‘Yes, yes of course, you are quite right,’ she agreed.
Penelope was afraid to open her mouth at this stage, in case her tongue ran away with itself. They had their escape route now, she didn’t want to mess it up.
The two of them thanked Richard’s mother for lunch and she extended an open invitation to Penelope for a weekend at the castle, which Penelope graciously accepted.
‘Absolutely charming Richard, absolutely charming,’ she hissed to Richard as she kissed him goodbye, and was sure that Penelope could not hear her.
Richard flounced off, brimming with pride. Penelope was quite taken aback by his change in mood all of a sudden.
‘Well, she was certainly very nice.’ Penelope forced a genuine seeming smile.
‘Oh, I am so glad that you got on, I think she really liked you Penelope.’ Richard gave Penelope’s arm a little squeeze.
‘Really! How could you tell?’ Penelope realised what she had just said and backtracked immediately… ‘Oh, erm, I mean… of course, I don’t know what she is normally like?’ Penelope searched for the right words without much success.
‘Oh, you know, I just know. I thought that you got on like a house on fire. It’s not like Mummy to drink that early in the afternoon, that was a real sign.’ Richard added.
‘Oh, I see, well, that is wonderful. She seems like a very strong lady.’ Penelope mustered more enthusiasm.
‘Oh, she is Penelope you are quite right, quite right.’ Richard was already planning the next week in his head.
‘Right, I am definitely going to have to head home, I actually do have some work to do this evening.’ Penelope lied. She had a slight headache coming on, and couldn’t wait to speak to George.
‘Yes, yes of course darling. I would say that you have had quite enough of the Lord-McFleuries for one day.’ Richard winked at her.
Penelope managed to stop herself before she agreed too strongly with him.
Penelope flounced into the kitchen half an hour later, only to find Zara engrossed in the latest edition of Heat magazine, dipping chocolate digestives into her tea.
‘Oh, hello there, gosh you’re dressed up, were you in work Pen?’ Zara sounded surprised to see “Work Penelope” on a Sunday afternoon.
‘Hmm, kind of, I was meeting Richard’s mother… it certainly felt like hard work.’ Penelope gave Zara a wide-eyed knowing stare.
‘Oh my goodness…’ Zara dropped a few biscuit crumbs onto the magazine as she mumbled this. She swallowed and then added… ‘What on earth was she like?’ Zara was completely on the edge of her seat. ‘Tea?’ she grabbed another mug from the cupboard and began pouring from the teapot.
‘Mmm, yes please…’ Penelope took a seat.
‘Biscuit?’ Zara offered the packet.
‘Of course!’ Penelope paused before the descriptive torrent began. Within minutes Zara was in the hysterics at Penelope’s descriptions of Lady L-McF. Half an hour later George arrived brandishing some wine, one red, one white and the girls had a great time dissecting the meeting. It was so much fun that it made Penelope forget her discomfort altogether… for now…
***
Autumn stretched into an interminable winter and Richard and Penelope began seeing each other quite regularly. As Richard’s presence grew in her life, the memory of Alyx slowly faded. Forgetting about him was getting easier with time. Due to the pace of life in London, the band she had met with him were getting less airplay lately… so thankfully the reminders were fading with them.
A few weeks later, Richard made his usual trip to the castle to catch up with the clan. Sunday lunch was quite an affair in the Lord-McFleurie household. Richard’s mother would make such a fuss and they would use the master dining room. After lunch they would retire to the drawing room for coffee and cognac and the conversation would turn to the status quo and plans for the future…
‘Richard, how are you getting on down there in London, how are things progressing with Pen-ay-lope?’ The matriarch enquired, she was wearing the family tartan and had her grey blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun. She was a stocky woman and she did not look out of place among the portraits of the ancestors that decked the halls.
‘Oh good Mummy, actually I am glad that you brought that up, well you see… the thing is, I was wondering if I could borrow granny’s ring? To get it cleaned? We are off to Paris next weekend and I have a feeling that I might need to bring it with me.’ Richard winked at his mother, everyone in the room could understand the double entendre. There was only one reason that he would be getting granny’s ring cleaned, and that was that he was planning to propose.
‘Oh Richard that is wonderful news, I’m so delighted for you both!’ his mother exclaimed, showing more emotion in this moment, than she had in years.
The whole family got up and started shaking Richard’s hand, and clapping him on the back. Richard was thrilled to be the centre of attention.
‘I will fetch it for you this evening before you leave for London,’ his mother smirked.
At 5 pm the search for the family heirloom began and ended abruptly. The ring was usually locked into the safe behind the painting of the castle, but the box was empty. They all gathered around, peering into the empty box. Pandemonium erupted. This was a calamity, granny’s ring had been in the family for generations, and Richard, as the first born, was entitled to use it.
Richard made the journey back to London less than satisfied. Things were not going to plan. He needed that ring for next weekend, he would now have to buy another one. He couldn’t propose without a ring. That was out of the question, the ring was half the experience, she would definitely say yes if he produced a ring…
Richard arrived back in London late that evening and made his way to Chelsea. He booked the Eurostar first class for Friday night. He booked the Ritz hotel for the weekend, he knew that Penelope would simply love that. The atmosphere would be ideal for a proposal.
On Monday morning, Richard slept in ever so slightly in order to drop in to Tiffany’s on Sloane Square. He knew exactly what he wanted. He marched into the diamond section at the back and barked ‘An engagement ring for about ten grand,’ at the sales assistant. It was quiet in Tiffany’s first thing on Monday morning, and the mere mention of ten grand had two of the sales assistant rushing to grab their boards full of engagement rings. Richard filed through them… princess cut, no… pear… no.
Twenty seven minutes later, Richard sauntered out onto Sloane Square, his credit card eleven and a half grand lighter, and his jacket pocket eleven and half grand heavier, weighed down with a small turquoise box holding the promise of a lifetime.
At exactly the same time Penelope flounced back to her desk after two early meetings with her team. She could murder a tall skinny latte and a skinny blueberry muffin. She surveyed her inbox, nothing too juicy stared back at her. Just as she was staring into space deliberating which tall skinny latte emporium to spend her fiver in… her phone rang.
‘Good morning darling, I have a surprise for you…’ Richard smirked as he spoke.
‘Where are you? You sound like you are outside somewhere?’ Richard took Penelope by surprise.
‘Quite right, quite right… I am still in Chelsea, I’m going in a trifle late this morning,’ Richard replied.
‘Oh, well… what’s the surprise then?’ Penelope sounded light and cheerful.
‘Well… what are your plans this weekend?’ Richard asked conspiratorially.
‘Erm… well, hmm, I was going to go shopping with George, nothing major really…’ Penelope trailed off.
‘Well pack your bags Penelope, I’m whisking you off to Paris for the weekend,’ Richard replied gleefully.
‘Really?! Oh my god Richard that’s wonderful news, I’m so excited… when are we off?’ Penelope squealed.
‘Friday, after work of course…’ Richard smirked.
‘Thank you Richard, I’m so thrilled, what a lovely surprise,’ Penelope replied. She began mentally packing
her bag in anticipation of her trip.
‘I will forward you our details for the Eurostar when I get into the office, we will be going straight from work on Friday.’
‘Thanks Richard, I am so excited, that’s something great to look forward to this weekend. Let’s chat about it later this evening…’
‘Alright darling, have a lovely day,’ Richard replied.
‘Same to you.’ Penelope hung up and a frisson of excitement enveloped her.
‘Paris for the weekend, what a nice surprise. Richard isn’t normally spontaneous,’ she thought to herself as she turned to face the day.
Chapter 26
Proposal
On Thursday evening Penelope got ready for her trip to Paris, completely oblivious to the fact that her life was about to change forever. The best things always happen when we least expect it.
She packed lightly, she knew that the weekend would probably be predictable enough. Dinner on Saturday night, after taking in the sights during the day. Penelope packed one little black dress (nothing too short or slinky!) and elegant shoes and a matching handbag. She packed elegant, casual, daywear, nice jeans and a few tops. She knew exactly where Richard would be taking her, he had his favourites in Paris and he was a creature of habit. Unfortunately Buddha Bar was not on his list. Penelope sighed as this thought occurred to her. She removed her black, low-backed Gucci top from her case, she would not be needing it after all. Penelope placed it back in her wardrobe, hanging alongside her other clothes that had been underutilised in recent months. The snow leopard print silk top (Richard hated animal print), the extra high-heeled pointy toed shoes, (Richard hated pointed toes, he said they reminded him of Macbeth), the three-quarter length black capri pants, Richard hated anything too glamorous. Relationships are always a compromise and it was a small price to pay.
As soon as her luggage was ready Penelope phoned George.
‘George, I’m so excited, we are going to Paris for the weekend!’ Penelope squealed.
‘Really, since when?!’ George sounded astounded.
‘Richard surprised me. He called me on Monday morning to tell me that he was whisking me off to Paris, he is so sweet.’
‘He certainly is, well have a brilliant weekend and give me a ring the minute you get back, I’ll be expecting a full update!’ George was mildly miffed as she now had to find another shopping partner for the King’s Road, but she was happy for Penelope all the same.
The next morning Penelope battled her way into work on the Tube with her luggage. She had left especially early but it didn’t make much difference, the Tube was still absolutely packed! Eventually she made it in to work and the day dragged on as all she could think about was her trip to Paris. Eventually it was time to go. Richard collected her in a taxi.
‘Hello darling, all set?’ Richard gave her a kiss on the cheek.
‘Oh yes, yes of course, thank you for letting me know on Monday… it gave me time to prepare, and of course to look forward to it all week.’ Penelope smiled at him. He looked different this evening, more content, less talkative, more mellow somehow.
Richard put his arm around her in the back of the cab, this was very unlike him, he did not favour public displays of affection.
They travelled first class on the Eurostar, and the champagne was helping Penelope to unwind.
‘Where are we staying?’ Penelope had just realised that she had no idea where they would be staying.
‘Ah, that is the next surprise, I wasn’t going to tell you until we got there, but now that you have asked…’ Richard peered at her, pausing for effect… ‘We are staying at the Ritz,’ Richard smirked.
‘Oh wow, Richard, that is an amazing surprise, I’m thrilled, I have never stayed there before.’ Penelope had butterflies in her stomach, she was so excited about staying at the Ritz.
As soon as they arrived in their room, they changed and went down to make their dinner reservations. Richard had planned everything with such great precision. Penelope didn’t even have to think, she was just going along with his plans. As soon as they sat down to dinner a bottle of champagne appeared immediately. Penelope had already had quite a bit to drink on the two hour train journey, but it was Paris after all, so she delved right in. Richard sat back and watched her every move. As soon as she took the first sip the glass clinked! Penelope moved it away from her mouth, and held it up to the light, and she saw the diamond ring glinting at the bottom. Her mouth dropped open with shock and Richard caught her surprise by saying…
‘Penelope, will you marry me?’ In case she thought it had been a mistake.
‘Oh, well, erm.’ Penelope nearly fainted with fright. The waiter hovered next to her so that he could dispense the champagne into a tumbler and fish the ring out of the glass. The waiter performed this as if he had done it many times before, and barely blinked throughout the process. Tears welled up in Penelope’s eyes as she looked at her magnificent ring. It was mesmerizingly beautiful.
‘Yes Richard, yes, I will of course.’ Penelope started to cry as he placed the ring on her finger, and Richard ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate.
Penelope’s left hand felt so heavy under the weight of her new ring. She kept staring at it in disbelief. It was huge, and magnificent, and hers. Richard and Penelope spent the rest of the weekend bathed in the warm fuzzy glow of being a newly engaged couple, they were completely caught up in the moment.
***
As soon as the euphoria of the weekend had worn off and everyone had been informed, the dust began to settle and the reality that she had agreed to spend the rest of her life with Richard finally dawned on Penelope.
‘George I can’t quite believe… I’m… I’m… engaged…’ Penelope sighed incredulously.
‘I know, it’s so exciting! You don’t sound too thrilled… are you ok?’ George probed.
‘Yeah, yeah I’m fine… it’s just that I thought it would be different… like… I don’t know, I was expecting it to feel different… like…’ Penelope’s voice trailed off.
‘Like with…’ Crap! I nearly said Alyx there!’ George bit her tongue.
‘Like with what?’ Penelope shot back.
‘Like, you know, with fireworks and all that hearts and flowers stuff?’ George was more matter of fact. Penelope was searching for reassurance.
‘Kind of, like I thought I would be feeling like ‘This is it! This is the one!’, but instead I’m feeling like ‘Is this it?’… like it’s no big deal at all, but I thought it would feel like a big deal, but hey… maybe that’s just life for you, you never know what you are going to get,’ Penelope reassured herself.
‘You do love him though, don’t you?’ There was a slight note of concern in George’s voice.
‘Of course, of course I do… I don’t know George… maybe it’s the stress of it all. It’s such a big change and he wants to get married pretty soon. We have known each other for years, so it’s not like we need to wait, so I agreed… but…’ Penelope sounded pensive.
‘But what?’
‘Ah… I don’t know, I think I’m just feeling a bit under pressure, and there is so much to organise for the wedding and so much is changing. Thank god my mother has taken most of it upon herself to make the arrangements, seriously George, you’d swear it was her wedding!’ Penelope laughed.
‘That is so funny, she is so sweet, she is mad about Richard, he’s exactly what any mother would love, castle in Scotland and all of that stuff, it’s like something from a film!’ George laughed.
‘She has had a subscription to two wedding magazines since I turned 25! She took out a stack of them… she had marked the pages with those little coloured page marker tabs! I nearly had a heart attack. I think she is freaking me out more than the prospect of getting married!’ Penelope replied.
‘I wouldn’t blame you, that’s pretty scary.’ George gasped.
‘There was one weird thing though. Richard had a family ring that has been passed down through the generat
ions, and it went missing!’ Penelope said conspiratorially.
‘What do you mean “went missing”?’ George was dying to know.
‘It was handed down from his grandmother, but when he decided to propose it just sort of vanished into thin air… that’s why I got the Tiffany’s one!’ Penelope smiled, relieved.
‘Hurray!’ George cheered.
‘No seriously though George, do you not think that that’s a bit strange? Like a sign or something?’ Penelope sounded nervous.
‘Don’t be silly, I think it’s bloody good luck, you ended up with an amazing ring as opposed to some ring that has been around for years, and is probably haunted…’ George raised one eyebrow as she said this.
‘Hmm, yeah well I just thought it was like a bad sign…’ Penelope sounded slightly concerned.
‘No way, definitely your good luck, I think,’ George soothed.
‘Hmm, I suppose so, you are always right after all George.’ Penelope perked up.
‘There you go, you see… nothing to worry about,’ George chirped.
‘Apart from the fact that it’s only a few months away!’ Penelope considered the imminent wedding.
‘Apart from that!’
Chapter 27
Meet the Parents
Penelope surveyed her beautiful diamond ring on the train on the way up to Scotland. She sat beside the window, and it sparkled in the daylight as the trees and valleys flew past. She was still getting used to the weight of it on her left hand. Even though she had technically met Richard’s mother before, this was something more of an official visit. As they pulled into the station they were greeted by Merton, the family driver, in a rather old, bronze, Rolls Royce. Richard beamed as Merton held the door open for Penelope.
‘Richard, welcome home.’ Merton intoned, with a warm half smile. He stood by the car, in his grey suit and cap.
‘Hello old boy.’ Richard shook his hand and negotiated him into a manly hug, quite against Merton’s will.
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