“That doesn’t surprise me, she doesn’t like to talk about her charity work,” he says, chuckling. “She thinks boasting about it takes away from what it’s meant to be. You know she hates any kind of fuss. One of the many reasons I love her. But, over the years, she’s donated a lot to the arts and created many scholarships, especially for the ballet, and this school was desperately underfunded. I think she’s always regretted not learning to dance when she was growing up.” He smiles, adding, “You won’t be surprised to hear she was kicked out of ballet class as a child.”
“Why?”
“Too disruptive, according to the teachers. Victoria says Cordelia was disruptive because she was bored, and she was bored because she was so much better than the other children. I’m not sure how true that is, but I wouldn’t want to argue with the in-laws.”
“Cordelia is very elegant,” I admit. “I can imagine her being quite good at ballet. So, did you hit it off straightaway at this dinner?”
“Yes, we did,” he says, smiling at the memory. “As soon as I sat down, I told her that I’d never been to the ballet before, but I’d been asked to be at the dinner by my company, who needed a representative. They were one of the supporters. Anyway, when I said I thought ballet was boring, she was horrified and started listing the reasons I was an idiot.”
“That I can very much believe.”
“We didn’t stop talking the entire dinner. Completely ignored the rest of the table. I thought she was hilarious—she kept making me laugh. I’m not even sure she meant to. She told me about being kicked out of ballet class and, in return, I told her my most embarrassing moment—when I was a teenager and I went to a fancy-dress party back home in Norfolk but had misunderstood the theme. Well, turned out there wasn’t a theme at all, because it wasn’t a fancy-dress party. It was a posh sixteenth and I turned up dressed as a Power Ranger.”
I burst out laughing.
“Not my finest moment,” he says, grimacing. “Anyway, when the ballet dinner was coming to a close, I asked for her number. I had no idea that she was meant to be scary until everyone told me so after I’d met her.”
“Something about you made her lower her barriers.”
He smiles shyly. “I guess so. But she was different on our first date. It was as though she’d forgotten herself at the ballet dinner. Suddenly a wall came up. She was a bit chilly. Apprehensive and much less at ease. I wasn’t about to give up, though. I’d never met anyone who made me feel so…” He pauses. “… interesting. And interested.”
“You are interesting!”
“Not really,” he says, shrugging. “I’ve never been the life ofthe party, never really stood out in a crowd. But Cordelia made me feel that way. She really listens to me. And I never want to stop talking to her. It’s a nice feeling, that. Anyway, enough about me! Sorry, didn’t mean to go on.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s nice to hear your side of the story,” I say, beaming at him. “How did you propose?”
“Surely you’re bored to death of that one!”
“I’ve heard the story from Cordelia, of course,” I lie. “But, as I said, it’s nice to hear it from the groom’s point of view. How long did you have the ring before you popped the question?”
“Four months. I’d spoken to Lord and Lady Meade, who were all for it. And my parents, who couldn’t have been happier. I was waiting for the perfect moment. At first, I thought I’d do it on holiday, in an amazing restaurant with hundreds of candles and red roses and all that”—he chuckles—“but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that wasn’t us at all. I decided I’d have to think of something more intimate, a bit more casual. Then, one afternoon we were at her parents’ house, out riding.”
“I didn’t know you were into horse riding too,” I say, surprised.
“Trust me, I wasn’t.” He laughs. “Not until I started dating Cordelia. I was frightened of horses. Never been on one in my life. Cordelia kept telling me to give it a go, and it got to the stage where I couldn’t put it off much longer. Now I enjoy it. I don’t like going too fast and I swear the horse I ride, Marjorie, openly laughs at me whenever I attempt my rising trot—as soon as I start, she does that snort thing horses do—but it’s fun. Have you ever gone riding with Cordelia?”
I shake my head.
“You’ll have to at Dashwell,” he says excitedly. “You get to see the countryside best that way. It’s very peaceful.”
“Sorry, I interrupted your proposal story—please continue!”
“Oh, yes. So, we were out and about, and we’d stopped toadmire the view of the fields. When we were ready to continue, Marjorie refused to move. No matter what I did, she just stood there. I was huffing and puffing, giving her a nudge with my heels, demanding that she move, getting quite cross, if I’m honest with you. But Marjorie wasn’t having any of it. It was incredibly frustrating. Cordelia found it so funny that she came trotting back, crying she was laughing so hard. Then I started laughing and I couldn’t stop. The two of us idiots were just sitting there on our stubborn horses, laughing away. If anyone had seen us, they’d have thought we were mad. Anyway, that was when I said it. I didn’t even think about it. I didn’t have the ring on me. I was watching her laughing and I just… asked her to marry me.”
“That sounds perfect,” I say, enraptured.
“Not very noteworthy,” he claims. “But she said yes, so there you go. My mum still can’t get over that story. She told me off for not planning something more romantic. Not exactly the grand proposal Lady Cordelia Swann deserved!”
“I think it sounds wonderfully romantic! You proposed in a place she loves, and in a moment when you were both truly happy. What could bemoreromantic?”
“When you put it like that, it sounds rather good. Maybe you could have a word with my mother at the wedding.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t meet your parents at the engagement party. Do they still live in Norfolk?”
He nods. “Right in the middle of nowhere. The first time I took Cordelia there, they made a huge fuss about it. I’ve never seen them so nervous or the house so clean. They weren’t sure what food she’d like, so I’m pretty sure they bought absolutely everything. But as soon as she walked through the door, one of our dogs, Gus, went bounding over to her and she sat down on the floor to give him a good belly rub. I could see Mum’s shoulders physically relax. It’s the title. It can be misleading.”
I try to imagine the alternative version of Cordelia Jonathan is telling me about—one who loves hanging out in tiny old pubs, who happily sits on a country kitchen floor, fussing over a dog.
