Lies and Weddings(136)
“Let’s never get married,” Rufus said.
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Arabella interrupted as she danced alongside them with Francis. “Rufus, have you done the deed yet?”
“Mum, we’re trying to dance. Leave us alone.”
“I’ll leave you alone once you get down on your knees and propose to Eden. Come, there’s no time like the present. Do it while the Comtesse de Ribes is still with us, she’s about to head back to the Aman.”
“I might propose to Eden…provided you apologize to her properly.”
“Apologize?” Arabella looked at her son in horror.
“Yes, a full apology, Mum, with lots of bowing and scraping. Come, there’s no time like the present.”
“Hiyah, what is there to apologize for? Eden already knows how much I appreciate her and that I was just looking out for you. I’m a Chinese mother, I can’t help it, I will always sacrifice myself so that my children will have the best of everything. She understands, she’s Chinese like me.”
“Yes, yes,” Eden quickly agreed, dreading any more fuss.
“I suppose that will have to do,” Rufus sighed. “Well, Mother, I’ll propose to the woman I love when I feel like it’s the perfect moment—and this is not it.”
Arabella groaned. “Useless boy! You just want to torture me, don’t you? I hope you know my eyes will not close until you make an honest woman out of Eden. Think of what you’ve put her through! Imagine what a beautiful bride she will make. I just thought of the perfect designer for her wedding dress. Dries Van Noten. If I asked him personally, he would do it. Something that hints of the East, but not overtly, since Eden was born in Canada. And of course my friend Michelle at Carnet must design all the wedding jewelry. And you know I’ve always wanted to stage a wedding at Temple Church in London, where all the Knights Templar are buried. I love the way they have the boys’ choir stand in a circle under the nave and sing, and the sound just fills the whole space. Instead of having flowers, we could hire that set designer, what’s her name, that Italian girl who did that spectacular installation out in the middle of the Moroccan desert for Saint Laurent, and…”
Rufus looked at Eden in frustration. “She’ll never leave us alone, will she?”
“Never,” Eden said with a laugh.
Rufus suddenly scooped Eden off her feet, carrying her across the ballroom as the wedding guests cooed in approval at the sheer romance of his gesture. He bore her up the marble stairway and out onto the terrace dock, into the cool Venetian night. A fleet of motorboats was lined up outside by the flickering torches. Still carrying Eden, Rufus called out to the boatmen, “Can one of you take us to the airport?”
“Si, signore,” came the reply.
Rufus hopped aboard with his beloved, and fifteen minutes later, they had crossed the lagoon and were running through Venice international airport, still laughing. Arriving at the nearest airline counter, Rufus said breathlessly, “Two tickets, please.”
The ticket agent gave him a disapproving look. “Where to?”
“Anywhere. As long as it’s with her, and as long as my mother can’t ever find us.”
Skip Notes
* Long-suffering because, truth be told, Caleb had always been rather besotted by Bea and in a different time and novel might actually have succeeded in marrying her.
Acknowledgments
These marvelous people helped to make this book possible in their own special ways. I am especially grateful to: Allison Bennett Laurel Braitman Ryan Chan
Vivian Chu
Todd Doughty David Elliott John Fontana Simone Gers Kirsten Haspe Jenny Jackson Dr. Kevin Kwan, M.D.
Martha Leonard Clare Lockhart Alexandra Machinist Joshua Maricich Gillian Longworth McGuire Christina Nielsen Samin Nosrat Daniella Penhaskashi David Sangalli Bill Thomas Su Ann Ward Jimmy O. Yang Jacqueline Zirkman
About the Author
Kevin Kwan is the author of the international bestsellers Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, Rich People Problems, and Sex and Vanity. Crazy Rich Asians was a number one New York Times bestseller and major motion picture and has been translated into forty languages. In 2018, Kevin was named by Time magazine as one of the one hundred most influential people in the world.