We can string up a lot of overhead lighting to make everything bright and easy to see. Maybe even bring in some small spotlights."

  I was so excited to be a part of this planning. Working on the creative details was fun!

  "Maybe we should mix up the skeletons with another feature. Or, I know. Let's create little scenes with the skeletons so that each setting will give our guests something new to view.” I bounced in my seat a little, as excited as a child. “Like, at one point in the drive, we could have a skeleton wearing a top hat, and walking a skeleton dog. We could put a "Beware of Dog" sign nearby, with a bite taken out of the sign."

  "That's a great idea, Darby." Tanner shared my enthusiasm. "We could put a skeleton in a cap and gown as a subtle nod to your recent college graduation. And we could have a skeleton in a clown outfit, complete with wig. That would be scary."

  "Maybe a couple of skeletons in tattered fancy clothing could be waltzing together." Mother jumped in on the planning. "How about a skeleton bride and groom? The guests will like a reference to your wedding since you are newlyweds."

  I turned to Mother. “I’m impressed with your imagination, and I’m kind of surprised that we have such similar tastes and ideas.”

  Mother nodded. “We have to be aware of the concept of a formal ball and all that entails. We have to keep everything in line with the history of the estate, but I encourage you to contribute your ideas, too. We need to make this ball fresh and new.” She smiled at me. “I certainly don’t want this ball to feel stuffy.”

  Maybe we could learn to be friends one day, after all.

  "What about a skeleton gardener, raking leaves in a pile?" I threw out this idea to the group, and tapped my pen against my chin, still thinking.

  Tanner wrote these ideas down, his pen flying across the paper as we all called them out.

  "How about a skeleton in a raincoat and boots, carrying an umbrella? That would make people laugh since we've had no rain in forever." Mother contributed this one.

  We continued to bounce ideas off each other for over three hours. By the time the meeting was over, I was tired, but feeling ve
ry proud of our accomplishments. We had agreed to use a rich purple as our primary color scheme. We had come up with creative decorations for every part of the house that would be open to guests, with the focus being the ballroom, of course.

  Tanner made lists of items we had on hand already, and what he needed to order.

  "What about tables and chairs? Do we need to order those?" I addressed my question to Mother.

  "No. The estate already has numerous extra tables and chairs in storage to accommodate our guests, but we do need purple tablecloths with silver draping for each setting. I suggest we add the silver to match your costume. Having a secondary color will keep the purple from being overbearing."

  I was learning a lot from Mother.

  "Ooh, what is your costume?" Tanner leaned forward eager to hear my response.

  Mother spoke before I could reply. "Darby's costume is a secret, Tanner. You will get to see it the night of the ball."

  She winked at me, and I felt like her partner in crime. It was a good feeling.

  I would have been happy to tell Tanner all about my flapper costume. He seemed like a safe person to confide in since he was the primary party organizer, but I would follow Mother's lead.

  Tanner was also going to coordinate with the caterer to finalize the menu, but we came up with clever, Halloween-themed selections for drinks, appetizers, the main course, and dessert. For example, we all agreed deviled eggs would be an excellent choice for one of the appetizers, and we wanted a blood-red sangria as the featured beverage.

  "How about little ghosts to hold names for the seating arrangements at each table, ladies?"

  "That sounds perfect. And while we are on the subject of our guests and their names, I've already compiled an invitation list for you." Mother was all business. She even had a flash drive that she handed to Tanner, along with a printed list.

  Tanner took the list and drive. He agreed to hand address and mail the invitations that same week, and use the names for the seating arrangements.

  That led to a lively discussion about the design of the invitations. We selected a matte purple card with silver script as the perfect touch. Mother said to keep it understated, with no overt connections to Halloween, and I agreed.

  Finally, we had most of the details decided, down to the orchestra that would play classical arrangements, as well as popular Halloween tunes.

  Nathan chose that moment to enter the room with Maxwell. He smiled at my flushed cheeks and giddy excitement, and walked straight to my side.

  "I was worried, Darby, that you might be too shy to enjoy this party." He leaned down and kissed me, just a soft touch of his lips to mine. "I'm delighted to see that you are already enjoying yourself, and getting into the spirit of the occasion."

  "It's going to be great. I cannot wait for you to see! That reminds me, what kind of costume do you want to wear? We need to get working on it right away."

  He laughed. "Oh, no. The greatest part of being the host of the event is that I don't have to wear a costume. I'll leave that to you. I'll just wear a nice suit, and let all the eyes be on my knockout wife. What are you going to wear, baby?"

  Mother looked up at once, and stared right at me.

  "It's a surprise. You will have to wait and see the night of the party." I was very smug, hardly able to keep my secret because of my excitement. I tapped my toes against the hardwood floor about to burst with my suppressed joy.

  "All right. Keep your secrets, if you must." He smiled down at me as he moved to another chair.

  He sat down and Maxwell joined him.

  "Now Max and I need to talk to Tanner about security at the party. We want to make sure we don't have any uninvited guests showing up unexpectedly and ruining all your fun."

  Mother frowned. My face echoed hers. I had started all of this party talk today to forget about Lawson Jackson, and now he was on my mind once again.

  Twenty-Seven

  When I sat down for dinner that night, Nathan was talking on his phone in the corner, and Mother was in the kitchen inspecting our meal. For the moment, it was just Maxwell and me at the formal table together.

  "Are you enjoying planning the Halloween party, Darby?"

  I loved Maxwell's gentle, unassuming manners towards me. However, at the same time, I had come to realize that Nathan employed him for a variety of tasks, and paid him a handsome salary as a result. Maxwell had skills, including the ability to run security.

  "I'm loving it all. I really hope the party goes well. I have never planned anything on such a grand scale before this.” I leaned in and dropped my voice to a whisper. “Oh, well. I guess Mother will be double checking everything I do to make sure it stands up to Savannah's standards."

  I tried to pass my comments off as some form of humor, but Maxwell saw right through my façade. His kind eyes said he knew I was still feeling insecure about Nathan's first wife.

  “I'm sure it will be the most fantastic party Peacock Alley has ever seen. Your enthusiasm and heart will shine through all the details. The guests will love everything you chose."

  Touched, I looked at him across the walnut table. He returned my gaze steadily.

  He went on in that solemn way he had, dropping his voice to match my whispers. "Savannah didn't have high standards. She liked expensive things because they were expensive, not because she had discerning tastes. Savannah was selfish in all ways. She liked attention to a fault, and she didn't care how she got that attention. Savannah liked to hurt people. Those qualities don't add up to having high standards, in my humble opinion."

  He calmly took a sip of his wine as if he hadn't just shocked me to my core.

  Surprised by Maxwell's impromptu speech, I was without words. At that moment, Mother swept back in the room, and Nathan hung up his call in time to help her take her seat. I had suspected before that Maxwell didn't like Savannah, but he had just made it very clear.

  Throughout dinner, I was distracted, thinking over Maxwell's comments. Everyone I had met up to this point seemed to adore Savannah. It had seemed she could do no wrong. She was the impossible standard I had been trying to live up to since Nathan and I married. Now I was rethinking my view of Savannah.

  Nathan noticed my distraction. “Still thinking about the party?”

  I decided to let him think that was the case. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about Savannah.

  “Yes, there is so much to get done.”

  “Just keep it fun. Leave the tedious parts to the party planner. That’s what we pay him for, after all.” He took a drink of his wine and then reached for my hand. “Would you like to go on a picnic with me tomorrow?"

  "Really, Nate?"

  I had long ago learned anything my husband wanted to do was okay with me.

  "Yes, really. I will take a long lunch break, and have the cook prepare a picnic basket for us. We can ride the horses out to the bluffs, and enjoy a little alone time, just eat and relax together. The weather seems to be mellowing out a little, so hopefully, we won't be too hot."

  “Of course I want to go with you. This sounds like fun.” I smiled at him.

  Excited, I was already thinking about what I should wear.

  "I might even bring my pistol with me. I'll teach you to shoot a little. I haven't had any target practice for many months." For some reason, this statement caused him to frown, and he glanced over at Maxwell. Maxwell looked at the ceiling, and I thought he seemed to be avoiding eye contact with Nathan.

  Something in my husband’s eyes made me shiver.

  Twenty-Eight

  The next morning I was so pumped for my picnic with Nathan that I decided to prepare the basket of food myself. I was a decent enough cook, and I thought I could make something special for our lunch. I think he was going to appreciate the personal touch. I just wanted to do something loving and romantic for my husband.

  I perused the contents of the cabinets of our kitchen. Really, the kitchen at Peacock Alley was amazing. It was the newest room at the esta
te, having been added in the 1920s, and had been renovated and modernized just in the last year.

  It was a large, commercial-quality space, with gleaming restaurant-ready stainless steel appliances and beautiful custom cabinets. It was entirely capable of handling the numerous special occasions for which Peacock Alley had become famous.

  I had finally learned from Cook that Savannah's beloved garden house was once the original kitchen. It was built at a time when due to fire hazards and cooling concerns, Southern kitchens needed to be separate from the main house.

  I decided not to get too ambitious with my picnic lunch. I made a simple chicken salad for sandwiches served on fresh croissants, baked right there in our kitchen the day before by our fantastic cook. I washed some grapes and strawberries to eat on the side and made chocolate chip cookies from scratch for dessert. I thought that would be enough. Cook provided me with a large picnic basket and lined it for me with freezer packs to keep the food fresh.

  I walked down a dark, spooky staircase to find the cavernous, well-stocked wine cellar. Looking at the huge selection of wine was overwhelming. I knew I could just ask Cook, but I really wanted to figure this out myself. I pulled out my phone and Googled “best wine for chicken salad sandwiches.”

  A sommelier I found online recommended pairing chicken salad with a nice red Beaujolais that we had on hand, and I added it to the menu. An oversized tablecloth, napkins, wine opener, and wine glasses rounded out my basket to perfection.

  Nathan and I met in the Clock Courtyard.

  “Ready to go, baby?” He greeted me with a kiss, and I melted.

  “I’ve been looking forward to this all morning.” I smiled as he took the heavy picnic basket from me.

  “I think this basket weighs as much as you do.” He was in a playful mood. I loved it when he was like this.