“I thought it wasn’t going to start for another hour, at least.”
Martin shuffled his feet and looked to the floor. “Mrs. Marks… senior, is anxious to begin, now that her guests have arrived.”
David nodded to him and Martin slowly vacated the room, closing the door behind him. David turned to Emily.
“I guess we need to be quick, then.” He grasped her hands but she stepped away, keeping a safe distance between them.
“David,” she said in a warning tone. Despite her attempt at giving him a hard look, a bubble of laughter escaped her lips. David rubbed the back of his neck and grinned, his face flushed with color.
“Right. I’m going to touch up my hair and make-up in the bathroom while you get dressed.” She wagged a finger at him as she spoke and pointed at the clothes lying on the bed.
“You sure I shouldn’t go down like this?” David asked, sashaying his hips side to side with a grin. The towel loosened and he grabbed it just before it fell. Emily threw her head back and laughed as she marched to the bathroom. She turned and just before she closed the door, caught David’s eye, still grinning at her with his head tilted to the side. Her heart swelled.
As Emily did the finishing touches to her make-up, there was a knock on the door. A young woman dressed in uniform politely offered to take her to David, who had gone down to meet the guests. Emily slipped on her favorite pair of Jimmy Choo shoes, secured the sunflower necklace around her neck, and followed the woman out of the room.
The sky was dark, but the blanket of darkness gave way to a huge mass of twinkling stars. Emily was overwhelmed the moment she stepped out into the veranda. There was a large crowd of well-dressed men and women talking together in quiet tones. A string quartet played in front of a large fountain, and servers walked around the guests with silver platters, handing out drinks and appetizers. Emily craned her neck to catch a sight of David, but could not see him anywhere. None of the guests appeared to be aware of her arrival; she was able to turn and follow the small path toward the summer house unnoticed. Perhaps David was speaking to his grandmother. As she rounded the corner to the home, the screeching birds alerted her arrival.
“Is that you, Emily?”
Emily peered through the dim lighting to see a tall figure walking toward her. The person stooped down and kissed her on the cheek. Emily thought for a moment it was David, but the bristles of his beard gave him away.
“Edward, where is Catherine?”
“She’s off talking to the Sultan of wherever. He’s a fan of the opera, you see.” He offered his arm. “Walk with me?” Even though he said it like a question, he did not wait, but began to walk them down toward the aviary. Emily slid her hand into the crook of his arm and took care not to land on any cracks in the path.
“My brother has good taste,” Edward said silkily. His teeth glowed white as he grinned at her. Emily wondered if he was trying to pay her a compliment. “I hope you understand, when I first heard about your marriage, I was concerned.”
“Oh?” Emily tried to sound innocent, but part of her was beginning to panic. Here we go. She had a feeling someone in the family wouldn’t buy their situation.
“I know my baby brother, and he doesn’t make a decision… quickly.” Edward appeared to be choosing his words carefully. Emily remained quiet, sensing he had more to say. “When we were kids, and we’d go to the zoo, David would agonize for ages over what toy to get in the gift shop. I remember he spent forty minutes unable to choose between a giraffe plushie and a tiger yo-yo.” He chuckled. “Father told him he could get both, of course, but David follows rules. He was supposed to choose.”
Emily chewed her lip with a nervous smile. Getting married in secret, out of the blue, would be weird behavior from most people. But for David, clearly, this was totally out of character. Add to that, the fact it would scupper his brother’s inheritance, it was a sticky situation. Emily surreptitiously looked around the garden for David’s familiar form. Or anyone, for that matter.
“Yes, David used to be indecisive, but now not so much,” she said thoughtfully as walked further into the garden. Edward gave an awkward laugh.
“Touché,” he said. “I can see why he’s so fond of you.”
He stopped walking and Emily dropped her hand and stood away from him a little. The evening chill had her holding her arms.
“I’m just curious,” Edward said. His voice had a dangerous tone to it. She knew those three simple words were going to lead to difficult questions. She stiffened and held her breath. The party of guests were well outside of earshot now, and David was nowhere to be seen. Emily wondered whether to feign illness or run away screaming. Instead, she stood rooted on the spot.
“Why would David lie to his dying grandmother, telling her that he just got married?”
There it was. The words smacked her in the face as if he physically hit her. Emily’s brain went into overdrive. She set her jaw and reverted back to her training. Difficult conversations happened all the time at work. Heartbroken women weeping in her office, over the callous men who had convinced them of their love, only to find they were dating several women at the same time. Furious men who were stood up. The complaints were endless. She imagined that Edward was just another dissatisfied client who needed to be dealt with professionally. The first step; validation.
“You’re right,” she said firmly. Edward stood immobile, but the twitch of his head told her he was listening. She took a breath and resolved to tell the truth—sort of. “David and
