The uneasy quartet exited LAX and stepped out into the bright California sunshine. After only a few seconds, a limousine pulled to the curb and a uniformed driver got out.
"A limo?" Phyllida asked, raising her eyebrows. "How very…American."
The driver loaded the luggage into the trunk and held the back door open.
"We thought it would be easier to have a driver and not have to worry about parking," C.C. explained.
"No need to explain, dear, we're well familiar with American excess. We see it all over the telly, you know."
"I know that I'd rather spend our first hour together chatting, rather than concentrating on traffic," Niles added, trying to get the conversation back on neutral ground.
Malcolm was busying himself with the mini-bar. "Anyone else care for a G & T?" he inquired, filling his own glass. C.C. was dying to say "I'll take a double," but she was still nursing, damn it. "Is there any Perrier in there?" she asked instead.
"I guess this motorway could give the M1 a run for its money," Malcolm commented, looking out the window as they sped along the 405. He sat back in his seat and chuckled. "I'll never understand it – American automakers turn out such cars as the Corvette and the Viper, and yet they won't allow them to be driven faster than 55 miles per hour." He took another long sip of his drink.
"So, Mrs. Worthington," C.C. began.
"Please, dear. We're…family now, aren't we? Call me Phyllida."
"Right, Phyllida. Did you leave room in your luggage for some new outfits? I was planning on taking you shopping along Rodeo Drive. It's not Harrod's, but they do have some very chic shops. The Duchess of York always shops there when she's in town, you know."
Phyllida snorted. "That vulgar redhead. So common. Such a disgrace. I've heard that she even does adverts on the telly here."
Shot down again, C.C. rode in silence for a few minutes, desperately trying to think of a topic of conversation that would interest her mother-in-law. Malcolm interrupted her reverie with a question.
"C.C., do you miss New York very much? I know Niles does."
C.C. raised her eyebrows questioningly at her husband. "You do?"
"He's mentioned it in a letter or two," Malcolm continued before Niles could respond. "Of course it's understandable…I've been there a few times myself, and it's so similar to London. Very cosmopolitan, very business-like. No palm trees, no culture shock like in…." his voice drifted off as he drained his glass.
"I was born and raised in New York, so L.A. is a definite adjustment for me, too," C.C. replied. "Sometimes I miss the theater, the closeness of everything…having the Four Seasons or Tavern on the Green or the Waldorf just a 10 minute cab ride away. Everything in California is so spread out…it takes some getting used to." She studied Niles' face quietly. She'd been feeling some homesickness pangs recently, but had chalked them off to post-partum depression. She didn't know that Niles had been missing New York as well.
They finally arrived home, the driver brought in the bags, and Phyllida and Malcolm were shown to the guest room. C.C. was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to lie down and nap, but that was out of the question at the moment. She had in-laws to entertain.
"Where's my beautiful granddaughter?" Malcolm asked after freshening up.
"She should be just gettin' up from her nap," came a familiar Scottish accent in reply. C.C. spun around and saw that Nanny Barnes had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"Um, Mr. and Mrs. Worthington, this is Prudi's nanny, Ms. Barnes."
"I'll just freshen the babe up and bring her out straight away."
Nanny Barnes disappeared into the nursery, and Niles settled his parents down in the living room with some refreshments.
"This is a nice place, Niles," Phyllida commented, looking around. "Maxwell has been very good to you."
C.C.'s hackles were starting to stand up. "And Niles has been very good to Maxwell," she said evenly, through clenched teeth. "In fact, once he passes the bar exam, he plans to handle some of Max's business pro bono, as a favor."
"When do you sit for the exam, son?" Malcolm asked.
"I just did last week. There's nothing left but to wait for the results."
"Here's the little darlin' now," chirped Nanny Barnes as she entered the room with a bundle in her arms. C.C. stood up and relieved the woman of her burden. She turned to Phyllida, but it was Malcolm who stood up and cuddled Prudi close to his chest.
"Ooooh, look at her!" He cooed. "Aren't you the precious one?" He looked up at Niles. "She has your eyes, son." He looked back at the gurgling child in his arms. "Little Prudi. Tutti Frutti, oh, Prudi," he sang.
"You do realize you're making a fool of yourself, Malcolm, don't you?" Phyllida asked stiffly. Malcolm sat down next to her on the sofa and turned towards his wife. "This is your grandma, Prudi." Phyllida looked down at the baby and smiled softly. "She is very pretty," she said, reaching over tentatively and stroking the silky head. She suddenly sat up abruptly. "C.C., that reminds me, I've brought along a christening dress for Prudence."
"Oh, that's so thoughtful, thank you," C.C. stammered. Neither she nor Niles was particularly religious, and they hadn't discussed any sort of christening or baptismal ceremony.
"We do appreciate you waiting to christen her until we could be present," Phyllida continued, "tell me, do you plan to do it before or after you're married?"
"Maman," Niles interjected, "we are married. It was a civil ceremony. It's just that…" he struggled for a polite way to explain Fran's insistence of a formal wedding. "Well, we wanted to renew our vows in front of our loved ones once we were settled in our new home." He sighed with relief. C.C. met his eyes, and her look said it all. "Good recovery, Butler Boy."
"I can't wait to see the dress you've brought for Prudi," C.C. said with false enthusiasm. What in the hell was she going to do with these people for the next week?
Phyllida jumped up and dashed to her room. She returned in short order with a tiny dress of white silk and lace. She held it out for C.C.'s inspection. "It was a gift from Lady Fermoy. It was the dress worn by Princess Alexandra of Kent for her christening." Phyllida's face fairly glowed with pride.
"Well, it's absolutely gorgeous," C.C. responded, taking the dress in her hands and fingering the fabric lightly. "I'm surprised she could part with such a treasure."
"When she heard about our first grandchild, she said that it was her honor to present it to us. Lady Fermoy was always so fond of our Niles; she's his godmother, you know."
Malcolm was walking back and forth, bouncing Prudi gently in his arms and babbling baby talk to her. "Who's a beautiful baby, then?" Prudi reached out and grabbed a fistful of his necktie. "Oh, she's strong, she is. She could be a goalie for Manchester United, couldn't she?" He continued cooing and cuddling his grandchild.
"When shall we have the pleasure of meeting your family, C.C.?" Phyllida asked.
"They're arriving the day after tomorrow," C.C. replied. "Niles has arranged for us all to have dinner that evening at Spago."
"Oh, I've heard of that place. Isn't that where…movie stars congregate?" Phyllida spat out the words "movie stars" like it was a profanity.
"Sometimes. It used to be sort of a 'hot spot', but not so much anymore. We just like the food and the atmosphere. I hope you'll like it, too. The patio is surrounded by olive trees, it's quite lovely," C.C. said.
"Maxwell has invited us to dinner tonight at his house, if you feel up to it," Niles added. "Or would you and dad prefer to rest? I'm sure you're tired, with the time change and everything."
Prudi began to fuss a little, and C.C. stood up. "I think that's my cue," she smiled, taking her from Malcolm. "All this talk about dinner made someone hungry. If you'll excuse me…" As she left the room she heard Malcolm telling Niles they'd love to see Maxwell and meet his charming wife.
Later that evening, the group headed for the Sheffield house. They were running a few minutes late because Prudi demanded to be fed one last time before they left. Phyllida had followed C.C. into the nursery.
"You're still breastfeeding? How very…New Age. I suppose that's the latest Hollywood trend, eh?"
C.C. tried to feed her daughter while maintaining some semblance of dignity. She'd never really felt self-conscious about nursing before, but somehow Niles' mother made her feel exposed and awkward. "I don't think it has anything to do with California or trendiness. Niles did a lot of research before Prudi was born, and everything he read said it was better for the baby to have breast milk as long as possible."
"Certainly it's healthy for the first two weeks or so, to build up the child's immunities. But this extended nursing seems unnecessary. Especially since you have a highly qualified nanny to take care of her…"
C.C. raised Prudi up to her shoulder to bubble her. "Nanny Barnes is just that, a nanny. She's not a wet nurse." C.C. couldn't believe she had to defend herself to this woman. It was only breastfeeding, for heaven's sake, it wasn't like she was letting her infant child get a tattoo or something. C.C. placed Prudi in her crib and turned up the volume on the baby monitor. It was a wonder Niles had any sensitivity at all, having been raised by this woman, she thought to herself.
Fran greeted them at the door and threw her arms around first C.C. then Niles. "I haven't seen you two in, like, forever! Get in here!" She stepped aside and the others traipsed inside.
"Mother, father," Niles said with his customary formality, "I'd like you to meet Fran Sheffield. Fran, my parents, Phyllida and Malcolm."
Phyllida began to extend her hand, but Fran embraced her in an enthusiastic hug instead. "It's such a pleasure finally meeting you!" she exclaimed, her nasal voice reaching the higher register in her excitement. C.C. tried to conceal a smile as she watched Phyllida's face as Fran first crushed her, then held her back at arm's length. "I love that broach, it's to die for!" She bent forward to examine the diamonds in Phyllida's pin. "Whoa, look at those sparklers! Either you did something very good, or Malcolm here did something very bad, eh!" She cackled with laughter as she elbowed Phyllida roughly in the ribs. Before Niles' mother could respond, Fran whirled around and gasped Malcolm. "Ni-yules! Look at your handsome father! You two could be brothers!" She threw her arms around Malcolm, and he responded in kind, while giving her a gentle peck on the cheek. Fran let go and prodded Malcolm gently in the chest with her index finger. "Guess you can't blame Niles on the mailman, eh?" She winked and dissolved into another round of honking laughter.
"Well, let's all go sit down," Fran said, leading the way to the living room. "Max just phoned, he's running a little late, but he was on the road and should be here in 15 minutes or so. What would you like to drink?"
A uniformed butler had silently appeared and stood waiting for their cocktail orders. C.C. looked questioningly at Fran. "Pretty slick, huh? I had the whole evening catered, in honor of Niles' parents' first visit. There's a chef in the kitchen preparing a genuine British dinner with rack of lamb and 'mash' and I forget what else." She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Confidentially, I have no idea what Alan Alda has to do with English food, but this guy came highly recommended, so I trust his judgment."
"Where are Jonah and Eve"? C.C. inquired as she sipped her Perrier.
"They're upstairs getting WASHED FOR DINNAH!" Fran yelled the last part of her sentence upwards, as if reminding the children they should be getting ready.
"Jonah and Eve are Fran and Maxell's twins," Niles explained to his parents. "Lovely children. Will they be joining us for dinner?" H asked Fran hesitantly. The way the evening was going, he didn't think having those two little tornadoes at the dinner table would improve the situation any.
"Of course. Only don't tell them it's lamb we're eating – they've got this Dora the Explorer video with this cute little sheep in it and it would break their hearts if they thought we butchered the poor thing – oh, Pilar!" she suddenly called out. "Would you please make sure the twins are washed and dressed and then bring them down? Max will be home any minute."
They heard a faint "Sí, Mrs. Fran" in the distance. Simultaneously a familiar voice called out, "Malcolm! Phyllida! So wonderful to see you again!" Max entered the room with long strides and extended his hand to Phyllida. He kissed her on each cheek and then clasped Malcolm around the shoulders. "How long has it been?"
"Maxwell, you haven't changed a bit!" Phyllida looked at him admiringly. Greetings were exchanged all around, and Max sat down next to Fran.
"We've just been getting acquainted with your lovely wife," Malcolm said. "Maxwell always had an eye for beauty," he added as an aside. Fran giggled and reached over, slapping Malcolm's knee lightly. "You are such a charmer! I bet you still have a way with the women…"
"Indeed," Phyllida harrumphed.
"Oh, no offense, Phyl," Fran assured her. "I didn't mean – "
"I'm sure I understood what you meant." Niles' mother eyed Fran icily.
Malcolm was oblivious to his wife's discomfort. He grinned rakishly at Fran and commented, "Niles, you never told me how absolutely vivacious Mrs. Sheffield was."
"The second Mrs. Sheffield," Phyllida said under her breath.
Luckily the butler chose that moment to enter and address himself to Maxwell and Fran. "Excuse me, sir, but if it pleases madame, dinner is served."
"Shall we?" Fran asked regally, rising. She then turned towards the stairs and called out, "Kii-ids! Dinner! Now!"
"Would you like an extra-strength Tylenol with your tea?" C.C. asked the girl sitting across from her as she rifled through her purse.
"No, thanks, I don't have a headache," Grace replied, chuckling.
"That's right, you weren't at dinner last night. Lucky you."
"What did I miss?" Grace asked off-handedly while flipping through a textbook. She was taking an advanced business economics class and had stopped by to see if C.C. had any reference material she could use as a study aid. C.C. had dug up several of her college texts, as well as some old contracts she had negotiated years ago. She was secretly flattered that the teen was apparently looking to follow in her footsteps, career-wise. Desperate for someone to talk to besides an in-law, C.C. had invited Grace to sit and chat for a few minutes.
"Let's just say there was probably a livelier atmosphere at the Last Supper."
Grace laughed. "It couldn't have been that bad."
"Your father did his best to keep things upbeat, and Niles' parents were very happy to see him again, but overall it was a losing battle."
"Where are they now?"
"Niles took them out to lunch. I begged off, not that Phyllida tried very hard to change my mind." C.C. took another sip of tea and sighed. "I just needed a break, since we're having dinner tonight with them and my dad and brother."
"When are they getting into town?"
"They're here already, Dad called me this morning after they checked into the hotel. Mother couldn't make it, though; she's laid up at Kloster's in Switzerland. Tore her Achille's tendon."
"Kloster's? The ski resort? I didn't know your mom liked to ski."
"She doesn't. She hurt herself dancing in the lodge with a ski instructor. Let that be a lesson – never try to do the Electric Slide in sling-back shoes when you're six- when you're her age."
C.C. poured some more hot water into her cup. "You know, I didn't even meet my family at the airport this morning, I sent a car for them instead. I kept my morning clear so that I could spend some time alone with Phyllida. I took her shopping on Rodeo Drive, in case she needed any last minute accessories for the wedding. All I heard was how much better the quality was on Savile Row, and that you really can't buy good clothes off the peg, that you have to go to a bespoke tailor…I swear, I've never met such a petty, judgmental person in my life! She looks down her nose at absolutely everyone and everything. Can you imagine what it's like spending time with someone like that? It's a miracle that Niles managed to put up with her as long as he did."
"He puts up with you," Grace said quietly into her cup, trying to suppress a grin.
C.C. caught the tone and sat up in her chair. "What? What's that supposed to mean? What are you trying to say?"
"No offense, Miss Babcock, but…"
"But what? Out with it, Gretl!" She knew Gracie's name by now, but she was in the mood to attack.
"Let's face it, she's you. Or vice versa."
"I'm not a bit like that woman!"
"Not so much any more, but, well, there was a time when all of us used to wonder how Niles, um, 'put up with you as long as he did.'" She stood up to leave. "Thanks very much for the books, I'll get them back to you soon."
"No rush," C.C. mumbled distractedly as Grace left. Maybe I wasn't always the warmest human being, but I was never like -- was I? C.C.'s thoughts were tumbling around her head when she heard Prudi's cries on the baby monitor. She stood up to head towards the nursery and was suddenly overcome with a wave of dizziness. Grabbing the edge of the table for support, she steadied herself and continued on down the hall. Great, I'm making myself crazy by thinking too much. If I don't watch out, I'll end up back at that Place… Thank God the wedding is the day after tomorrow, and then things will get back to normal…
to be continued…