The House of Vandekar Read Online Free PDF Page B

Alice curtsied. She didn’t get a chance to examine him properly. Lady Furness, who’d been so kind when they first came to London, wasn’t his mistress any more. Her good friend Wallis Simpson had replaced her. He murmured a few words – he had a flat, rather metallic voice. She watched him move into the crowd. People made way for him. He joined a small, very slim woman in an exquisitely cut blue dress.
    â€˜What did he say to you?’ Alice wanted to know.
    â€˜Nothing much,’ Hugo answered. ‘Just said how charming you looked, wished us happiness.’
    â€˜He said that to me. I looked charming, I mean, not you! Is that her – in the blue?’
    â€˜Yes, it is. Don’t stare, darling. We should move round and talk to people. And he’s wrong. You don’t look charming. You look beautiful.’ He raised her hand and kissed it. She looked up at him and he saw the expression in her eyes. For a moment he trembled. His wild one, he called her. She was gazing at him with real love. That look promised everything.
    She said, ‘Why darling, you’ve got the shakes. You must have been a naughty boy at your dinner last night!’
    â€˜It’s tonight I’m thinking about,’ he whispered.
    â€˜Me too,’ Alice said. ‘Won’t it be wonderful to be just on our own – just the two of us? I guess we better mingle. It’ll soon be time to cut the cake.’ Hugo watched her as she entered the crowd. He was so proud of her. She hadn’t faltered throughout the long wedding ceremony. She had carried herself with dignity and grace, and he’d never forget that look, more valuable to him than any vows.
    The bridal suite was booked at the Amstel. Amsterdam was a beautiful city, one of the most romantic in the world. And so special to him. He wanted to show her the little house by the Zeeden Bridge where three generations of Vandekars had been born and died before old Adam moved to London and began to build a trading empire. Alice would love it. He could see her talking to a group of young men. Men were fascinated by her. He would have to be careful with Alice. Only a fool would be complacent.
    â€˜Hugo.’ He turned. His younger brother was beside him. Phillip had been his best man. They had never been rivals. Even as very small boys, Hugo’s dominance was accepted.
    â€˜Well, you did it,’ Phillip said. ‘You’ve actually got her to the altar! I must say, she’s a stunning girl. I’ve been sent over to tell you it’s time to cut the cake. Mother and I have been talking to La Simpson. She makes the Little Man dance attendance on her like a bloody waiter. I’ve got the notes for our speeches. I’ll put yours on the table for you.’
    â€˜I’ll get Alice,’ Hugo said. He could sympathize with his future king’s obsession. He wanted Alice with him every moment.
    It was a wonderful wedding, ending, as all wonderful weddings should, with a laughing departure in a flurry of rice and real rose petals. Mrs John Vandekar waved them away, with her son Phillip beside her. She said goodbye to her daughter-in-law’s mother. She was just a little tired, she explained, and her doctor had insisted that she go home to Sussex and have an early night.
    Phoebe accepted the lie with her usual simplicity. It had been an emotional day, she agreed. But wasn’t it just wonderful? Weren’t they the handsomest couple, and so much in love? Tears brimmed in her eyes.
    Mrs Vandekar said yes, indeed, and please excuse her but her chauffeur was bringing round the car and she had a long drive ahead of her. She was not going any farther than the house in St James’s Square, where a dinner for thirty close friends and relatives had been planned long before. She disliked sentimentality and that silly woman’s wet eyes had irritated her. Mrs Vandekar was practical, sound and not at all clever. She felt that