Chapter Nineteen
What followed next shocked not just Nina to her core, but to everyone who saw the drama unfold.
Or what they thought they saw because, and to coin a phrase, recollections may vary.
But however the story was destined to be pieced together, it would become the stuff of wedding lore, a tale that would be embellished with every retelling of it.
By the time an ambulance had arrived, the incident had already found its way onto social media and had racked up hundreds of likes which had rapidly multiplied into thousands and then hundreds of thousands. Who knew what number it had since reached.
Now, and back at Hope Hall with dawn not far off, and her Chanel suit exchanged for a pair of pyjamas, Nina was in bed with a thumping headache.
There was a dressing applied to the back of her head beneath which, so she’d been informed, were four stitches, along with a small shaved area of her scalp.
The hair would grow back but Nina wasn’t so sure about her pride and self-esteem.
And what about my mother’s pride and self-esteem? asked a quiet voice from inside her thumping head. It was Hugh. Imagine how she must feel. Imagine how ashamed she must be feeling.
I don’t care about her, thought Nina, turning to look at the framed photograph in the lamplight on the bedside table. It was of her and Hugh on their honeymoon in the Maldives, the two of them looking golden and carefree and with not a clue of what lay ahead for them.
I’m sorry, Hugh, murmured Nina, I’m beyond caring what your mother thinks or feels. I don’t owe her anything, certainly not my forgiveness. What’s more, I did nothing wrong. I really didn’t. I’m allowed to be happy.
She moved the photograph so she couldn’t see Hugh smiling at her and swallowing down the threat of tears, she squeezed her eyes shut.
But it was the wrong thing to do because now she was back inside the wedding marquee and hearing a very different voice.
It was Hilary’s, and it wasn’t her usual measured tone undercut with a steeliness that brooked no argument, this was more of a demonic screech with Hilary grappling to wrench Nina out of Jakob’s arms.
‘How could you?’ Hilary shrieked above the music, her hate-filled face just inches from Nina’s. ‘How could you make such a spectacle of yourself? What would poor Hugh think of your disgusting behaviour, and in front of his entire family?’
Stunned at the virulence coming at her from Hilary, and not wanting to escalate things, especially as guests around them had now stopped dancing and were watching, Nina turned to Jakob to suggest they discreetly get off the dancefloor.
‘Don’t you dare turn away from me when I’m talking to you!’ Hilary screamed.
Nina inhaled sharply. ‘You’re not talking to me,’ she said, ‘you’re screaming at me like a mad woman and embarrassing yourself into the bargain.’
‘It’s you who’s embarrassing yourself, coming here and deliberately flaunting your boyfriend. A boyfriend who looks young enough to have still been at school when you married my darling Hugh! Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look with him?’
‘Not half as ridiculous as you’re making yourself look right now,’ Nina said, squaring up to her mother-in-law.
‘Now leave me alone. What I do is none of your business. My life is my own and I’ll do whatever I want to do, and that includes being with somebody new.
You have no rights over me. None whatsoever! ’
‘Then all I can say,’ Hilary hissed savagely at Nina, ‘is that you were never worthy to be the mother of my grandchild.’
‘Good, because why would I want any child of mine to have a grandmother as rude and viciously spiteful as you?’
Whether or not Hilary had run out of ammunition at that point, she fell quiet, and in that moment, Nina noticed that an array of mobile phones had magically appeared all around them and were being held aloft to record the exchange in all its hideous awfulness.
That was when Jakob intervened and with calm authority, he put a hand to Nina’s elbow to guide her away.
But his gesture seemed to reignite Hilary and with a swiftness that took Nina completely unawares, the woman came at her and pushed Nina so hard in the chest, her feet went from beneath her and she felt herself flying backwards until her head hit the floor with an excruciating thump.
It was all a bit blurry after that. She had a vague sense of everything spinning around her, of Jakob holding her and something icy cold pressed to the back of her head.
Her next memory was of being in an ambulance with a paramedic asking if she could tell him her name.
To her embarrassment, her answer was to be horribly sick.
Not long after that, things became less blurry and by the time the ambulance arrived at the hospital she was fully compos mentis and able to deal with the admissions procedure herself.
Jakob then arrived, having driven himself to the hospital and was a great support during the interminably long wait before she was examined and stitched up.
While Jakob had driven them home, Nina had scrolled through the messages on her mobile, having been alerted by various members of Hugh’s family to keep away from social media.
Which meant there was nothing on earth that could stop her from looking.
What she’d found horrified her. Keith had tried ringing her and had left several messages on her voicemail, none of which she’d listened to.
They could wait. It could all wait, even Cassie’s message asking how things had gone and wanting to know – oh, the irony – if she’d had fun.
The lightest of knocks at the door had Nina opening her eyes. ‘Come in,’ she said.
‘One peppermint tea, as requested,’ Jakob said, stepping into the room and placing the mug on the bedside table. She’d forgotten she’d asked for it but thanked him anyway.
‘Aren’t you going to join me with a drink?’ she enquired when he moved towards the door.
‘I will if you’d like me to.’
‘I do,’ she said softly.
He returned a few minutes later, mug in hand and with a strip of paracetamol. ‘For your headache,’ he said. ‘It must be time for you to take some more.’
‘Probably. I’m sorry about your shirt.’
He looked at the bloodstains on his sleeve. ‘It will be fine when I’ve washed it. I’m not so sure about your suit though.’
They both looked over to the built-in wardrobes where her skirt and jacket had been put on a coat hanger and hooked over a door handle.
She had no recall of having put it there herself, Jakob must have done it while she was in the bathroom.
There was a dark red stain on the left shoulder of the jacket – the blood from the back of her head must have found its way there down her neck.
He sat on the chaise longue in front of the large sash window that was hidden by the curtains he’d drawn when he’d helped her into bed, despite her protestations that she wasn’t an invalid.
He hadn’t helped her undress, that would have been unbearably embarrassing, but he’d been most solicitous in his attention, as though he were worried she was going to keel over at any minute.
He had the same look of concern on his face now.
‘You’ve been very kind,’ she said.
‘It’s the least I can do,’ he responded, ‘after all, this is my fault. I should never have kissed you. I should never have suggested that I be your plus-one. It made a difficult situation for you far worse.’
He looked so solemn, so full of anxious regret.
‘If anyone is at fault, it’s my crazy mother-in-law,’ Nina said, ‘she’s the one who attacked me.
And for the record, I kissed you as much as you kissed me.
’ Her memory might have failed her when it came to certain parts of the evening, but the memory of how she’d felt while dancing with Jakob and the delicious moment their lips had touched had not been lost.
‘Your mother-in-law needs help,’ Jakob said gravely. ‘Her behaviour was not that of a well woman.’
‘I agree,’ said Nina, after taking a few seconds to tear herself away from remembering how shockingly she’d desired so much more than just a kiss from Jakob. ‘But I don’t think I covered myself in glory.’
He looked at her puzzled. ‘Glory?’ he said.
‘I mean I behaved badly in what I said to her. I went too far.’
‘You were provoked into saying what you did.’
They sipped their drinks in silence.
Then Jakob said: ‘I know it’s nothing to do with me, but what was all that business about a grandchild?’
‘It’s a long story,’ Nina said with a sigh. ‘And it’s late. You really should go home; it will be light soon.’
‘I’m not going anywhere. I shall sleep on the sofa in the sitting room.’
‘There’s no need.’
‘There is,’ he said firmly. ‘You might have delayed concussion. You shouldn’t be alone.’
‘I think I’ve had all the concussion I’m going to have.’
‘I’m still not leaving you. Unless … unless it’s too awkward for you with me being here.’
‘It’s not awkward, I’m very grateful to you.’
He frowned. ‘I know now is not the time to discuss it, but I just want you to know that if I’ve ruined everything, I will understand if you feel it would be better if I no longer worked in the gallery for you anymore.’
‘You’re right,’ she said wearily, exhaustion suddenly catching up with her, ‘now is not the time.’