Page 47 of Marry Me…Maybe?
‘Are you ready?’
She turned to him with a look of defiance on her face. ‘As I’ll ever be.’
He went to open his door and get out but stopped when she put a hand on his arm.
‘Theo? I just wanted to say sorry in advance for anything you might see or hear today. Seriously, knowing my family, anything could happen.’
An image of someone flinging themselves on top of her mother’s coffin before it was lowered into the ground flashed into his head, but he dismissed it quickly. He didn’t think that was what she meant. Based on what she’d told him about her family already, he wasn’t expecting it to be a fond, emotional get-together.
‘Don’t worry about me; I can handle anything that’s thrown my way today. Just concentrate on getting yourself through it. As I said, I’ll stand near the back, if you like, so I don’t encroach on anything.’
She frowned and flapped a hand at him. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. You stand next to me. I’m not letting anyone tell me who I can and can’t bring with me to my own mother’s funeral.’
He knew she was referring to her father but didn’t feel he needed to voice it.
They walked together, hand in hand, to where a small group had already gathered around a coffin in the middle of the graveyard. He felt Emily’s grip tighten as they got closer and noticed atall, handsome man and an older, shorter man, whom he assumed were her brother and father, standing talking together.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Emily throw back her shoulders and felt her pull him forward as she increased her stride towards them. They stopped just in front of the small group, and they didn’t need to wait long before both men turned to look at them – her brother apparently surprised and pleased to see her, her father not so much.
‘Emily,’ the older man said coolly, affording her only a slight inclination of his head.
‘Dad, Jake – this is Theo,’ she said, turning to look up at him and give him a smile, which he returned.
He held out his hand to her father, wondering whether the man would have the guts to refuse it.
He didn’t.
They shook hands quickly, but firmly, and he turned to shake hands with her brother Jake too.
Just then a middle-aged, petite woman with dark hair cut into a neat bob hurried up to them. ‘Michael, the vicar would like a word with you before we begin,’ she said.
Emily’s father gave her a sharp nod and turned and walked off without bothering to excuse himself.
‘Still as charming as ever, I see,’ Emily muttered.
‘He’s finding it all a bit hard to deal with,’ the woman with the bob said.
Emily turned on her. ‘Really, Betty? I’m sure it must be just awful for him to have to finally admit he had a wife he locked away for years whilst all the time pretending he was actually married to you.’
The woman’s face turned pillar-box red. ‘Yes, well… I’d better go and see if they need me too,’ she mumbled, and scurried off in the direction that Emily’s father had gone.
‘That was a bit harsh, Em,’ Jake said, folding his arms against his chest.
‘You think? I don’t,’ Emily replied, crossing her own arms and staring him out.
Before there was a chance for either of them to say anything further the vicar leading the ceremony called them over and they all shuffled into position in front of the coffin.
Theo held her hand all through the short ceremony, feeling her swaying gently beside him as she stared resolutely in front of her, clearly determined not to cry. He admired her fortitude; he’d cried like a baby at Hugo’s funeral, and had even shed a tear at his father’s – even though they hadn’t been as close as they once were.
When it was finally over, and the coffin had been lowered into the ground, the small party started to drift away. Emily turned and pulled on Theo’s hand, as if to ask him to leave quickly with her.
‘Don’t you want to say goodbye to your brother?’ he asked, knowing she’d need a bit of a push to get past that iron-clad pride of hers.
‘I don’t have anything to say to him,’ she said stiffly.
He stopped short and tightened his grip on her hand, urging her to a standstill. ‘Emily, I know this isn’t any of my business, but if I were you, I’d want to at least reconnect with my brother and see whether there was any chance of making things right. I know what it feels like to be cut off from family and, honestly, if I had the chance to make things right with a brother I wouldn’t hesitate. None of this was his fault either, and judging by the look on his face when he first saw you, I suspect it would mean a lot to him if you at least gave him the opportunity to say his piece. He’s probably hurting too.’
She stared at him for one long moment, a whole range of emotions flitting over her face until she finally alighted on resignation. ‘Okay. Fine. I’ll talk to him – but that’s all.’
