Page 51 of A Chance in a Million
‘Maybe there was a woman but she’s gone. Could it be he’s in the same state you’ve been in for the last two years, grieving for his lost love?’
This scenario too had crossed Jane’s mind more than once but all she could do was give a frustrated sigh. ‘I suppose anything’s possible…’
‘Or is it maybe because you work for his mother? You know, sort of anUpstairs Downstairsthing where he can’t get involved with a servant?’ Catching Jane’s eye, she clarified. ‘I don’t mean that they think of you as a servant – what I mean is an employee.’
‘I don’t think it can be that either. Like I say, the family seem to have accepted me as one of their own. His mum’s often told me to try to talk to him, and his grandma even winked at me last night and told me to stay behind with him after they’d all gone. No, I don’t think it can be that.’
‘That leaves his mysterious wound. I mean…’ Her mother was sounding unusually uncomfortable. ‘If he was hurt… you know… down there, maybe he feels he isn’t a proper man any longer and it wouldn’t be fair to you.’
Jane had done an awful lot of thinking about this very same thing and she had come to a conclusion quite early on. ‘It wouldn’t matter to me. There’s more to a relationship than sex. I could live with it, if that’s what’s holding him back.’
‘It’s not just sex. That would probably mean no children…’
Jane shook her head decisively. ‘Honestly, I could cope. It would be disappointing, but I could handle it.’
‘Fair enough, then that leaves us with the whole gold digger thing. Weren’t you telling me his sister was complaining that she can’t tell whether men are interested in her for her, or for her money? Maybe it’s the same for him. It’s no coincidence that rich people often marry rich people – look at film stars for instance. Maybe he’s afraid you’re only interested in him for his money.’
‘I’ve been wondering about that, too. It would be awful if it’s true, but he’s never struck me as somebody with much interest in money. Of course, he’s mega-rich, the whole family is. The palazzo in Venice alone must be worth millions, but I really don’t think he’s that into money. He drives around in a battered old Land Rover; I’ve hardly seen him in anything but scruffy shorts and old T-shirts, and he doesn’t appear to have any expensive hobbies like yachts or racing cars or anything like that. But yes, I have been wondering if that might be it. Of course, these days there are prenups. If he was worried that I just might be out for his money, he could always get me to sign something, couldn’t he?’ She gave a frustrated sigh. ‘It’s so baffling. I’d almost prefer it if he just said he wasn’t interested and to leave it at that.’
Her mother caught her eye and gave her a wry smile. ‘You wouldn’t really, though, would you?’
Jane dropped her eyes. ‘No…’
‘Well, you’re just going to have to sit down and talk to him, aren’t you? When are you flying back to Italy?’
‘Sunday evening. I should be home late that night.’
‘Then go and see him first thing on Monday morning and have it out with him. That way you should at least get some sort of closure.’ She took off her apron and hung it over the back of a chair before catching hold of Jane’s arm and leading her towards the lounge. ‘Now, tell me about the wedding tomorrow. Who’s getting married and where?’
Jane travelled down to Bath by train next day and took a taxi to the old pub a few miles outside the city where she had booked a room. This was conveniently near the converted medieval barn where Fergus and Virginia’s wedding was due to take place. It was in a typical Somerset village, complete with thatched cottages, village green and a stream with ducks bobbing up and down in the clear water. It could have come straight off a Visit Britain poster. She could well understand why they had chosen this spot and she had to admit that somewhere in the fantasy perfect wedding scenario she had been imagining since she was a teenager, a place like this had figured highly.
Her single room at the Boar’s Head was unexpectedly large and she had ample space to get ready and change. After squeezing into the Audrey Hepburn look-alike dress, she set about doing her hair. It took a while, but she managed to curl it up on her head in a reasonable facsimile of the updo the hairstylist in Venice had created for her before the charity auction. She had kept the chopsticks and now inserted them in pretty much the same spots as he had done, hoping that it would all hold together. Finally stepping into her new shoes, she checked herself out in the mirror. She had to admit that she looked all right, and immediately found herself wishing that David were here to see her.
Needless to say, thought of David took her mind back to all the questions that had been flying around in her head and she was so caught up in her thoughts as she emerged from her room for the short walk up to the old barn at a quarter to four, that she didn’t immediately recognise the army officer waiting at the bottom of the stairs in his full-dress uniform.
‘Jane, hi… blimey… you look fantastic. Wow.’ He sounded gobsmacked.
She blinked a couple of times and emerged from her reverie. ‘Tommy, how amazing to see you again!’ In fact, it wasn’t amazing to see him at all. Captain Tom Cruise – he always insisted on specifying that he wasn’t the film actor, although at six foot six and with freckles and carrot-coloured hair there was little chance of confusion – had been a close friend of Fergus as well as of Mark and her. He looked very smart in his formal uniform and she couldn’t miss the fresh major’s crowns. She pointed at them. ‘Looks like you’re going up in the world. Congratulations.’
‘What, oh yes, that.’ He was still looking stunned. Finally his face burst into a broad smile. ‘Jane, you can’t imagine how happy I am to see you and to see you looking so good.’ He sounded quite overcome and she realised that the last time they had met, she had been in a hospital bed, hooked up to a drip and swathed in bandages. She went across and kissed him warmly on the cheeks.
‘And I’m feeling good, too. Where’s Margie?’ Tommy and Margie had been married for some years now.
‘She couldn’t come. She’s just had baby number two. I mean literally the day before yesterday.’
‘Congratulations to you both. Another boy?’
‘No, a girl this time – Eloise.’
‘Lovely name. And Margie didn’t mind you leaving her all on her own?’
‘Her mum’s with her, and her sister, and little Donny.’ He grimaced. ‘He’s teething. To be honest, I was quite glad to get away. Besides, I promised Fergus and Ginny I’d take you under my wing in case you were… you know, still a bit under the weather.’
This even managed to bring a hint of a smile to Jane’s face. ‘A bit under the weather’ was a very English way of describing what she had been through. Still, she told herself, she was coming out of it now. She could feel that. She caught hold of his arm and let her smile broaden. ‘That’s very sweet of you, but I’m a lot better now. Come on, lead the way. It all kicks off at four, doesn’t it?’
Together they walked out of the pub and up the road to the old barn. It was a gorgeous day with warm sunshine – not suffocating Venetian sunshine, but pleasant English summer sun with just enough freshness in the air to make it feel agreeable. When they reached the old barn, they found a gaggle of people outside on the carefully mown lawn, enjoying the sunny afternoon. Among these, Jane recognised a number of familiar faces, many of them in dress uniform. For a moment she felt a stab of regret that she was no longer part of that community but she didn’t have much time for regrets as a succession of people came over to greet her and tell her how good she was looking. Of course, in comparison to the bomb-blasted wreck she had been, they were right – but she felt sure the Audrey Hepburn dress probably deserved most of the credit.
The ceremony took place in the lovely old tithe barn with magnificent oak beams spanning the vaulted ceiling and ancient flagstones on the floor. The walls were lined with pictures and mirrors and the whole place smelt of lavender and roses. The bride looked stunning, as did the groom in his finest uniform, and Jane felt sure there was no risk of Virginia feeling outgunned by the film star dress and so was able to relax. The service was quite short, but during it, Jane couldn’t help thinking of Mark and how, if things had been different, it might have been him and her walking up the aisle today. She allowed herself a few moments of melancholia before taking a deep breath and counting her blessings. She was alive, fully restored to fitness and health, and gainfully occupied with a job she loved, working with people she liked a lot. And then there was David…
