I should not see him again until we married.
Back at Cador there was no talk of anything but the coming wedding. Morwenna had had her ceremony. They had thought it best to have the whole thing completed so that they would feel that Morwenna was really married and they could not feel that until the ceremony in St Ervan’s took place. So there were hasty preparations. Morwenna had her white gown and orange blossom; she was married in the church and many returned to Pencarron to take part in the reception.
I wished I had been there in time to participate.
“Never mind,” said Morwenna, “I shall certainly come to yours.”
She was like a different person. There was no doubt that she was happy and, as she had never expected to be, she enjoyed it all the more. In those days she went about in a state of dazed bliss. Justin was very tender to her. I liked him for that, although I could not rid myself of the idea which Uncle Peter had sown in my mind that he might be an adventurer. The Pencarrons were certainly very wealthy and Morwenna was their only child. Marriage with her must seem a good proposition to any needy young man seeking an heiress.
But when his father-in-law offered to take him into the business he politely declined. He was grateful. It was a great honor, Morwenna told me he said, but he could not do it.
“He is so noble,” she went on. “He says he wants to support his wife without the help of her father. He can do it, and although she may not be as rich in her new life as she was with her parents, she would be well looked after. Wasn’t that wonderful of him? You see, he is so used to living in town. He wouldn’t fit into a rural society.”
“I can see that,” I said.
“He’s like Gervaise. You couldn’t see him in the country either, could you?”
I admitted she was right.
“Pa has offered to give us a house in London for a wedding present but he is having difficulty in getting Justin to agree to take it. You see, he doesn’t want to take anything.”
“Where was he living then?” I asked.
“In a hotel.”
“He could hardly expect you to live in a hotel.”
“No. So I think that for my sake he will accept Pa’s offer. They don’t really want me to go to London. They would like us to settle here.”
“What do you feel about it, Morwenna?”
“Oh, I want to be where Justin is. Mother and Pa can come up and stay with us … often. And we can come down here.”
“It sounds like a good arrangement. And you are very happy, aren’t you, Morwenna?”
She nodded. “Life is wonderful,” she said. “So unexpected. Those awful balls … those dinner parties. I never knew what to say to anybody and I would sit there feeling that everyone was trying to think up excuses to get away from me.”
“And Justin changed all that.”
“He was quite different from anyone else. He really wanted to be with me. He listened to what I had to say. He made me feel that I was interesting. It has changed everything.”
“I hope you will always be as happy as you are now, Morwenna.”
“I shall always be happy as long as I have Justin.”
I thought: The man is a miracle worker. He has changed her completely. Or is it simply Love?
The weeks flew by. My wedding dress was ready. We had it made in Plymouth. It lacked the grandeur of my court dress but it was very beautiful. There was my veil and orange blossom. I should be the typical bride.
As Morwenna had been, I was married in St Ervan’s. My father gave me away and Morwenna was my matron of honor. Gervaise was a very handsome bridegroom and I was proud of him. The reception followed, toasts were drunk and, with the help of Gervaise, I cut the cake. We left the guests while I went up to change into my going-away costume.
Grace and my mother were with me. My mother was emotional as most mothers are when their daughters get married. I suppose they think the relationship will never be the same again, and they have lost some part of a daughter to a stranger.
I threw my arms about her, remembering all we had been to one another.
I said: “We are going to see each other often. I shall come to Cador and you must come to London.”
She nodded, too tearful to speak.
We were to live in London. My parents, as the Pencarrons had with Morwenna, were presenting us with a house as a wedding present. It seemed the most sensible of gifts to a married pair who had to find a home for themselves. Morwenna and I promised each other that we would have an exciting time helping each other to choose our new homes; and one thing which delighted us was that we should be neighbors.
The prospect ahead seemed full of pleasure; and in the meantime Gervaise and I were about to leave on our honeymoon which was to be spent in the South of France.
Grace patted the sleeve of my jacket and smoothed the skirt. We had bought it in London and she had helped to choose it. I felt it was very elegant and there was a little hat with a curling blue-tinted ostrich feather with it.
“You look lovely,” said my mother. “Doesn’t she, Grace?”
Grace agreed.
And then I went down to Gervaise who was waiting for me and whose looks told me that he agreed with them.
When we arrived at the station the train was already in. We had a first-class carriage to ourselves.
“How fortunate!” I cried.
“Arranged,” said Gervaise, “with Machiavellian cunning.”
And we were laughing together.
We were to stay the first night in a London hotel before we continued our journey the next day.
“It will be the first time I have ever been out of England,” I said.
“Is that why you are so excited?”
“The sole reason,” I told him.
“Angelet,” he said severely, “you must not tell your husband lies.”
“What will you do if I decide I shall?”
“I shall be forced to take drastic action.”
“Such as?”
“You’ll find out.”
And so we bantered.
The journey, which had previously always seemed so long, now seemed quite short; and there we were coming into Paddington Station.
I was full of admiration for the manner in which Gervaise guided me through, having summoned a porter to take the baggage. Soon we were in a cab.
What a man of the world! I thought proudly.
Our room overlooked the Park. It was quite a splendid room with heavy brocade curtains, gilded furniture and a bed which I imagined could have been used by Louis XIV.
“The bridal suite,” announced Gervaise. “All arranged efficiently by your father, I must tell you.”
“He didn’t tell me.”
“No, it was to be a surprise.”
“It’s very grand.”
“Well, it is our wedding night.”
I changed into a dinner dress and we went down to dine. Eager-to-please waiters hovered; the discreet music was delightful; and Gervaise was sitting opposite me telling me how much he loved me.
It was a beautiful night. There was a moon which seemed suitable for the occasion. From the balcony we could look over the Park which seemed to have become mysterious and unreal. He put an arm about me, his fingers caressing my neck. Then he took the pins from my hair and let it fall about my shoulders.
He drew me back into the room. He took my face in his hands and said: “For so long I have waited for you, Angelet. I have wanted you so much. You wouldn’t understand …”
Then he kissed me as he had never kissed me before. I felt startled. I was innocent but not ignorant. I knew of the relationships between the sexes in theory. It should be something precious; it made a bond between people, such as that between my parents, Helena and Matthew, Uncle Peter and Aunt Amaryllis. It was easy to see there was this special bond between them. But there was another side to it. There was something I had glimpsed on that never-to-be-forgotten day there at the pool.