Page 58 of Old Girls Behaving Badly

The church looked lovely with the addition of the floral arrangements near the altar. The florist had done an amazing job in lemon-coloured roses and white lilies and even the ends of the pews had pretty little displays, the scent of them filling the cool air. The organist was playing Bach’s ‘Wachet Auf’ and there was a quiet, but excited chatter among the guests.

The door opened then and Leonard finally walked in. All heads turned to watch him walk down the aisle as if he were the blushing bride. Dorothy was disappointed to see that he was dressed in traditional tails with his black hair slicked back and flicking up on his collar. He had a lemon rose in his buttonhole and Dorothy’s honest and unwanted thought was that he looked quite handsome. She turned her attention to Peter and he was staring straight at Leonard with an expression that seemed to be a little savage. She wondered what his problem was, but then didn’t everyone eventually have a problem with Leonard? Once Leonard reached the front he turned to survey the room and his eyes alighted on Dorothy. He smiled broadly at her, almost smugly, and she returned it with one of her own. Please let today be the day, she thought. We surely must find it today.

The strains of Pachelbel’s ‘Cannon in D’ began and the door swung open to reveal Caroline having her veil rearranged by Katie. Her dress was as beautiful as Dorothy knew it would be. Traditional but not frothy, strapless but not sleazy, detailed but not fussy. She was a vision in ivory silk. Katie’s dress was a simple design of the same material, but in lemon, and it suited her perfectly.

They began their walk down the aisle with all eyes on them apart from Toby, who Dorothy noticed was steadfastly looking forward as Caroline had apparently told him to do. Paul looked every bit the proud father with Caroline on his arm. Dorothy felt quite choked and reached for her handbag for a tissue, but of course she didn’t have it. Sophie held one out for her and as she took it, she was aware that Juliet had a hand to her own face and was pretending to scratch at her cheek while secretly wiping a tear away.

Dorothy noticed as Katie walked past her that she was wearing a silver chain around her neck with a bird pendant in pale yellow enamel and it was a perfect match for her dress. She was sad that Juliet hadn’t wanted to join them, but she could understand that for some, being on show was not a happy place to be.

They took their positions, Peter began to speak and the next time Dorothy looked behind her, Gina was gone.

24

GINA

It was the pendant that caught my eye. Katie looked beautiful in her lemon dress with ruched sleeves and sweetheart neckline. It gave her the perfect amount of cleavage for her necklace and the bird to sit comfortably.

Oddly it made me think about that ghastly stuffed bird in Leonard’s Chinese cabinet and why he might have it there, what terrible taste he had in some things. And then my brain really started whirring. That bird had made me jump and I’d shut the cabinet noting that there was no painting to be seen. I should have looked more carefully; perhaps the bird was there as a deterrent, something to stop you looking any further. My hand reached for my mother’s pendant. Wasn’t I hoping for some luck today? Was this it? Was this the thunderbolt moment I’d been waiting for?

I watched as Leonard suddenly gave Dorothy a huge smile, but couldn’t see what her response was. He really was exactly as Dorothy described him – odious. The organ music stopped, Peter began the service and then I quietly got up and slipped out of the door, holding the handle tightly until it closed silently behind me. Then I began a brisk walk back to the house via the woodland path. Even with everyone inside the church I still felt I needed to keep to the shadows. Once I was back at the house I went inside through the door from the garden. The reception was to be solely in the orangery and the guests would be leaving from the front, so there wasn’t any activity on this side of the house at all. The kitchen would be where it was all happening. All that food had to be taken up and kept warm before being served. Harry and his team had their work cut out for them.

I slipped in through the patio doors and made my way round to the main entrance hall and up the stairs to Leonard’s wing. This was becoming a habit. Then as quickly and quietly as I could, I opened his bedroom door and stepped inside.

The first thing I noted was that Leonard’s bed wasn’t made and his curtains weren’t tied back in perfect pleats as they had always been before. The second thing I noted was that the Chinese cabinet was open, the bird was lying on its side and behind it, where before there had been a lacquered back panel, it was open and a deep chamber – which would have been a perfect hiding place for a small coastal watercolour – was empty.

I sat down on the edge of his bed and let the full weight of disappointment wash over me. It was over. He’d known what we were doing. How could he not with me and Juliet tramping around his house? We’d been as subtle as Dorothy’s shoes. Leonard had moved the painting – in a hurry by the looks of it. That broad smile he’d given Dorothy in the church earlier had been smug. Now I really thought about it, it hadn’t been friendly; it had been victorious. I had honestly thought I’d been sneaky and clever, quiet and unassuming. I’d been a complete fool.

I slipped in through the door during a rousing rendition of ‘Lord of the Dance’ and managed to get back in my pew without making a fuss. The wife of the couple I was sitting next to did look questioningly at me, but I just mumbled something about needing the loo and the woman had nodded sympathetically in that united way women did – middle-aged and older women knew the score when it came to the loo.

The service was finishing and according to the order of service we were singing the final hymn. And then Peter was thanking everyone and congratulating the couple and the highly spirited ‘Toccata’ from Widor’s Organ Symphony No.5 began, signalling that it was time to leave. And I felt like crying at the sound of that music. I dabbed at the tears with a tissue before they could ruin my make-up. It wasn’t just the painting and how close I’d come to finding it, but it was Douglas. He had played this at Alice’s wedding. With permission from the organist he had taken over for the end of the service and had played us all out of the church. I took a deep breath, determined not to make a fool of myself. I tried not to blame Douglas for the disappointment I felt right now, but actually I did. I wouldn’t be here in this church trying not to cry at the music if he hadn’t left me. I’d be at home in Thame, gardening through a Saturday afternoon and then planning to cook a Saturday night curry and watching the time closely to see the numbers reach the magic six o’clock so I could open some wine. Instead I was at a stranger’s wedding after a fruitless week, not quite being a companion and not finding a bloody painting.

Outside I hung back as the photos were taken. I couldn’t face Dorothy knowing that I’d been so close to finding the watercolour. If I’d not been spooked by that bird I might have had the sense to explore the cabinet further when I’d had the chance. For years that had been my job, my career: to examine, explore and to discover. I’d failed considerably.

I watched Leonard like a hawk, but he didn’t show any sign of being bothered by me. He didn’t look like a man who had wrenched a hidden painting from his room knowing I was hunting it. In the end I went and chatted to a woman from Scotland and the woman’s brother who were friends of Lavinia and Miles. They talked about books they’d enjoyed recently and how beautiful the city of Madrid was, how generous Leonard was for letting Caroline use his home for her wedding and that they were looking forward to the party they had planned back at the hotel later. Most of what they talked about went over the top of my head as all I could really think about was getting the train back home. And really that gave me no comfort at all.

It took an hour for the photos at the church and then Caroline encouraged the photographer to move towards the orangery so that the guests could all get a drink.

Leonard’s staff were serving champagne and glasses of Buck’s Fizz from silver trays. Then canapés circulated too. Beautifully made and delicious, the miniature bites would help soak up the alcohol that was flowing fast and furious. I thought that Caroline had made the right decision to leave early while everyone would still be on a high.

I took a glass of orange juice from a passing tray just as Leonard began tapping on the side of his own. The chatter died down instantly and all eyes were on him. When I really looked at him, I noticed that he looked tired too. His face was drawn and he had dark shadows under his eyes, but he was making every effort to look upbeat. The effect was that he appeared maniacal somehow. He looked slightly deranged.

‘Thank you all again for coming and I would like to offer my hearty congratulations to the beautiful bride and her handsome husband.’

Leonard paused so everyone could shout hear, hear and then he continued.

‘An incredible amount of work has gone into today and I hope so much that you are all having a wonderful time…’ Pause for more praise directed at Leonard. ‘And now to the moment you’ve all been waiting for… I have created for you a seven-course tasting menu with the finest ingredients sourced from the best producers in the UK. This really is something to behold and I hope you enjoy.’

As the group moved towards the open doors of the orangery I walked over to where Dorothy was standing. She had hold of Sophie’s arm on one side and Juliet’s on the other. I was slacking in my role as companion now too, although no one had said anything to me.

‘Shall we get you inside so you can sit down?’ I said and Dorothy nodded gratefully.

‘Thank you, Gina. Come on, Juliet, let’s go and find your father,’ Sophie said.

‘Can I sit with Granny?’

‘We are sitting with Granny, and Gina and Granny’s friend Yvonne is going to join us with her husband, Bill.’

‘I don’t have to sit with you,’ I said. Being in the church was one thing, but a guest for the meal was something else.