“I’m not quite sure I’d lead with that,” he said. “How about you start with, ‘Remember me, Elliot’s sister? I just wanted to let you know I’m the mystery lady from the masquerade and I’d like to go on that date I paid ten grand for.’”
Pip stood very still. So still in fact, Bertram walked over to her and blew in her face to make sure she hadn’t stroked out. Pip batted at the wind in her hair and asked, “Bertram, in your great wisdom as an almost dead person, what do you think would happen if I did that? Call in my chit, as it were?”
Bertram replied, “I’m just guessing here, but if you hurry up and do it before Richard has too many more dates with the woman he’s seeing, I think he’ll come.”
Pip had to think. Strangely enough, this wasn’t the worst idea Bertram ever had. Even though part of her wanted to give up men and join the nearest convent, she couldn’t do that to Periwinkle. She wouldn’t mind doing it to Bertram, though. But, she mused, his little girl deserved better.
Richard
Chapter 41
Richard kept getting visits from his dad. Together they relived some of the most painful memories from his childhood. During their travels, Richard’s father realized how much he’d missed of his son’s life and how very much he’d hurt him. So side-by-side they rewrote history. Every time they traveled, his dad told him again and again how much he loved him and how proud he was of him.
One night, Richard asked, “Dad, did your parents do this for you when they died?”
His father looked sad and answered, “No, son, they didn’t. But things were different for me. I didn’t really think of my parents too much after they were gone. I’d already fallen into the work trap and I no longer wanted anything from them.” He sighed, “I’m sure they would have come had I asked, though.”
Richard replied, “I don’t think most people know they can ask for something like this.” Then he added, “I didn’t ask you. You just came.”
“I didn’t just come. It wasn’t that simple. First I sent you a message, which you ignored, and then I asked a friend to show up in your dreams. When that didn’t work, I finally had to try to reach you this way.”
“What message did you send?” his son demanded.
“I sent you a message at your friend Mimi’s wedding. Don’t you remember? It made you pretty darn angry, from what I recall.”
Richard said, “You mean the message at the reception from Elliot’s sister?”
His father nodded his head in reply. “I know how much you want to get married and have children of your own to nurture. I thought maybe if I found you the perfect woman, it would start us on the road to healing.”
“Why do you think Philippa Fielding would be the perfect woman for me?”
“Why wouldn’t she be?” his father asked. “She’s smart and beautiful, but more than that, she has the most loving and caring nature. She’s spent her life in service to others. Most people receive her messages with anger and disbelief, just like you did, yet she keeps relaying them.”
Richard remembered how he’d treated Philippa and he felt awful. “Can we revisit that memory together, right now?”
His father shook his head. “We can only travel to times where I hurt you. Unfortunately, we aren’t allowed to use this little power to go anywhere we want.”
Richard replied, “Pip is very lovely and I know I was drawn to her the night of the wedding. I was just so angry because I thought she’d used you to force her intentions onto me. I thought she’d read the article about me and decided I’d make the perfect husband, so she invented the story about you.”
His father nodded his head, “I know you did. But now I’m telling you differently. She’s someone who’s just as eager to find love as you are, and because of her selflessness in passing on messages from the afterlife, she’s found it very difficult to do so.” His father added, “She’s worth getting to know, Richard. I promise I wouldn’t steer you wrong.”
When Richard woke up, he didn’t quite know what to make of everything that had been said the night before. Part of him really did believe his father was reaching out to him from the next world and part of him thought it was his subconscious at work trying to heal his heart. It didn’t matter which it was until his father had brought up Philippa. Why would he reach out to Pip now when he’d finally met a person who encompassed everything he was looking for? Why mess things up with Chantal by introducing someone else into the equation? He didn’t even know if Pip was still single, and if she was, he had no idea how she’d receive his interest after he’d treated her so poorly.
Richard met Eliza for lunch on Tuesday afternoon. They were both eager to get together as they’d missed their brunch during Thanksgiving week.
They arrived at the restaurant at the same time and greeted one another with a warm embrace. “I can’t believe I haven’t seen you since before Thanksgiving!” Eliza exclaimed. “You look wonderful.”
He returned, “You look pretty darn terrific yourself. How did it go meeting Spencer’s parents?”
She groaned, “It was excruciating. I’m sure you can imagine. They no longer have any confidence in their son’s ability to choose a good woman and they treated me accordingly.”
Richard nodded his head in sympathy, so she continued, “They acted like I was a cross between a Vegas showgirl and a hooker, like something that had just crawled out of the gutter and dared to join them for dinner.”
“Oh, boy,” Richard replied. “What did Spencer do?”
“Not much, I’m afraid. He’s so used to this reaction when he brings a woman home; he found the whole thing pretty normal.”
Richard asked, “Did it get any better?”
Eliza shrugged her shoulders, “Yes, no, kind of. I don’t know.” She explained, “I cornered Spence’s mom and asked for a private moment of her time, which she very reluctantly gave to me. When we were alone, I explained that I knew of Spencer’s sordid past and I was aware he’d previously made some interesting choices in his wives, but assured her I was different.”
Richard laughed, “How did she take that?”
“She told me that she could see I was different, but wondered what was wrong with me that someone so seemingly intelligent and put together could possibly want anything to do with her son.”
Richard teased, “She has a point.”
“Richard Bingham, you know better than most people what a great guy Spencer is! I know you like to give him a hard time about having been married so many times, but you’re the one who told me how much you admire his ability to live in the moment and enjoy whatever life throws at him. And you said it as though you really meant it.”
Her friend replied, “I really do mean it. For all of the questionable decisions Spence has made in the past, he’s made an excellent choice in you. He’s smart and easy going and he’s a fantastic businessman.” He advised, “As far as his parents are concerned, I think the only way to proceed is to just be yourself for as long as it takes them to believe you’re here to stay.”
“I just wish there was something more I could do. Something I could say to make them see what a gem their son is.”
Richard replied, “Show them. Every time you’re together, show them who Spence really is by letting them see who the two of you are as a couple.”
Eliza laughed, “Ah, grasshopper, you are wise beyond your years.” She said, “Now that I’ve dumped on you, I want to know everything going on in your love life. Spill it.”
So Richard told her all about Chantal and how they had their fourth date coming up that night. He explained he hadn’t heard from the woman from the auction, and shared how he and Pip had buried the hatchet over Thanksgiving.
“Any chance you’re going to give Elliot’s sister a chance now that you’ve seen her in action? I mean, if she really does talk to the dead, maybe her message from your dad was real.”
At the mention of his father, Richard got sidetracked and exclaimed, “I’ve been having the most extraord
inary dreams lately.” He said, “My father keeps coming to me and we go back to my childhood together and rewrite history. He shows up for all the events he missed and he makes sure to tell me how much he loves me and how proud he is of me.”
“Wow, Richard, that’s huge! What an amazing thing to have happen.”
“But do you think it’s real or do you think I’m making it up?” he asked.
“Who cares?” Eliza replied. “If it’s working, why does it matter if it’s really your dad or your subconscious? Working is working, right?”
“Maybe. But, in my dreams, my dad is telling me Philippa really is the perfect woman for me. If it’s not him, then how can I trust taking a chance on her?”
Eliza answered, “Because if it’s not him, then it’s you who’s thinking it. There’s no one who wants you to find your perfect woman more than you do!”
“What if I’m just running scared because Chantal and I are starting to get close?”
“Have you ever done that before?” his friend asked.
“No,” he replied, “I haven’t.”
“So why would you start now?
Richard realized he had a lot to think about. He truly did want to find the right woman. As such, he knew he owed it to himself to spend more time with Pip. He just didn’t know how he was going to go about doing it.
Pip
Chapter 42
Pip called Honey and asked her to meet for lunch. The duchess said tea would suit her better and suggested they meet at the Claridge at five.
Pip was very happy to see her friend and laughed out loud when she saw she’d changed her hair color to green. It wasn’t dark green or grass green, rather a shockingly lovely shade of chartreuse. Pip hugged her friend and greeted, “You look fabulous, Honey! I love the new color.”
The old lady replied, “I must say, Cressida and I are having a lot of fun together. Now, what about you, Miss Muffet? What’s going on in your life?”
So Pip told her everything. She told her about Declan and how he was in no position to fall for another woman after only recently being separated from his fiancée. She complained about Bertram and his persistent nagging, and then she shared that she was thinking about calling in her date with Richard.
“Really?” Honey exclaimed. “That’s wonderful! Should I contact him for you or are you going to do the honors yourself?”
Pip smiled, “I think I’d rather you call.” She added, “But there’s no point in having him come all the way to London. I’m going to America to spend time with Mimi and Elliot after New Year; maybe we can set something up and meet in Chicago.”
Her friend asked, “Are you going to tell him who you are before your date?”
“I don’t know. Part of me thinks he won’t show if he knows it’s me ahead of time.”
Honey smiled fondly, “Dear, I think you’re overthinking this. Richard has been drawn to you as two different women. I think he’ll show no matter what.”
Pip replied, “He hated me as Philippa, though. If you’ll remember, he screamed at me and called me horrible names.”
The duchess answered, “Yes, but then he kissed you so passionately he almost steamed your knickers right off.” She added, “And then there was Thanksgiving where I believe you got along quite famously and even agreed to host one another should you find yourselves in each other’s city.”
Pip agreed, “Yes. It’s just that I’ve had such crap luck when it comes to men and now with the whole Declan fiasco . . . well, you can see I want to make sure the next one is perfect.”
“Balderdash!” the duchess exclaimed. “You can never make sure everything will be perfect in matters of the heart. Love is as powerful and predictable as a hurricane. The best thing you can do is to make sure you’re dressed properly and hunker down when it hits. It might pick you up and fly you effortlessly through the air or it might drag you roughshod across the pavers. Either way, you can bet it will be an experience to remember.”
“Dress properly?” Pip asked. “How does one dress for love?”
Her friend laughed, “Very sparingly.”
Bertram joined them half-way through their tea, looking very gentlemanly in his suit and tie. He sat down and offered, “I hope you don’t mind if I join you.”
Both women nodded their heads in agreement. Honey signaled the waiter and asked for a plate for her friend, Bertram. It was a testament to how well-trained the staff at the Claridge was that no one asked what friend the old lady was referring to.
The waiter brought a third plate and even poured a third glass of champagne. Then he offered, “Would your friend like me to serve a selection or would he prefer to do the honors himself?”
Honey had the waiter serve according to Bertram’s instructions. When he left, Pip laughed, “How do you do that, Honey?”
“Do what, dear?” she replied.
“How do you just pretend there’s nothing odd going on when you have a waiter serve a person, who by all accounts, isn’t even present?”
Honey answered, “But Bertram is here and just because other people don’t have the ability to see him, doesn’t render him nonexistent.” Then she instructed, “Philippa, dear, you have to live your life according to how you see it. You can’t pretend your reality is different just because others don’t perceive it the same way.”
“Hear, hear!” Bertram added. “Here’s to living your life not caring what others think of you.” Smiling fondly at Honey he added, “You should teach a course, Duchess.”
With a twinkle in her eyes, his older friend replied, “I might just do that.”
The threesome continued to enjoy small talk over their meal. They chatted about everything from Parliament to the horrors of the recent terror attack in the Middle East. The women were so engaged in an animated discussion, they didn’t realize Bertram had gone dead silent. His eyes were trained on the door and he appeared to turn an even more translucent hue than he already was.
Finally, Pip noticed and demanded, “Bertram, what’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I rather think I have.” He replied, “That woman over there, the one in the beige slacks and red jumper?”
Honey demanded, “Yes, we see her. Who is she?”
He replied, “That’s my wife, Clementine.”
Both Pip and Honey stared at the lovely blonde. She was probably no older than forty, and had thick blonde hair that she wore in loose curls. She wasn’t tall, but she had presence. She was also very beautiful when she smiled, which she was currently doing in response to something the attentive gentleman next to her was saying.
“Bloody hell!” Bertram exclaimed. “That’s him. That’s the bloke who’s taking my place.”
Honey replied, “Let’s have ourselves a wee bit of fun, Bertram. What do you say?”
“Sorry to disappoint, Honey. But I’m not in the mood.”
The duchess looked at Pip and winked, “Follow my lead, pet.”
So when she stood up and walked over to the table where Bertram’s wife and her friend had been seated, Pip followed. When they arrived, Clementine looked up and asked, “Can we help you?”
Honey exclaimed, “Clementine, you look as gorgeous as ever! I can’t believe it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, dear.” At Clementine’s shocked expression, she asked, “How is our dear Bertram doing these days?”
Philippa almost swallowed her tongue as merriment bubbled up inside of her. Never in a million years would she have thought to instigate such a scene, but now that it was started, she definitely wanted a piece of it. So she added, “You know how much we adore Bertram! We’d love if the two of you would join us for supper some time. You know, just like old times.”
Clementine looked panicked as she had no idea who the women were and how she knew them. She had to assume it was through Bertram as they clearly seemed to be very fond of her husband. She answered, “I’m sorry to say that Bertram was in a bit of a row last year. He was beaten so
severely he’s been on life support ever since.”
Bertram, who had since decided to follow his friends over to his wife’s table, listened to the conversation intently.
Honey gasped in response, “Not our dear Bertram!” Then she signaled a waiter and said, “Would you mind moving our things over here? We’ve decided to join our friends.”
Bertram nearly bust a gut laughing at the looks on Clementine’s and her companion’s faces. Clearly, they were planning a romantic tryst for two, and thanks to his lovely friends, that wasn’t going to happen.
Honey immediately sat down on one of the chairs brought over for them and exclaimed, “Tell us everything, dear.”
Clementine explained as much as she could, but she still had no idea who the women were and why they were carrying on like they were her long lost friends. She finally couldn’t take it any longer and asked, “I’m sorry, but where exactly did we meet?”
The duchess replied, “Don’t be a goose, dear. You know very well where we met.” Then she turned to Clementine’s friend, who had yet to say a word, and announced, “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?”
Clementine’s mouth hung open in complete and utter confusion. Bertram could barely sit up as he convulsed in laughter. Pip finally offered her hand to the gentleman, “I’m Philippa Fielding and this,” she said, indicating Honey, “is Honoria Radcliff, Dowager Duchess of Hartfordshire.”
The man cleared his throat and uncomfortably mumbled, “Anthony Frip, nice to meet you.”
Honey took over and suggested, “Anthony, you must be a dear friend of Bertram’s as well. Where did the two of you meet?”
Anthony very uneasily replied, “Erm, no. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting him.”
“No?” Honey exclaimed. “Then how ever do you know our Clementine?”
He answered, “We actually met at her solicitor’s office.”
Honey turned to Clementine, “And how is sweet Periwinkle? She must be just devastated by her father’s condition.”
“Yes, well,” Clementine replied. “I’m sure you can understand what a trial it’s been for all of us. In fact,” she added, “we’re thinking about removing life support, so we can move on.”
Kindred Spirits: A Romantic Comedy About Love, Life, and the Afterlife . . . Page 20