Miranda's Wedding Chapter 12.
Ten days before Miranda's wedding, and the town- house was full to bursting. It was 7am in the morning and Charles could be heard practising his cello in the drawing-room, an inflexible daily routine which would occupy him until past 10. George was up in the music room, doing similarly complex exercises on the piano, and Caroline was trying her best to copy their commitment to music in her bedroom. Only Cassidy, out of all the family musicians, had decided enough was enough, and was downstairs in the kitchen, chatting to Cara, and finishing some math problems before getting ready for school.
"Do you know when we are all going up to Provincetown?" she asked the housekeeper. "I want to see Mommy and Andy safely married, and I want to see Bumpy Boy."
"I 'm not sure honey, but you're going to have to stop calling him that now he's born, you know. Isn't his name going to be Spencer?"
"Huh. I won't tell Dad and Cindy, but I think it's a pretty silly name. What does it mean?"
"Don't have a clue. Maybe it's after Spencer Tracy. He was a famous actor when I was a kid. Been dead a long time now of course. Or maybe after someone in their family."
"Tracy's a girl's name."
"I know, but not when it's a second name."
"I hate being called Cassidy."
"Do you darling? Haven't you heard of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid?"
"Who were they?"
"Oh, old film characters, based on famous criminals from a hundred years ago. They ended up in Bolivia I think."
"Mom and Dad weren't very good at choosing names, were they? If we are all named after dead film actors and criminals. I hope when Andy has lots of children she has better ideas."
Cara nearly choked as she was buttering the toast. "Oh, and what makes you think Andy wants to have lots of children?"
"Of course she will. She loves babies. She told me. Will you stay with us forever Cara, and help look after them? I shall be far too busy. I'll be eleven next month, and I'll have heaps to do at school. I'm going to try to get into the math club next semester."
"Sure I will, honey, if your Mom and Andy need me. Don't you fret now."
Cara learned quite a lot of useful information in this short conversation. Cassie was probably right, and more babies would be joining the household in the not too distant future. Her little twin charges were indeed growing up, and would be teenagers before she could blink, and Cassie was heading down the road to academia. Anyone who did algebra puzzles for fun at the breakfast table had a brain which needed to be exercised and encouraged.
Upstairs in the sanctuary of their bedroom, Cassie's mother and her fiancée were not exercising their brains, but lying in bed together, making out with what had started off as a very gentle episode of loving. Miranda had slowly and teasingly lifted Andy's Winnie the Pooh nightshirt up so it gradually revealed her beautiful body inch by inch, until it now trapped her arms and covered her face, and she was dropping small and random kisses over her breasts and belly, interspersed with little licks, and the odd wicked nip. All these activities caused Andy to buck and squeal and giggle. She struggled under her wrappings and tried to escape, but Miranda's arms held her captive.
"Let me go! Stop! You're tickling!"
"Sshh!" whispered Miranda. "This is my new morning inspection routine. I need to make sure no-one else has been kissing you in the night. Now be good and open your legs for me."
"No!"
"Open!"
Miranda was now blatantly kissing Andy's lower belly, and heading dangerously close to the seat of all pleasure. Andy couldn't resist her any longer, and obediently opened her legs, hooking one over Miranda's as well, and finally breaking out of her blindfold, to come up for air. She looked down to see Miranda about to dive in to her, and decided to turn the tables.
Using her natural agility and not inconsiderable strength, she flipped them both over, so that Miranda was now on her back, and she was firmly in control.
"If you want me, you can have me, but flat on your back, sweetheart."
Andy pushed her hips forward and tempted Miranda.
"Come here then, my sweet love," whispered Miranda, and pulled Andy forward some more, until she was kneeling with her legs next to Miranda's face. Then Miranda ducked under Andy's nightshirt and began to use her tongue in a delicious torture of sucking and sipping from Andy's dripping inner core, which had obediently started to flood with her juices at those simple words of enticement.
It was a taste she liked better than any alcohol, and while Andy might be much younger and stronger than her, she knew she had the last word, the mental power over their sex-games. Within seconds, Andy was reduced to a pleading wreck.
Miranda's mind went back to their first night in bed together, when she had experienced the revelation that she, Miranda Priestly the Ice-Queen, could make another person scream and achieve multiple orgasms all night, and that giving pleasure was far more wonderful than even receiving it yourself. But sex with Andy also enabled her to have very easy orgasms herself, which were immensely liberating after years of frustrated pretence with her husbands.
When she was young, Gloria had taught her how to enjoy sex, and the basic practicalities of how to come, but her dim memories of those years were of nothing even faintly resembling the fireworks and complete affinity she felt with Andy. Here with this merry, clever, carefree girl, she had found her soul-mate at last.
Eventually they lay together, panting and perspiring, and exhausted, with both their nightwear discarded on the floor. But it had been well worth it. They looked into each other's eyes and exchanged a final, long kiss.
Then, after sharing a cold shower, and calming down, they somehow managed to arrive downstairs looking as fresh and innocent as a couple of business-like daisies. Cassie had been joined in the kitchen by Caroline and the twins were almost ready to leave for school.
Caroline asked the same question Cassie had put to Cara. "When are we going to the cottage, Mom? Will we miss classes?"
"Yes, but I've written to your school and arranged for you to have special permission to take three extra days off next week, and the following Monday. So check with your subject teachers and ask for work to do at home. We'll be leaving here early on Wednesday morning, then Andy and I will collect you from your father's place on Monday 17th."
"I'll miss my horse-riding lesson on the Saturday morning!" realised Cassie, with a little pout.
Her twin sister rounded on her. "Oh great! Well you can stay here with Cara if that's more important to you, while the rest of us will go to see Andy marry Mom!"
"I didn't mean . . . Sorry, Mom and Andy."
"I know you didn't, darling, and school lessons, riding lessons, and every other aspect of our life together will start again as normal the following week."
Miranda briskly reassured her children, and they went off to school with Cara, much clearer about what was going to happen.
Andy, meanwhile, was much less clear about how to organise the course of events over the next few days. Hannah and Harry were currently fast asleep at the top of the house, but when their body-clocks adjusted from Japanese time, they would plunge into their own last-minute preparations, and also need her help to make longer term plans to settle in New York.
On top of this, Harry was determined to accompany Charles up to Boston, to explore these mysterious new cousins, so he and Hannah were planning to book into the Windhover Inn extra early. Andy had a whole pad full of checklists, memos and reminders to herself. She had a room allocation chart half-filled in, and was going to run downtown to Runway to complete this with Emily. She still hadn't had the time to try on her bridesmaid's dress either.
Serena only had two more days at work before she was taking a week's extra vacation to spend time with her family, and there was so much to do. Then there was the definitely painful prospect of Miranda's showdown with Trevor Charlton, with her determination that he confess his real identity to his daughter. This should ideally happen before the weekend, so Serena could know about it as well.
Miranda was off on some mysterious project of her own soon after breakfast, so Andy took the subway downtown and made her old familiar way back to Runway. Emily was waiting for her, and took her through to the closet.
"Here, this is my dress, hidden at the back, and here's yours."
Emily's wedding dress was lovely, understated, and in an ivory satin. Andy did think it looked rather like an under-slip for something more elaborate, but of course, never said that to Emily. She knew her friend would look stunning in it.
"Have you seen Serena's dress?"
"Not officially. But you know how inquisitive I am. I did sneak a look when she was having a fitting. It's a cracker. Prada. She will look a million dollars."
Emily now pulled Andy towards her proposed Bridesmaid outfit, and watched critically like a fashion pro stylist as she undressed and then pulled it gently over her head. It was a pale pink copy of Emily's wedding dress, and complemented it exactly. The concept was extremely stylish, and Andrea gave Emily generous and genuine praise for her choices.
Emily confessed. "Well, as you might expect, our Uncle Nigel had a hand in guiding me in the right direction."
They both stared at Andy's reflection in the mirror, and then Emily asked casually, "What happened to that nasty friend of yours, the one from the art gallery? I don't suppose you even invited her after what she did to you?"
"Lily? Well I have invited her actually. But I'm sure she won't be able to come. She has been in New Zealand these last three months. Her boss at the Gallery has sent her out there after Christmas to set up a new outlet in Auckland and she's very busy."
"So you are still on speaking terms?"
"Yes, of course. We email now and then." But Andy knew Emily was right in a way. She and Lily were nowhere near as friendly as they'd once been.
They had almost mutually decided to quietly cool their once intimate friendship after the acute embarrassing confession Lily had made that she'd been sleeping with Nate for several months the previous year, and also how she was wracked with jealousy about all the blessings she'd seen shower into Andy's life.* One day, maybe, they'd be as close again as they'd been as children, but Andy didn't see it happening any day soon.
Then as Andy went to undress and climb back into her normal clothes, Emily changed the subject again.
"Dad called to say he'll be here by the weekend. I told him Miranda wants to see him, but he didn't comment, or ask what it is about. Shall I fix it up for him to come round to the town-house on Sunday afternoon? I'll need something to entertain him. Serena will have left by then though."
"Yes, I expect that might be OK. But let me check first. Miranda might think it a better idea if she comes to your place."
"What's this all about, Andy?" Emily looked puzzled, and troubled. "Miranda isn't thinking of getting confirmed into the Church of England, is she? She hasn't got religion looking at all those churches in Italy?"
"No. Not that I've heard anyway! But I know she wants to get something sorted out, for you really. Trust her. She has your best interests at heart. I just can't say more than that."
"So you do know."
"Yes, but only just recently, and I promised I'd not interfere."
"Wow. Hey, maybe I'm actually Miranda's secret love child, the one she gave up to my parents for adoption at birth! Wouldn't that be fun?"
"No, Emily, it wouldn't. And I can tell you flat out, it's not that!"
"Pity! Wouldn't she make a scarily awesome mother?"
"The twins seem to be coping OK. Now let's stop discussing my fiancée and concentrate on yours. Tell me all about Serena's family. Have they received you into the fold yet?"
"Her father is really scary but her step-mother was kind."
"How did her father make all his money?"
"I couldn't find out. I know he owns a lot of boats, and has interests all over South America. Maybe it's cruising of some sort."
"Hmm." Andrea wasn't convinced. Wouldn't it be ironic if Emily was accidentally marrying into a drug-cartel family, much bigger than the one her father had messed with thirty five years before? But she let it drop.
They then turned their attention to room allocations, and other more cheerful topics like flower arrangements, and table settings. As it was all going to be based on large help-yourself buffets this was relatively easy, and they completed their business without falling out.
Walking home from the nearest sub-way station an hour later, Andy turned her mind to what she considered her last major conundrum, what to buy for Miranda's wedding present. She wanted to give her something unique, something special she could always wear.
They had already chosen matching rings, with the same tiny one word inscription inside, but Andrea wanted to get Miranda something else, something for round her glorious neck. It had to be lovely, and time was running out. She offered the problem up to the Universe to be given inspiration. Then she began to have the smallest germ of an idea.
She bounced up the steps of the town-house, and called out to Miranda, "Honey, I'm home!" and the lovely thing to realise was, that in her case, it was absolutely true.