squeezed it. She was conscious of both Lazlo and Chrissie watching them. A deep blush spread over her face and down her shoulders.
Constance was crying unashamedly as they all went off into the vestry.
‘It’s not because she’s losing Gay,’ said Lazlo dryly, ‘but the thought of all the money this is costing her.’
A reedy tenor began to sing, ‘Sheep May Safely Graze.’
The wait was interminable.
‘You’d think they were consummating the marriage, wouldn’t you?’ said Rupert. ‘I wish we could smoke.’
Back came the procession. Teddy, crimson with embarrassment; Gay, looking relieved, grinning slightly as she caught the eyes of various relations.
‘Hear you’re an actress,’ said Uncle Willy to Bella. ‘Ever bin in
For several minutes they were penned up at the top of the church while the photographers took pictures. As soon as he came out of his pew, Rupert squeezed Bella’s arm.
‘Christ, what a performance. Hullo, Aunt Vera. I’m not going through a bloody circus like this when we get married, darling. Hullo Uncle Bertie. It’s going to be in and out of Chelsea Register Office and straight off to London Airport to somewhere warm immediately afterwards.’
Bella put her hand lovingly over Rupert’s. ‘I agree,’ she said, looking straight at Lazlo. ‘And as soon as possible too. I’ve suddenly gone off long engagements.’
The reception was a nightmare. It was held in three huge marquees in the Henriques’ garden and Bella had never felt more lonely or out of things in her life.
There was a strange assortment of people there. Teddy’s grand, dowdy relations in their silk shirt-waisters and pull-on felts were almost indistinguishable from Constance’s fellow committee workers, who included several Chief Guiders in uniform, who brayed to one another and drank orange juice. In one corner, two bus-loads of tenants from Teddy’s father’s estate sat with their legs apart, looking embarrassed. But by far the largest group of people there, Bella suspected, were Charles’s and Lazlo’s friends, members of the international set at their richest and most international. Even though some of them had turned up in jeans, they had that kind of bland self- assurance, the gilt-edged security that enabled them to be accepted anywhere. Everywhere you looked ravishingly pretty women had emerged from their winter furs like butterflies and stood jamming cigarettes into their scarlet lips, knocking back champagne, refusing asparagus rolls and smoked salmon for the sake of their figures, and chattering wittily to the suave handsome, expensive-looking men who surrounded them. Bella had never seen so many people who seemed to know each other, or, even if they didn’t, would discover a host of friends they had in common.
Rupert did his best to look after her, but he was constantly being grabbed by Constance or Charles, or particularly by Lazlo, to go and look after someone else, or see to something.
She tried to scintillate and be amusing, but because she was nervous and unsure of herself, her voice came out far more artificial and affected than it would normally. Putting up a front to cover up her desperate insecurity, she knew she was appearing phoney and as hard as nails. Rupert kept introducing her into a group of people, but it was like feeding a screw into the Hoover. Five minutes later they’d spew her out again.
God, they were noisy too. Half the conversations were being carried on in foreign languages, full of laughter and exclamation marks, like the talking bits in
She couldn’t even get drunk because she had a performance that evening. In her misery, she ate five eclairs, then felt sick.
Suddenly, as though someone had stamped a branding iron on her back, she was aware of Chrissie standing behind her, her eyes glittering with misery and loathing.
‘Pink really suits you,’ Bella said nervously. ‘And you’ve lost so much weight! You really look ravishing.’
‘But not quite ravishing enough,’ snapped Chrissie, and, turning on her heel, she disappeared into the crowd. Even talking to Uncle Willy would have been preferable to standing by herself, but he was hemmed in by some aunts in a corner.
Where on earth were Steve and Angora, Bella wondered. It was almost impossible to find them in this crowd.
She couldn’t stay leaning against a pillar for ever — like a small boat launching itself on a rough sea, she began fighting her way across the marquee again — and, suddenly, there like something on the big screen, was Angora, wearing a navy blue straw hat which framed her cloudy dark hair and a parma violet suit, which emphasized her huge, purply-blue eyes.
She was surrounded by men, but lounging by her side was Steve in a grey morning suit, cracking jokes, deflecting any competition, very much master of the situation. Admire her, but keep your distance, he seemed to be saying. They made a sensational pair.
Angora was laughing at something he said, throwing back her head to show her lovely white throat when, in mid-laugh, suddenly she saw Bella.
‘Belladonna! Come here — at once.’
As there was nowhere else to go, Bella went up to them.
‘Darling, you’ve gone orange. How brave of you. Is it for a new part, or are you doing a soup commercial?’
The men around Angora looked at Bella without interest.
‘You’ve all met Rupert’s fiancee, haven’t you?’ said Angora. ‘You know Steve of course, Bella, and this is Timmie, and this is Patrick, and this is. . oh God, I can’t remember your name.’
Bella was looking at Steve. Her heart was pounding.
‘Yes, I know Steve,’ she said. ‘Or I thought I did. How are you?’
‘Fantastic,’ said Steve, giving her that curiously opaque, shutters-down look she knew of old. ‘Where’s Rupert? Getting some aunt out of mothballs?’
‘I’m glad you’ve brought Foxy,’ said Angora, patting Bella’s fox fur. ‘He looks as though he needs an outing. Why don’t you give him some Bob Martins?’
Everyone laughed. Bella blushed. Why can’t I think of some witty crack to make back, she thought miserably.
Rescue, however, was at hand, in the not very steady shape of Charles. ‘Bella, darling,’ he said, kissing her on both cheeks. ‘I’ve been looking all over for you. They ought to page people at this party. I wonder if you’d be terribly kind and give a word of advice to a young niece of mine. She’s awfully keen to go on the stage and I thought, being such a star, you were the person to talk to.’
Bella got a slight satisfaction in seeing a look of annoyance flicker across Angora’s face. She obviously felt she was the one who ought to be consulted.
‘I’d love to,’ said Bella and, without even saying goodbye to Steve, she followed Charles back into the crowd.
The stage-struck niece had a horse face and half Chelsea Flower Show on her head.
‘It must be amazing to be acting at the Britannia,’ she said. ‘I suppose you pulled strings.’
‘No,’ said Bella, ‘not even a tiny thread, but I had a lucky break. Have you had much experience?’
‘No. I played Juliet in the school play. Everyone said I was awfully good.’
Oh God! Bella groaned inwardly. ‘Have you tried to get into any of the drama schools?’ she said.
‘No. Perhaps you could give me a list of names. And perhaps you could introduce me to your director. I gather he’s very charming.’
‘Very,’ said Bella. Her mind started to wander.
The horse-faced niece droned on and on.
‘Incredible, fantastic, amazing,’ said Bella at suitable intervals. Then she said, ‘How marvellous’. The horse- faced girl looked at her in surprise.
‘How marvellous,’ said Bella again.
‘I said Mummy was in Harrods when the bomb went off last week,’ said the girl.
‘Oh God, I’m sorry,’ said Bella. ‘I misheard you. There’s such a din going on.’
Next moment one of Horseface’s friends came up and they started shrieking at each other. Bella escaped, but not before she heard Horseface saying, ‘That’s Rupert’s fiancee. I don’t think she’s quite all there.’
