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“Katherine!” Michael prods. “What the hell’s wrong with you? Your daughter is getting married. This is an engagement party not a funeral.”
“I know,” she says coldly. “I guess I’m just a little miffed to be presented with a fait accompli, but whatever, I’m happy for you both.” Forcing a grin, she hugs me again. She can’t bring herself to do the same to Nick. “Well, now that’s over, I guess I’ll continue making dinner. I’d give it about another forty minutes.”
Without another word, she hurries off to the kitchen. I’m dumbfounded by her rudeness, but know there’s more to this than meets the eye.
“Sorry about that,” Michael says quietly. “I don’t know what’s got into her.”
“One too many vodkas, probably,” my father says cheerfully. “Don’t worry; a couple more should set her straight.”
There’s another awkward pause. “Hey, let me take you upstairs and show you guys your rooms so you can get settled.”
“Thanks, Michael,” I smile.
We follow him upstairs to the first floor landing. Nick and I have been given the guest room next to the study and Dad has been put in Michael’s son’s old room a few doors down. Our room is sparse and white with a large double bed and en suite bathroom. The air is heavy with the scent of roses.
“Right,” Michael says, “I’ll leave you guys to freshen up. If you need anything, just give me a shout, okay?”
“Thanks,” Nick smiles. “You’re too kind.”
“Are you okay?” I ask when we’re alone. “I must apologise for my mother’s stinking behaviour. I guess I should have expected this. It’s a lot for her to take in. I mean, she only just met you today and then she hears we’re getting married. It must have knocked her for six, but I guess that’s how most mothers would react. But I’m sure she’ll come around eventually.”
Nick doesn’t reply. Silently, he starts to unpack our clothes, laying everything out neatly on the bed. I watch him for a few seconds. “Darling, please say something,” I implore. “At least let me know what you’re thinking.”
He glances at me with hurt eyes, but continues to remain silent. His expression breaks my heart.
“Nick, please! Just…say something.”
“She hates my guts,” he says quietly. “The moment she laid eyes on me, she hated me. I felt it.”
“No, she doesn’t. She’s just scared of change, that’s all. Once she’s got to know you better, she’ll be fine. You can charm her, Nick. I know you can. I’ve seen you do a hundred times. Don’t tell me you can’t charm her.”
He laughs bitterly. “You really think it’s that simple? We’re dealing with a mother’s intuition here.”
“Oh, come on, I thought you were stronger than this. No one ever said this was going to be easy. Just give it some time and everything will be fine.”
“No it won’t. You saw the way she looked at me. Don’t try to deny it, Carly. I know you did! First, she felt the attraction, that was obvious; it’s in my genetic makeup, part of my lethal design.” He pauses, takes a ragged breath. “She felt the attraction, but then she hated herself for it, and then the feeling became a heavy stone of hatred in her stomach. She sensed something abnormal about me; it practically reeks from every pore of my being, and she sensed it. She knows something’s up and it’s bugging her big time.”
“So what if she does?” I retort. “She’ll never guess the truth in a million years. Look, if we just play it cool we can—”
“I think maybe it was a mistake to come here.” He rakes his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want to cause any rifts between you and your mother.”
“I don’t care what rift it causes. If she can’t be happy for me, then that’s her problem. She’ll just have to deal with it. We made a pact, Nick; we agreed to stick together no matter what. You’re the one I love, the one I want to be with. If she can’t deal with that, then tough! We’re in this together Nick. Please don’t let me down now.”
He turns away and walks over to the window. The sky outside is black as a vampire’s tomb. We stay like that for a while, motionless—our breathing the only sound in the room. Then I come up behind him and softly stroke his back, his shoulders, his arms, trying to calm him, trying to soothe him. Instantly, I sense all his tension melt beneath my fingers, and he lets out a low, frustrated sigh.
“I’m sorry darling,” I whisper. “I know how hard this is, but we’ve just got to face it. Let’s give this one final go, okay? Perhaps we can win her over, but even if we don’t, who cares? At least we can say we gave it a try.”
“Okay,” he replies. “Let’s do this.” Turning around, he grabs my hand and presses it roughly to his cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We return downstairs and find the cutlery laid out for us in the dinning room. My father is already seated, stuffing his face with bread rolls and lashings of butter. “You look beautiful, my dear.”
I glace down at my Minnie Mouse dress. “Thanks, Dad. You don’t look too bad yourself.”
“Make yourself comfortable, guys,” Michael beams, opening theChâteau Begadan Cru Artisan Médoc.
Nick and I take a seat at opposite sides of the table. At that moment, my mother enters the room brandishing a tray of roast parsnips. She places it in the centre of the table. “A word of caution, all the plates are hot. Touch them at your peril.”
