rang me, you know. On the night before we drove out to Mudgee. It wasn’t like him to ring unless it was to discuss business. But he just chatted away. And then, right before he hung up, he said, “give my regards to your mother”. I thought that was a bit odd at the time. Now I think it was because he knew he was going to die and he wanted to put all that old bitterness behind him.’
Ben gave an unhappy sigh. ‘I did send Mum a text in the taxi about Dad dying and she answered me; said how sad it was for me but not to expect her to fly over for the funeral. I knew she wouldn’t come, that’s why I went ahead with the arrangements for tomorrow. She believed Dad hated her. But she’s wrong about that. I think he actually loved her.’
‘Yes. Of course he did,’ was all Jess could think of to say.
Just when Ben looked as though he was going to burst into tears, he dragged in another deep breath, then straightened his spine.
‘Dad would expect me to be strong,’ he said.
Jess wanted to tell him that tears didn’t make a man weak but she knew it would have been a waste of time. Her father had never cried in front of her, neither had her brothers. It was just the way lots of men were.
‘I’ll put these in the bedroom,’ he said as he picked up their bags and headed down a hallway.
Jess followed him with a heavy heart.
The master bedroom was magnificent, of course. Lavishly furnished with a king-sized bed and everything anyone could possibly want, including a huge flat-screen TV built into the wall opposite the bed. Ben opened the door of a walk-in dressing room which proved bigger than her bedroom back home. She tried not to gape as she hung up her outfit for the funeral, but the extent of Ben’s wardrobe was mind-boggling. How could one man wear so many suits?
She unpacked the rest of her things silently, thankful that she’d thought to bring her newest and best nightie. To wear something cheap in this place wouldn’t seem right. It was made of white satin, adorned with white lace. The colour would even match the room, which was mainly white and grey, not a single piece of dark wood in sight.
‘I dare say you’d like to freshen up after that very long flight,’ Ben said. ‘And no, I won’t be joining you in the shower, so you don’t have to worry. I also don’t want to go out to dinner tonight. I’ll order something in for us. Will Chinese do, or would you prefer something else?’
‘No, no. I love Chinese food,’ she said.
‘Good. Take your time in the bathroom. Have a bath, if you’d prefer.’
Jess hated how sad he looked. She instinctively walked over and put her arms around him, hugging him tightly. ‘It’s going to be all right, Ben,’ she said as one did when one didn’t know what else to say.
He hugged her back for a long moment before extricating himself from her arms and giving the weariest sigh.
‘Dear, sweet Jess,’ he said and laid a gentle hand against her cheek. ‘Maybe it will be all right. In time. Meanwhile, tomorrow is going to be hell.’
IT WAS WORSE than hell, Jess decided by five the following afternoon. Firstly, it had rained overnight and she’d frozen to death, both in the church and at the cemetery. She did have a jacket, one which matched her black crepe skirt, having chosen to wear the black Chanel-style suit she’d made to attend her grandmother’s funeral. But even though it was lined it wasn’t a warm outfit. Everyone else, she saw, was wearing overcoats. Some were wearing hats. She didn’t even own a hat!
She’d warmed up a little during the drive from the lawn cemetery back into the city, though Ben hadn’t said a word. Obviously, he’d been in a pretty bad place in his head after having to deliver the main eulogy, then watch his father’s coffin being lowered into the ground. He’d held her hand so tightly whilst that had happened, she’d thought her fingers would break. She hadn’t known what to say to make him feel any better so she’d said nothing.
But none of that compared to the hell the wake proved to be. Jess had felt intimidated from the moment she’d set foot in that mausoleum of an apartment Ben’s father had owned. Maybe if she’d been able to stay by Ben’s side she would have been able to cope better. But people kept taking him away from her, smarmy men in black suits with sucking-up manners and ingratiating voices. Everyone seemed to want his ear now that he was no longer the heir but the man himself. It was all quite sickening. And depressing.
Time ticked away very slowly spent with people she didn’t know, making conversation with her about things she knew nothing about. When one particularly snobbish woman asked her what she did for a living, Jess rather enjoyed telling her that she was a mechanic. The expression on her snooty face was horrified. Anyone would have thought she’d said she was a garbage collector.
Finally, just after the grandfather clock in the main hallway struck five, an exasperated Jess scooped up a glass of white wine from a passing waiter and slipped out onto one of the many balconies, hopeful of finding some solitude and peace.
But she wasn’t about to be so lucky. A svelte blonde who’d been at the funeral, and who’d stared daggers at Jess across the graveside, followed her out onto the balcony.
‘Well, hello there,’ the blonde said. ‘You must be Ben’s new girlfriend, the one he told me about over the phone.’
It didn’t take a genius to conclude who the blonde was.
Amber wasn’t beautiful, Jess decided. But she was attractive, and she shouted money with her super-sleek hairdo, her shiny complexion and her expensive-looking black sheath dress. No doubt they were real diamonds twinkling in her ears, Jess wished that she was wearing the diamond pendant Andy had given her at the wedding. But she’d left it at home in her jewellery case.
Despite knowing that her own outfit didn’t look home-made it suddenly felt home-made. And dated. Which was silly.
‘Hi,’ Jess returned, refusing to feel intimidated any more today. ‘I presume you’re Amber. Ben told me all about you too.’
Amber’s smile was not at all nice. ‘Did he, now? I’ll bet he didn’t tell you what he and I used to get up to.’
Jess hated to think of Ben doing with this creature what he’d done with her. But there was no use pretending that some of it wouldn’t have happened. Ben obviously had a penchant for erotic fun and games.
‘I wouldn’t dream of questioning Ben over what he did with his previous girlfriends,’ she said coolly. ‘What’s past is past.’
The blonde laughed. ‘In that case, you might be in for a few surprises, sweetie. But let me warn you…if you’ve set your cap at marrying the dear boy, then it might be wise to play a more conservative role. I tried to accommodate his kinky little demands and it didn’t get me anywhere in the end. Not that I enjoyed any of it, but a girl will do just about anything, won’t they, when there are billions at stake.’
‘So it seems.’
Jess and Amber whirled at the sound of Ben’s voice.
Amber went a guilty shade of pink whilst Jess just stared at him.
