Chapter 20

'Thanks, Popsicle; I've never been to late night cinema before. Mum's so miserable and boring she wouldn't let me.'

'We haven't got to check out until half past eleven, so you can sleep in. But I won't take you again if you're going to be so critical of your mum, Lawrence. She just wants to protect you, wants the best for you.' He put a protective arm around his son's shoulder. 'Right, where did we park the car?'

As they walked across the car park John retrieved his phone from his jacket pocket and turned it on. Within seconds it beeped several times to indicate texts arriving.

'Why don't you come home, dad? You never let me say a bad word about mum, so you can't say that you don't care for her.' Lawrence commented, not for the first time.

John was too preoccupied reading his texts to reply. Had Lawrence been more mature he might have recognised a man in turmoil, but his head was still full of superheroes and villains. He left his dad to his phone while he posted a boast on Facebook about the lateness of the hour and the brilliance of Batman.

ooOoo

Caroline was the first to wake and realised with pleasure that she was still curled around Kate. Waking up next to her felt as good as she had hoped it would. They had both been too tired for anything but a prolonged goodnight kiss but their naked bodies happily snuggled into one another as they fell asleep together for the first time. Now refreshed through sleep and aroused by the feel of Kate's body so close to hers, Caroline resisted the temptation to move and caress, using the time to imagine the contours of her lover and how she would explore them. Within seconds she felt her clitoris start to swell and moisture flow. Never had she experienced such automatic physical responses and she knew without doubt that she didn't want it any other way. Her patience was rewarded as Kate woke and, sensing she wasn't the first to stir, she moved her left hand to grasp Caroline's silky-smooth thigh.

'Morning. Bliss feeling you wrapped around me,' she muttered before rolling over to plant a kiss on Caroline's shoulder blade, the nearest point of contact. She nestled in closer and began caressing with intent.

'You don't do nonchalance!' Caroline joked but moments later her response changed as fingers found her wetness. 'Oh, Kate, oh, that's lovely. Oh, shit.' Lips and a tongue silenced the formation of words but moans found their way through as Kate continued her pursuit of giving and receiving pleasure.

It wasn't refined or gentle but rather a glorious joining of passion, love and longing and as repositioning enabled their labia to meet and fingers to stroke, their juices combined and they climaxed forcefully one after the other. Amazed and content, Caroline moved up the bed to cling desperately to Kate, feeling that her very life depended on continued contact. They kissed softly and reverently, in total contrast to the recent forceful coupling.

'Hopefully that will help me keep my hands off you for the rest of the day. I guess we'll have to face the public soon.'

'We will, Kate, and a shower is essential first, thanks to your interference!' Caroline had been stunned by the closeness and trust they had just shared and found herself using banter to cover her emotions.

'Yes, thank goodness for a double bed. I wouldn't have missed that half an hour for anything! Still, better make a start with getting ready for this wedding. You want to go first?'

While Caroline showered, Kate checked her phone, hoping that she had received an e mail from her mum. Disappointed at finding an empty inbox, her mind refocused on aspects of the previous day and, particularly, the hotel booking which had been bugging her since check-in. While Kate had stood her ground by insisting that a double had been booked, the receptionist had been equally convinced that it hadn't and, showing her their computer system, concluded that the language difference had been responsible. Certain that Caroline had booked online, she found the hotel's website and it was immediately obvious that the graphics did away with the need to have a good grasp of French to distinguish a twin from a double. 'Odd,' she mused, 'very odd.'

ooOoo

'So, we've an hour before the mini-bus picks us up, is that right?' Kate questioned as they tucked into breakfast in a relatively full dining room.

'That's right. Meg suggested this hotel to everyone so it's quite likely that some of those here are also wedding guests.' She looked around as if to see if she could recognise anyone while knowing that it was unlikely. 'We're to meet outside at half-past nine. It's just under an hour's drive to the town where they're getting married and we'll have plenty of time to check-in to the hotel and change before the wedding ceremony at noon. Meg says that the venue for the ceremony is just across the road from the hotel and then it's back there for a meal. I assumed they'd marry at the vineyard but it seems they can't.'

'No, the French are quite strict about such things. It's a civil and not a religious ceremony so some go to a Church afterwards for a blessing, but it sounds as if Meg and Severine aren't going to. Monsieur le Maire conducts the service and it's held at the Mairie. That's the town hall to you and me. All very formal. I understand that the gay wedding law was not that well received so it wouldn't surprise me if things were even more joyless! But, they're ahead of Britain so I guess they're lucky in that respect.'

They chatted through breakfast, commenting on their surroundings and the other diners, content in the here and now while looking forward to the day ahead. Caroline had never been to a wedding outside of the UK which she said added to her excitement, although she did admit to having some apprehension about seeing Meg again. Bags packed in good time they were happy to wait for the bus in the warm almost-like-spring sunshine.

ooOoo

A rather dapper gentleman sat at a desk that Saturday morning, staring out of the window across an unremarkable Yorkshire farmyard. In the distance through the remnants of early morning mist he could just make out his daughter, grandson and a dog, shepherding sheep and their new-born lambs from one field to another. Regretting that he was no longer healthy enough to help and knowing that it would be some time before the workers returned to the house, he turned his attention to the ageing computer. On the cold, short days of winter when he couldn't get his car down the lane because of ice or snow, this had become a lifeline enabling another form of contact with the outside world. His grandson, known in the family as Raff, had recently shown him how to use Facebook and he was enjoying the link to his brother, Ted, and his family in New Zealand.

Alan turned on the computer and waited for it to load. A few times he had considered buying a new one but the farm's poor internet connection would have limited any benefit and his money stayed in the bank. He went straight to Facebook, keen to see if there was anything new from Ted but his attention was drawn to a friend's request. Yes, it was. He couldn't believe his eyes. Sixty years disappeared in an instant and his heart quickened, as it had done all those years ago, when he had pretended to be out shopping for his mother so that their paths would cross. The girl he had never forgotten, Celia Armitage; beautiful, funny and charming.

His morning was suddenly brighter and he was glad that Gillian and Raff were out tending sheep, giving him time to reminisce.

ooOoo

'For God's sake, I told you where I was going for the night.' John slumped down onto a chair, exhausted by the constant need to explain his whereabouts. 'Oh, for fuck's sake, Judith. What have I sat in?' He stood and checked the seat of his trousers, relieved to find that it was coffee from an abandoned mug and nothing more repellent. 'You know why I can't bring the boys here.'

'I bet you were with her. The lovely Caroline.' Her words were slurred, but whether from the lingering effect from a binge the previous night or from having started drinking before he arrived, he wasn't sure. Having lived with her for six months he knew that either was likely. 'I texted you. You didn't reply. Why not if you were with whatever his name is. What is his name? What are you hiding, John?'

'I shouldn't have to explain myself time after time, but I will once more. Listen very carefully for the very last time, Judith. Caroline is in France. Lawrence and I stayed in the Travelodge and as a treat I took him to a special showing of the Batman film. So, surprise, surprise, I had to turn my phone off while we were in the cinema. I did text you back about one o'clock this morning but I'm assuming you were blotto by then. Check your phone if you want proof. The end.'

'What are you trying to say, John. I might have had a drink. Nothing illegal about that. I'm over eighteen. You're just as bad.'

John acknowledged the truth of some of her words, but to himself, not his accuser. He knew too that he felt more alert than he had for some considerable time, the benefit of not having consumed alcohol for over twenty-four hours.

'That I'm not. And you know it. You're beyond a joke, Judith and I'm pissed off. No pun intended.' He picked up the mug and began to mop his trousers and the chair with a tissue.

Judith crossed the room and towered over him. She slapped the mug out of his hands and as he lifted his face towards her in surprise, she followed up with a thump to his left temple, knocking him sideways. She stormed out of the room and slammed the bedroom door. His mind was clear, despite the surprise and the pain of the blow. The excitement wasn't worth the cost. He needed to get out of the disaster zone and back to where he belonged.

ooOoo

The minibus pulled up at their destination and all onboard were astounded at the beauty of the building, in stark contrast to the industrial-looking airport hotel they had just left. The online photos had not done it justice. This truly was a magnificent structure and there was a scramble to be the first off the bus and into the building. Once on the pavement Caroline hung back, absorbing the magic of the moment, while the others rushed ahead.

'No hurry because we can't all check in at the same time but if the outside is anything to go by think we're in for a treat.'

'You've got more willpower than I have. Come on!' Kate prompted.

'I need to talk to you, Kate, before we go in.' She walked a few steps backwards to put distance between them. 'I don't know if you've suspected already but I'm sure you will once we start to book in. It wasn't a mistake at the last hotel. I booked a twin, not a double and I've done the same here. I got cold feet when it came down to making the booking. God knows why. Having the chance to spend two nights with you was a dream but I just couldn't bring myself to make it happen. I'm so sorry.'

Kate was stunned and disappointed but not surprised. Caroline's reaction at the airport when she put her head on her shoulder came to mind immediately. She hadn't suddenly wanted a drink, she wanted to avoid giving out any sign that said they were a couple; the same with the hotel rooms.

'Why didn't you say?' Kate felt that the bottom had dropped out of her world. She had understood that she wasn't ready to tell the boys and her mother, but total strangers?

'I was going to but then I couldn't. I didn't want you to be disappointed in me. I knew I was being a coward and this was meant to be a dress rehearsal for going public, but I panicked.'

'Yes, big time.' Kate walked around, considering her response, but Caroline looked so dejected that she knew she was equally disappointed and her heart went out to her. 'I would have understood, Caroline. I would. We're not going to get very far if we can't talk to each other. That's probably more relevant than you booking twin rooms.'

'I know. I kept meaning to talk to you about it and then I thought if I rebooked you'd never know but every time I went to do it, I froze.'

'If nothing else I would have thought that you would be able to talk to me. I thought that was one of the things that we were good at. Obviously, I'm wrong.'

At that moment a taxi pulled up and anxious not to share their disagreement with others, especially if they were fellow wedding guests, Kate moved forward so that the passengers would walk behind her rather than between her and Caroline. As they waited in awkward silence for some privacy the colour suddenly drained from Caroline's face, she became unsteady on her feet and Kate rushed forward, concerned that she was going to pass out. Kate was just in time to stop her falling and called out for help as she supported her weight.

An extremely pretty, young woman ran to assist and shouted, in French, for someone to fetch a chair. Within a short while Caroline was seated and safe, and the colour began to return to her cheeks.

'You're Caroline!' the young woman declared from a crouched position in front of the chair. 'I'd recognise you anywhere. Thank goodness you're starting to look better.' Her English was faultless but carried a hint of an accent. 'So, that means you must be Kate,' she concluded as she lifted her head and smiled.

Caroline and Kate's bemused looks prompted her to clarify without being asked.

'I'm a Caroline too, although everyone calls me Caz. Meg's daughter. What a way to be introduced!'

'I'd know your lineage anywhere,' said a still shaky Caroline. 'I could be looking at your mum.'

ooOoo

'What a clown. I'm sorry, Kate. This weekend isn't proving to be what I'd hoped.'

'Don't be silly. Are you sure you're ok now?'

They had settled into the hotel, in a double room after a hotel clerk had been kind enough to adjust their booking. It was a relatively easy swop with a single traveller, unconnected to the wedding, who had not specified type of room. Caroline clung to Kate's hand throughout the discussion at the reception desk, partly through a lingering feeling of light-headedness but also through determination to show to Kate that she could acknowledge their relationship.

'Yes, I'm fine. I don't deserve your understanding after being such a failure. And, as for fainting. Goodness, what an idiot but thank goodness you were so alert.'

'You know what teaching's like, Caroline. Working with teenagers makes you ultra-alert and one step ahead of problems. I can see why you were so shocked. As she approached to help, even I thought that I recognised her but everything was happening at once and my brain didn't compute her likeness quickly enough. She is SO like her mum on those photos. It's uncanny. But don't you think it strange that Meg didn't tell you she had a daughter?'

'I can see why she didn't initially and then maybe when she sent the wedding invitation she forgot that she hadn't. Maybe she thought it might sound very odd to blurt out that she had a daughter and "oh by the way I called her Caroline!" Mind you, fancy doing that after all the hurt I caused. She's obviously a real fan of the name because there's no way she called her after me! There's another shock, Meg and my mother having something they'd agree on.'

Caroline was sitting on the bed with a cup of coffee and a cinnamon biscuit, Kate perched close by watching anxiously. While she sounded cheerful, Kate continued to feel concerned.

'This was a wake-up call, Kate. It's really taught me a lesson. Not the Caz thing; I don't mean that.'

'I know what you're talking about but I wouldn't want you to make a decision to tell anyone before you're ready.'

'I've had twenty-five years and I think that if I wait until I'm ready, I, no we, will wait for another quarter of a century. Bugger my mother. If she doesn't like it, that's tough. But I need to sort it with William and Lawrence in the right way after all they've been through with their dad's behaviour. Next weekend when I've got plenty of time with them rather than a quick conversation in an evening.'

There was something in her voice and demeanour that Kate recognised. This was the efficient and determined head who got the job done and took no prisoners in the process and she felt some sympathy for Caroline's mother.