Chapter Five
‘Son!’ Walter beamed. ‘I wasn’t expecting you!’
He threw down his white linen napkin, stood up and opened his arms for a wide embrace.
‘I’d have made it in time for dinner if you didn’t insist on eating at this ridiculous hour,’ Lysander replied, hugging his father.
‘Happy birthday, Dad,’ he said, patting his father on the back, then handing him the bunch of flowers.
Anastasia and Vivian exchanged a look as if to gauge whether the other had known about their brother’s surprise visit. Neither clearly did. Anastasia’s children looked up and beamed at their uncle. Dimitri cleared his throat, stood up, and shook his brother-in-law’s hand.
‘Zander!’ Vivian smiled, as she stood and wrapped her long arms around her brother’s shoulders.
He squeezed her back. Anastasia stayed seated, almost bemused by the entrance.
‘Kiki,’ Lysander nodded.
‘Hi, honey,’ she said, blowing her stepson a kiss.
Lysander was tall, with salt and pepper hair and grey-blue eyes, and he spoke with an American accent, after two decades in the United States as a top-brass lawyer, living in a very gorgeous pied à terre overlooking Central Park.
At weekends he retreated to an oceanfront house on Fire Island with his wife and son.
He was rarely ever in Switzerland any more.
‘Is Blake coming?’ Orfeas asked keenly.
‘No, Meg and Blakey couldn’t make it, buddy – Blake has school and Meg is snowed.’
I bet, thought Anastasia. Her sister-in-law was always overwhelmed by the latest gala event or fundraiser she was planning.
She seemed to live for charity. Whether it was for botanical research, music therapy, Haiti or Gaza, she was often at The Pierre or The Plaza, hosting or speaking at a dinner or a black-tie ball.
Fundraising was a full-time job for that Real Housewife of New York City.
‘What a surprise!’ Walter seemed to visibly relax for the first time that evening. What a timely visit. He really could use his son’s counsel right now.
‘Well I wouldn’t miss Pop’s seventieth, not for the world,’ he said.
Lysander turned to his baby sister.
‘What’s this I hear about you having a new fancy man, sis? Are you finally over the Joubert boy?’ he teased her.
Vivian smiled sweetly to conceal her annoyance and sat back down.
She wasn’t being coy. In fact, tonight she had been hoping to reveal him as her new boyfriend.
After years of cat and mouse, lingering and longing, she felt that perhaps they might be able to make it official with his appearance at dinner.
Anastasia finally stood up to kiss her brother on each cheek.
A reverent butler entered the dining room, already carrying a spare chair, followed by maids carrying china. They set a place between Vivian and her father, and Lysander sat down seamlessly as the chair was put in place.
‘This is such a wonderful surprise, you’ll come with me to the Borromeo wedding tomorrow!
’ Walter declared, as if it was his best idea ever.
‘You don’t mind, do you my love?’ He said it with barely a glance in Kiki’s direction, and didn’t notice her looking affronted.
Anastasia and Vivian both bristled internally.
They knew about the Italian society wedding of the year, and were rather surprised not to have been invited.
Vivian was less bothered than Anastasia: she had a busy weekend with all the people in town for the mountain marathon and most of the hotels were at full occupancy.
Anastasia would have quite liked to have gone.
It would have given her a reason to escape the dreadful drudgery of a weekend with Dimitri and their children.
Anastasia and Vivian both knew Walter was invited alongside a plus one, for Kiki. Now their father was giving up Kiki’s spot for their brother.
‘Sounds like a hoot,’ Lysander said, with a broad smile.