‘It was a powerful feeling I had after I’d seen you in the bookshop. I was absolutely positive we would meet again. I often get strong feelings about certain things, they’re almost premonitions. My mother says I’m psychic, my father says I’m a witch.’ She sighed lightly, and stroked his cheek, and then whispered, ‘Que sera sera.’
‘What will be will be,’ Maxim translated, bent over her and kissed her gently, and he held her very tightly in his arms. He never wanted to let her go. They belonged together she and he. Two halves come together to make the whole.
And in the rose garden at that moment something was settled between them, and they both understood this, unspoken though it was.
FORTY-TWO
‘I’m going to marry my beautiful dreamer,’ Maxim announced suddenly, turning slightly in the plane seat to face Alan Trenton. The two men were on the early morning flight to London on Monday morning, following their long weekend in Paris.
Stubby returned his friend’s unblinking gaze, and eventually said, ‘Yes, I know. In fact, I knew on Saturday night.’
‘Good God!’ Maxim exclaimed, ‘we were that obvious?’
‘To me at least. I can recognise love at first sight when I witness it… a coup de foudre, as the French say.’
‘Struck by lightning is right, old son. I’ve fallen terribly in love with her. I want her to be my wife, and the mother of my children, and I fully intend to spend the rest of my life with her. I’ll let you into a secret, Stubby, the thought of being apart from her makes me feel genuinely quite ill.’ Maxim shook his head. ‘I’ve never felt like this before, I’m afraid I’ve fallen very hard.’
‘I can understand why, Duke, she’s a beautiful girl, and she has a lovely warm and outgoing personality.’ Stubby hesitated a moment, and then he added quietly, ‘She is very young, of course.’
‘That’s true; on the other hand, at eighteen she’s still malleable.’
‘I wouldn’t be too sure. Anastasia might not be quite as pliable as you imagine her to be.’
Maxim raised a dark brow, gave Stubby one of his sharp and penetrating glances. ‘What makes you say that?’
‘From what I observed on Saturday night. For one thing, I think she has a lot of character, and strength of will… I bet you anything she’s as stubborn as hell. Also, the girl’s clever, brilliant actually. A lot of things came back to me this weekend, things I’d heard about the Derevenko girl, indirectly, from my parents. She’s apparently an outstanding student, remarkably intelligent, and she’s also artistically talented like her mother, who by the way is a very well-known and highly thought of interior designer in Paris, in case you didn’t know.’
‘Anastasia didn’t mention that. I suspect we were too busy talking about ourselves.’
‘In short, the girl is exceptional, Maxim. I’m certain she’s not the submissive type.’
‘Oh I agree with you, Stubby, and I’m glad she isn’t. Submissiveness is not a trait I especially require in a woman, you of all people ought to realise that by now. When I used the word malleable what I meant was a woman who was not set in her ways or rigid, one who was flexible, ready to learn. I want a woman who can keep abreast with me, grow as I grow. I don’t want a woman made of putty, one that I can mould into exactly what I want her to be.’
Don’t you? Stubby wondered, but said, ‘Then I believe that in Anastasia you have found your ideal woman.’ Stubby shifted slightly in his seat, leaned closer, and asked, ‘You say you’re going to marry her. But what about her parents? I mean, won’t they feel she’s a bit young to be getting married this year?’
‘Absolutely. But Anastasia thinks we can plan it for next year, when she’s nineteen.’
‘So you’ve already proposed?’ It was Alan’s turn to raise a brow.
Maxim chuckled. ‘More or less, in a slightly flippant way on Saturday night. But she knew I meant it, and I knew she meant it, when she said she was as serious as I was. We have an understanding, Alan. We really do.’ Maxim paused to glance out of the plane window, instantly swung his eyes back to his friend and finished, ‘It’s a quite extraordinary thing, but she and I are truly on the same wavelength.’
‘Lucky blighter! I hope I can have that sort of relationship with a woman one day, feel so close and involved.’
‘You will, I’ve no doubt. What about Camilla Galland? You seemed quite cosy with her on Saturday night, and then you had a date with her on Sunday. Aren’t you interested in her?’
‘I could be, given half the chance. But she’s not champing at the bit as far as I’m concerned.’
‘Is there a man in her life?’
‘I gather there isn’t, and that there hasn’t been for a long time. Seemingly she was involved with someone, and very much so. But he died. Suddenly, unexpectedly. She’s an interesting woman, Duke, and not at all like one might expect, given her glamorous looks and all that jazz. She’s rather deep and reflective, has quite an intellectual turn of mind, and I discovered this weekend that she’s very sensitive in so many different ways, not a bit the dumb blonde starlet.’
‘I didn’t think she was. She’s far too good a stage actress to be dumb. Anyway, since she’s not involved with anyone, you could ask her out again, couldn’t you?’
‘I have issued another invitation,’ Stubby confessed, grinning sheepishly, ‘and she accepted. We’re having dinner at Les A. on Friday.’
Maxim punched his arm lightly and laughed. ‘Now why did I ever think you’d let the grass grow under your feet, you Don Juan you!’
‘Hang on a minute, I’m not the playboy, you are!’
‘That’s pure invention on the part of the British press, and you know it!’ Maxim protested with quiet vehemence, giving Stubby a fierce glance. He resented terribly this label which had been erroneously pinned on him, and always reacted defensively even when it was mentioned in jest, had not yet developed a sense of humour about it.
‘I know, I know,’ Stubby exclaimed swiftly, sounding apologetic, ‘don’t get your knickers in a twist. I was only kidding. And when are you going back to Paris to see your lady love?’
‘This weekend. But not to Paris. To Cannes. Anastasia and her mother are going down to their villa on Wednesday, so I thought I’d hop on a plane myself on Friday morning, pop down to the Cote d’Azur for a long weekend.’
‘Are you staying with them?’
‘Wasn’t invited, Stubbs.’
‘You can stay at my parents’ villa if you wish. After all, it’s standing there fully staffed, and with no one in it.’
‘Thanks, I appreciate the offer, but no thanks. I’m going to book a suite at the Carlton Hotel. It’s more convenient.’
‘If you change your mind, let me know.’ Stubby leaned back in the plane seat and then abruptly sat up, looked across at Maxim and said, ‘How can you leave on Friday morning? I thought you had an appointment in Sheffield that day, with the managing director of Hardcastle Silversmiths? About buying the company?’
‘Yes, I do, but I intend to change it. I’ll go up to Yorkshire on Thursday. There won’t be a problem.’
Stubby exclaimed, ‘That clinches it then?’
‘What does?’ Maxim looked baffled.
‘The fact that you’re putting a woman before a business deal. You’ve never done that before in your entire life. So Anastasia must mean the world to you.’
‘She does, Stubby. And anyway, if I don’t see Anastasia this weekend, I won’t be able to do so until early August.’
‘Why? Aren’t you coming to stay with us in Cannes in July after all?’
‘I’m afraid I can’t make it until the first week of August now, Stubby. I’m sorry about that, but it just can’t be helped. I have to go to Berlin to see Aunt Irina, and then from Berlin I’m flying to New York for three days. I have a meeting with some Wall Street bankers.’
‘It sounds as if you have a tough schedule this month, Duke.’
‘Oh it’s not that bad, and to be honest I sort of thr
ive on it.’ There was a small pause, as Maxim eyed Stubby, and then said, with a huge grin, ‘You will be my best man, won’t you?’
Stubby grinned back. ‘Did you have to ask?’
Maxim sat waiting for Teddy in the Grill Room of the Savoy. The hotel was one of her favourite places, since it had such romantic connotations for her, which was the main reason he had chosen it. He wanted her to be in the right frame of mind when he told her about Anastasia.
He arrived first, and when she appeared in the entrance to the Grill a short while afterwards he could not help but admire her. At forty Teddy had become a truly lovely woman. The years had treated her kindly, and her good marriage to Mark showed in her face, which had the bloom of happiness on it. There was an air of confidence, fulfilment and glowing contentment about her, and her eyes sparkled. Teddy, he thought, my dearest, dearest Teddy. Whatever would I have done without you? When I was growing up you were the rock of my life, and you’ve always been there for me, no matter what. He loved her very much, and her approval was very necessary and important to him.
Maxim rose as she came towards him, escorted by the head waiter, and he noted how chic she looked in her beautiful navy-blue linen Givenchy suit with a floppy silk rose on one shoulder, a smart little white hat and white gloves.
‘You look stunning, Teddy,’ he said as she came to a standstill, and he kissed her cheek.
‘Thank you, Maxim dear,’ she answered with a bright and loving smile, sitting down, pulling off her kid gloves. ‘And you don’t look too bad yourself. You must have had a restful weekend in Paris.’
He smiled. ‘What would you like?’
She eyed his glass. ‘If that’s tonic water, which I feel certain it is, I’d like the same, please.’
After ordering the tonic water for her, he leaned closer and said, ‘I’m going to see Aunt Irina in about a week. Would you like to come to Berlin with me?’
‘Oh Maxim I’d love to!’ Teddy exclaimed and then made a small moue with her mouth. ‘And I really do wish I could. But I can’t. Mark and I have had a little holiday planned for ages. Just the two of us, without the children. We’re going to Donegal, to stay at Dromlochan. You know, the Pells’ house where we spent our honeymoon. The dates will clash, I’m afraid. But I have a couple of things for Irina, if you wouldn’t mind taking them with you.’
‘Of course not.’ He cleared his throat, looked at her closely and said, ‘Teddy, there’s something I want to tell you.’
He sounded so serious she stared hard at him and a small frown puckered her brow. ‘What? What is it? Is something wrong?’
‘Not at all… I’ve met someone. I’m going to marry her.’
Teddy’s face lit up. ‘Oh darling, I’m so happy for you. Who is she? And why haven’t we met her, if you’re so serious about her? Why haven’t you brought her home to Eaton Square for dinner?’
‘I only just met her, Teddy.’
‘When?’ She sat back slightly in the chair, her head on one side, and looked at him quizzically.
At this moment the tonic water was placed in front of her by the waiter, and Maxim waited until they were alone before he responded to her question.
He said, ‘It all happened this past weekend. Friday. Well, I saw her on Friday, I didn’t actually meet her until Saturday.’
‘But it’s only Wednesday!’
‘Nevertheless, I know what I feel. It’s something I’ve never felt before. She’s the one. The only one.’
Teddy was so flabbergasted she simply sat staring at him; there were no words.
Maxim said, ‘You’re going to love her, I know you are, Teddy. She’s just the sort of girl you’ve always wanted for me.’
‘Oh Maxim darling, it’s so… so… fast. How could you possibly know, or be sure…’
‘How long did it take you to realise what you felt about Mark, when you met him?’ Maxim asked softly, giving her a pointed stare.
She was silent, thoughtful for a long moment. ‘Well, you have me there, I suppose. Just a few hours… well, a few days at the most.’
‘Exactly! One always knows how one feels about another person within a short time, Teddy. A very short time in my experience.’
‘That’s true.’
‘And in any case, I’m not planning to marry her tomorrow, so we’ll have a chance to get to know each other better.’
‘When are you thinking of getting married?’
‘Next summer. We have to wait until then. You see, she’s only eighteen.’
Teddy was even more startled, although she tried to conceal this. But she did not succeed very well, and after taking a sip of the tonic water she put the glass down on the table, and gave Maxim a very direct look. ‘Who is she?’ she asked at last.
‘Her name is Anastasia Derevenko,’ he began, and then proceeded to tell Teddy how they had met, and everything there was to know about Anastasia.
When he had finished, Teddy said, ‘I can’t wait to meet her. She is obviously a very exceptional young woman, from what you say, and comes from a very good family. I—’
‘They’re not Jewish, Teddy,’ he said quietly, quickly cutting in, ‘Just in case you think they’re Russian Jews—Ashkenazim—they’re not.’
‘Oh.’
‘I hope that’s not going to upset you, or trouble you.’ Maxim put one hand on her arm as he spoke, and his dark eyes, levelled on hers, were searching.
Teddy sat very still, returning his piercing stare. Finally she said slowly, ‘No, I don’t suppose it does disturb me too much. I would have liked you to marry a Jewish girl, of course. It’s always so much easier bringing up children when the parents are of the same faith, but to me your happiness is more important than anything else. If Anastasia is going to make you happy, then so be it.’ Her smile was full of love, as she added, ‘After all, you could marry a Jewish girl and end up being miserable. It’s better that you marry a Gentile girl and have happiness.’
Maxim filled with relief, and the strained look of a moment ago instantly left his face. ‘I knew I could count on you, my darling Teddy. I knew you would view the situation most intelligently, and not let religion cloud the issue. After all, you never pushed it down my throat when I was growing up, and Mark isn’t particularly religious, is he?’
‘No, nor has he ever been, as you well know. He never insisted that you be Bar Mitzvahed, for example. Still, even though his parents are Reform, they are quite religious, traditional. And you know Aunt Ketti is, Maxim. But let’s not worry about them, you’re twenty-five years old, and if anybody knows what they’re doing, it’s you.’ Besides, she said to herself, I don’t give much thought to religion these days. Not after what God has done to us. God abandoned the Jews a long time ago. If there is a God, and I can’t but ponder that, when I think about the Holocaust.
Maxim reached out and squeezed her hand. ‘Thank you, Teddy. And thank you for being you. There’s just no one like you, there really isn’t.’
‘I can say the same about you, darling. And so, getting back to Anastasia, I give you my blessing, and so will Mark, I know. Now, most importantly, when are we going to meet her?’
‘In August. She’s coming to stay with her grandmother who lives not far from you, in Chester Street. I thought you could give a little dinner at home, just the four of us. Unless you want to go out somewhere?’
‘We can decide that later, can’t we?’
Maxim nodded. ‘Are you busy immediately after lunch?’
‘Not really, why do you ask?’
‘I’d like to get into the safety deposit box at the Rossiter bank, to look at Mutti’s diamond ring. Perhaps Mark could have it cleaned and remounted. You see, I’d thought of giving it to Anastasia as her engagement ring.’
‘What a lovely idea, Maxim. We can go to the bank straight from here, and whilst we’re there today I wish you’d take over that box. I’ve been asking you to do so for ages, I don’t know why you won’t.’
‘It’s such a nuisance, I
prefer to leave it in your name, Teddy.’
‘The box should be in yours,’ she insisted.
‘Oh all right then, since you’re making such a fuss. We’ll do it this afternoon.’
‘I’m glad. You should also take a look at your mother’s other jewellery. You may want to give that to Anastasia as well.’
‘Good thought. Now, shall we order lunch?’
‘I think perhaps we’d better, if we want to get to the bank before three.’
Maxim motioned to one of the waiters hovering nearby, who instantly came to the table, proffering the menus.
‘Thank you,’ Teddy said, as she took hers. She buried her head behind it, thinking not of food but of Ursula’s letter written in Paris twenty years ago. Teddy had never been able to give the letter to Maxim, or reveal the contents to him, not even when he was twenty-one. It was still in a second safety deposit box at the bank; long ago she had taken the precaution of separating it from Ursula’s jewellery.
If he’s old enough to marry he’s old enough to have the letter, Teddy now thought. I will give it to him. I must. Yes, I’ll give it to him before he gets married. She experienced such a sudden surge of relief as she made this decision after years of vacillating, it was as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders at long last.
Quickly she scanned the dishes which were listed, looked over the top of the menu and smiled at Maxim. ‘I’d like potted shrimp to start with, and then grilled sole.’
‘Snap!’ Maxim exclaimed, laughing. ‘I had just decided on exactly the same.’
After he had ordered for them, they went on talking animatedly, and Teddy revelled in his happiness. Caught up as she was in Maxim and his plans, she put the letter out of her mind, knowing she would deal with it later.
She had no way of knowing then that when Maxim did marry Anastasia she would lose her nerve yet again, and that the letter would remain locked up in the Rossiter Merchant Bank in Berkeley Square, still unread by Maxim.