Philip was as excited about the wedding as he had been about Sallon Silk. There was something single-minded about Philip; when a project lay ahead he was all enthusiasm to complete it. I liked that in him. In fact there was a great deal I liked about Philip. I believed I loved him, though I was not sure. I liked to be with him; I liked to talk to him; and best of all I liked the manner in which he treated me—as though I was very precious and he was going to spend his life looking after me.
Our wedding was to be in April. That gave us five months to prepare.
“There is absolutely no sense in waiting,” said Philip.
Grand’mere had long conversations with him. She talked at great length about “settlements.” I was appalled when I understood what she meant.
“Are you suggesting that Philip should make some payment?” I asked incredulously.
“It is done in France. There people face these facts. On the day you marry Philip he will settle a certain sum upon you and that money is yours … in case anything happens to him.”
” Happens to him?”
“Ah, mon enfant, one never knows. One cannot be too careful. There is an accident… and what is a poor widow to do? Is she to be thrown on the mercy of her husband’s family?”
“It is all so sordid.”
“You must bring a practical mind to these matters. It will not concern you. It will be arranged with the lawyers and Philip and me … for am I not your guardian?”
“Oh, Grand’mere,” I said, “I wish you wouldn’t. I don’t want Philip to have to pay money.”
”It is just a settlement… nothing more. It means that once you are married to him you are safe … secure …”
“But I am not marrying him for that!”
“You are not … but there are those who must watch for your rights. We have to be practical and this is a matter for your guardian and not for you.”
When I was alone with Philip I broached the matter with him.
He said: “Your grandmother is an astute business woman. She knows what she is about. She wants the best for you … and as I do, we are of one mind.”
“But all this talk of settlements is so mercenary.”
“It seems so, but it is the right thing to do. Don’t think about it. Your grandmother shall have what she wants for you. I thought Italy for our honeymoon. When I was in Florence I thought of you often. I kept saying to myself: I must show Lenore that, so this is exactly what I am going to do. So agree that it shall be Florence.”
“You are so good to me, Philip,” I said emotionally.
“That is what I intend to be … always, and you will be good to me. Ours will be the perfect marriage.”
“I hope that I shan’t disappoint you.”
“What nonsense! As if you could! So it is to be Florence then. It is so beautiful. It is the home of the greatest artists in the world. You sense it as you walk through those streets. We’ll go to the opera. That should be a splendid occasion. You shall have a beautiful gown of Sallon Silk. Your grandmother must make it. A special one for the opera.”
I laughed and said: “And you shall have a long black opera cloak and an opera hat … one of those which collapse and spring up and look so splendid.”
“And we shall walk through the streets to our albergo. We shall have a room with a balcony … perhaps overlooking a square and we shall think of the great Florentines who have worked in this unique city and given the world its greatest art.”
“It is going to be wonderful,” I said.
The weeks sped by. I was so happy. I knew that Grand’mere was right. This was the best thing that could have happened to me. Philip was in London a great deal. He was going to take three weeks’ holiday which should be our honeymoon. He could not make it longer.
Then we should come back to The Silk House for a while and later go to London. The house there was used jointly by Charles and Philip. Philip thought that later on we must have a place of our own. I thought so, too. The idea of Charles sharing our home was distasteful to me. I did not trust him. I never should again; and although he seemed to wish to forget that incident in the mausoleum, I could not entirely do so.
Grand’mere was blissfully busy making gowns for me. There was my wedding gown of white satin and Honiton lace. It was far too grand for the simple wedding we planned. But Grand’mere insisted on making it her way. Then there was my trousseau. She had listened to our talk of the honeymoon and how we planned to go to the Italian opera. She made me a dress of blue Sallon Silk and a black velvet cloak to go with it. When Philip came home from London, I wanted him to see it. He came up with something under his arm and when I stood before him in my Sallon Silk gown he unfurled a black cloak and put it on. Then he produced the opera hat.
We laughed. We paraded, arm-in-arm, round Grand’mere’s workroom singing La Traviata. Cassie clasped her hands with glee and Grand’mere watched, happier than I had ever known her before. I guessed she was thinking how different my story was from my mother’s.
It was to be a simple wedding. We both wanted that. There would be very few guests and soon after the ceremony we were to set out on our honeymoon.
Lady Sallonger was growing resigned though she was still a little resentful. “Three weeks,” she said. “It seems such a long lime. We shall have to finish The Woman in White before you go.”
“Miss Logan would read it to you,” I reminded her.
“She gets so hoarse … and she doesn’t put the feeling into it.”
“Cassie …”
“No, Cassie is even worse. She has no expression, and you don’t know whether it is the heroine or the villain talking. Oh dear, I don’t know why people want to have honeymoons. It can be so inconvenient.”
“I am flattered that you miss me so much,” I said.
“I am so helpless now … and with Sir Francis gone … there is no one to look after me.”
“We all look after you as we always did,” I protested. I was on a different status now … no longer merely the granddaughter of someone who worked for them but the prospective daughter-in-law. It gave me standing, and I intended to use it.
And so happily the weeks passed until my wedding day came.
It was a bright April day. The doctor who was a friend of the family “gave me away” and Charles was the best man.
As I stood there with Philip a shaft of sunshine came through the glass windows and shone on the plaque dedicated to that Sallonger who had bought the house and changed its name to Silk. Philip took my hand and put the ring on my finger and we vowed to cherish each other until death did us part.
We came down the aisle to the sound of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March and I caught sight of Grand’mere’s beaming face as I passed.
Then we went back to The Silk House and there was a small reception for the guests. We were congratulated and well-wished; and in due course it was time for us to prepare to leave.
Grand’mere was with me in my bedroom; she helped me out of my splendid wedding gown and into the dark blue alpaca coat and skirt which she had deemed ideal for travelling.
When I was ready she was beaming with pride and joy.
“You look beautiful,” she said, “and this is the happiest moment of my life.”
Then Philip and I set out for Florence.
They were days to treasure and remember for ever. I was happy. I now had no doubt whatsoever that Grand’mere had been right when she was eager for me to marry Philip. Now that we were in truth lovers, I had discovered a new happiness which was a revelation to me. This closeness to another person, this newly found intimacy was exciting, exhilarating and wonderful. I had never been lonely. Grand’mere had always been there, the centre of my life; but now there was Philip, and with him I had this special relationship. Philip was so good to me, anxious to make me happy. I was his first consideration. It made me feel humble in a way and very contented to be so loved. Grand’mere had known how it would be and that was why she had been so anxious for me to marry Philip.