Page 64 of Save You
“Sophie!” Claire chastises her. “Stop whispering, it’s rude!”
Sophie looks to the floor guiltily, as if feeling deeply ashamed and embarrassed by her mother shouting at her in front of all of us. Meanwhile, Maisie comes back to hand me my tea, so I decide to throw myself further into the role play to try and lighten the mood.
“Oh, thank you so much,” I tell her in a silly voice, much like her mother’s natural one, and take the little pot out of her hand. “Oh, ouch, it’s a little hot!” I pretend to blow on it while she giggles, then offers me a biscuit of the imaginary kind. “Oooh, a chocolate bourbon, my favorite, mmm!”
“You’re good with her, Beth,” Claire says to me from where she and Oliver are still standing.
“Beth will make an excellent mother…one day.” Oliver smiles with a look of pride and affection. His words sting, knowing that I’m already a mother. The thought of my own child being without me is enough to have me fighting back tears again.
“When do you plan on starting, Oliver? Your bride is a little young, though, not by Mayfield standards.” Claire shrugs as she takes the seat next to me and runs her hand awkwardly through my hair, still making me feel like an inanimate doll on display.
“As soon as Beth turns twenty,” Oliver replies, “Beth knows I want a lot of children.”Do I?Because I don’t remember being consulted on the matter. “Until then, I plan on having plenty of practice making them with her.”
I drop my mouth open over his open reference to having sex with me in front of not only Claire, but her children too.
“Well, we all know how you like your activities between the sheets, Oliver,” she laughs with a strange look of what looks like lust in her eyes. “Beth, I’m sure you will find him a very enjoyable lover!”
She gifts me with a wink before turning back to her cousin, leaving me to feel deeply uncomfortable and a little nauseated. I have to wonder if she’s speaking from experience, seeing as now both she and Felicity have suggested that incest is the norm.
“Enough, Claire!” Oliver says with a hint of threat. However, he quickly softens again when Maisie drops a spoon inside of my teacup with a loud clatter. “There are children present.”
“Shall we begin the fittings then?” Claire suddenly announces. “And where is Pru with our drinks? Oliver, you need to get your staff to work more efficiently.”
“Perhaps I should go and help her,” I suggest, finally using my voice with the ‘grown ups’.
“Oh, gosh, no, you can’t do that, dear,” Claire laughs at my naivety, “don’t you realize who you’re marrying?!”
“Of course, she knows who she’s marrying,” a familiar voice booms across the room as he walks in with unfailing confidence. At my grandfather’s presence, Claire immediately shuts up and stands to greet him in a formal manner, showing him immense respect. “But, of course, Oliver knows who he is marrying too. She is my granddaughter after all!” Carl walks over to Oliver to shake his hand before kissing me on my cheeks. “I haven’t seen you in a while, Claire, how is your husband? Still working on Wall Street?”
Claire saunters over to my grandfather and kisses him on his cheek before returning to her seat beside me, suddenly acting like we are great friends. I ignore the whole arse-kissing theatrics and turn to carry on playing with the girls, who are infinitely more pleasant to talk to.
“We were just talking about having children, Carl,” Claire says with an air of arrogance. “I’m sure you would like to have great-grandchildren; get to see them grow up this time?”
“Of course, the more the better!” he replies with a wink for Oliver, who then grins smugly at me. “And the sooner, ay, Oliver?”
“Really? Because Oliver was saying they’re waiting until Beth turns twenty!” Claire grins, seemingly taking extreme delight in stirring the shit.
“That’s nearly two years away!” Carl almost chokes with a look of horror. “No sense in waiting, Oliver. You’re not getting any younger, are you?”
“Beth has asked for us to wait, and I am honoring her wishes,” Oliver replies firmly, “she has no one to answer to but her husband, and that will be me in just over a week. Now I would like us to drop the subject. I don’t want anyone upsetting my fiancé.”
The room immediately shuts up, and I look at Oliver with a mixture of shock and suspicion. I can only surmise he believes he is the only one allowed to give me hell, that no one else is to have that honor. Still, I can’t figure him out at all. But given that he’s just defended me in front of the Mayfield God, who is my grandfather, I give him a look of thanks all the same. He smiles back at me before Pru shuffles in with tea and yet more dresses to try on. The girls immediately jump around excitedly while I plaster on a smile, even if it’s just for their sake.