School of Fortune (41 page)

R
eader, this is your intrepid
Dallas Morning News
society reporter Zarina breaking a white-hot scoop from Fleur-de-Lis. Pippa Walker, wedding dodger par excellence, has just married Cole Madisson (that's Madisson with two s's, as in all the steel in Pennsylvania) one year to the day after they met. Unlike Pippa's last attempt at matrimony, this was a very modest affair. The guest list was small and, shall we say, special. Besides Elmo and Geneva Madisson, the groom's parents, those who witnessed the event were Wyeth McCoy, the wedding planner (didn't do this one, though—way too small!); Lance Henderson, who shocked the world last January by coming out of the closet one day after winning the Super Bowl for the Cowboys (hmmm! think that had anything to do with Pippa's dodging the bullet last time around?); Lance's partner, Woody Woodrow, a “physical” therapist; Ginny Ortlip, just back from the source of the Nile; Officer Vernon Pierce and his bride, former socialite Leigh Bowes, who is expecting a bambino (they met over a Maserati then began ballroom dancing); Mike Strebyzwynkiwicz (where's my aspirin?), inventor from Phoenix whose company, MatchMace, just went public; Olivia Villarubia-Thistleberry of Aspen, who goes nowhere without her six teacup poodles but managed to attach herself within ten seconds to aforementioned inventor; Horatio Jones, someone's antique
butler; two dashing Cub Scout leaders from Philadelphia; and a pair of Russian clowns and their trained bear, Pushkin, who danced with Pippa all night long as her indulgent husband looked on.

The ceremony was performed in the gorgeous “backyard” of Fleur-de-Lis under a canopy that (I cant believe this!) previously served as Pippa's bridal train in her nonwedding to Lance. Sheldon Adelstein, the family lawyer, officiated. Pippa made a decent speech at the altar this time around, mostly thanking her mother for forgiving her. She closed by saying the only thing that would have made the day happier would have been the presence of her grandfather Anson. (We know the old boy was there in spirit!)

The bride wore a simple white dress, the better to show off an heirloom diamond necklace and a sparkly pin spelling
“Cosmo.”
No one at the wedding would reveal what this meant. Pippa also wore cowboy boots with a
HUGE
pair of platinum spurs, a wedding gift from her mother. Go figure! The weather cooperated perfectly. A stunning meal was provided by a chef named Rudi, who specializes in stuffed ptarmigan. For some reason there were lots of Polish pickles on the menu.

Oh! Forgot to mention the brides parents! Robert Walker, delayed at the nineteenth hole, almost missed escorting his daughter up the grassy aisle. I am thrilled to report that Thayne Walker, the mouth that sank a thousand ships, has turned over a new leaf. She was quiet as a mouse throughout the afternoon. A happy mouse, stunning in a gray Saint Laurent jacket and flowing pants of the most exquisite purplish-greenish silk. A little red bird perched on her shoulder—very well behaved—maybe it was stuffed! She did nothing but smile and dab her eyes with a handkerchief as the couple exchanged vows. Perhaps she was thinking about the army of carpenters who will soon be constructing a fifty-thousand-square-foot addition to Fleur-de-Lis for the grandchildren “if and when.”

As for the bridal couple, what can I say? They're in love. They're beautiful. After a nice cozy honeymoon on the Madisson yacht, they'll return to Washington, D.C., where Cole has a top-tier FBI job no one can talk about. Shh-hh-h. Pippa will be taking the reins of the Anson Walker Foundation, which she created last month with a small donation of a billion bucks. The foundation is devoted to family counseling, with particular emphasis on “premarital compatibility education” (whatever that is).

Oh! How could I forget! Proudly on display was a huge diploma from the Mountbatten-Savoy School of Household Management in Aspen. “What did you learn there?” I asked the radiant bride.

“How to fly” she answered. Then Pushkin the dancing bear swept her away.

A special thank-you to Marcelle and Robert Frey.

Our gratitude to Nick and Elizabeth for introductions
and the first dance.