Chapter 21
Carter
“It’s here. The paperwork so far. Annulment filed on grounds of non-consummation of marriage.” Laurie sat down at the table in the back of Silversmiths, boxes everywhere to be posted out with their exclusive book of the month.
I looked over the legal documents, summing up what knowledge I possessed to work out what they meant. “So socially we’re not seen as being married, but we are until it’s officially signed off by a judge, which is going to take how long?”
“Hopefully no more than a few weeks. You can’t whisk Rose off and marry her next week, but you’re free to date.
If my grandfather finds out – which he will in a few months when I tell him that it didn’t work out – it makes no difference with the trust or anything like that.
The only thing is neither of us can marry someone else until it’s officially annulled.
” She picked up one of the boxes and checked its contents. “How is Rose?”
“Not speaking to me.”
“Really? Why?”
“Laurie, I married someone that wasn’t her yesterday, I can kind of get why she isn’t speaking to me.” I was annoyed at myself rather than anyone else.
“I thought she was okay with it.” She looked upset. “Shall I speak to her again? We're friendly.”
“Give her some space. Rose has always had reactions a few days after something’s happened, she needs to process it and work out what to expect from herself.” I remembered how well I knew her. “And other people. She’s logical though.”
Laurie nodded, not convinced. “I get it. I get where she’s coming from. It’s miscommunication between the two of you; you should’ve asked her about Theo when he came up and not just assumed, and you should’ve spoken to her before Christmas. I adore you, Carter, but sometimes you can be a fool.”
“Thanks. I thought you were in my corner.” I gave her a mock glare.
“Thoroughly. But I am also impatient. I might have to intervene.”
“Please don’t.”
She stuck me with a look. “I owe you. The least I can do is try and smooth things over between you and Rose.”
“I’m not sure that would work at the moment.” I tucked the paperwork in my jacket pocket. “She needs space to get her head around it”. I rubbed my hair with my fingers. “If it had been the other way round, I’d have been incensed.”
“What if it was someone she really was in love with?” Laurie studied the book that had been in the box.
“Then I’d support her. I want her to be happy.” If she could be happier with someone that wasn’t me, I’d support her, and I’d move on, however hard that would be. But I knew that wasn’t the case. “I think I can make her happy.”
“How can you make her happy, Carter? What works for Rose?” She put the book down. “Romantic gestures? Gifts? A dream date some place really romantic? What works for her?”
“Reliability. Consistency. Listening to her and not making assumptions. I’m assuming she’s mad at me right now, when she probably isn’t.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket, scrolled down to the last message I’d sent her.
“You sure she's not mad? Why not?”
“Because she understands why I married you. What we did was logical, it gets you out of a toxic situation with your mental family.”
“I should be offended but I'm not. They are just horrible. I need to get my sister over here as soon as possible so she's out of that mess.” She sat back in the chair and looked concerned.
“What about your sister’s trust? Does she have the same set up as you?”
Laurie nodded. “Yes, with the same clause and depreciation – the longer she’s unmarried the less she gets and the more goes to our brothers.
It’s all about control of women, effing patriarchy rides again.
But I have enough with mine, so she doesn’t have to worry about finances.
She wants to work anyway. We both had the same governess growing up who was very independent; we learned a lot from her. ”
“When will you get her over here?”
“In a few months. She turns eighteen in September, which means she won’t finish high school over there.
” Laurie shook her head. “It’s a work in progress.
It's not a rush because she’s safe at the moment.
The concern is my grandfather might see her as a bargaining chip for a deal – it’s not beyond him to push her into a marriage. ”
“Did he try that with you?”
“He did, until I became bad news with my bookshops. I was far too independent. But let’s go back to Rose. You don’t think she’s angry with you?”
“No, I think she’s hurt and she didn’t think she’d be, because it’s not logical to feel hurt when she understands what was happening – or so she’ll think.
Rose always had to work out why she felt something that was different to what she thought she should feel.
” I remembered endless phone calls when she’d go over something that was bothering her, trying to talk about it rationally and then working out why she felt something different.
“So what do you need to do?”
I thought for a moment. “Let her work through it. Let her know I’m here and not going anywhere.”
“Or maybe you were actually crap in bed and she’s decided that she doesn’t have the energy to coach you, and this is her way of letting you down gently.” Laurie beamed, as if she’d just enabled world peace.
“I really don’t think that’s the case.”
“How sure are you?”
“Ninety-nine-point nine percent.” I typed out a message to Rose.
“You’re asking her, aren’t you?”
“Yep.”
Me: Laurie seems to think you’re avoiding me because you faked it in bed and I was below par. X
I watched for the read notification, not sure if she was in work today or not. I didn’t need to wait for long.
Rose: I can confirm it’s not that. I’m okay. Just feels a bit weird, that’s all. X
Me: I get that. Take your time. I’m not going anywhere. X
Rose: I know. It’s Harriet’s leaving party on Saturday as well, so I’m having Big Feelings about that too. And Fallon went on a second date last night with a cardiologist, so I’m assuming the end of the world is nigh. X
Me: I see you’re catastrophising X
Rose: Absolutely. X
Me: What are you doing tonight? X
Rose: Having a sleepover with Erin, Harriet and Fallon. You will be discussed and I suspect they will want me to draw diagrams, so be warned. X
Me: You have no idea how much that terrifies me. X
I talked Laurie through the messages in between her newly appointed shop manager coming in to check on various things, including two authors who were due in to do signings.
There was another event planned for the following weekend to celebrate the release of a book that was tipped to be a bestseller, all organised and publicised.
Laurie had been interviewed by a couple of magazines and an industry journal, all celebrating the waves she was making already.
She was a force of nature, and I was proud of her. Which I remembered to tell her.
“That means a lot, Carter. What would mean even more is if you’d carry these boxes to the front so the courier can collect them.”
I was surprised to find Fallon on my doorstep that night, dressed in an outfit that suggested she was about to bring down the government, and looking less like a doctor than anyone I’d ever met.
Her hair had been dyed black with red tips, and there was something else different that I couldn’t work out.
“What’s up?” I asked as I let her in. ‘Where are you off to?”
“Nowhere. I’ve just given a talk at one of the universities about women in medicine and decided to dress like this for shits and giggles.
It worked. There were a lot of middle aged white men who were completely appalled and a lot of teenaged girls who were inspired, so I’m going to call that a win. ”
“Fallon McGrath, bringing down the patriarchy one white man at a time.” I followed her through to the lounge where I had a fire blazing. “I thought you were having a sleep over at Rose’s?”
“I’m on my way there. I wanted to check on you first though.” She sat down on the chair nearest the fire. “I can’t wait until summer. I think I’ve been freezing my tits off for the last four months.”
“I’m not sure I can help you with that. Maybe ask your cardiologist?” It was a dig.
She inched closer to the fire. “I made an appointment. I need another op.”
“Valve replacement?”
Fallon nodded. “Amongst other complications. I’ll be off work for nine months to a year, which I’m not happy about.”
“I hear your cardiologist was last night’s date?”
“Fuck, the hospital rumour mill is good, or did you hear it from Rose?”
“Both. Rose told me, but I heard it from Cathy in ENT and Anne-Marie, of course.” There was nothing more efficient in the hospital than the grapevine. “I think David Gillian mentioned it too at the coffee machine.”
“Jesus, it’s been two dates, and you’d think it was headline news. Don’t people have anything else to talk about?”
“Clearly not. I hope he’s passing your case over to someone else?”
Fallon paused before shrugging. “I like how he deals with me as a patient, so I’ve asked for him to continue, but be overseen, so that should avoid any ethical issues.”
“What if things crash and burn between you?” Because knowing Fallon, this was likely to happen.
Another shrug. “We’ll see. Don’t tell Rose. She knows about the operation, but not the recovery time.”
“I won’t say anything, you know that. Have you seen Rose since, you know, the wedding thing.” I was unsure of how to put it.
Fallon nodded. “This afternoon after you’d texted her.
I spoke to her last night and told her about the wedding, all the things that had been left out, which I assume was so you and Laurie could have real weddings and not think ‘I’ve done this before’, at least, that was what I explained to her, but she’s the psychologist, she can work it out.
” She sighed and shook her head. “I’m interfering. ”
“Why?” Because Fallon generally kept out of things.
“Because I love both of you and I want you to be happy. You’ve done a lot wrong and you’ve been stupid, Carter, but none of it has been badly intended.
Rose – we should’ve made Rose name how she felt about you ages ago.
” She sat back on the fireside chair and hugged a cushion. “Don’t give her too much space.”
“I thought you’d be telling me the opposite.”
She sighed, considering. “I usually would. She asked a load of questions about the wedding, she asked to see photos so I showed her some, and then more questions followed – why Laurie wasn’t wearing a wedding dress, why didn’t someone walk her up the aisle.
I think she was realising that it was nothing like the sort of wedding you’d imagine.
She then went down the rabbit warren of how good friends you must be to support Laurie like that. ”
I rubbed my face with my hand and looked at Fallon. “I’ve have fake married you, if you’d needed it.”
“Thank you for saying that and I’ll bear it in mind, but I don’t foresee a situation where that needs to occur. It’s more likely I’d need bailing out of jail. Are you good for that?”
“Depends on what you’ve done. I have some morals.” I sat back and watched the flames dance in the fireplace. “We’ve missed the whole dating thing.”
“You have. And maybe that’s what’s needed. Ask her on a date, Carter. And Harriet’s asked Laurie to her leaving party tomorrow night, so don’t feel weird about it.” She stood back up and stretched, reminding me of a cat.
“I won’t.”
She headed out to her sleepover and I spent the rest of the evening trying to come up with the perfect date.