Part 28 (1/2)

Who would you like?

Your grandmother, naturally is there anyone else?

' ”No.

I haven't any aunts or cousins.

Would any of your family like to come or would they prefer not to?

' ”I'm sure they would like it.

I'll ask them.

Wien and will be with us, of course.

' He took her arm.

”T thought we might invite Sir Walter and his wife too.

' ”Are we going straight back?

' she asked.

”Would you mind?

I do have quite a backlog of patients.

I shall be going to Hamburg, though, in a couple of weeks' time, I

thought you might come too.

' ”T shall like that.

' They turned their steps homewards then, talking casually, but not about themselves.

There didn't seem any more to say, and indeed for the rest of that day and the few hours they had together before he left for Holland again, they scarcely mentioned their wedding.

It was as if Sarre, now that all the arrangements had been made, had lost all interest in it.

Alethea didn't allow herself to mind about this; after all, he was a man at the height of his career with wide interests, he had made his mark in the world, he had his home and children, all that was behind him, whereas a younger man would probably see his wedding as the beginning of these things.

Nick, for example--she tried to bury the thought and couldn't--there would have been a house to search for and furnish, a career to plan, children to educate and bring up.

She made herself stop thinking about it.

Sarre had told her to turn the page forward, and she must.

She missed Sarre when he went; the little house had seemed over-full while he was there but curiously empty when he was no longer there.

She occupied herself in sorting out her clothes and packing those she would take with her, conferring with her grandmother and Mrs Bustle about the lunch which was to be given after the ceremony, and helping to clean the little house from top to bottom, a quite unnecessary exercise which Mrs Bustle considered absolutely essential before the wedding could take place.

In actual fact, the days flew by.

Sarre had telephoned her from Hamburg and there had been an elaborate card from Mrs McCrea and another from Al and she had received a surprising number from her friends at Theobald's.

She had hoped that there might have been something from the children and had to remind herself that she was still almost a stranger to them.

Patience, she told herself once more; they hardly knew each other as yet.

Sarre and Wien and arrived together in the afternoon, having made the crossing from Ca lais by Hovercraft, and Alethea, seeing the Jaguar slide to a halt at the gate, hurried out to meet them, and if she was disappointed at Sarre's quick kiss it was instantly made up for by Wien and's boisterous hug and warm salute.

”Prettier than ever,” he declared.

”How do you fancy switching bridegrooms tomorrow?

' ”What about the girl-friend?

' asked Alethea, laughing.

”Which one?

' he laughed.

They were walking up the path, the three of them together, and

Alethea's grandmother, watching them from the window, frowned a little

before going to meet them.

They had tea in the garden, one of Mrs Bustle's special teas, with scones and jam and cream, ginger cake, cuc.u.mber sandwiches and little iced biscuits, and now the conversation was all of the wedding.

”There will be an aunt and uncle of mine coming,” explained Sarre, 'my