AllFreeNovel
Share Us
To her credit, she hasn’t pushed me for details of what I’m planning, apparently content to believe my claim that I’m working out a way to get what I want. And so the weekend of Huxley and Elizabeth’s wedding approaches, and with the kinks I mentioned mostly ironed out the week before, I fly to Lake Tekapo with a clear head, ready to put my plan into action when we get back.
Tekapo is a small rural town at the southern end of the lake that lies in the heart of Mackenzie country—a basin near the center of the South Island—with the Southern Alps to the west. We’re staying at The Jewel Box Lodge, named after the star cluster in the Crux or Southern Cross constellation, which can only be seen in the southern hemisphere. The Jewel Box is an exclusive resort often used for weddings and other special occasions because it’s parked right on the edge of the lake, with a large collection of villas for guests, a big function room, an award-winning wine cellar, and a collection of hot pools where you’re encouraged to lie and look up at the stars.
The lake is in the Aoraki (which is the Maori name for Mount Cook) Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve—the largest gold-standard International Dark Sky Reserve in the world, with some of purest skies on the planet. I’ve been to the University of Canterbury Mount John Observatory at Lake Tekapo a few times to talk to experts there about astronomy and Artificial Intelligence, but I’ve never stayed at The Jewel Box, so I’m really looking forward to it.
Huxley has arranged for a flight for the guests from Auckland to Wellington, and then several smaller flights to transport us all to Lake Tekapo. There are only going to be about forty guests in total—not many at all considering Huxley runs a club and knows a huge number of people, and Elizabeth has a lot of contacts in her business. But they wanted to keep it small and intimate, then hold a larger party at the club for wider acquaintances the following week when they return from their honeymoon, where they’re going on a boat trip around Milford Sound, then driving slowly back through the South Island, sightseeing as they go.
Peter Huxley is noticeable by his absence. Both Hux’s paternal grandparents have passed away, and Peter is an only child, so Huxley doesn’t have any other relatives on his dad’s side to contend with. But Helene has surprised us all by coming even though we all know it must have been a difficult decision, possibly helped by the fact that her parents—Heidi’s grandparents that I met in England—arrived a few days ago for the wedding, and are able to support her. She’s also looking after Hux’s daughter Joanna over the weekend.
We arrive on the Friday afternoon before the wedding on Saturday the thirteenth of August, and we’re shown to our villas. While guests continue to arrive, we settle in and getting ready for dinner. Heidi and I cuddle up on the bed, looking out over the gorgeous view of the lake while we chat, and then I lie there and pretend to read a report as I watch her get ready. She tortures me by walking around in her sexy underwear while she does her hair and makeup, and resisting my advances with a laugh when I try to grab her as she walks by, protesting that she needs to get ready for dinner.
Eventually I join her in the bathroom for a shave, both of us laughing as we remember the shaving cream incident, and then we get dressed—me in navy trousers and a blue shirt with lighter blue flowers inside the cuffs and collar, Heidi in a gorgeous dress I haven’t seen before that’s a deep blood-red with long sleeves and a flared skirt. With her bright blonde hair neatly combed and a pair of black high heels, she looks absolutely stunning.
We head for dinner and discover Huxley and Elizabeth waiting at the entrance to the restaurant so they can greet everyone as they arrive. Elizabeth is now twenty weeks pregnant, with a gentle swell to her figure and a bloom to her cheeks, glowing with health and happiness. They hug us both, and we go into the restaurant where people are still walking about and greeting one another.
“Titus!”
I turn and grin at the sight of Saxon Chevalier, my heroically named cousin. He’s spent a lot of time with Mack, Huxley, and me over the past year since he’s been coming to Auckland more frequently, and we’ve all gotten on well, which is why Hux decided to invite him to the wedding.
“Hey, man,” he says as we exchange a bear hug. “It’s great to see you. And Heidi. Good to see you in the flesh, so to speak.” He holds out his hand and shakes hers. He’s wearing a navy pinstripe suit, a white shirt, and a spotted tie. Heidi’s gaze drifts down him from his sticky-up hair to his white Chucks, and her lips curve up. “Going for the Doctor Who look?” she queries.
“She’s got you sussed,” I reply, amused, “and you’re not even wearing your David Tennant coat.”
“The tenth Doctor rules,” he states, sliding his hands into the pockets of his trousers.
I chuckle. “So, who have you brought as your date, then?”
He purses his lips. “I’m going stag, to a stag party. There should be a prize for that.”
Heidi giggles and slides her arm in his. “I’m sure Titus won’t mind sharing me for the weekend.”
“Titus minds very much. But you won’t feel as odd once dinner’s over.” I’m referring to the fact that after dinner, Huxley is taking the guys off for a few hours for a whisky-tasting session, while Elizabeth and the girls will have a similar wine-tasting event, which is apparently also promising a plethora of chocolate. Afterward, we’re all meeting up in the hot pools for a float under the stars.
“Not much of a consolation,” he mumbles, but he lets Heidi lead him over to one of the tables, where Mack and Sidnie are just about to take their seats.
“Hey, Saxon,” Mack says, and the two of them shake hands. “I don’t think you’ve met my wife yet. This is Sidnie. Sidnie, this is Saxon Chevalier.”
“Great name,” she says, shaking his hand.
“Don’t mock me. I know I sound like a stripper.”
“I would never mock a person’s name,” she replies, shaking out her serviette. “My maiden name was Beaver.”
That makes him laugh, and Heidi grin. Then I knock over my wine glass, which gives her a fit of the giggles.
“Titus has arrived,” Mack says, and I give him a wry smile as I sit.
We’re soon joined by Helene Huxley, Joanna, and Heidi’s grandparents from the UK, Laura and Graham Craven. Two seats are left free on each table, and we discover that Huxley and Elizabeth are going to join tables for different courses.
At first, I wonder whether having Helene there without Peter is going to be awkward, but it turns out not to be at all. Saxon is sitting next to her, and when he discovers she’s there on her own, and that she has a sense of humor, he declares she’s going to be his date for the wedding and flirts outrageously with her, making Joanna giggle almost constantly.
“I’m not single,” Helene protests as we’re served our starters, even though I know she’s enjoying the attention. “And I’m twice your age.”
“Out of sight is out of mind,” he states. “And I like older women. Besides, I heard you’re a terrific artist. I thought you might be looking for a new life model.”
“I paint abstracts and still lifes,” she points out, blushing.
He purses his lips. “I’m sure a joke exists about plums and a banana, but I’m not going to go there.”
