A Convenient Wedding

‘You had nothing to be jealous of, Jarvis. I didn’t want to deprive you of anything. I fell in love with Larne from the first moment.’

‘Only with Larne?’

‘No,’ she said with a sigh. ‘I fell in love with you. But that’s old history now. I couldn’t really get through to you. We had our moments-’ she smiled as certain memories came back to her ‘-but you were always fighting me.’

‘I want to make amends.’

He spoke gently, and laid his hand on hers, almost pleading. But they weren’t the words she needed to hear.

‘Amends? That sounds like something out of the business relationship. Still, I guess that was all we really had, wasn’t it?’

He winced. ‘I only meant that I wanted to put things right between us.’

‘But what is “right”, where we’re concerned? We were all wrong from the start.’

‘But it could be different now. Do you remember I once said I couldn’t feel really married to you while I had nothing to give? I told you we found the jewels. Their value is incredible. If I’d had them before-’

‘You wouldn’t have needed me,’ Meryl broke in wryly.

‘That’s not what I’m trying to say.’

‘If you’d had them before, we’d never have met.’

‘Somehow we’d have met. We were meant to, and with the value of those jewels I could have looked you in the eye from the start.’

She searched his face, trying to find in it something she desperately needed.

‘Oh, Jarvis,’ she said sadly at last. ‘If you’d ever really loved me, you could have looked me in the eye at any time, money or no money. OK, you’re rich now, and you think that makes a difference. Shall I tell you something about rich men that’ll surprise you? They’re ten a penny. I’ve hardly known any other kind, and I don’t give that for them!’ She snapped her fingers.

‘You were different. You were worth more as a man. You weren’t sleek and superficial like the others. I wanted to give to you, not to control you, but to do something for you and know I’d made a difference for good in your life. And if you’d loved me just a little, you’d have known how to take from me without your pride being offended, and that would have been all I asked. But because you didn’t have any money-’ she put a world of loathing and contempt into the word ‘-you couldn’t value yourself and you couldn’t value me. And now you’ve got a pile of cash and you think it makes everything all right?’

He rose quickly, slamming one fist into the other hand. ‘I can’t follow you when you talk like this. I just thought that the barriers were down between us at last.’

‘Oh, yes. Benedict was a barrier, and money was a barrier, and now they’re both down. I see that.’

‘And it’s not enough?’

‘Of course it’s not enough. I wanted you to love me enough to surmount the barriers. Having them come down isn’t the same.’

‘I don’t know how to tell you how much I love you,’ he stammered. ‘I thought you’d know.’

‘Some things have to be said. But at the right time. For us the time will never be right.’

He took hold of her. ‘We can make it right,’ he said desperately, ‘if you’ll only come home with me.’

‘I can’t, it’s too late,’ she cried in anguish. ‘If you knew how much I wanted it to be my home, but you wouldn’t let me inside-not where it really matters.’

He groaned. ‘I know it’s my fault, but things have changed-’

‘Yes, things-not you. “Let invaders tremble.” You do make me tremble because I know I have to watch for the boiling oil.’ She touched his face. ‘It’ll always be there, in the back of my mind, if not yours. I’ll never be anything but an invader.’

‘I came to ask you for another chance,’ he said sombrely. ‘But how can I ask for your love? I haven’t done much to deserve it, have I?’

‘Jarvis, you don’t deserve love, or earn it. It just happens, and you have to learn how to take it.’

‘Come home and teach me,’ he pleaded.

She shook her head. ‘Once I thought I could, but that was in my arrogant days when I thought I could do anything, just because I was Meryl Winters. But you showed me that the money was all I had, and it wasn’t enough. Let’s do what you said, and leave it there. We were never meant to be.’

He had no way to persuade her. If she couldn’t find the words, how could he? He could only stand in silence as she slipped off his mother’s ring and handed it to him. After that there was nothing to do but leave.

For anything except designing Benedict was a disorganised man, and it took the combined efforts of his staff, his wife and Meryl to have everything ready for the departure to Paris a week later. Meryl was glad. It saved having to think.

They reached the airport in more than good time for the Paris flight. Meryl was surprised that Benedict and Amanda had insisted on setting out a clear hour before they needed to, but she went along with it. What did anything matter?

But when they’d stood in the check-in line for a few moments she suddenly said, ‘This is the wrong line. It’s not for Paris.’

‘This is the right line,’ Amanda insisted. ‘Your flight is leaving in an hour. Not Paris. Manchester, England. Nine p.m. Here’s your ticket.’

‘No-listen you two-I know you mean well, but-’

‘Meryl, shut up,’ Benedict said firmly. ‘This is pay-back time. What you did for us, we’re doing for you.’

‘But Jarvis and I can’t-’

‘Cut that. For the last week Amanda and I have listened to you talking nonsense about how you and Jarvis can’t live together, and enough is enough. You say he didn’t know how to take your love. Then teach him, you stupid woman. Even if it takes years. That’s your job so get stuck in and do it. All right, Jarvis isn’t very clever about feelings, but just now you’re not being very clever either.

‘He reached out to you. He was asking you to show him the way and understand the things he didn’t know how to say. And you bottled out! I used to think you had guts, Meryl, but you gave up when the going got tough. Fat lot of use to him you were!’

Her jaw dropped. She was speechless.

‘Everything in your life has come giftwrapped,’ Benedict added. ‘Well, this isn’t going to. You’ve worked hard so far, but that ain’t nothin’ to the hard work you’re going to have to put in on your marriage from now on. I know he’s not an easy man, but he put his pride aside for you. Now it’s your turn.

‘You’ll make it, as long as you don’t chicken out again.’

They’d reached the head of the line. Amanda plucked the ticket and passport from Meryl’s nerveless fingers and handed them over. A minute later they were escorting her to the boarding gate.

‘We’re going to stay here to make sure you don’t come out this way again,’ Amanda said.

‘There’s no need,’ Meryl said, her eyes shining. ‘Thank you, both of you, with all my heart.’

Everything now felt wonderfully familiar, including the dreadful weather that greeted her. With nothing but hand luggage Meryl got out of the airport fast and hailed a cab. It took three hours to make the drive, with rain lashing them all the way.

‘How are you going to get across?’ the driver asked as they neared Larne. ‘The water’s too high for me to drive over the causeway.’

‘Someone will take me in a boat,’ she said happily.

‘If you can get one. I think they’re all out looking for that bloke who’s missing.’

‘Who?’ she asked sharply.

‘Dunno. Some lord or other. Went out sailing last night and never came back.’

‘Dear God!’ she wept. ‘Jarvis.’

She pulled out her mobile and dialled Ferdy’s number. He answered in a curt voice that revealed his tension.

‘Ferdy what’s happened? Is it Jarvis?’

‘I’m afraid so. Everyone is looking for him. I’ve been out in my boat, but it’s too small for this job. I’ve hired a big motor boat.’

‘I’m coming, too,’ Meryl cried at once.