Lies and Weddings(47)
“So many mixed metaphors. What crime are you referring to precisely?”
“You ruined the wedding!”
“How did I ruin the wedding? I don’t seem to recall being able to control magma.”
“You were supposed to make Rufus and Freddy fight over Solène! You were supposed to make sure Rufus fell for her!”
“Look, as far as I knew, Freddy and Rufus were both pursuing Solène like cheetahs in heat—I don’t understand what went wrong.”
“Well, I do. You were far too preoccupied with all those damn photographers to realize that the cheetahs were after the wrong gazelle—”
“Wait a minute—you set up most of those shoots, Mummy! I was just doing what you wanted! I ran around nonstop trying to do a million things and missed out on the best parts of—”
“Ahem!” Arabella and Bea turned to see Hemsworth standing at the open door. “Lady Gresham, shall we show Miss Money-Coutts into the orangerie, where tea is being served? The sound does travel in these parts…”
Arabella took a deep breath, collecting herself. “Yes, of course. Thank you for reminding me, Hemsworth. I will return to Miss Money-Coutts now.” Arabella turned to Bea with an icy glare. “Don’t even think I’m done with you!” She stalked off, returning to the library, where Cosima was peering at the Oswald Birley portrait and pretending not to have heard anything.
“So sorry! My daughter has been away and I wanted to welcome her home properly. Now, where were we? Shall we have some tea?”
Arabella took Cosima across the Great Lawn, explaining how she had painstakingly restored the upper gardens originally laid out by Capability Brown, and led her into the Victorian wrought iron and glass orangerie, where an unexpected suite of furniture hid among the thickets of citrus plants. In the center of the room, a delectable array of teatime treats had been set out on an ancient, moss-covered stone table. Cosima sat down on a surprisingly comfortable stool and stared up at the huge golden disks hovering above them like a flying saucer.
“Are the disks from Blackman Cruz?” Cosima asked.
“It’s an installation by Anish Kapoor, actually,” Arabella replied.
“Of course it is! And these decomposing stools…let me guess…Rick Owens and Michèle Lamy?”
Arabella shook her head. “I found these at a flea market in Antwerp many years ago. I think they were twenty euros each.”
“How inspired! I love how you mix high and low, periods and styles, especially here—there’s such an interesting tension between the delicate and the robust, such a charming decay.”
“Thank you. I’m sure you know how hard it is to do charming decay. Now, try one of these ling yung bao,” Arabella said as she placed one of the treats onto Cosima’s plate.
“What is this?” Cosima looked at the steamed white bun with the pink dot in the center a little dubiously.
“It’s a bun filled with lotus seed paste—it’s sweet and aromatic. My afternoon teas always include the classic treats like scones and sandwiches along with Cantonese delicacies, just like our cook did in Hong Kong when I was growing up. If you fancy something on the savory side, try these coronation chicken curry puffs.”
“Curry puffs, how novel! And what are these little yellow tarts?”
“Daan taat. Egg custard tarts. Try one.”
Cosima nibbled gingerly on her tart, before her eyes widened in delight. “Oh my,” she said, gobbling the entire tart. “What perfect treats to complement these precious Lucie Rie plates! Now, tell me, where is the famous tobacco-lacquered room I’ve heard so much about?”
“Ah, the tobacco-lacquered room. Everyone always wants to know about the tob—” Arabella stopped midsentence as she noticed Eden strolling across the lawn toward the main house with a pile of garment bags. She bolted up from the table and stormed out of the orangerie like a demon possessed.
Skip Notes
*1 Hemsworth is incorrect to refer to Augie as “Princess Augusta.” Since she was not born a princess, her new name upon marriage is actually Augusta, the Princess Maximillian zu Liechtenburg.
*2 One of the most popular and influential investing books ever written, the said volume was purchased by the current earl’s father back in the 1970s, but sadly, no one seems to have ever opened it. No less a sage than Warren Buffett proclaimed, “Picking up that book was one of the luckiest moments of my life.”
III
THE GREAT LAWN
GRESHAMSBURY HALL ? MOMENTS LATER
“What are you doing here?” Arabella called out as she came marching out into the middle of the upper garden.
Eden stopped dead in her tracks. “Good morning, Lady Arabella. Bea texted that she was home—I’m returning the dresses she lent.”
“You made very good use of those dresses, didn’t you?” And even better use taking them off!
“I did. I’m so grateful, Lady Arabella.”
Grateful you got to seduce my son with a moonlit shower. Suddenly, a horrifying thought occurred to Arabella. Could Eden be pregnant with Rufus’s baby? She scrutinized Eden hard. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
“How’s your nausea?”