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I nod and ask if she knows what it’s all about, but she shakes her head, and her bottom lip juts out slightly as she tries to think what it could be. ‘No, he didn’t mention. Hotel business, no doubt. I’m just so happy you’re here. I’ll let you two have your meeting in peace and then I thought we might all have lunch together afterwards, if you have time?’
I say that sounds perfect and after dropping a quick kiss onto her forehead, I stride off in search of my legendary grandfather, Arthur Rochester.
Albert, the butler, who is as much a part of the Greystone furniture as my grandfather, stands holding the front door open. ‘Good morning, sir,’ he says in his characteristic formal manner even though he’s known me since I was born.
‘Morning Albert. Good to see you. You well?’
Albert tells me that Bessie—his wife and head cook—has made Daisy’s favourite cake for me to take home, so I promise to stop by the kitchens before I leave.
‘In the library, is he?’ I ask.
I tap on the door and hear Grandfather’s deep voice. ‘Enter.’
And I’m met with a swirl of apricot loveliness as Honey the cockapoo, Grandfather’s most loyal companion flies across the room and hurls herself at me, yelping and jumping up to lick my face frantically.
‘There you are my sweet girl.’ I bend down and make a fuss of her, stroking her silky ears and tickling her soft warm tummy until gradually she calms down. I raise my eyes and see my grandfather is on his feet, a smile on his face.
‘Morning Grandfather.’ I cross the room swiftly and we embrace before he sits back down in his chair, and I face him from the comfort of the Chesterfield.
He thanks me for coming so soon and asks after his great-granddaughter. I tell him about how well Daisy has settled in at school and promise to bring her to visit in the summer holidays. He asks me about our new hotel that has been delayed but is due to open in the next couple of weeks.
After a few minutes of business chitchat, I relax and assume he must have just wanted to talk to me in person about the Cannes hotel opening. He’s old school and likes to see people face-to-face, when possible. I must have read more into the purpose of the visit, and my stomach grumbles and idly I wonder what Bessie has made us to eat.
‘Mother wants us to lunch together, so I’ll shoot off after that, if that’s okay. I want to be back in time to see Daisy when she gets home from school.’
Grandfather nods amiably and I’m relieved to be off the hook. We’ll have a leisurely lunch, and then I’ll head back to Richmond before rush hour. It’ll be a perfect day away from the office.
Nathalie’s face reappears in my mind, and I imagine her and Daisy sitting at the table in the breakfast room where Daisy has taken to doing her homework under Nathalie’s supervision. She’s even started teaching her a bit of French and Daisy’s picking it up quickly.
But then I notice a shadow cross Grandfather’s face. ‘There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,’ he says, and his voice is sombre.
My heartbeat speeds up. Oh-oh, here we go. Grandfather, although a kind man, has a reputation for being single-minded when he decides on a course of action. For this reason, my siblings and I do all we can to avoid being in his firing line. We keep our heads down, so he doesn’t feel the need to interfere in our lives. We have to report to him and the board on business matters, which is fair enough, but we try to keep him away from our private affairs and personal lives.
And some of my brothers have more affairs than others… Personally, I’ve not had anything of this nature to discuss with him since the divorce was signed and sealed, and that’s how I like it.
Just as I think he’s about to bring up Damian, and I’m wondering how to sidestep being wedged back into an awkward spot between Grandfather and my brother, he says something completely unexpected.
His words knock the wind out of me. Immediately, I sense he’s not talking about Damian.
‘I won’t beat around the bush. I’m sure you’ve been expecting this,’ he says.
What? This sounds ominous, and now my heart thuds hard and fast.
I sit up straight and prepare myself for what’s coming my way, clearing my throat as my eyes meet his. ‘I don’t know what you’re referring to.’
He raises an eyebrow and studies my face, and then sighs.
‘I was hoping not to have to bring this up, but as you’re showing no signs of dating someone suitable, never mind remarrying, I’m afraid it’s time for me to help matters along.’
Oh fuck. Arranged marriage alert!
I remain silent because honestly, I’m lost for words and fear I will only make it worse if I tell him how I really feel about the prospect of an arranged marriage. It’s afait accomplithat my siblings and I must marry and do our best to continue the Rochester line. That might sound simple enough, but that’s not all there is to it, unfortunately. Grandfather must approve of our marriages, and if he doesn’t give the stamp of approval to our chosen match, we stand to lose our seat on the board and the shares in the company that we should inherit upon his death.
We receive access to our trust funds when we reach the age of twenty-one, so we’re already wealthy in our own right by most people’s standards. But after the divorce, my grandfather alluded to the fact that he expects me to remarry and next time, he will be more involved in helping me choose a suitable wife.
The implication was I fucked up in a major way with my former wife, and he won’t let me do the same again. All this time, I’ve been thinking it was a vague threat to keep me in line, not something he was waiting to spring on me.
Finally, I manage to construct a sentence and hear the words come out of my mouth and I know he won’t like them. ‘But I already have a child and am fine as I am. I have no wish to remarry.’
