The Forget-Me-Not Sonata

by Santa Montefiore

  ‘Well, there’s a great shortage of young men,’ Aunt Edna said, pouring herself a healthy cup of Earl Grey tea. ‘War robbed us of the cream of our youth. What a tragedy war is.’

  ‘Isn’t it?’ Rose agreed, quietly resenting the young Louis for not playing his part when her husband and many others had made that precarious journey across the waters, risking their lives, to defend a country they believed was theirs even though some of them had never even stood on British soil. She had even contributed herself by joining the Hurlingham Ladies Guild who met in the ping-pong room at the Club producing sweaters, socks, balaclava helmets, sea boot stockings and scarves for the war effort. Once the war was over Rose had vowed never to knit another stitch, for each click of the needles reminded her of those tortuous days of waiting and of the agony that hope brought with it.

  ‘Will you invite them to Audrey’s party?’ Isla asked, taking an interest now that her plate was full. Rose straightened and tilted her head to one side.

  ‘I don’t see why not,’ she replied, looking to her sister for approval.

  ‘Of course they should come,’ Aunt Edna exclaimed with enthusiasm. ‘It’ll be the perfect way for them to meet nice English people. Besides, Hilda’s girls are all on the look-out for husbands, so are the Pearson twins not to mention poor June Hipps, if she doesn’t find one soon she’ll be left gathering dust on the shelf, she’ll be twenty-nine next spring.’ Rose hadn’t considered Cecil Forrester for anyone else’s daughter, even if her own daughters were still too young to think about marriage. Hilda’s girls were no competition, neither was June Hipps, but the Pearson twins were slim and pretty and eager to settle down. She pursed her lips and swallowed the competitive ache that rose in her throat.

  ‘That may be so,’ she said tightly. ‘But it’s Audrey’s party, Edna, not a marriage market.’

  Aunt Edna looked hurt and blushed right down to her wobbling chins.

  ‘Oh, Rose, I didn’t mean . . . well,’ she stammered. ‘You’ve met them, Rose, what are they like? Do you think your girls will like them?’

  Rose smiled and put down her teacup. ‘I’m sure they will. Louis is closer to Audrey’s age, but then he seems a bit . . . well, wild would be fair. He has yet to settle down. Now Cecil’s entirely different. He’s responsible, conscientious and handsome. An utterly charming young man, though a good deal older than Audrey. I don’t think that matters, it’s nice to be in the company of a man who’s seen a bit of the world. Well, Audrey, would you like me to ask them to your party?’ She turned to her elder daughter. Audrey attempted to contain her excitement by buttering a pastry she didn’t want. She nodded her thanks then nibbled the corner nervously.

  ‘I bet those Forrester boys fall in love with Audrey.’ Isla giggled. ‘Oh, I bet they will,’ she insisted when her sister shot her an embarrassed look. ‘Don’t be coy, Audrey. You’re prettier than all the other girls, even the Pearson twins. Anyway,’ she added mischievously, ‘I shall dance with them both.’

  ‘You have to wait until you’re asked, Isla,’ her mother replied. Then she turned to Aunt Edna with a smile. ‘What will the Crocodiles say when Isla rushes around asking all the men to dance?’ she chuckled.

  ‘Snap snap snap!’ Aunt Edna replied and her chins wobbled so much that they all laughed heartily.

  Audrey and Isla didn’t have to wait long to meet the Forrester brothers, for a few days later their father invited them both for dinner at the house in Canning Street. The table was set beneath the vines on the terrace, illuminated by large hurricane lamps and small candles that served as decoration as well as light. Audrey and Isla picked fresh flowers from the garden and made a pretty arrangement for the centrepiece while Rose discussed menus with Marisol the young cook. She had invited Aunt Edna out of kindness but also because she wanted her sister’s opinion of Cecil Forrester, who might one day make a good husband for Audrey. She had decided against allowing her young sons to join them at the table, it would be too much of a distraction and Isla always behaved badly when Albert was around.

  Audrey and Isla waited in the garden, both in new dresses their mother had bought them at Harrods. Isla noticed how her sister was already looking like a young woman and felt gauche by her side. She was only fifteen months younger than Audrey and yet, tonight, Audrey held herself differently, with more dignity, and looked leagues older. For the first time in her life Isla experienced a sense of wistfulness. Their childhood was clearly coming to an end.

  ‘Girls, you both look delightful,’ Aunt Edna exclaimed as she stepped out of the house in an ivory silk blouse and skirt, playing with a long string of pearls that hung over the swell of her large bosom and swung down to her waist. She smelt strongly of Christian Dior and had powdered her face leaving a heap of dust on the ridge of her nose like a white snowdrift. Isla had no intention of telling her. It would have been amusing to have watched her sit the whole way through dinner like that, in blithe ignorance. But Audrey wasn’t so unkind. She told her aunt immediately and then brushed away the offending snowdrift with gentle fingers. ‘You are a sweet girl,’ Aunt Edna breathed gratefully, pulling her powder compact out of her bag to check that she hadn’t overlooked anything else. Satisfied that she had made the best of what Nature had given her she reapplied her lipstick before clipping her bag shut and looking at her watch. ‘They should be here at any minute,’ she said. ‘I must say, I’m very much looking forward to meeting them. The Club is positively buzzing with excitement. Only today I heard that Cecil helped old Diana Lewis into her car yesterday afternoon and dazzled her with his charm. I bumped into Charlo at the panadería who told me that Colonel Blythe dined with him last night and played cards well into the early hours of the morning; they’ve become great friends. The old Colonel loves to witter on about the war, which we’re all dreadfully bored of, but dear Cecil talked to him for hours about what he had experienced. I believe he proved himself quite a hero, the Colonel says he has a shining reputation in London – unlike his brother, who’s something of an idler, so I’m told. I understand that Louis played the piano all night long, which didn’t go down very well with the other residents. It would have been fine had he played something sensible, but he was apparently playing the most extraordinary tunes. Haunting melodies, gave everyone nightmares.’ She sniffed and turned expectantly towards the house.

  At that moment Henry and Rose appeared on the lawn followed closely by two young men. ‘Ah, at last,’ Aunt Edna sighed, smiling a broad smile that sent her plump chins expanding like marshmallow. ‘Ready, girls?’ And she proceeded to walk across the grass to meet them. Audrey and Isla glanced at each other excitedly. Isla was unable to control the wide grin that extended across her monkey face, even when she was introduced to their guests. But Audrey managed to compose herself, lowering her eyes shyly as she shook their hands.

  What struck her immediately was the difference between the two brothers: Cecil was tall and slim with perfect, symmetrical features, lucid blue eyes and a long, aristocratic nose. His alertness was accentuated by the contrast with his brother whose vague and wandering eyes seemed lost in a world of their own. Cecil’s dark brown hair was neatly combed into a side parting and shone with the same brilliance as his shoes. He smiled with confidence and nodded his head as he greeted the two girls, noticing at once how pretty and graceful the elder daughter was. Louis was shorter than his brother with softer, irregular features, revealing in the unsteady curl of his lips his changeable nature and intense sensibility. He wasn’t handsome, but his face was alive with laughter lines and lines of pain and when Audrey caught his eye she was alarmed to find that she sunk into his gaze, as vast and consuming as a whirlpool. Stunned, she quickly shifted her focus to the ground and immediately noticed that his shoes were scuffed and beneath his trousers he wore one blue sock and one black one. His fingers were long and pale and moved ever so slightly as if he were touching the keys of an imaginary piano. When she lifted her gaze once more she saw that he was still blinking at her with
curiosity through a sandy fringe that he hadn’t bothered to brush. To her shame the heat rose up her throat, stinging her cheeks, exposing the inner turbulence that sent her heart pounding. She turned her face away and hoped no one had noticed. Louis wasn’t beautiful, he wasn’t particularly charismatic but there was something in his stare that unsettled her. He had a dark presence that drew her in although she felt instinctively that it was to be resisted at all costs.

  Taking their champagne glasses with them they proceeded to stroll around the garden. Cecil walked with Henry, Rose and Aunt Edna while Audrey and Isla found themselves a few paces behind on either side of Louis. Only Rose noticed that Cecil made a swift backwards glance to check on his brother, in the same way that a father might look out for an awkward child. Audrey began a stumbling attempt to ignite the conversation, wishing she were walking with her parents. ‘Mummy tells us this is your first time in the Argentine,’ she said, hiding her unease behind a veneer of politeness.

  ‘Yes,’ he replied and sighed heavily, his face suddenly sagging with wistfulness. ‘Europe seems to be suffering an eternal winter. Here it’s spring, and with spring comes new life and hope. One forgets misery when the sun is shining.’ Audrey looked at him in puzzlement, silently wondering what he meant and how to respond. Isla giggled and smirked across at her sister who pretended she hadn’t seen in case they offended their guest.

  ‘Spring is very beautiful here,’ she said, hoping that she didn’t sound stupid. Then she added impulsively, ‘Spring always follows winter, even in Europe.’ At that Louis turned to look at her, his face suddenly flushed pink. Audrey swallowed as his expression softened with surprising tenderness.

  ‘You’re right, it does,’ he replied, frowning at her, trying to work out whether she really did understand him or whether she had spoken without thinking. ‘But why the winter in the first place?’ he continued. ‘Sometimes I wonder why God put us all down here if all we do is fight each other.’

  ‘That I don’t know,’ she said, shaking her head, ‘but I do know that if it was spring all the time we’d never appreciate it, human beings have to suffer to know what happiness is. I don’t think life is meant to be easy. War is a terrible thing, a terrible thing. But it tests the human spirit to its limit and can bring out the very best in people,’ she added, recalling the incredible stories of human kindness her father had told her.

  ‘And the very worst,’ he retorted cynically. ‘It should never be allowed to happen.’

  ‘Did you fight in the war?’ Isla asked brightly. Audrey winced because one only had to look at him to know that he hadn’t. A sudden blush of shame stung his cheeks pink and his lips twitched in discomfort. Cecil’s shoulders hunched but he continued to talk politely to his hosts.

  ‘No, no, I didn’t,’ he replied quickly. Audrey tactfully changed the subject to avoid any further embarrassment.

  ‘I gather you play the piano most beautifully,’ she said with enthusiasm. He regained his composure and his eyes smiled down at her with gratitude.

  ‘Aunt Edna said you kept the whole Club awake and gave them nightmares,’ Isla interjected with a laugh.

  Louis chuckled. ‘I was playing from the heart and even I don’t understand my heart.’

  ‘You say the strangest things!’ Isla remarked, curling her lip and looking at him quizzically.

  ‘Isla!’

  ‘Don’t worry, Audrey, I like people who say what they think. Very few people do.’

  ‘Well, I’m afraid Isla always says what she thinks. Or rather,’ Audrey added, smiling, ‘she often doesn’t think at all.’

  ‘Audrey thinks too much. Much too much,’ Isla giggled.

  Once more Louis looked down at her, probing her features with distant eyes. ‘So I see,’ he mused and Audrey stared at the ground in front of them, embarrassed by the intimacy of his gaze that she felt was inappropriate and intrusive. Yet she found to her horror that it excited her. Isla filled the heavy pause that ensued.

  ‘Did you leave a sweetheart behind in England?’ she asked, gulping back another swig of champagne.

  ‘If I had a sweetheart I would not have come,’ he replied. ‘After all this is a Latin country. The land of tango and romance, is it not?’ Isla giggled again. Audrey felt herself blushing and sipped from her glass in an attempt to hide it. There was no breeze, just the humidity, thick with the fertile scents of nature and Audrey’s tumultuous spirit.

  ‘Aunt Edna says we’re short of suitable men because so many went off to fight in the war and never returned,’ she continued. Audrey wished their mother hadn’t allowed her to drink champagne. It had clearly heightened her senses.

  ‘Really, Isla!’ she protested. ‘Poor Mr Forrester has only just arrived, you’ll have him married off before dinner.’ Louis laughed and shook his head.

  ‘Don’t worry, Audrey, I’m getting the measure of your sister. She says what’s on her mind, a bit like mine.’ Then he turned to her and added softly, ‘Please call me Louis, Mr Forrester makes me feel very old. Mr Forrester belongs to someone else – Cecil, for example, he carries Mr Forrester very well, very well indeed.’

  ‘Does your sister live in England?’ she asked, following her parents who were now making their way to the dinner table under the vine on the terrace.

  ‘Cicely, yes, she does. She lives in a freezing old farmhouse,’ he replied.

  ‘She must be terribly sad to lose you both to the Argentine.’

  ‘I don’t think she is,’ he said with a grin. ‘If you knew my sister, you’d understand. She’s not the warmest of women.’

  ‘My sister’s very warm,’ said Isla, now beginning to slur her words. ‘She’s in a world of her own though. She’s a dreamer.’ Louis looked down at Audrey with eyes the colour of cornflowers and smiled at her reflectively.

  ‘I’m a dreamer too,’ he said and for a moment Audrey was sure she saw a sudden gloominess pass across his face as if the sun had briefly disappeared behind a cloud.

  ‘I would die of grief if Audrey left me to live in a foreign country,’ Isla interjected melodramatically. ‘Promise you won’t, Audrey.’ Audrey caught eyes with her mother who noticed to her dismay that her younger daughter had already drunk too much.

  ‘I promise I won’t,’ she replied indulgently. When she looked at Louis again the cloud had passed and his face was untroubled once more.

  ‘Isla dear, please will you go into the kitchen and tell Marisol that we are ready to eat,’ Rose said. Then she added in a whisper as Isla floated past her, ‘Have a large glass of water while you’re out there. Your father will be furious if he sees that you’re tipsy.’

  The two guests sat on either side of Rose, then Isla was placed beside Louis and her father while Audrey had Cecil on her left and Aunt Edna on her right. She looked across at Louis and wished that she could swap places with her sister. Louis raised his eyes and caught her gazing at him with ill-concealed fascination. Audrey at once stared into her bowl of soup before turning to talk with Aunt Edna for her mother was already discussing the war with Cecil, clearly enraptured by him. Had she allowed her eyes to linger a moment longer she would have seen Louis’ face crease into an enchanting smile.

  ‘Isn’t he charming?’ Aunt Edna commented under her breath. Audrey knew she wasn’t referring to Louis.

  ‘Very,’ she replied automatically, humouring her aunt.

  ‘He’s very handsome. A handsome army officer, desperately romantic, don’t you agree? I think he likes you, my dear, I saw him gazing at you.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t think so,’ she protested. ‘Besides, I’m too young for love, apparently.’

  Aunt Edna laughed. ‘You’re eighteen now, Audrey dear, I was your age when I fell in love with Harry. Dear Harry,’ she said with emphasis. ‘He was a good man.’

  ‘Did you love him very much?’ Audrey asked, changing the subject.

  ‘Very much,’ Aunt Edna replied, but she refused to allow the thought of her late husband to dampen her enjoyment of suc
h a pleasant evening. She smiled through her melancholy, once more conquering it with humour. ‘Harry was a great mimic,’ she began. Audrey cast her eyes across the table to where Louis was laughing boisterously with Isla, who giggled back flirtatiously. To her frustration she suffered an unsettling twinge of jealousy at the sight of their mirth and turned back to her aunt, desperate to ignore those feelings that were both unfamiliar and primitive. ‘He could mimic my mother, your grandmother, to perfection,’ continued Aunt Edna, oblivious of her niece’s turmoil. ‘Once when my father shouted in from the garden “Elizabeth, what do you suggest we do with this cherry tree?” Harry replied in my mother’s voice before she had time to, “Rip it out, darling, rip them all out.” My father was left greatly puzzled.’

  ‘How did you know Harry was the one?’ Audrey asked, fighting her impulse to stray once again across the table. Aunt Edna looked at her and frowned.

  ‘Aren’t you a curious child?’ she mused. Then her chubby fingers settled onto the ruby engagement ring she still wore and she sighed pensively. ‘Because he was different from everyone else I had ever met. He made me laugh more than anyone else. I suppose I just knew. An instinct, quite animal really, very primitive. He made me feel wonderful. With Harry I was always facing the sun. My sunshine Harry. The sun has never been quite the same since,’ she added, then smacked her lips together, wrenching her thoughts back to the present. ‘You’ll know, Audrey dear. When it happens, you’ll know.’ Audrey felt certain she knew already. She glanced across at Louis aware that there were unsettling forces at play drawing them together.

  When the main course was served Rose turned to Louis leaving Cecil free to talk to Audrey. With Cecil the conversation was light and easy. His expression was kind and his attention unwavering as he gazed upon her with the full force of his beautiful face and if it hadn’t been for his brother, who sat opposite them like a wild dog, one moment buoyant, the next sinking into melancholy, her heart might have been captivated by this dazzling army officer. But Audrey found Louis compelling. Her ears strained across the table in spite of herself. She knew she shouldn’t and battled to control her feelings. But the more she sensed the danger the deeper into it she sunk.