The Chocolate Lovers’ Wedding (11 page)

Chantal linked her arm with Jacob’s, strolling alongside him as he pushed the buggy. The spring bulbs were waving their cheery heads in the warm breeze. Swathes of daffodils and crocuses covered the grass by the pathways. St James’s Park was one of her favourite spots in London and the bright sunshine made it even more special. Lana was sleeping blissfully, unaware of the beautiful day. Chantal had even taken her jacket off, the first time in the year. Summer would soon be on its way. Her heart felt both happy and sad at the same time. She wondered if you experienced everything more keenly when you realised that it might be taken away from you. Was the brilliance of the day more poignant when you were made keenly aware that you may not have many more of them?

‘You’re quiet,’ Jacob said.
‘Just thinking.’
‘I don’t want you to worry.’
‘I’m not,’ she assured him. Well, not
too
much. That was

partly because she still felt it was unreal, that it was happening to someone else and not to her. ‘The weird thing is that I don’t even feel unwell. I’m a bit tired and still having a few twinges, but I’m prepared to believe that’s just my age. And what mum with a baby isn’t tired?’ Surely with a cancer in her body, she’d
know
; she’d feel worse than this. Perhaps when it came down to it, the doctor might be wrong. It happened.

Now all she could do was wait to hear from the clinic for an appointment to remove the offending lump. Livia said it would be a very straightforward operation. Thankfully, she’d been told that she’d likely only have to wait a few days rather than weeks. Until then, it would gnaw away at her, no matter how much bravado she tried.

‘I’ll take time off work,’ Jacob said. ‘I’ve already started delegating. I can be at home to look after Lana while you’re in hospital, and when you’re recuperating I want to be there to care for you.’

Chantal rested her head on his shoulder. ‘What would I do without you?’
‘No regrets?’ Jacob asked.
‘None,’ she said, emphatically. ‘Absolutely.’
‘We should get married,’ he said suddenly, stopping in his tracks.
Chantal laughed. ‘I’m not actually divorced yet.’
‘But it won’t be long,’ he countered. ‘It would be good to make plans for our future.’
Future? She wondered, bleakly, if she’d have one at all.
‘Let’s see if I come through this,’ Chantal said, her voice catching with unexpected emotion.
It had all seemed so set, so easy. She and Jacob would take things slowly, deepening their love before they moved forward onto the next step. Now she felt as if someone had started an alarm clock ticking. Like one of those red LED displays on a bomb in action films. Except this time the clock was ticking on her life.
‘There is no question that you’ll survive it,’ Jacob said with conviction. ‘I’m not waiting all this time to be with you only to have our days together cut short. That’s just not in the plan. It won’t happen.’
‘I’m happy to believe that.’ But inside she was scared. Her cancer was a non-aggressive type. The consultant had been very keen to point that out. And it had been detected early. That wasn’t to say that it was going to be a bed of roses. Despite what Livia said, Chantal was well aware that not everyone got their happy ending. ‘You shouldn’t be tied to me until you know that I’m going to be around for a long time to enjoy it.’
‘Shouldn’t I be involved in that decision?’
‘You know what I mean, Jacob.’
‘Promise me as soon as you’re well again that we’ll get married?’
‘Yes.’
‘I think I need more than that. It seemed like a very feeble assurance to me.’ Jacob left the buggy abruptly and went to pick a daffodil.
‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m sure that the park can spare one. This is an important occasion.’ When he came back, clutching the cheery yellow bloom, he dropped to one knee in front of her and proffered the daffodil. ‘Chantal Hamilton, would you do me the very great honour of being my wife?’
Tears spilled over her lashes as she took it from him. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I’d like that very much.’
‘When this is done, when you’ve been given the all-clear, I’ll go down on one knee again with the biggest diamond I can lay my hands on.’
‘This is all I need,’ she said, looking at the daffodil. ‘It’s beautiful.’
Jacob stood and took her in his arms. He held her as if he never wanted to let her go. The few people passing by that had paused to witness his proposal burst into spontaneous applause. Chantal felt herself blush, and her heart wanted to burst with love.
‘Now you have to get better,’ he said. ‘You have a promise to keep.’

As much as Nadia tried to pretend not to be, she was still quite shaken by her mugging. The bank card and credit card had been cancelled, the locks changed, her mobile phone replaced, but, despite all those measures, it had still left her feeling more vulnerable than before.

More than ever she was left wondering what she was doing living in a run-down area and working at a rubbish job. She’d had no contact from the man who’d pushed her to the ground and stolen her handbag, thankfully. He’d just disappeared into the night with her belongings, but that didn’t stop her being scared now every evening on her way home from work. Even when it was still light. From the minute she left the office she was anxiously looking over her shoulder until she was safely behind her double-locked front door. She’d bought a panic alarm, which she kept tightly gripped in her fist. She kept her phone, credit cards and money on a pouch around her waist inside her coat. It was a ridiculous way to live.

She’d started to put Lewis straight into her bed too, not wanting to sleep alone. Just feeling the warmth of another human being alongside her comforted her, and she could protect him too. She tucked him in and kissed his head.

‘How many sleeps until we go to see Seth and Lily?’ Lewis asked.
‘Not many now,’ Nadia said. She was glad that he was excited about their trip and a change of scenery would do them both good. ‘If you go to sleep straight away, then it will be here even quicker.’
‘Love you, Mummy.’ He stifled a yawn.
‘Love you, too.’ Everything she did, she did for her son. She turned on the nightlight and left him snuggled down with the bedroom door ajar.
Downstairs, she opened a bottle of wine and, from the cupboard, right at the back, pulled out the box of chocolates she’d bought yesterday. They were a supermarket brand and nothing wrong with that – needs must. But she was desperately missing Chocolate Heaven and its delights.
Her sister, Anita, was coming over to see her tonight. She’d been horrified when Nadia had told her about being attacked in the street and had wanted to rush round straight away, but Nadia had managed to persuade her that she was all right; all she’d wanted to do was to crawl into her bed.
Now Nadia would be glad of the company. It was proving even more difficult than usual spending her evenings alone. Anita had asked her to go over to her house for dinner with Lewis but she couldn’t face it. Unless she needed to for work, she didn’t have the inclination to leave the house after dark. Her confidence had taken a serious knock. When the evenings got a bit lighter, she hoped that would change but, for now, she just wanted to batten down the hatches and stay safe. She kept getting flashbacks to that night and a fresh jolt of nausea would grip her. What would become of Lewis if something dreadful happened to her? It didn’t bear thinking about.
She wouldn’t call James tonight, as he’d told her that he was going into Keswick for a rare night out and she didn’t want to interrupt his fun. He was heading to one of the pubs to listen to a local band, which one of his friends played in. She hated how much she missed their usual chat. They might not have seen each other since Christmas but he’d become very much part of her life. He, too, had been horrified to hear of her attack and had to be dissuaded from jumping in the car and coming to collect her. She was in no doubt that it had left him feeling helpless, as they were so far apart. Now when she spoke to James she felt as if she never wanted to hang up.
Before she poured the wine, she texted him.
Have a great time tonight. Missing you. Xx
James texted straight back.
It’s loud and crowded, but fun. Wish you were here. Xx
Soon she would be and that thought made her feel warm inside.
As she was pouring herself a glass, the front door bell rang and she went to open it, checking the security spy hole before she unhooked the chain – all the little measures that she hadn’t bothered with before. Anita bowled in and hugged her tightly. ‘Are you all right?’
‘I’m not so bad,’ Nadia said, easing herself from Anita’s grip. Which wasn’t strictly true. Her ribs carried a dull ache and her lip still kept splitting open if she wasn’t careful. Though the bruises had faded, she was very much aware of them; they’d left a mark that was far more than cosmetic. ‘Glad to see you.’
Anita didn’t let go. ‘You should have come to me. I would have taken care of you.’
‘I’d have found it difficult to get a babysitter and Lewis has school in the morning.’
‘You can’t stay at home every night by yourself.’ ‘I know.’
‘Tarak would have come to collect you.’
‘I don’t like to trouble him.’
‘No trouble. You’re family. He’d be glad to do it.’
Nadia thought that she’d be less than keen to be in a car alone with Tarak. Her brother-in-law might seem like a reformed character but in the past he’d had sleazy moments that were hard to forget.
‘Are you going to pack in that awful job?’ her sister continued. ‘You could come back to the shop tomorrow if you want to.’
‘I don’t think so. I’ll look for something else soon.’
‘I hate to think of you travelling home at night on the Underground by yourself. You should get a taxi home.’
‘It’s a good idea, but it would be too expensive, Anita. My wages don’t really run to such decadence.’ They walked through to the kitchen. ‘Besides, I don’t work too many late shifts. Just one a week. I’m generally travelling home with the crowd and I have a personal alarm now, which makes me feel a bit better.’ However, the undeniable fact was that now she was just a little bit more jittery. It was the first time she’d ever experienced real danger. She’d felt so helpless, so threatened, and that feeling hadn’t yet left.
She finished pouring the wine and gave a glass to Anita. ‘Cheers,’ she said. They clinked glasses together. ‘Though I’m not exactly sure what we’re celebrating. Unless you count the fact that there’s a good rom-com on the television for us to watch and I have a box of chocolates that I managed to keep hidden from Lewis.’
She lifted the lid off the box.
‘I have some good news to tell you,’ Anita said, sounding excited. ‘I hope that it will cheer you up.’
Nadia waited patiently.
‘Mummy and Daddy would like to see you,’ Anita said. ‘I talked to them on your behalf and they’ve agreed to meet you.’
She’d become estranged from her parents when she’d gone against their wishes in marrying Toby. It was years ago now and yet they’d never relented, not even when Lewis was born. She could take them cutting her off, but shunning their grandson, too? That she couldn’t get her head around. They hadn’t responded to the photographs she’d regularly sent. Not even a phone call or a birthday card for him.
Her mind stuck on one word. ‘Agreed?’
‘You know what I mean. They
want
to see you.’
She wondered how much persuasion Anita had to employ to get them to agree. ‘What changed their minds this time?’
‘I talked to them for you.’
Nadia rolled her eyes.
‘Don’t be like that. You can be as stubborn as they are.’
‘I’ve sent them cards, photographs. Every year. I’ve had nothing in return.’
‘I know. And that’s dreadful. But they’re not getting any younger,’ Anita said. ‘Dad’s health is failing. Perhaps they realise that if they don’t make amends soon, then they might miss the opportunity.’
A few years ago, it was all she wanted to hear. She’d missed her parents, her family, desperately. If they’d stepped in and helped her when she was struggling then maybe everything would have turned out differently. They had vehemently disapproved of her marriage and, in turn, it was their censure that had made her determined to stick with it when perhaps she would have been better to leave. Still, it was no good dwelling on that now. It was done and nothing could change it. Anita was right. Her parents were getting older and, if this was an olive branch, then she should grasp it.
‘Say something,’ Anita urged. ‘Is that not good news?’
‘Yes,’ Nadia agreed. ‘Great.’ Yet inside her there was an emptiness. The elation she should feel at the possibility of being reunited with her parents just wasn’t there. The girls of the Chocolate Lovers’ Club had stepped into the gap created by her family and she wondered if she could ever really forgive her parents for abandoning her when she most needed them.
‘Shall I set up a time?’ Anita chattered on. ‘What about a Sunday lunch at my house? It would be just like old times.’
In truth, nothing would ever get that back again. Too much had happened. Too much had been said. It could never be the same.
‘Let me see.’ Nadia saw Anita’s face fall. ‘I’ve got a lot on at the moment. I’m going up to the Lake District to visit James. Perhaps we could fix something up when I get back?’
‘I hope you’re not chasing this man, Nadia.’ Anita pursed her lips in disapproval. It reminded Nadia of her mother.
‘I don’t think so, sister,’ she said. ‘But, if I am, then that’s my business.’
‘Lewis doesn’t need a stranger in his life.’
‘James isn’t a stranger. We’ve grown fond of each other.’ She’d had more heartfelt conversations over the phone with him than she ever had with her husband when he’d been in the same room. ‘He’s a very nice man.’
‘You said that about Toby,’ Anita reminded her.
‘He was a kind man and a loving father. Unfortunately, he had a weakness. As many men do.’ It was a barbed comment and she hoped that it struck home with Anita.
Her
spouse wasn’t exactly ideal marriage material either, with his philandering ways. Who was perfect? She and Toby had enjoyed a good relationship until gambling got a grip on him. ‘He needed help, which he never got.’
‘He nearly dragged you under with him,’ Anita said sharply. ‘You can’t afford for that to happen again.’
‘You’re right,’ Nadia said. ‘But what do you want me to do? Spend the rest of my life alone? Lewis needs a father figure. I do the best I can, but it’s hard bringing up a child on my own.’
‘You need a good husband. A solid man.’
Nadia had to bite her tongue. It was hard not to point out that Tarak was hardly a contender for Husband of the Year. She knew secrets about him that Anita didn’t. Who was her sister to preach to her?
‘You be careful, Nadia,’ Anita warned. ‘You are too quick to love.’
Perhaps there was an element of truth in that. Despite her protests, she
was
actually running up to the Lake District to be with a man she’d met only briefly.
She took a swig of her wine, which tasted bitter in her mouth. And when she bit into one of the chocolates – a dark truffle of indistinct origin – it failed to soothe her at all.