Lies and Weddings(64)
“You’re looking far too serious for your own good,” Martha said to him.
“Am I?”
“Definitely. You seem very far away.”
Rufus smiled. “You know, since you told me that story of you being in the papers as a baby, I have one for you. When I was sixteen, this ghastly magazine came to my school one day to cover a charity fashion show we were putting on. It was a mad time getting ready and someone snapped a picture of me when I wasn’t looking. Before I knew it, that picture went viral and basically ruined my life.”
John laughed. “I remember that. You were standing there in nothing but your boxer briefs, ironing your shirt.”
Martha’s eyes went big for a moment as she stared at Rufus. “Shut the front door! That was you? Now I know why you look so familiar! You were ‘Master Rufus Gresham’ in Tattle magazine! I tore out that photo and pinned it on my wall! I had a crush on you for about a decade!”
Rufus immediately turned beet red.
III
LE ROYAL MANSOUR
MARRAKECH, MOROCCO ? AFTERNOON TEA
Steps away from the teeming cacophony of Jemaa el-Fna Square in the heart of the medina was a palace hotel so unparalleled in opulence, its spectacular architecture, bejeweled spaces, and lushly sculpted gardens defied hyperbole. Built by the king of Morocco with no expense spared to showcase the work of the finest artisans that his country had to offer, the Royal Mansour was meant to host royalty and heads of state from around the world with a sense of beauty and a level of service they would never forget.
This legendary service was on full display in Rosina’s sumptuous private riad, where the regally attired personal butler hovered behind Rufus’s shoulder holding a gleaming silver teapot in his white-gloved hand. The butler flicked his wrist expertly and a long, luxuriant stream of mint tea flowed from the spout and hit the glass placed on the low table with immaculate precision.
“Seriously the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen! Do you ever miss?” Rufus asked, marveling at how the butler managed to pour the tea from such a distance without a single drop spilled.
“Hiyah, don’t insult my butler!” Rosina scolded as the man shot Rufus a wounded smile, making it clear that he never missed. Rosina grabbed one of the ghoribas dyal ‘asal—cookies with honey and orange zest—and dipped it into her mint tea before devouring it in one bite. She had summoned Rufus to her riad to recap the events after the wedding ceremony, since they had been in different balloons.
“Can you believe the coincidence? That of all the pictures in the world, Martha tore mine out of a magazine?” Rufus remarked.
“I remember it was such a sensation when that picture of you was published. You have no idea of the impact it made, because you’ve never lived in Asia. Do you know how unusual it was back then for Tattle magazine, the bastion of British elitism, to actually print a photograph of an Asian man who wasn’t David Tang? In those days in Hong Kong we used to study the magazine like the gospel, so the minute that photo came out everyone was talking about it. Who was this young Asian Adonis in the party pages of Tattle? I could proudly tell everyone it was my nephew!”
Rufus shook his head in disbelief. “I remember being so mortified when that picture came out, all my schoolmates taking the piss. Even after all these years I felt a bit sick when Martha knew the photo!”
“Well, now you can finally use the photo to your advantage!”
“I suppose, but here’s the thing…I have been mulling it over for the past two days but I just can’t come up with a strong pitch for Martha. I mean, what sort of moneymaking venture could I possibly pitch that her team might actually think is viable? Do you suppose Uncle Peter might give me some pointers?” Rosina frowned at her nephew as he went on talking. “I was thinking maybe there’s a way to do something with Bella Resorts, like maybe if we packaged some creativity retreats? Would that bring in bigger profits and attract a new sort of customer? I could get Augie and Maxxie involved, they could program healing retreats at all our resorts. I keep thinking that people these days crave connection and meaning, everyone’s gotten so stultified by mindless luxury. Maybe if we created an app that went along with it, Martha would be interested…”
Rosina shook her head. “Oh my goodness, don’t tell me your mother is right. Are you really that stupid? Do you really think I flew you all the way to Morocco to pitch Martha Dung some new app?”
“What else am I here for?”
Rosina flailed her arms up in exasperation. “To seduce her, you moron!”
“Oh come on now, Auntie…”
“Listen, Martha’s already confessed to being obsessed with you since she was a young woman! Now she’s just waiting for you to sweep her off her feet.”
“I highly doubt that. She’s not looking for romance of any sort and what’s more, I’m not in love with her.”
“In the immortal words of Madame Tina Turner, what’s love got to do with it? I thought you would have come to your senses by now and realized that you have never been in the position to marry for love. You were born to inherit a great title and a heritage estate and all the privileges and burdens that come along with it. Now, before Hawaii, you might have had some wiggle room and could have married someone suitable that you also happened to love, but as of this moment you no longer have that option. You must marry money! And Martha’s the perfect candidate. She can write one check that will wipe away all the Gresham debts without even noticing a dent in her wallet.”