Genevieve wasn’t sure she could. Conflicting emotions were threatening to overthrow her and she was starting to feel stomach cramps. On one level she couldn’t bear to be the cause of a dreadful scandal, the gossip columns would outdo each other in their efforts to blame her. Mention would be made of her notoriously fickle mother. She couldn’t bear to bring pain and humiliation to the perennially light-hearted Colin. He trusted her. He wanted her. She wasn’t absolutely sure he loved her. He certainly hadn’t shown her an excess of passion. She knew that now.
He didn’t like the way she was embroiled in the art scene, either. He gave no sign he was interested in her artistic talent, or indeed any artistic talent at all. She’d once dropped the name Jason Pollock into the conversation and Colin thought he was a property developer. His father, George Garrett, was certain to go ballistic. Even now she could hear his great booming voice in her ears, but George Garrett was the least of her worries.
She felt such a fool. Yes, fool was the right word. And one she had to live with. A fool nursing pure loss.
Blaine, as always, was right. She only wished to God he had never kissed her. Before that it had been so easy to hide from herself. Now she felt thoroughly exposed for what she was, a woman prepared to go through with a marriage because the groom had been extremely nice to her. Of course that could be attributed to the emotional deprivation of her childhood. How could she ever have imagined she was in love with Colin?
She was beginning to wonder if she even knew what love was. Overnight she’d turned into a different woman. She knew the why and when. That was when she should have found the courage to act instead of waiting until three hundred guests had put on their wedding finery and left for the church. She either had to go through with it to avoid a terrible mess or lock herself in her bedroom and refuse to come out. If only she could have spoken to Blaine last night. She had so desperately wanted to.
Weeping inwardly, she realised she had to summon up the strength to wipe Blaine from her mind. Blaine had his own life. His marriage to Sally was coming closer, as Hilary had confided. Genevieve just knew she couldn’t bear to be around when that happened. Blaine was lost to her. The very thought got her moving. An action that had Angel muttering a short prayer of gratitude.
“Party time!” she cried. “I’m not sure if you’re not the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“Some people have all the luck,” Astrid murmured in an aside to Tiffany, which wasn’t exactly the most appropriate response.
“Well, let’s get moving people.” Angel clapped a little sharply. Exquisitely fashioned at a scant five-feet-nothing, Angel was nevertheless temperamental, demanding, something of a bully as Emmy could and did attest. “You look gorgeous, all of you,” she cooed, revelling in her soon to be new status of adored mother-in-law. “One final inspection before you go out the door. I can’t believe the big day has finally arrived.”
Floating down the giant central marble staircase that would have done justice to Scarlett O’Hara, Tiffany wished she’d surrendered to an early desire to talk her friend out of this marriage. “Angel’s euphoria doesn’t appear to have worn off on Genn. She looks like she wants to do a runner,” she whispered to Astrid, who by way of response grabbed Tiffany by her beautiful ballooning sleeve.
“Perfect! If Genn doesn’t want to marry him he can marry me.”
And there was worse to come. Downstairs Blaine Courtland had arrived. He stood in the marble-floored, flower-bedecked entrance hall, peonies, lilac branches, delphinium, roses, perfect carnations, looking upwards with eyes as brilliant as diamonds. He wore the traditional grey frock coat, grey trousers, waistcoat and a sapphire-blue satin cravat with a diamond stickpin, but his stunningly handsome face sported no smile. Indeed it appeared he, too, didn’t feel like a wedding, although it was common knowledge on the grapevine he had paid for the whole thing.
“God, isn’t he brilliant! The cattle baron,” Montana muttered to Penelope. She was thrilled to be moving in such a world of wealth and glamour. “I’m mad about dark smouldering types with a cleft in their chins. Purple passion, you know.” She gave Penelope a rather awful dig in the ribs.
“He’s spoken for, darling,” Penelope reminded her. “Sally Fenwick. Well-known pastoral family. Minor royalty.”
“Wouldn’t we all like to be,” Montana groaned. “But shouldn’t someone remind him it’s a wedding we’re going to. He looks a bit scary. For-mi-dab-leh as the French would say. I tell you, Tiff, there’s something going on.”
It was certainly starting to look like it. Genni didn’t look happy. Neither did her cousin who exactly fitted the picture of the sort of man Genni should have married, Tiffany thought even as she recognised that simply wasn’t on.
For as long as Tiffany had known Genni, coming up twelve years now, Genni had idolized her cousin, although of recent years Genni had confided he had hurt her badly by treating her as though she wasn’t really capable of managing her own affairs. “He can be awfully rough on me!” Tiffany remembered Genni’s exact words. This marriage had to be one of those times. Both young women in their conversations had made extravagant attempts to steer clear of any rapids. It was Angel who had engineered the whole wedding, Tiffany suddenly realised, making glorious lovers out of just good friends.
Her heart labouring in her chest, Genevieve hugged the polished railing as she made her way slowly down the staircase to the magnificent gallery-style entrance hall supported by massive marble columns. Angel was seriously into drama though to Genni’s eyes there was always an over-abundance of everything.
But on this day of all days she didn’t notice the artworks, the soaring fresco ceiling, breathtaking chandelier and grand golden console and mirror with so much ormulu it would have looked a whole lot better at Versailles. She only had eyes for Blaine. Loving him as she now found she did had to be her tragic secret. He looked magnificent but so stern-faced staring up at her, such a glitter to his eyes she felt like she was drowning in a silver lake.
Yet when she finally reached him, as though drawn by a powerful magnet, he bent his crown black head to kiss her cheek. “Hello, cherub,” he murmured. “You look exquisite. I knew you would.” His voice dropped lower, for her ears only. “I want to tell you, Genni, I’ll always be here for you. No matter what happens. I’ll never let anyone hurt you. Or make you unhappy.”
She made a small sound of agony, her violet eyes burning in her pale face. “Oh, Blaine! Why couldn’t I talk to you last night?” she implored.
Instantly his black brows drew together and his lean powerful body radiated a kind of menace. “You wanted to talk to me when you came to the hotel?” he questioned, his voice with an imperative note to it.
Electric tension seemed to be flashing all around them. It was in his face, in his remarkable eyes. She was afraid where it could lead. “It’s all right, Blaine.” Her voice vibrated a little wildly. “All right. It would have been too late anyway.”
“What?” He grasped her two hands and took them firmly in his own. “I need to know what you mean, Genni? Don’t be afraid.”
But I am afraid, she thought passionately. Afraid of you and what you mean to me. Afraid of my own feelings that have grown and grown like some monstrous secret flower.
“All right there, Blaine, Genni?” Angel who had been concentrating on fastening the clasp of her diamond bracelet that matched the sunburst on her shoulder now called, shooting anxious eyes at them. She had always been aware on some deep unprobed level Blaine and her daughter shared an unbreakable bond.
Blaine ignored her, his entire attention focused on Genni. “Genni, you’ve got to tell me the truth.” His voice was low and taut. “Do you love this man?”
There was a moment of rushing silence. It was now or never. Then she remembered Sally. Sally at this year’s celebratory Polo Ball with Blaine’s gorgeous orchid pinned to her evening dress. Sally beaming with pride as people turned to see her and