Читать книгу The Night Of The Wedding - Kathryn Ross - Страница 7

WAS Stephen going to propose to her tonight? Kate wondered as she cycled home from work. The idea came into her head from nowhere and with it came a feeling of nervous anticipation, but surprisingly not the burst of joy she would have expected.

Why didn’t the thought make her happy? They had been living together for two years now and they had agreed that if everything worked out they’d get engaged on their second anniversary. Things were working out, weren’t they? Suddenly she wasn’t sure.

Then she felt impatient with herself. Of course things were working out. Stephen was happy in his job now, and her job at the small publishing house of Temple and Tanner was challenging and exciting. And they both loved living in this city.

Amsterdam was bathed in beauty. The tall, majestic buildings glowed in the evening summer sun, their reflections shimmering in the waters of the canal. Pavement cafés were coming to life, buzzing with the low hum of conversation as friends met up after work, just as she was on her way to meet up with her best friend Nick Fielding again. The thought caused a frisson of pleasure to surge through her body as she hurried towards the last bridge and the café where they usually met for a drink after work.

It was five weeks since she had last seen Nick because he had been back in London on business. She had missed him, missed his sound advice, his infectious laugh. He always made her feel good.

Nick saw her immediately as she rode over the bridge, her long dark hair streaming back from her face. She wore a grey pair of trousers with a pretty pink strappy top that showed the perfection of her supple figure. As usual she was cycling one-handed and far too fast, with a large heavy rucksack on her back.

He watched as she hopped off the bicycle and chained it to the railings. Then she turned and saw him and waved, a smile lighting the beauty of her heart-shaped face.

She was thirty-two, only a year younger than him, but she looked about seventeen. Really she had changed very little since their days together at college, he thought as he watched her make her way through the crowded tables towards him.

‘Hi, Katy.’ Nick stood up as she approached the table and reached to kiss her on the cheek. Her skin was soft and smooth. She smelt sweetly of summer. Honeysuckle…or was it roses?

‘You’ve changed your perfume,’ he remarked as he pulled back from her, thinking with a pang about the bottle of her usual scent that he had purchased at the airport for her next birthday.

‘Yes, Stephen bought it for me ages ago and I thought I’d better use it up before it went off.’ Kate took off her rucksack and sat down opposite him. ‘So how are you?’ she asked with a smile.

She looked fabulous; her skin glowed with health, her wide green eyes sparkled with devilment. ‘I’m fine—’ he sat back down and put up a hand to catch the waitress’s attention ‘—but I’m glad to be back. The London office was in chaos. I spent the first week just getting the files in order.’

She laughed. ‘I bet they heaved a sigh of relief when you left. You’re such a perfectionist, Nick.’

‘When you run your own business you’ve got to be.’

The waitress came over and he ordered two coffees.

Kate suddenly noticed the woman at the next table was staring at him, open admiration in her eyes. Nick was extremely handsome, she agreed as she looked back at him. He had a fabulous physique, and he looked every inch the successful businessman that he was. The cut of his clothes was stylish, the light-coloured jacket and open-necked shirt emphasized his dark, almost Latin good looks. She felt a sudden dart of pride that he was her friend. Women had come and gone in his life, but their relationship remained constant, never changing. No matter how long it was since they had seen each other, there was always this easiness between them.

‘I hope you didn’t spend all of your time in London working on your computers,’ she said as the waitress left them. ‘You were supposed to be taking time out to show Serena the sights, weren’t you?’

He shrugged ruefully. ‘Things didn’t quite work out.’

Something in his tone of voice made her frown. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean that our relationship has reached an end,’ he said bluntly.

‘Oh, Nick!’ Kate leaned back in her chair. Although she was surprised at the suddenness of the break-up, she couldn’t honestly say she was shocked. She had always known deep down that Serena wouldn’t get Nick. ‘I’m so sorry.’

He shrugged. ‘Just one of those things,’ he said easily.

She met the darkness of his eyes. ‘Did you finish with her?’ she asked softly.

‘It was a mutual thing,’ he murmured evasively, but Kate didn’t believe a word of it. Serena was a beautiful leggy blonde but, despite her gorgeous looks and pleasant personality, Kate had always suspected that Serena was more serious about Nick than he was about her.

‘So, what happened? Serena seemed so happy before you left. She was really looking forward to you showing her around London.’

‘We had a nice time and we’ve parted on good terms.’ Nick said nonchalantly, ‘but we both wanted different things out of the relationship.’

The waitress brought their coffee as Kate digested this information. She presumed he meant Serena had wanted the relationship to deepen and he hadn’t. Kate had seen it all before. Any time one of Nick’s girlfriends started to move too close to him, or even hint around the possibility that the relationship might get serious, that was his cue to start to back away.

‘It’s a shame,’ she murmured. ‘I really liked Serena.’

‘So did I,’ Nick agreed easily.

‘But not enough.’

Nick didn’t answer that. ‘We had been going out together for quite a while. I think we both agreed it was time to move on—’

‘You had been going out together for five months,’ Kate cut across him dryly. ‘But, come to think about it, maybe you’re right, maybe that is a long time for you, Nick.’

He met her eyes across the table, and then smiled. ‘I didn’t know I had been dating her for five months. Have you been keeping count?’

‘No.’ She frowned. ‘I just remember, that’s all…women do remember those kind of details.’

‘Do they?’ He drank his coffee. ‘I don’t think Serena was counting.’

‘Anyway,’ she cut across him, warming to her theme, ‘apart from Jayne, all your relationships in these last few years haven’t lasted long. In fact, I think Serena might hold the record after Jayne.’

‘You think I’m on the rebound from Jayne?’ he asked calmly.

‘No.’ She frowned. That thought hadn’t really crossed her mind. His relationship with Jayne had ended over two years ago, and, although he’d been sad that they’d parted, Kate had always assumed that he had been the one to initiate the break-up. ‘No…I suppose what I’m saying is that I’m starting to think you’ve got a problem with commitment.’

Nick grinned. ‘Is that a bad thing?’

Kate looked at him askance. ‘You’ve got to settle down at some point in time.’

‘Why?’

‘Well… Don’t you want to have a family?’

‘Not particularly. In fact I’m starting to think that variety is the spice of life.’ His grin stretched even wider at the look on her face.

‘You don’t mean that, do you?’

‘Not really.’ He finished his coffee. ‘But I’d rather be on my own than with the wrong person.’

‘I agree with you there.’ For a moment Kate was silent, her green eyes serious. Is Stephen the right person for me? she wondered. Then was appalled that she had asked herself that question. OK, Stephen had been a bit edgy recently, and there’d been an atmosphere between them that had never been there before. But he was probably tense because he was thinking about proposing to her, worrying about making the final commitment. The more she thought about it, the more likely that seemed. When he’d asked this morning what time she would be home from work, maybe he’d been planning ahead booking a table at an intimate little restaurant. That was why there had been that serious tone in his voice. She smiled at the thought. Everything would be fine. ‘I’d like to have children, one day,’ she said thoughtfully.

‘You’ve got plenty of time for all that.’ Nick’s voice was dismissive.

‘Have I?’ She frowned. ‘I’ve been so wrapped up in my career that everything else has been pushed on a back burner. But I would like a family one day, and that’s something I can’t keep putting off.’

‘When it’s the right time you’ll know and it will happen.’

Maybe that was how it would be if Stephen proposed. When he actually said the words, maybe these sudden doubts would disappear, and she’d know he was the right person and this was the right time. She was accusing Nick of being scared of commitment, but maybe she was too.

‘You’ve always been a bit of a fatalist, haven’t you, Nick?’ Kate smiled. ‘I suppose I am as well. For instance, I do believe that there is someone for everyone…our ideal partner is out there waiting.’

Nick shook his head and laughed. ‘That’s not being a fatalist, Katy, it’s being romantic.’

‘There are such things as soul mates,’ Kate maintained firmly. ‘I mean, look at your mum and dad. They are still really happy and still very much in love even after all these years.’

‘Yes, they are,’ Nick agreed.

‘Did you make time to go and see them when you were in London?’

He nodded. ‘They both send you their love.’

Kate smiled. She really liked Nick’s family. He had an older brother and a younger sister; all were lovely, friendly, caring people. She wished she had grown up in such a warm and secure environment. Kate had been an only child and her parents had divorced when she was ten. Her father had never had any time for her, and although her mother had tried to make up for this, she had had to work long hours just to keep the home together. In consequence, Kate had spent a lot of time round at Nick’s house. His sister Rachael had been in her class and they had all been good friends. Rachael was in Australia now, happily married with two children.

‘How are things with you and Stephen?’ Nick asked.

‘OK.’ She smiled even more brightly at him.

Something about the way she said the word, the way she met his eyes, made alarm bells ring inside Nick. He frowned. ‘You’ve got something to tell me, haven’t you?’

She paused for a second, and then pursed her lips in a soft pout. ‘It’s our anniversary today, two years since we moved in together.’

‘Congratulations.’

‘Thanks.’ She sighed. ‘I can’t believe it is two years, it seems to have flown.’

‘And…?’ He watched her quizzically.

‘Crikey! I can’t keep anything from you, can I?’ She shook her head. ‘There really isn’t anything to tell.’

‘Yes, there is. I can tell by the look in your eyes.’

‘I shouldn’t say anything because I’m not really sure,’ she said hesitantly. ‘But I have a feeling Stephen might propose to me tonight.’

There was a moment’s silence. A moment when Kate suddenly realized how important his response to that news was to her.

‘You think Stephen is going to propose marriage to you?’ Nick looked totally shocked.

‘No, I think he’s probably going to propose that I become his business manager,’ Kate drawled sardonically. ‘Of course marriage—why are you looking at me like that? Is it really so hard to believe that Stephen would want to commit to me?’

‘No…of course not.’ Nick shook his head. ‘It’s just… I didn’t think you two were getting on so well lately.’

‘What made you think that?’

‘I don’t know. Maybe it was my imagination.’

‘Well, everything is fine between us.’ Kate swallowed hard and tried to ignore the ominous feelings inside her. Was everything all right between them? Would she be making a terrible mistake if she said yes to Stephen?

‘If he does ask, will you be pleased for me?’ Suddenly she was seeking reassurance. Her eyes held with the intense darkness of his, she felt as if she was holding her breath.

‘If it’s what you want,’ Nick said steadily, coolly. ‘Of course I would be pleased for you. I want you to be happy, Katy, you deserve to be happy.’

‘Thanks.’ She smiled at him, but at best it was a tremulous smile. Something was wrong, something was terribly wrong, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. Cycling here, she had felt a moment’s disquiet…but that was nothing to the weight of foreboding pressing on her now, and she couldn’t place where it was coming from.

She tried to picture Stephen in her mind as he proposed to her, a faintly nervous, anxious look in his blue eyes, his hair flopping down on his forehead in that Hugh Grant way. ‘Stephen is right for me.’ She smiled at Nick. ‘Oh…I know you think he’s a bit irresponsible and I suppose he is sometimes…but he loves me and he’s kind and he’s funny and—’

‘Why are you working so hard to convince me, Katy?’ Nick cut across her quietly.

‘I’m not!’ Kate frowned. ‘I’m just saying that I think this is the right thing for me. I’m ready to make the commitment.’

‘Well, I’m pleased for you.’

There was an edge to Nick’s voice, an expression in his eyes that she couldn’t fathom. She frowned again. ‘I shouldn’t have told you today.’

‘Why?’

‘Because you’ve just finished with Serena and you’re obviously not in the best of moods.’

Nick shook his head. ‘I’m fine, Katy,’ he said gently. ‘And I’m really happy for you.’

‘Really?’

He nodded and reached to take her hand across the table. ‘He’s a lucky guy.’

Kate looked down at his hand against hers. The touch of his skin made her heart thump peculiarly. She felt odd, as if she had been running somewhere and had suddenly lost her sense of direction.

Nick took his hand away and looked at his watch. ‘Well, I guess we’d better get going. You’ve got a big night ahead of you, and I’ve got work to do.’

‘You work too hard,’ she murmured. ‘You need to cut down on the time you spend in front of those computers, find a nice girl and settle down.’

‘I don’t think that’s very likely. I’m just bachelor material.’ Nick grinned and shook his head. ‘And you sound like my mother—’

‘A very wise woman,’ Kate inserted promptly. She felt a bit better again, as if whatever had been wrong had passed like an eclipse of the sun and things were back to normal.

Nick caught the waitress’s eye to indicate he wanted to pay her. ‘I’ll get this,’ he said as Kate reached to open her bag.

‘Thanks. I’ll get it next time.’ They both stood up and walked together around the tables to the edge of the pavement.

‘Have a good evening.’ He bent to kiss her on the cheek. Although she was tall, almost five seven, Nick always made her feel petite; she wondered how tall he actually was—six feet four, she’d say at a guess.

‘I’ll ring you tomorrow and tell you all.’

He grinned at her. ‘Maybe you’d better spare my blushes.’

She smiled.

‘See you later, Kate.’

‘Yes, see you later.’ She turned away as he walked towards his open-topped Mercedes sports car. She unlocked her bicycle and put her bag over her shoulder. Before turning to go home, she noticed the woman who had been sitting at the next table to them was walking towards Nick. She smiled at him and said something and he stopped.

Would Nick ever get married? Kate wondered as she rode away. She supposed one day, despite all his protestations, a woman would sweep him off his feet, and he would have eyes for nobody but her. The thought settled around her like a dull cloud. He’d still have time for his friends, of course, she told herself swiftly. And anyway, it would probably be years before he decided to tie the knot; she could be old and grey with four children before Nick decided to walk down the aisle. Men could afford to take their time; they didn’t have a biological clock ticking inside them.

She looked at her watch as she rode slowly down by the side of the canal. She was nearly an hour early. She’d told Stephen that she’d be home by seven-thirty. Usually she had a couple of coffees with Nick, and as she hadn’t seen him for so long she had thought today that they would spend at least an hour chatting and catching up on news from London. But maybe it was just as well that she was going home early—as Nick had said, she had a big evening ahead. This way she’d have plenty of time to do her hair and get changed before Stephen got in from work.

What should she wear? She didn’t want to appear too dressed-up—she’d look a fool if he hadn’t really booked a restaurant and suggested getting a take-away. And maybe he wouldn’t propose to her at all.

There was almost a feeling of relief inside her at that thought. Perhaps she needed a bit more time to get used to the idea. Moving in together had been a big enough step for her…marriage seemed an enormous leap into the abyss.

Certainly Nick hadn’t seemed overly pleased for her. But then, for some reason Nick had never really warmed to Stephen. Not that he had ever said anything detrimental, and the two men were always perfectly civil to each other, but Kate had always known that Nick had reservations about him.

You couldn’t be friends for as many years as they had, through school and college, and not learn to read the signs. She could tell by the sardonic gleam that lit the darkness of Nick’s eyes sometimes, and the smile that wasn’t quite so easy or relaxed when Stephen was around. Her partner was not someone Nick would have chosen for her, but it was only because he worried about her, and Stephen was so totally opposite to him in every way.

Nick took his career and his business running a computer firm very seriously. For Stephen, work was just a means to an end…he had changed jobs three times in the last year. He was wild about heavy rock music and in his spare time played in a band. Life was a bit of a rollercoaster ride with Stephen, but Kate had to admit it was exciting.

She slowed down even more as their apartment came into sight. It was on the ground floor of a very impressive patrician eighteenth-century mansion that overlooked the canal. The rent was astronomical and perhaps a bit more than they could really afford, but Kate had fallen in love with the place on sight and had decided she’d rather cut down on a few luxuries and live there than anywhere else.

She noticed the light in the front salon was on. Stephen was home early as well. She locked her bike against the front railings and ran up the steps to the door and let herself in.

The door closed with a bang behind her; her footsteps echoed on the polished wooden floor. ‘Stephen,’ she called out as she walked into the salon.

Even though it wasn’t dark outside all the side lamps were on and the main chandelier blazed over the antique furniture. She flicked a couple of the lamps off as she passed towards the kitchen. There was a bottle of champagne cooling in a bucket on the table and two champagne glasses sat out waiting. But there was no sign of Stephen.

‘Stephen honey, where are you?’ Kate walked back through to the hallway. Then heard music coming from the bedroom. It wasn’t the usual heavy rock that Stephen liked to listen to; this was softer, more romantic.

She paused with her hand on the bedroom door. There was a strange noise coming from the room, like someone gasping for air.

Kate pushed open the door.

Stephen sat up in bed and stared at her in horror.

‘Stephen…?’ In a kind of blank disbelief she stared back at him and then at the woman who lay beside him. Shock unlike anything she had ever experienced before lashed through her.

‘Oh, hell!’ Stephen raked a hand through his blond hair, an apologetic, nervous look on his handsome features.

‘Sorry, Kate.’