Lizzie Marshall's Wedding (25 page)

Jess and Susie arrived at eight-thirty, also bearing gifts for Lily, who was using Max as a jump for her pony, when they opened the door.

‘That’s what I like to see,’ Jess said, ‘a man on his knees.’

‘The cavalry’s arrived,’ Max said, grinning up at them. ‘Good morning you two.’

‘You look rough; long night?’ Jess asked.

‘Too many bottles,’ Max replied. ‘But the wedding’s back on, so it was a small price to pay.’

‘Thank God for that,’ Jess said picking Lily up and swinging her around in the air. ‘Happy birthday darling.’

‘You look gorgeous Lily,’ Susie said, noticing the princess outfit she was wearing.

‘I’m a princess. Mummy and Max bought me a princess dress!’

‘So I see.’

‘I’ll be off then,’ Max said, getting to his feet. I’ll see you all later. Have fun.’ He kissed Lily on her head, lifting her tiara up to do so then he gave Becky a quick kiss on the lips.

‘I’ll see you out,’ she said walking to the door with him and giving him a long, lingering kiss after pulling the door shut behind them. ‘Thank you so much for all this Max. You don’t know how much it means to me.’

He held her eyes with his and smiled. ‘It means a lot to me too,’ he said then strode off down the path, his headache clearly long forgotten.

Becky watched him get into the Range Rover and waved to him as he drove off then she dashed back into the sitting room to see what new presents Lily had received.

‘Did Max buy all these?’ Jess asked looking at the pile of presents scattered all over the floor, whilst Lily was opening presents from her and Susie.

Becky nodded. ‘Yes. But he told Lily they were from both of us. Wasn’t that wonderful of him? Money is still tight, even though I no longer have to repay the banks, and the dress and shoes I’d bought her were really practicalities. I bought her a few little gifts: a toy kitchen set and some colouring books but they were nothing compared to Max’s.’

‘That was good of him,’ Susie agreed. ‘But Lily wouldn’t have made comparisons Becky; you know that.’

Becky nodded. ‘I know. And I was a little worried that she might think every birthday will be like this one but Max said it was a special birthday because she is five.’

‘Oh dear,’ Jess said, ‘we’re not back to thinking he’s not going to stick around are we? Has something happened?’

‘No!’ Becky said. ‘Quite the opposite really – but that’s the problem. It’s all too good to be true.’

She saw the look pass between Jess and Susie and held up her hands. ‘I know; I’m being maudlin. I’m sorry. But you know Lily’s birthday always does this to me. It brings back so many memories and ... I always wish my mum could be here and ... okay! I’ll shut-up.’

‘Please do!’ Jess said, giving her a playful shove. Your life has turned a corner Becky. The bad times are over. Memories are lovely but today is about having fun, right?’

‘Right,’ Becky said, watching Lily tear open her presents with unbridled delight.

Max returned in the afternoon to help ferry Lily’s party guests up to the Hall. Becky knew that, despite her protestations that it was too much, he’d organised party games including a Treasure Hunt, a Bouncy Castle – Lily was a princess today after all – and a Magician.

Lizzie and Jack joined in the fun; they’d bought Lily a pair of “magic” red shoes, from Susie’s shop, and Gerald Merriton who’d arrived that morning, for the weekend, bought Lily a magnificent Doll’s House. Margaret gave her a silver, charm bracelet and Victoria gave her a musical jewellery box.

Lily pronounced that this was the “bestest” birthday she had ever had and that she was such a lucky girl ‘cos not all little girls got presents, so when the Magician called Becky and Lily up to help with his final trick and a real pony appeared for Lily from behind a black and silver screen, it wasn’t just Lily who burst into tears of joy.

‘Max! This really is too much!’ Becky was almost annoyed.

‘I’ve told Lily several times that it’s only because she’s five that she’s getting so many presents and that may not always be the case.’

‘It’s not just the amount of presents Max. A pony!'

‘It’ll be stabled here as soon as the stable block is restored, until then, it’ll be kept at the stables I bought it from and I’ll take Lily there when she wants to go. And, as I know this will have immediately jumped into your head despite the fact that everything is going perfectly between us – if you dump me, the pony will still be hers and remain here with everything paid for by me. It’s a lifelong present.’

‘The thought hadn’t even occurred to me!’ she said, even though it had. She knew she should have been thrilled, but she was a little disappointed that he had made provisions for the pony in the event of them splitting up, especially as she knew, it was unlikely to be her doing the “dumping”.

She watched as Lily threw herself into his arms, watched him lift her in the air and spin her around, watched him put her on the pony and lead them in a small circle to the shrieks of delight and envy of her friends and she felt her heart slowly breaking. She’d been so deliriously happy for the last few weeks, so completely and utterly in love and although she kept reminding herself that it could end, she hadn’t fully appreciated the impact it would have if it did. All her past sorrows would pale into nothing compared with the total and utter devastation she’d feel if Max Bedford walked out of her life and not just her, Lily would feel it too.

‘I never thought I’d see the day when Max would be so happy leading a little girl on a pony.’ Lizzie was standing beside her and she slipped her arm through Becky’s as if they’d been friends for life.

Becky quickly wiped away the tear that trickled down her face but not before Lizzie had clearly spotted it.

‘It’s all very emotional,’ she said. ‘I even sobbed a bit myself.’

‘Yes. Yes it is.’ She didn’t want Lizzie to know what she was really thinking. That being with Max made her feel part of a family again and she hadn’t felt that in a very long time. That she was terrified of the thought of losing him and that even Lily wouldn’t be able to fill the gaping hole his absence would leave.

‘Mummy! Mummy! Look!’

She saw Lily’s beaming smile and shook herself from her depressing thoughts. There were no guarantees in life but today Max was there, her child was safe and well and ecstatically happy and for now, that was all that mattered.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Easter came and went. Becky organised a giant Easter egg hunt at Beckleston Hall, at Margaret’s request, and the entire village attended, which firmly established Margaret and Max as “the Bedfords of Beckleston Hall”.

May Day festivities were held, then a Midsummer’s Day party and Becky began to feel that the house and grounds had been restored to the happy days of her childhood. Only the Summer Fete in July, the Witches Bonfires in October, the Fireworks on Guy Fawkes Night and the Christmas Eve Ball remained and, when she mentioned it to Margaret in passing one day, she was both surprised and pleased when Margaret said, ‘What a good idea. I’ll leave all the arrangements to you’.

It was the end of June so getting a Fete organised and held in less than a month was a bit of a challenge, even for Becky and there were still a few things to do for Lizzie’s wedding in August but she pulled out all the stops, got Jess, Susie and Max fully involved and on Saturday the 28th of July, the Fete was in full swing.

‘Another successful event by my favourite Events Organiser,’ Max said, holding her in his arms whilst the prizes for “the best hat” were being awarded.

Susie won and Becky and Max clapped and whistled in support, matched only in their enthusiasm by the vicar, who was standing close by.

‘Why don’t you do us all a favour Ben and take the woman on a date,’ Max said.

Becky was astonished, not just because Max should speak to the vicar in such a way but also because she didn’t even know his name was Ben.

‘I’m sure Susie wouldn’t have the slightest interest in going out with me,’ Ben replied.

‘Well you’ll never know unless you ask her and, I think I can almost guarantee, you’re wrong. In fact I can guarantee it, and so can Becky.’

Ben’s eyes shot to Becky’s face and she was surprised to see the vicar blush. She nodded in agreement. ‘Ask her; she’ll say yes.’ She had never seen him move so fast.

‘Well,’ Max said a self-satisfied grin on his face, ‘only Jess to go now and then I think I can safely say my demigod powers are still working.’

‘Why didn’t Horace formally adopt you?’ Max asked the day after the Fete.

He and Becky were sitting on the terrace at Beckleston Hall sharing a bottle of wine and watching the sunset.

A warm breeze danced around them to the songs of chirping crickets and ribbons of red, pink and purple unfurled across a darkening blue-grey sky.

Lily was at a sleep-over at a friend’s in the village. It was her first and Becky had been nervous about letting her go but Max reminded her that they were only minutes away; she may be five but she was going on fifteen; and she was spending the night with three other five year olds and two very responsible adults, not going to a rave, so Becky had relented.

‘Sorry Max, I was wondering if Lily was asleep by now, what did you say?’

He smiled, reached out his hand and gave hers a squeeze, then repeated the question.

Margaret had just given Becky Horace’s diaries back and they’d been flicking through them comparing the parties of old, to the recent ones.

‘I don’t know. I was still young at the time, maybe seven or eight so I wasn’t involved in any of the conversations but I can remember him talking about it to both me and my mother. He seemed very keen but she was holding back for some reason and, although they didn’t actually argue, I did hear one rather heated discussion where he said something about it feeling as if mum didn’t want him to be my father. They both got upset, I remember. A few months later, they changed my surname, legally but that was it.’

‘And the diaries don’t give a reason?’

‘No. And that’s really weird, because he writes so enthusiastically about the possibility of adopting me – it was obviously as he thought of it and before he discussed it with mum. He mentions the night of the “row” and says he was shocked and hurt but that he loves us both and that’s really all that matters but he doesn’t say what the “row” was about or why he can’t go ahead with the adoption.  After that, he never mentions it until he writes about changing my name and he says, that’ll have to suffice. He thinks of me as his daughter. I love him as my father. That is enough. And that’s it.’

‘How odd. What was your surname?’

‘Grant. I was christened Rebecca Lily Grant.’

Max raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘I didn’t know your middle name was Lily! So, your mum was Lily, you’re a Lily and Lily’s a Lily. Was your grandmother a Lily too?’

‘Don’t make fun of me Maximillian Royston Pollard Bedford.’ She saw his questioning look. ‘Margaret told me, and yes, my grandmother was a Lily too. Julia Lily.’

He grinned. ‘It seems our forebears believed in keeping it in the family, as far as names go. I’m named after my paternal grandfather, my dad, and mum’s surname. You do realise don’t you that this means that at least one of our twenty children is going to be called either Royston Pollard Maximillian or Pollard Maximillian Royston.’

‘I’m not sure she’ll be pleased,’ Becky joked.

He leaned across grinning and kissed her on the lips. ‘Our son, Margaret Rebecca Lily will persuade her to get used to it. So, does the Rebecca come from your father’s side?’

Becky studied the contents of her glass. ‘I ... I don’t know. I don’t know anything about my father’s side of the family.’

‘Really? Nothing at all? Didn’t your mother ever talk about them? Didn’t your grandparents send you birthday cards or anything? I can understand – well I can’t but you know what I mean – your father not sending them, if he abandoned you and your mother but surely grandparents ...?’

Becky shook her head. ‘All I know is my father’s name – and that’s only because it’s on my birth certificate. He was Peter Robert Grant. Mum wouldn’t talk about him – ever. I didn’t push it, to be honest. It made her unhappy when I asked and she’d say that I had a father and I shouldn’t dig up the past, so I didn’t. I loved Horace and to all intents and purposes, he was my father. Jeremy did suggest I should try and find him once but ... for some reason, I didn’t want to.’

‘You thought you might find something you didn’t like?’

‘Or someone. There was something about mum’s face when I mentioned him, a cross between fear and sorrow. I can’t really explain it. She said she had no idea where he was and my paternal grandparents were dead. I know we lived abroad though. I was born in England, Brighton to be precise but when we came here – to live with mum’s great-aunt – we came on a ship, and it was a long journey. Of course, to a five year old everything seems bigger and to take longer than it is in reality but we were on board for several nights, at least.’

‘Wow! It seems there’s still so much I don’t know about you, Rebecca Lily.’

Her eyes shot to his face.

‘Don’t look so worried Fifi; it means we’ll still have plenty to talk about when we’re in our eighties.’

He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb across her fingers. ‘We could do a search on the internet if you like; see if it throws up anything. It’s entirely up to you.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The following weekend Lizzie and Jack; Jane, Lizzie’s best friend and bridesmaid, and Phil, Jack’s best man, came to stay at the Hall.

Becky had arranged a mini wedding rehearsal for the Saturday and Lizzie and Jane were also having their dress fittings with Susie. Final decisions had to be made about the flowers and the menus, and guest rooms selected for those of the wedding party staying at the Hall.

‘I don’t remember there being this much fuss for my wedding,’ Max said rather tactlessly on Friday morning as Becky checked and re-checked her list of things to do.