Zoe indeed was an uncommonly beautiful woman. She lit up the space around her. People turned their heads to stare. Not only was she beautiful, she had enormous chic, bringing to a blue silk shirt and colour-matched linen slacks a marvelous elegance.
“So she finally made it,” Byrne said with an appreciative smile.
“Thank God. I’m so pleased.” Toni’s face showed her relief and excitement. Kerry had had it firmly entrenched in his mind their mother didn’t really care about him, that she wouldn’t come home for his wedding. But there she was! Toni flew to her, was caught, held tight, kissed Euro style on both cheeks.
“My darling, my darling,” Zoe exclaimed, like a born Parisian slipping into a second tongue. “Where is my baby, where is my Kerry?” She looked toward the little group. “Mon Dieu, is that Byme? What a fabulous-looking man.”
It wouldn’t have been Zoe if she hadn’t noticed. Kerry, however, was trying desperately not to be so self-conscious. He felt about ten years old, loving his mother so much but trying not to be embarrassed by her behaviour.
“Go to her, Kerry,” Cate urged, almost but not quite pushing him.
She, too, felt upset. What was Zoe’s arrival going to mean? Reconciliation, which she knew in her heart Kerry wanted, or a kind of instant chaos? Zoe was that sort of person.
Toni was looking towards her brother, trying by sheer force of will to direct him into his mother’s arms, while Zoe herself was starting to look faintly troubled.
“Take control, Kerry,” Byrne directed. “This is for the best.”
Immediately Kerry broke away from them, going toward his mother, who lifted her arms to him with such grace a man who had been watching her bumped into a pillar.
Cate had to look away, her eyes filled with tears, but Byrne continued to study the family tableau. Zoe was the source of Toni’s extraordinary beauty. No question of that. But Toni was so much besides. It was she who calmed mother and son, bringing them into each other’s arms.
Toni was so steadfast, so absolutely loyal. It was a quality he admired.
“It’s all right. You can look now,” Byrne murmured gently in his sister’s ear. “Zoe’s not going to cause any awkwardness. Toni will see to it. She’ll make things right.”
For all of that first day and evening, Zoe walked around saying how quiet it was. “I can hear my own heart pumping.”
“It’s not really all that quiet,” Kerry said with a grin. “There are always the birds.”
“People simply don’t realise our quality of silence,” Zoe said. “People in the cities. It’s extraordinary. I’ve almost forgotten how extraordinary. But I haven’t forgotten the house. Sometimes it used to annoy me the way your father wouldn’t let me do it up. I could do anything else. You’ve done the best you can with it, Toni, darling. I can see your graceful hand. I expect Cate has lots of ideas, Kerry?” Zoe looked at her son out of her big blue eyes. “Such a fine girl. She takes after Sonia in looks. But that Byrne! He’s something else! If he moved into my world the women wouldn’t give him a minute’s peace. He’s as handsome as any film star. The same smoldering excitement Is he involved with anyone?”
“He seems to have taken a fancy to Toni,” Kerry said, shooting his sister a wry look.
“And not sure if he’s liking it,” Toni said.
Zoe looked dismayed. “I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with me. I always found the Beresfords so judgmental. Sonia especially. Maybe my daughter mightn’t seem good enough for her splendid son.”
“She doesn’t have any objections to me,” Kerry pointed out mildly.
“You look like your father, darling. It’s that simple. Your father never judged me. He remained my dearest friend.”
“Which was why you never came back?” Kerry laughed shortly.
“I was too far away, Kerry,” Zoe said in a quiet, serious voice. “I’ve suffered for it. So has Toni, who was blameless. I’m praying you’re going to forgive me.”
Kerry, who had been sitting on the edge of the table, stood up. “I forgive you, Mamma,” he said, realising at some point he had, “but I’ll never understand.”
“You might one day, darling, when you have more experience of life. Many things don’t go as we plan. Is there more coffee, Toni?” she asked brightly, changing the subject. “I’m addicted to coffee. Good coffee. We’ll have to get some in. I must show you my outfit later. Francine worked very hard on it. Claude bought me a beautiful necklace and earrings to go with it. A sort of parting gift. We had a long, long talk. He always did act the father figure. He’s been very generous. Very generous, indeed. I won’t want for anything for the rest of my life.”
“Good Lord! Not even another husband?” Kerry couldn’t resist it.
“I’m a woman who doesn’t like being on her own, my darling.” Zoe was entirely unoffended. “I have to have a man around.”
Zoe rested all the following afternoon in preparation for the prewedding dinner at Castle Hill.
“It’s absurd, you know, but I have butterflies in my turn,” she told Toni as she finished her dressing.
“It will all work out,” Toni soothed her. “You look lovely.” Zoe was wearing her blond hair in a new short style. It was very natural and youthful, and it revealed the grace of her neck.
Zoe turned to get a sideways view of her elegant St. Laurent suit in a rich cream. “In this old thing?”
“I’ve never seen it before,” Toni said dryly.
“Oh, well, it is fairly new. I’ve lost a little weight. Have you noticed?”
“You’re a pocket Venus. Of course you’ve been through a lot. Losing Patrick, saying goodbye to poor old Claude and all,” Toni teased.
“My problem is I’m just too damned lovable,” Zoe explained, apparently quite seriously. “I thought the breakup with Claude was going to be a disaster, but it all turned out to be wonderfully friendly.”
“You mean because he made you a generous settlement?”
“Claude gave me money because I need it, darling.”
Toni had a sudden brain wave. “What if Kerry wanted to borrow some?”
Zoe put down her hairbrush and looked at her daughter warily. “What are you talking about, darling?”
“I suppose it all depends on what Claude gave you.”
“A lot!” Zoe looked both grateful and triumphant. “‘You’ve got to take it, Zoe,’ he said to me. ‘I can’t bear to think of you going from husband to husband. I want to make you independent.’ Incidentally he’s a lot richer than I thought.”
“Of course. He was too smart to tell you. You mightn’t like this, Zoe, but there’s the question of my share of Nowra.”
Zoe stared at her, then laughed lightly. “Surely Byrne will buy you out? The Beresfords are absolutely loaded.”
“I don’t want that, Mamma.”
“Lord, darling, you don’t want me to take it on?” Zoe asked in wide-eyed astonishment. “What’s the property worth these days? Do you know?”
“We can find out. You owe Kerry.”
“Lord, don’t I know it.” Zoe sighed deeply and sank onto the bed, supple as a cat. “I can see how I’ve hurt him.”
“You’ve got the opportunity to make amends. I’ll sell out to you for way below what my share is worth. You give my share to Kerry as a wedding present. That way Nowra stays with the Streetons. Our family.”
Zoe stared at her. “It’s a big thing, darling,” she finally burst out. “You’d be the loser. I’ll be rich, but I can’t throw money away, mind you.”
“This is your big chance, Mamma. You could announce it tonight.”
Zoe’s blue eyes, bright as sapphires, suddenly began to glitter. “I think I’d enjoy that. Tell me about Sonia. Is she as uppity as ever?”
“She means well.” Toni smiled.
“Darling, you know perfectly well she’s very high-handed.”
“You and she are going to share grandchildren, Mamma.”
Zoe, in the act of smoothing her
short straight skirt, looked uncertain. “Look at me, darling. Do I look like a grandmother?”
Toni reached out, caught her mother’s hand and gave it a little shake. “I think when the time comes, Mamma, you’re going to come into your own.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE family dinner went off very well. Everyone around the table was on their best behaviour, each determined to stand united to hold onto the magic that was starting to make the air sparkle. This was going to be the perfect wedding. Who could doubt it? Look at the young couple. They were blissfully happy. Sonia had seemed momentarily stunned by Zoe’s ageless appearance when they arrived but quickly recovered to play the gracious hostess and mother of the bride. Even Zoe managed to curb her natural flirtatiousness by not directing it at Byrne, so charming, so courteous, so devastatingly handsome. He appealed to her enormously,but his glittering silver-gray eyes were always turned toward Toni. Not that Toni didn’t look ravishing, Zoe thought proudly, wishing for something she couldn’t possibly have back. Youth. What it is to be young! she thought. She hadn’t really experienced the shining, carefree days of youth. Perhaps that was what was the matter with her. She had married too early. She had married too often. She saw it all now. She had never met Mr. Right. She had met a lot of villains. Except Eric and Claude.
Zoe waited until the end of dinner before she made her announcement.
“My dear friends,” she began in her captivating voice, “Cate, my daughter-in-law-to-be, my children, I want you to know nothing could have stopped me from coming home to attend this wonderful wedding, the uniting of our two families. It gives me great joy, as I know it would have Eric. I’ve thought long and hard about my wedding present to you, Kerry and Cate.” Zoe paused to beam at them, happiness and triumph in her beautiful eyes. “And I have decided to give you Nowra in its entirety. Naturally I will compensate my daughter for her share. It’s what we both want, and I hope it makes you happy.”
Amazement all around. Delighted exclamations.
All the time Zoe was talking, Byrne was studying Toni intently. He could see her hand in this. For Toni it would be the perfect solution. He knew she didn’t want to be beholden to him or have her brother beholden to him, either. She had the same stiff-necked pride as her father. He liked it. He wondered what she had said to Zoe. He wondered how Zoe would be able to come up with the money. He knew she had married three rich men, each richer than the last. Obviously, for all her talk of dwindling resources, she still had a sizable nest egg, or the long suffering Claude had given her a very generous settlement. If so, Claude had to be some kind of saint.
Afterward Zoe was taken to see the huge array of wedding presents, none of which could possibly outshine her own, then the adjoining ballroom where the wedding ceremony would be held. Tomorrow the decorators would be flown in, along with the floral designer and his staff, all of whom, thrilled with the prospect of handling a big society wedding, had visited the homestead some months earlier to formulate plans. The great wealth of flowers—roses, lilies, carnations, orchids, great sheaves of the pure white gladioli “The Bride”, bearded iris in all the whites, rose pinks, lilacs and violet blues, Singapore orchids, hyacinths, delphiniums, clouds of baby breath, a great array of greenery and ferns, stacks of glossy camellia leaves and the sweetly perfumed lily of the valley and stephanotis—would be held in one of the refrigerated rooms, along with crates and crates of champagne and the mountains of delectable food that would be turned into a wonderful feast by the caterers.
The countdown had begun. From now on Castle Hill would be a hive of activity as everyone went into top gear. A large family contingent was due on the morrow, with two of the groomsmen and the three little flower girls among the party. Many guests were sharing private and charter flights, and many more were making the trek overland or had already found lodgings in the nearest township of Beresford. The dormitories and bungalows had been taken over for the use of the guests, and the station staff temporarily relocated. A lot of the staff had been taken off their normal duties to help around the grounds, the gardens fed by underground bore water and coaxed to perfection, in the homestead and at the old stone stables complex, recently transformed into a marvellously memorable great function room with kitchen facilities a top hotel might envy. No expense had been spared to make the historic complex a splendid venue for the wedding. A string quartet had been engaged for the ceremony, a young cousin with an angelic boy soprano voice would sing three of the bride’s favourite wedding songs, and a well-known band had jumped at the opportunity to play at the reception. A top videographer was flying in, as well as a young woman who was making quite a name for herself as a beautiful creative photographer. Every base was covered.
Cate’s theme, mating swans, had been worked into wonderfully natural topiary. There would be classical floral arrangements for the entrance hall and the central staircase, ballroom and the hall. There would be a magnificent ice sculpture for the table. Even the four-tier wedding cake, executed by a firm specialising in imaginative design, had incorporated the swan theme. Large antique silver swans, family heirlooms, would hold dozens of closely packed white roses on the bridal table. Cate even had the swan motif embroidered into her lingerie. Swans mated forever. That was what she wanted of her marriage. For it to last forever.
With everything so meticulously planned, Cate sailed through her days relaxed and happy, apparently without stress, while Kerry unexpectedly found himself prey to anxieties. Much as he loved Cate and longed to make her his wife, he was extremely aware of the great step they were taking. A child of divorce, he looked on his marriage vows as sacred. He began to feel an exaggerated concern he mightn’t be good enough for his precious Cate, who was intrinsically a very balanced and happy person, unlike himself.
“Prewedding jitters.” Zoe laughed the whole thing off. “Usually reserved for the bride.”
Zoe would know.
Toni, on the other hand, took her brother’s concerns seriously. Kerry always had been sensitive.
“I love her so much, I couldn’t bear to let her down,” Kerry confided.
“I understand that, Kerry. It means you truly love her. But you have to give yourself a break, let your nerves settle. Listen to your heart. It’s going to be your perfect day. As wonderful as you’ve ever dreamed. You don’t want to spoil that, do you?”
“Of course not.” Kerry’s brown eyes softened with affection.
“So relax and let go.” Toni pulled him up by the arm. “And just to help you along, I’ll make us a cup of tea.”
“Thanks, Toni.” He smiled.
In a never-ending succession of brilliantly fine days, the morning of the wedding dawned with a light shower. The birds were ecstatic, and every man, woman and child on the station took it as a good omen. The ceremony to be performed by Bishop John McGrath, who had baptised all Sonia’s children and Zoe’s, was scheduled for four o’clock, when the western sky would begin its marvellous sunset display and all the colours would spill through the soaring high-arched windows and bathe the ballroom in a tide of rose gold. Kerry and Zoe would dress at home and be flown to Castle Hill in the station helicopter an hour before the ceremony was to begin. Toni was picked up a little after one, allowing time for the bridesmaids to make themselves beautiful.
Cate, almost dancing in her joy and excitement, couldn’t wait to show Toni the ballroom. “It looks absolutely beautiful,” Toni exclaimed, her eyes moving around the huge paneled room. Its grandness had been softened by the extravagantly beautiful arrangements that illuminated every corner. The huge Chinese vases, part of an Oriental porcelain collection scattered all over the house, had been utilised to hold the white bridal flowers in tall stately arrangements. The twin fishbowls on carved stands that usually flanked the staircase defined the area where Bishop McGrath would stand, where masses and masses of white and pale green cymbidiums held up their magnificent spikes.
“It’s a romantic fantasy.” Toni sighed.
“And it took
a lot of planning. Do you like the ribbons on the chairs?”
“Tied by an artist.” Toni admired the large rosettes and flowing magnolia satin ribbons that graced the sides of the chairs on the aisle.
“Wait until you see the reception hall,” Cate said in a happy, excited voice. “The whole venture has been an incredible success. Byrne’s brain wave. I’ll bet if we lived in the city we’d have a going concern with the complex. It’s an ideal setting for a wedding, and it’s so big it holds a huge crowd in comfort. You’ll love what the decorators have done. They were worth every penny. When you get married, Toni, it would be wonderful if you could hold your wedding reception here. Your friends are our friends. Today we really become family.” Spontaneously she gave Toni a hug, then saw Byrne entering the room, all lean, dark grace, with his beautiful smile, on this day of days, at the ready.
“Ah, there you are Cate,” he said. “Hi, Toni, so you’ve arrived?”
“Safe and sound!” Everything about him made her giddy with pleasure. The sight, the sound, the way his silver eyes settled on her. And stayed.
“So I see.” He transferred his attention to his sister. “Cate, Mamma wants you. Something about a flower girl’s headdress.”
“Oh, that would be Camille. I was just about to show Toni the hall. It’s marvellous. Everyone has worked so hard.”
“It’s your big day, Cate.” Byrne bent to kiss his sister’s cheek.
“The whole idea of the old stables complex began with you. It’s splendid, and I love and thank you for it. Show Toni over it, then she has to come upstairs to make herself beautiful.”
“That shouldn’t take long.” Byrne’s eyes were brilliantly, amusedly alive.
“If only Dad could be here,” Cate said, dipping her dark gleaming head, already styled into a smooth classic look to suit her headpiece.
“He’ll be here,” Byrne assured her. “You’ll feel him beside you even if I am giving you away.”
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