Chapter 19
‘I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am absolutely certain…’
By five fifteen I was beginning to panic.
I’d emptied my suitcase, tried on every stitch of clothing, mixing, matching, discarding in frantic succession.
Nothing looked right. Supper with Bunny and Chase Sr wasn’t just dinner, it was an audition.
And everything I owned looked either home-made or like it had washed up on a beach.
I should’ve taken Mum’s advice and let her buy me that Joan Collins number.
Outside, I heard the crunch of tyres on gravel, a car door slam.
‘Hi, honey, I’m home!’
I yanked a plum velvet slip dress over my head, just as Chase walked in, sharp in a suit and tie. The pile of clothes on the bed did not go unnoticed.
‘I don’t know what to wear,’ I muttered.
He stepped forward, slid his hands to the hem of the dress, and started lifting it with the ease of someone who saw clothing as temporary. ‘Nothing,’ he said, and pulled it off me.
We were fifteen minutes late pulling into the Fuller driveway.
I followed Chase through an ivy-shrouded door into a marble courtyard lined with unnaturally perfect white flowers.
At the far end, a double set of doors opened and a small man appeared wearing black trousers and a crisp white waiter’s jacket.
‘Late, Mr Chase.’ He grinned.
‘Pablo, this is Florence. Be nice to her, she’s about to become Mrs Fuller.’
He took my hand and pumped it with warm, mischievous energy. ‘Miss Florence.’
‘It’s nice to meet you, Pablo.’
He nodded. ‘Better hurry. They’re in the drawing room.’
The house looked like a Roman villa. Marble floors, white walls, Asian ink drawings in sharp black frames. A few sculptures stood around like silent guardians. Not a hint of clutter. It was spotless, soulless, and terrifying.
Pablo led us to a vast square room where two identical white sofas flanked a fireplace. Though the sun was still streaming in, a fire blazed in the grate.
‘Well hello, you two,’ Bunny said, rising from her perch beside a crystal glass. Her lips curved, into a smile.
‘Mom,’ Chase said, kissing both her cheeks. He moved across to the man sitting neatly on the opposite sofa. He had silver hair, a deep tan, piercing eyes. Chase Sr, I guessed.
‘Florence, darling,’ Bunny said. ‘Velvet’s only up until New Year. We’ll go shopping in the morning.’
The shame hit me. I could feel heat rising up through my neck, blooming out onto my cheeks.
‘God, stop it, Bunny. Florence looks beautiful,’ Chase Sr said warmly. ‘Come say hello. I’ve been dying to meet the girl who’s got my son thinking about marriage.’
I stepped around the table and kissed him on both cheeks, aware of Bunny’s eyes on my back.
‘Florence has to look right for the party,’ said Bunny. ‘First impressions matter.’
‘Mom,’ Chase said, exhaling smoke, ‘all she has to do is open her mouth and they’ll be loving her.’
Bunny waved an arm, her bangles singing. She wore a pale grey silk shirt and her signature palazzos. ‘Florence, when you raise boys, you don’t get daughters to shop with. I’m thrilled.’
Daughters to shop with. Not daughters-in-law. Daughters.
‘What’ll you have, Florence?’ Chase Sr said. ‘Gin and tonic to remind you of home?’
I nodded. Jet lag was a fog creeping in. The sun outside streamed onto a marble terrace. Beyond it, a lake shimmered in the evening light.
Pablo brought my drink on a silver tray with a starched napkin. The G&T was strong and sweet. I took a careful sip and braced myself.
They spent the next half-hour quizzing me – my family, where I grew up, if I knew the titled this or the baronial that. Bunny asked if I’d ever met Lord Salisbury. I hadn’t. I wanted to say my people came from mills, not manors, but instead I smiled and held the glass tighter.
Dinner was in a dining room that looked like a five-star hotel. Three round marble tables, six chairs at each. Only one was laid.
Pablo served chicken in cream sauce over boiled rice. It tasted of nothing. The china was exquisite, the silver cutlery heavy. The disconnect made me feel as though I were watching it all through glass.
Conversation floated around me of names I didn’t know, gossip I couldn’t track. Then the business talk started. Something about a gadget being sold to Taiwan. Chase was deep in it. I excused myself and went to find the loo.
The bathroom was a gallery of marble – walls, floor, ceiling. A single orchid sat by the sink, the only sign of life. I sat down, elbows on knees, and for a moment, the room tilted.
A knock at the door.
‘Hey, Florence, we’re out of here. I’ve got to be up early in the morning.’
Chase’s voice. My fiancé.