His American Fling

by Brogan, Kim

  I was still standing with my hand on his shoulder. He grabbed my hand and kissed my palm, sending goose bumps all over my body. It was a quick move, a gentle move, one that ended with me sitting in his lap and his mouth over mine. His soft, moist lips and tongue that tasted of whiskey were familiar and exciting. My heart beat soared as I reached around his neck and kissed him hard.

  “Maggie, is it really too late for us?” He asked.

  It was like cold water on my face, “Campbell, of course it is. I know you and Gemma aren’t spending much time together, but you still need her. Besides, I have Tom now and you have your own commitments. Besides, I’m going to be an American lawyer, practicing in America. We’d end up on the opposite sides of the pond.”

  He collapsed back in defeat, “You’re right. I do need Gemma, but only until I can get the estates settled. Once I—”

  I put a hand up to his lips to stop him. I knew he was going to suggest that he divorce her after he used her to straighten out the estate affairs. And I just couldn’t be the cause of their divorce. I refused to take on that responsibility. “Campbell, I can’t. I have Tom to think of. I’m sorry.” I stood up, stroked the side of his face and left.

  My heart was shattered. It killed me to know that he still loved me, wanted me. I should never have gone into that room. Fiona had been right.

  I didn’t sleep well that night, knowing he was only two doors down. I wanted so much to cross the rooms, climb in bed with him, and never leave his arms again.

  *********************

  The morning broke and Fiona couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was a beautiful spring day, a little chilly, but I figured by 4 pm, it would warm up. I could hear a lot of movement downstairs so I looked out the window. There were a dozen different vans and trucks outside with at least a hundred persons rushing around with food, flowers, equipment, tents, chairs, and a dance floor. It was like a hive of bees as everything swung into motion.

  The clock struck nine. I doubted that anyone else would be up. Grabbing my books, I went into the sitting room and studied for an hour and half before getting dressed in jeans and a plain sweater. I went downstairs and wandered into the dining room. It was a large room with a fireplace, massive windows with long, bronze colored curtains against the deep navy wallpaper. The table was about a quarter of the length of the room, shorter than the massive table they had set the night before. Campbell put the paper down when I walked into the room and stared at my figure. I felt very self-conscious about the added pounds. I immediately wrapped my arms around my waist to hide the extra inches.

  “Oh, for God’s sake, don’t. You look just fine.”

  I shrugged at him and dropped my arms.

  He continued, “Well, Cook has put out a nice breakfast, make yourself at home.”

  I smiled and did as I was told, grabbing fruit and cereal. I ordered a vegetable omelet from the kitchen and sat down to eat, staring out the window as Campbell went back to reading his paper. By the time my omelet arrived, we had been joined by Fiona’s cousins, both moaning over their hangovers and finally the remainder of the wedding party drifted into the room.

  As we sat talking, Fiona finally announced that the men would assist with the setting up while the women had their facials, hair and final fittings done. Campbell nodded his acceptance of her orders and Henry just grinned.

  “Henry, you look punch drunk.” I said.

  He snickered. “I just don’t think I could be happier.”

  I had to grin. Henry was the happiest groom I’d ever seen.

  The doorbell rang and I could hear Walker’s voice answer it. There was an exchange of words and then Walker came into the dining room. “Lady Raleigh? The hairdresser, masseur and dressmaker are here.”

  “Fine, show them into the guest quarters and have them set up. Put the masseur in the Morning suite sitting room. ”She turned to me, “I hope you don’t mind, Mags?”

  I shook my head. Walker went away and there were sounds of people going up the stairs. Within a few minutes, the women joined them. Each of us tried on our dresses so the dressmaker could make any necessary alterations. Mine had been made in California a month ago.

  The dressmaker was very displeased with me. Turning to Fiona she snipped, “She looks like she swallowed a football.”

  Fiona said, somewhat angrily, “She put on a few pounds. Get over it.”

  I felt like the whale in the middle of the room. “I’m sorry. I can sit it out, claim I’m too tired. That way your photos won’t be ruined.”

  Fiona chuckled. “Nonsense, I have to have a photo of you, if just to torment you when we’re both old and weighing two tons. You’ll look back and wonder what all the fuss was about.” She turned to the dressmaker, “Well, can you alter it?”

  “Yes, the dress needs to be let out, so I better get to it.”

  “Mags, let her have the dress and then go get a massage, you look like you need it.”

  I took the dress off as Fiona finished putting her dress on. “Oh my God! Fiona, you’re absolutely beautiful. It was a strapless satin mermaid gown with a pleated empire bust and gently gathered skirt. There was silver beading adorning the empire and trumpet seams Kenneth Poole had designed the gown and it had to be worth at least ten thousand pounds.

  She bowed slightly and then turned to the dressmaker for her to continue with the fitting.

  I went down the hall, across the staircase and into the east wing. The masseuse was sitting down waiting for someone to show up. I smiled at her.

  “I’m Maggie.”

  “I’m Amy, glad to meet you. Have a lie down and get comfortable, I’ll just step outside while you undress.”

  The massage was wonderful and after I was done, Fiona was ready for hers. I went in and took my shower and then back to the guest suite to have my hair and makeup done. I had cut my hair short, so I doubted there was much that they could do with it, but he fluffed and trimmed and made it look feminine. When I was done, I went to my room and found my dress, altered, ready to put on.

  There was a knock at the door. “Mags? It’s Henry, may I speak to you?”

  I opened the door and stepped aside so that Henry could come inside, “Henry?”

  He looked agitated, worried, “It’s Campbell. He’s been drinking all day. I suggested to him that he stop drinking and take a nap, but he refused, continuing to drink. I was wondering if you would keep an eye on him.”

  “Me? Why me? Why not get Gemma to do it?”

  “Because, she’s not here yet and he’s been telling me all day long that he managed to escape a fate worse than death. That losing you was the best thing that ever happened to him which of course means just the opposite. I suspect the drinking is because of you. Maybe you could talk to him.”

  “Really?”

  “Mags, please?”

  I took a deep breath and frowned, “Where is he?”

  “He’s in the library.”

  “Okay, I need to get dressed…” Then it hit me, “Is he dressed?”

  Henry shook his head. “That’s why I need your help.”

  “Oh my God. Okay, I’ll go down and get him up here and dress him.”

  Henry leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Thanks Mags.” He started to leave then turned back to me. “I owe you a lot. One day you’ll have to tell me how you managed to convince Fiona to give me a chance. Thank you, thank you so much.”

  “No problem amigo!”

  I put on my dress and started down the steps for the library. Opening the door, I didn’t see him at first. A walk around the sofa revealed him lying down, a drink on the coffee table. His eyes were closed and he was snoring.

  Crap! He’s passed out and two hours to the wedding. I shook him, hard. “Campbell, wake up. Wake up, wake up!”

  He groaned and rolled his head, but didn’t open his eyes.

  I leaned down and continued to shake him. “Cam, you need to wake up and get dressed. Your best friends are getting married and
you’re the best man. Get your ass up.”

  An eye opened and he lifted his lip in a sneer, “Fuck off.”

  My head jolted back. “What? Hey!” I socked him in the arm as hard as I could. It hurt my fist, but it got his attention.

  His eyes opened and he grabbed my fist as it came in for the next strike. “Stop it!”

  “You stop cussing at me when all I’m trying to do is get you to your friends’ wedding.”

  “Maggie, I love you. Why are you hurting me?”

  “I told you that I’m just trying to get you upstairs to get dressed for the wedding.”

  He weaved as he sat up and shook his head. “No, why are you marrying someone else?”

  I pulled on his arm as hard as I could to get him to move, but he wouldn’t budge. “Campbell, you need to get upstairs and get dressed. Henry is getting married in two hours and you need to be in shape to stand up at the altar with him.”

  He tried to focus, but his eyes were twirling. “I’ll go up if you give me an answer to one question.”

  I started laughing. “God, what could you possibly want to know?”

  He grew somber and looked me in the eyes. “Do you still love me?”

  My breath caught and I dropped his arm. My hands went swiftly up to my chest. “Campbell, don’t ask me that.”

  He rolled over and closed his eyes.

  I frowned. “Okay, fine. I love you, I will always love you. Now, will you go upstairs with me?”

  He rolled back over and stared at me, trying to figure out what I had just told him and what it meant to him. He snorted and shook his head. “You don’t love me; you never did. If you did, you would have stayed.”

  Anger, I could feel anger welling up. “Fine, you figured it out. I never loved you. I was just using you to get a warm place to sleep. You mean nothing to me. Now, can you get your butt upstairs?”

  He sat up and tried to stand, but couldn’t without my help. I put my shoulder under his arm and helped him steady himself enough to stand up. We took the elevator up to the second floor and I walked him to his room. I figured Campbell could sleep for an hour before I had to get him up to get ready, so I helped him over to the bed.

  “Now Campbell, get in bed and I’ll wake you when it’s time to get ready.”

  “Take a nap with me.”

  “No, what would Gemma say?”

  “Nothing, why should she? She has Peter.”

  “Peter? She’s seeing Peter?”

  He laughed, “Every day. They’re staying at my house in Cambridge. Come on, keep me company. Please?” I gave him a look and he patted the bed next to me and whined, “Please?”

  I felt like I had a toddler on my hands and so I decided to climb on top of the bed, wait until he went back to sleep and then get up again. I undid my dress and took it off, leaving me in my bra, panties, slips and nylons. I took the dress over to the chair and laid it out so that it wouldn’t get wrinkled and then crawled on top of the bed. His fingers went over my slip. Then he took that long, straight nose of his and nuzzled between my ear and shoulder, sniffing and smiling.

  “You smell like…you smell like…” he started to fade, “my Maggie.”

  “I’m not your—”

  He was snoring. I chortled and then closed my eyes for a moment, only to feel a hand shaking my shoulder. Opening my eyes I came face to face with Gemma.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” She said, both hands were on her hips.

  The adrenalin jolted through my body, “Gemma! I was just trying to get him sober. He wouldn’t sleep unless I lay down with him.” I jumped up and ran to the chair. “I had to take my dress off so it wouldn’t get wrinkled. I swear, nothing happened, absolutely nothing. We didn’t do anything.” I sounded like I was on crack, talking rapidly in a high pitched voice.

  She looked at me as if I had gone mad, “It’s 3:30 pm, Henry sent me up to make sure everything was going well. I see you let him down!”

  “Three thirty! Oh dear, I was tired. I get tired and…” I realized there wasn’t time for excuses, “Run the shower, I’ll get him up.”

  “No, you run the shower, I’ll get him up. If he sees me, it’s more likely to sober him.” She suggested.

  I didn’t argue, but ran in and managed to adjust the water so that it was tepid, not cold, and not hot. I wanted it to wake him up. Turning around, Campbell was standing in the doorway on his own, without aid. I didn’t know what Gemma did, but it worked.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Campbell, you better get cracking, the wedding is in twenty-five minutes. Get undressed and get in that shower.”

  He rubbed his face, yawned and started to undress until he was naked. I was going to leave, but Gemma didn’t seem to be fazed by the fact that he was naked and climbing into the shower in my presence.

  Gemma motioned to me. “You supervise the shower while I get the clothing laid out.”

  “Okay.” I didn’t know why I had gotten the naked chore. I watched Campbell, who seemed to be moving in slow motion. “Campbell, wash your hair, rinse and get out, now!”

  I must have startled him, because he began to clean his body in earnest. The shampoo lathered up on his head nicely. Rinsing, he then turned off the shower. I threw open the shower door and shoved a towel into his hands.

  “Now towel yourself while I get your underwear.” As I said it, Gemma threw a pair of boxers over my shoulders.

  He was so wobbly that when he tried to put on the shorts he almost went head first into the bathroom mirror.

  I exhaled heavily. “Hang onto the counter and lift one foot.” I put the boxers on one leg and then managed the other, pulling them up over his knees, I found myself staring at his package. I looked up and saw a grinning Campbell.

  “Mags, going down memory lane are we?” He asked.

  “Not funny. Are you sobering up?”

  “I better get some Paracetamol and water down me before the hang-over hits.”

  Gemma walked into the bathroom with both, handing them to him.

  “Thanks Gem.” he took the water and pills and chucked them back, “How’s Peter?”

  “Fine, he’s downstairs with the wedding party, which is where you should be. Now get your act together Campbell and get dressed. You need to get down there right away. Maggie, you should be with Fiona, I’ll finish up here.”

  I had to admit she was right and, since she was his wife, it was her responsibility, not mine. I nodded, slipped on my dress, ran through the sitting rooms into my bedroom, combed my hair, brushed my teeth and ran downstairs to find the wedding party. I saw Henry in the hall with Charles.

  “He’s coming!” I chirped.

  “Bril, I was beginning to wonder.” Henry smiled, “I believe the bridal party is in the library, preparing for their big entrance.”

  I joined the bridal party and was quickly chastised by Fiona for being absent. I gave her the Reader’s Digest version of what was going on and she seemed to forgive me.

  We waited another half hour, making the wedding ten minutes late and were then given the go ahead by the wedding planner. The weather was holding up and so the tent, which had been put up as both a contingency if it rained and for the evening dining, was not needed for the wedding itself which was being held outside under a gazebo that faced out onto the small lake in the back. The wedding path was through the flower garden and then across the lawn filled with chairs to the gazebo.

  I was the first to walk out in the procession. I put on the spring hat which went with my dress and which thankfully kept the sun out of my eyes. The wedding planner staged me at the back door and then gave me the okay to start walking. We had practiced the pace the night before, so I tried to count it out. As I turned and went down the stone stairs to the flower garden, I could see ahead and miraculously, Campbell was standing straight and looking almost sober. Everyone was turned around and watching me. I felt a little jealous of Fiona; marrying the man she loved surrounded by friends and family, not to mention the m
ost gorgeous site for a wedding. I didn’t dare look at Campbell or I knew I might start crying so I looked over the audience and saw Gemma hanging onto Peter’s upper arm and planting a kiss on his lips. My mouth dropped. I wondered if Campbell had seen the kiss so I glanced up at him. He was watching me as if I was a butterfly that had flown away. There was so much longing in his eyes that my heart cramped. I took my place and watched as Gemma continued to fawn all over Peter as they sat in front of Campbell on Henry’s side of the aisle. The procession continued, but I was so confused by what I was seeing that all I could do was watch Gemma. I finally stopped watching her and turned just as Fiona came into view. My breathing stopped and my mouth spread into a very un-British grin. She was glowing, like a beautiful white angel making her way up the aisle. She rolled her eyes when she saw that I looked gobsmacked. I tried to look more like the others, cool and contained.

  The wedding lasted half an hour and then the photos were taken. Fiona asked to have one taken just with me and I was rather pleased that I was the only one that she had segregated from the pack.

  At dinner, I saw Campbell watching me when one of the couples approached, requiring me to do my song and dance about my upcoming wedding. He said nothing, but eventually turned and walked away.

  I was in the restroom making one of my many potty runs after drinking too much champagne when I stepped out and right into Gemma’s glare. I glared back. I was offended by the way she had treated Campbell during the wedding and in front of everyone. I sauntered over about five feet from her. “Do you have something to say to me, Gemma?”

  “Yes, I’m rather put off by you.” Staring at my belly, she said, “It looks to me like you and Campbell were sleeping with each other back when we were supposed to be together a couple. I was just wondering how it feels to be a whore.”

  I snickered. “That’s kind of like pot calling kettle black, isn’t it?” I walked up to her, invading her personal space, giving her my best, “screw you” look.