Cursed

by Smith, Ava

  CHAPTER 22

  After the incident at the theatre Daniel and Claudia drive home in the dilapidated car. They are far from talkative and all the exuberance from earlier has now been lost. Claudia does look happier though, she has got her fiancé back and she is determined the wedding will take place on Sunday as planned. Ideally, she would have liked at least six months to plan the big day, but because there is a chance he could change his mind she thinks Sunday is a better choice. Daniel, however, fails to share her enthusiasm. He looks ahead with a blank expression, certainly not that of a person who is about to engage in wedded bliss. Once they arrive at the manor, they walk through into the foyer and all the while Claudia clutches his arm.

  “Mr MacGregor is waiting for you in the dining hall, sir,” a voice calls out.

  They look ahead to see the ever-present Hargreaves standing in front of them. Claudia pulls on Daniel’s arm and the unhappy couple makes its way through the enormous house. They walk at a leisurely pace and Daniel stares ahead without much expression. All the while Claudia hopes he says something nice to her, such as, ‘I like that dress’ or ‘where shall we go on our honeymoon?’, but Daniel doesn’t say a word and it upsets her a little. When they enter the dining hall they find John sitting at the head of the table looking furious, an indication that he doesn’t like to be kept waiting. Claudia takes the seat right next to him and both Daniel and John draw back slightly, unknown to her she has taken John’s wife’s place.

  “What on earth kept you?” John asks as he watches Daniel sit as far away from his fiancée as possible.

  “We got lost. This house is so big,” she replies, trying not to feel rejected.

  “No, I was speaking of your journey to the house. I was expecting you home an hour ago.”

  “Well Mr MacGregor, Daniel and I were ...”

  “It doesn’t matter if it took one hour or three,” Daniel asserts. “The important thing is we’re all here now. And we’re all very happy.”

  John glares at his son while dropping a napkin across his lap.

  Soon after, the servants place dish after dish of delicious food on the table and Claudia tucks in almost immediately. John and Daniel, however, are a little more restrained and they take their time plating up. Daniel irks his father further by placing a small number of peas on his plate and eating them one at a time, stabbing his fork into the plate as he does so. This is something he did all through his childhood because he knew how much it annoyed his father. Claudia looks ahead and sighs. She could leave if she wants to; in fact, any of them could, but instead they all choose to sit there and engage in a bizarre game of unstated resentment. By the time dessert arrives Claudia makes an effort.

  “We only have one full day to prepare for the wedding, which means tomorrow is going to be very busy!”

  John sips from his glass and comments, “I’m sure you’ll get it all arranged, dear. After all, you’re a dab hand at getting what you want.”

  Claudia smiles and tries not to show how angry she is that John is taking a stab at her. She doesn’t say much after that and neither do Daniel or John. Daniel has hardly eaten a bite and as soon as the plates are cleared he stands up, saying,

  “I need to be alone for a while. So excuse me.”

  Claudia’s eyes narrow and she is about to call out to him, but he has already left. After this Claudia and John sit at the table in silence. They barely move and the awkwardness is so apparent even the servants make mistakes while they serve the duo their coffee and mints.

  In the meantime, Daniel strides over to his writing desk and picks up the white feather. He examines its intricate structure and savours its grooves and indentations once again. He still can’t believe this came from her, but he saw it with his own eyes. So he strolls calmly to an open window and holds out the feather – a second later he lets go of it and watches it drift away in the breeze. After the deed he half expects to wake up any moment but instead he hears his bedroom door creak open.

  “What?” he asks facing Claudia.

  “I was just wondering if you’d like to talk,” she replies.

  “Talk? I think you and I are both past talking, Claudia.”

  “Then would you mind telling me what on earth is going on?” she snaps. “It’s our wedding day in two days’ time. And you act like you’re going to a funeral!”

  Daniel walks up to Claudia and leans in close and, for a moment, it looks like he may actually kiss her. Instead he whispers in her ear.

  “I will be at the altar at 12 o’clock sharp. I will be suitably dressed and intend on saying my vows with pinpoint accuracy. But don’t ever expect me to feel happy about it.”

  Daniel marches past her and exits the room leaving Claudia to contemplate his words.

  “At least he’s going to turn up,” she shrugs.

  Daniel keeps on walking until he reaches the east wing. There are 12 rooms on this side of the house, but he picks the room with the Latin inscription for “‘Love is blind’”. He wanders to the window and gazes intently at Hope Lake as it glimmers in the distance. Although he can’t see any wildlife, he is pretty sure that Sarah will be lingering somewhere nearby. Daniel is once again overwhelmed and he closes his eyes as he attempts to forget the last couple of weeks.

  The following morning, the city of London wakes to an unusual calm, the hubbub of traffic is absent and so are the morning cries of birds. There are no people on the streets, either, and the sunrise stretches all the way from the city to Hope Lake. Shortly after sunrise, Sarah emerges unexpectedly out of the lake wearing the same royal blue dress she wore at the party and is standing facing the water. Her hair flows wildly in the breeze while drops of water drip from her dress and splash on the ground. A hand reaches out to touch her shoulder and she spins round.

  “Don’t give up on me!”

  Daniel wakes up in a cold sweat and glances round to make sure he is definitely in his room. He breathes normally again when he realises he is safe.

  In spite of waking early he stays in his room for an hour and even considers having breakfast in bed. Eventually he changes his mind and strides into the drawing room where he is confronted by four strangers. They are all part of Claudia’s wedding preparation party and each one is there to serve a purpose. The first man is a professional tailor who will work round the clock to get Daniel’s wedding suit made. The second is a caterer who is in charge of making the wedding cake and the food. The woman is a professional speechwriter whose job it is to help Daniel deliver those memorable one-liners. And, finally, the tall, dark haired gentleman is the wedding planner who has been given the thankless task of making tomorrow’s preparations run as smoothly as possible. Daniel’s face drops and the first thing he says is,

  “I can’t deal with any of you today.”

  He turns and sees both Claudia and John are standing in front of him.

  “I see you’ve met our team,” John says, smirking.

  “They’re top notch and they’ll help us create a spectacular day tomorrow,” Claudia adds.

  Daniel’s stomach starts to rumble so he utters, “At least let me eat first.”

  He walks past them and makes his way out of the room.

  As he enters the kitchen he sees the welcoming sight of Hargreaves making his favourite breakfast of French toast with maple syrup. Daniel takes a seat at the counter and already he feels better.

  “Bon appetit!” Hargreaves says, placing the meal in front of him.

  “Thank you, Hargreaves.”

  Hargreaves should have left by now but instead he stands there staring at him.

  “What is it?” Daniel enquires.

  “I was just wondering about the young lady who came to visit us last week.”

  “What about her?” Daniel asks, sipping his orange juice.

  “She seems like a very nice young lady. And if I may be so bold? I would say she is exactly the kind of person you should be thinking about marrying.”

  Daniel is about to reply b
ut Hargreaves scarpers out of the kitchen and leaves his boss staring confusingly at the door. He loses his appetite and thrusts his plate forward.

  After breakfast, Frank, the tailor, takes Daniel’s measurements. He leaves after an excruciating half hour but is immediately replaced by Fiona, the speechwriter. Fiona is an intelligent woman who has been responsible for all the best political speeches of the past five years. Naturally, she has the authority to enquire,

  “What kind of angle are you looking for in your speech?”

  “Angle?” Daniel asks.

  “Yes, do you want to go for the ‘I loved her from the first moment I saw her’ slant or would you rather I started somewhere else?”

  “You know, I really couldn’t care less which angle you choose.”

  “I see,” Fiona responds as she jots something down quickly.

  Fortunately there’s a knock at the door and Daniel yells, “Come in, Hargreaves.”

  It’s not Hargreaves it’s Mr Stanhope the wedding planner and Mr Hammond the caterer. Daniel’s face sinks and he looks like he’s aged two years in two minutes. By the time Daniel finishes dealing with the entourage it’s nearly four and time for tea with Claudia.

  Unlike Daniel, his father has made the wise decision to stay out of everyone’s way and spends nearly all his time in the nursery. He prunes yet another rosebush and seems completely okay with making his son marry someone he doesn’t love. As he turns, he sees Daniel walking into the nursery and John puts down the pruning shears.

  “How are you, son?”

  “As well as can be expected under the circumstances,” Daniel says.

  “That’s good, son,” John says picking up the shears again.

  “Can I ask you something, something important?” John shrugs and Daniel poses, “I was wondering if you actually loved my mother or whether that too was some kind of a ruse?”

  John turns slowly. “All I can say – is that I loved her enough.”

  It’s clearly not the answer Daniel was after and he leaves with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He returns to his substitute room and despite Claudia’s best efforts to see him he manages to stay clear of her for the rest of the evening.

  Sunday July 10th is both Daniel’s wedding day and opening night; the most important day of his life. In spite of this, he turns off the alarm and goes back to sleep. There are no such luxuries for the dancers who are busy warming up for their last ever rehearsal.

  Emily speaks while she adopts first position. “I see Sarah’s not here again.”

  Isobel stretches on the floor and answers, “She called in sick yesterday and chances are she won’t turn up for rehearsal.”

  Amy comments while tying up her ballet shoes. “Can you blame her? She must’ve felt terrible.”

  Isobel digs further. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean she can miss rehearsal. Today of all days.”

  Robert looks at each of the girls and shakes his head. “Did you all take a bitch pill this morning?” he asks.

  “I happen to agree with Izzy, Robert. She should be here,” Emily retorts.

  Robert looks squarely at Emily, a girl 10 years his junior, and informs her, “Yes, but aren’t you forgetting something, Miss Emily? If Sarah’s not here you have to dance both performances.”

  “I can cope.” She walks boldly to the centre and goes up en pointe. “I’m a lot stronger than I look.”

  The others laugh but Emily slips and twists her foot awkwardly before she tumbles to the floor. She sits and holds her ankle while the others rush to her in alarm.

  “Oh no, she’s done something,” Amy comments looking at Emily’s leg.

  Robert touches her ankle and Emily screams.

  “She’s definitely done something,” Isobel concurs.

  A voice from the back yells out, “What’s going on?”

  All the dancers turn to Elizabeth with guilty faces and Elizabeth stares at Emily without saying a word. There really is nothing she can say to a catastrophe. Being a dutiful teacher, Miss Smith helps Emily to her feet and reassures her with,

  “Not to worry, we’ll sort something out.”

  As Miss Smith leads Emily away the dancers begin glancing at each other worriedly.

  The manor house is no less eventful and there’s an element of organised chaos as caterers and decorators rush about in droves. Daniel dodges the confusion and heads towards the drawing room, but he stops himself from going in when he overhears a conversation between Ethan and Luke. Peeking inside, he is able to see Ethan slouching in John’s armchair while Luke sits on the billiard table swinging his legs.

  “Can’t believe he’s going through with it,” Luke remarks picking up a billiard ball.

  “Can’t believe he invited us,” Ethan replies, reaching for his drink.

  Luke thinks deeply. “But they don’t love each other.”

  “It’s not about love. It’s about status. The Daniels of this world need their bright red Porches and their Armani-wearing wives!”

  The pair chuckle together while Daniel turns away. He never thought his friends could be so scathing – and yet so right. The harsh words bring him to his senses and he makes his way to his bedroom to have a chat with his bride. When he reaches his room he pauses for a moment.

  Just beyond the door, Claudia is standing in front of the mirror and admiring her obscenely expensive wedding dress. She actually bought it a week after Daniel rejected her and has been determined to wear it ever since. It is hand embroidered in Italian silk and trimmed in white lace and she looks absolutely stunning in it, Claudia grins widely to confirm this fact. Her eyes narrow when she sees Daniel watching her in the mirror and she spins to him.

  “You can’t see me like this. It’s bad luck,” she snaps.

  Daniel walks in slowly. “I wanted to ask you something. Why do you want to marry me? You could have anyone you wanted. Even Ethan.”

  Claudia acts surprised but answers in her usual way, “Because we’re two of a kind. Rich, popular, well-bred. We may not love each other yet but that will come... On the other hand if you chose the waif,” Daniel draws back and Claudia continues, “you won’t have anything. No big house, no posh cars, just a really clear conscience and a lot of debt. So I ask you, given the choice which is more appealing?”

  Daniel stares blankly at her and all that preparation comes to nothing as he merely traipses back to his room without solving a thing. For a split second he contemplates fleeing the manor and living anonymously for the rest of his life, but as the clock chimes 11.30 he comes to his senses and reluctantly starts to get changed. If he looked out of his back window he’d be able to see that the manor house garden has been transformed into a thing of beauty. Two hundred red roses, immaculate place settings and a four-tiered wedding cake adorn the reception table. Nineteen waiters are putting the finishing touches to the scene, and over by the altar, 80 of London’s elite sit on either side of the aisle and wait for the ceremony to begin. They twitter with anticipation since they know how privileged they are to be here.

  At noon precisely, Daniel waits at the altar with the priest but he still wears that same sombre expression. The Wedding March begins and Claudia walks down the aisle with her father. She smiles to some of the guests and savours every moment. John stifles a yawn and secretly wishes the whole blasted thing was over. When Claudia finally reaches the altar she positions herself beside Daniel and is desperate to get a reaction from him, but is once again disappointed. The priest begins the service and the pages of the Bible waft about in the breeze. Daniel glances to the side and frowns when he sees Victor standing by one of the trees. They’ve never met but Daniel knows immediately who it is. Victor gives Daniel the coldest of stares before walking away.

  The priest continues. “If anyone knows of any lawful impediment why these two should not be married, speak now, or forever hold your peace.”

  John looks up and on seeing a bird heading right for him, he yells out, “What the hell?!”

  Al
l too quickly birds appear from everywhere and swamp the wedding party. They descend on the guests and begin to peck at their hair and clothes. A man’s toupee is plucked from his head; a woman’s necklace is snapped from her neck. The creatures begin to smash glasses, plates, destroy place settings and devour the wedding cake. Frightened guests run to the patio doors and are infuriated to find them locked. The birds show no mercy and chase them round the garden. Luke and Annabelle scramble to be free just like everyone else and end up falling into the pool.

  “Just don’t look at them. Just turn away!” Luke shouts at Annabelle.

  Annabelle does as she’s told but her eyes widen in horror when she sees more birds heading her way. Luke tries to shield her as best he can but it’s all fairly pointless. The bride watches the commotion in silence, but not for long.

  “What the hell is going on?!” Claudia shrieks turning to Daniel. “Tell me what’s happening!”

  Daniel is calmer than ever as he explains, “You know what’s happening, Claudia. You’re not the one for me.”

  She watches in disbelief as Daniel gives her a tender kiss on the cheek and leaves. “Don’t you dare leave me! I’m going to be your wife! DANIEL!”

  Claudia stamps her foot and notices Ethan is staring at her. She gives him a warm smile when a bird lands on her head and tugs at her veil. She tries in vain to pull it off and yells out,

  “Get this thing OFF my head!”

  No one comes to her aid – not even her beloved Ethan.

  Several miles down the road, Sarah’s house has none of the upheaval that is taking place at the manor and remains the peaceful retreat she has grown to cherish. The tranquillity is shattered when someone knocks loudly on Sarah’s front door. She opens it and greets Elizabeth Smith with a friendly,

  “Hello, Miss Smith. How are you today?”

  Elizabeth looks ready to collapse. “Thank GOD you’re home! You’ve got to dance. Emily is injured,” she explains.

  Sarah thinks a moment and informs her, “I don’t dance evenings.”

  She moves to close the door when Elizabeth slams her palm on it.