The Perfect Retreat Page 0,120

for it to open, and they would be up till dawn. Almost like a ritual of some sort. They called it the Queen of the Night Party, and someone would sing the aria from The Magic Flute and they would recite poetry and dance. I understand it was quite decadent,’ he said to her softly.

‘All for a flower?’ asked Willow.

‘The bloom only lasts one night,’ said Merritt.

Willow held the bloom in her hand. ‘One night?’

‘Yes, so make the most of it,’ he laughed, his voice cracking a little. ‘Not out again until next year.’

‘I hope I’ll be here to see it,’ said Willow, not looking at him. She had moved back in within two weeks of arriving on Merritt’s doorstop and they had picked up where they had left off – before the fight, of course. Easy domesticity, minus the layers of dust and tension.

The children had never been happier, and Lucian had so many words that sometimes Willow wanted to tell him to be quiet – and then she remembered how long she had waited for him to speak, and she said nothing.

Janis and Alan had arrived soon after Willow had moved in, and Janis declared Merritt a keeper in front of Merritt himself, much to Willow’s embarrassment. He didn’t seem to mind. English people understood eccentricities. Merritt claimed they had to be earned; the more successful you were, the more eccentric you could be. Willow didn’t know how successful her father was in terms of English eccentricity standards, but at least Alan kept his clothes on at Middlemist, even if it was just a sarong at times.

Now they stood in the orangery and Merritt looked at Willow, his love.

‘You will be here next year, and the year after, and every night that it blooms will be the night we remember to make the most of our lives, for nothing lasts – we know that – except love.’

Willow started to cry softly, and Merritt guided her hand into the flower. She felt the cold of metal and pulled out a beautiful lotus-shaped diamond ring. It was exactly the ring Willow would have chosen for herself. Merritt slipped it onto her finger and she looked down at it. ‘It’s so beautiful,’ she said.

‘But there’s a catch,’ he said seriously.

‘What?’ She looked at him, fear flashing across her face.

‘You have to marry me,’ he said. ‘I know I’m a bit dull and you might get bored and I tend to get stuck on things, you know, fixated; and I can be grumpy and …’ Willow put her hands up to his face and kissed his mouth.

‘Yes, you are all those things, and so many, many more, Merritt. And I can think of nothing I would like more than to be Mrs Middlemist.’

And so she was. They were married at Middlemist at easter in the drawing room, with a party in the orangery. Everyone danced till dawn, and the world-famous opera singer Diana Damru performed the Queen of the Night Aria as a gift to Merritt from Willow.

Willow wore yellow Alexander McQueen, as a tribute to her friend who had passed away, and a smile. Kitty and Lucy were her bridesmaids, in clothes of their own choice. Lucy had allowed Willow to recommend a few designers, and she settled on a navy silk Donna Karan wrap dress, which looked lovely.

Kitty had chosen a Vivienne Westwood polka-dot strapless silk dress in a faded red and white. It made her look like a sexy fifties movie star, Ivo exclaimed, and proceeded to talk like Elvis for the whole wedding, which both annoyed and amused Kitty.

Merritt claimed in his speech that Willow was married and he was happy, but Willow protested that she was happy too, and the guests only had to look at her face to see the joy she felt.

Kerr had sent his congratulations, and he and Tori, his vegan Kabbalah yoga girlfriend, offered to take the children while they honeymooned in Italy. But Willow had said no, they were a family, and Merritt insisted they honeymoon together. The children could go over another time, or Kerr and Tori could even come there and stay in the guesthouse, Merritt had offered.

Marriage suited Merritt, and Willow enjoyed the stability. She was a good wife, but now she had money, she afforded herself a few new things. A nanny and a housekeeper-slash-cook were the first choices, and a new wardrobe from Chanel was the next.

The she had given Merritt his gift. She told him she