Family Portrait (Kingsley Family Trilogy Book 1)

by Rebecca Paulinyi

  Zach and Imogen sat together in the car, their fingers interlaced, surrounded by the three young children. The car had seats facing forward and backward, so the three kids could sit facing Zach and Imogen. All three had their hair curled, and were sat in immaculate dresses, which everyone hoped would stay that way at least until after the service.

  “So, in a couple of hours, there’ll be another Kingsley!” Zach commented, raising one eyebrow as he often did.

  “I know – this family grows so fast, soon that mansion will be too small for us all.” It was amazing how quickly she was referring to herself as part of the family, rather than it being an ‘us’ and ‘them’ situation. She wasn’t sure how much she liked that; she seemed to be naturally assimilating with this family subconsciously. She comforted herself with the fact she would never act like a true Kingsley – although now she’d met the senior Kingsleys, perhaps she couldn’t state that as confidently. Such a strange, eclectic family.

  “I’ll have to kidnap you just to make some extra room for them!” Zach joked, and Imogen laughed appreciatively.

  “No! Immy stay with me,” Abby insisted, crossing her arms.

  “Abby, I’m just joking, honestly – I’ll share your sister with you.” Appeased, Abby continued to chatter away with Dana and Daisy.

  They arrived at the church only a few minutes later – it wasn’t far from their home – and were informed by one of the ushers that William had arrived just five minutes previously. The timing was perfect.

  ***

  The service itself was your average wedding ceremony: vows were read, rings exchanged, and (although no-one said you may now kiss the bride) the bride and groom kissed at the end. Imogen managed to keep the kids quiet and their clothes and hair neat until the service began, when it was no longer her duty. Then it was on to the reception, which was being held at a nearby hotel. Elaine hadn’t said anything to ruin the wedding yet, but Imogen wondered whether she would choose the reception as the place to make her own special brand of snide comments. Imogen knew it was tradition for the groom and his mother to dance at a wedding; she wondered with a smirk whether they would be following that particular custom.

  The two cars arrived before the parents of the groom, with the one car containing the bride, groom, their daughter, the maid of honour and the best man. In the car Imogen had originally travelled in, Sara and Ella now accompanied her, Zach, Abby and Daisy. Imogen knew the order of the reception – it had been drilled into them all by Millie enough times – and so knew that after everyone had been welcomed, there would be welcome drinks, followed by the wedding breakfast and then dancing.

  The happy couple stepped delicately out of the car; William first, holding out his hand for Millie. The look of happiness on his face was a little strained, and as the family reunited by the steps to the hotel, the reason behind this became apparent.

  “What’s she doing here, Ella?” William hissed, “Is she trying to spoil my life as much as is possible?” Ella attempted to calm him, placing a soothing hand on his arm.

  “William. Do not let her ruin this day: it’s yours and Millie’s day, and it’s been perfect so far. I’ll try and keep her out of your way, but let’s try and have a happy reception too, shall we?” Millie’s look of bliss was starting to fade, and Ella wanted this day to go smoothly for her. William glanced at his new bride at the same time that Ella did, and put a great deal of effort into calming his anger.

  “You’re right. Millie, I’m sorry – I won’t let her ruin today. It’s been perfect…” He kissed her gently, not worried about the assembled audience of his family, although Sara pointedly looked away. She may have accepted the marriage, but that didn’t mean she wanted them kissing right in front of her, like a couple of love-struck teenagers. They were, after all, parents.

  Just then, Elaine and Aaron rolled up in an expensive looking silver car (Imogen didn’t know car makes, colour was the most she ever noticed), and the mood of the assembled Kingsley clan noticeably changed. They were all ready for some sort of argument, but only Imogen – and probably Zach too – thought it’d be amusing if one did break out. Zach and Imogen stood slightly apart from the rest, still holding hands, as they approached.

  “Who is that?” Elaine queried, having not noticed Zach in the hurry to get to the church on time. “Don’t tell me you’ve adopted another one. And who are all these children?” There hadn’t been time for full introductions back at the house, and so Ella felt the need to do so now, if only to shut her mother up.

  “Millie, William, why don’t you go inside and make sure everything’s ready? The guests will be here any minute. Make sure the band’s ready.” Ella decided the best way to tackle the problem was to get William out of the way, quickly introduce the kids, and hope that the rest of the guests, including Millie’s parents, would be there shortly. Luckily for her, her brother complied.

  “This is Dana,” she indicated the small child, who was shyly stood next to Sara, “William and Millie’s daughter. Then there’s Sara, William’s daughter, who you were reacquainted with earlier.” The truth was, Elaine had seen her granddaughter just once, on the day she was born, nearly sixteen years previously.

  “Imogen, and her little sister Abby, are the children I adopted last year. And then Zach is Imogen’s boyfriend.” She moved round the little group with haste, pointing each one out, naming them and explaining how they were related. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the Heart’s car pulling into the long driveway.

  “And this is Daisy, my other daughter.” She indicated the little girl - whose hand she held - to her mother, who was, for once, lost for words. She hadn’t even known of the existence of most of these people before that moment.

  “Ah, Mr and Mrs Heart, glad you found it okay. Yes, William and Millie are inside – the photographer should be here any minute.” At that moment, Ella slipped into hostess mode, and all thoughts of her parents were forgotten. As guests began to arrive, they all swarmed to greet the newly-weds, who were now stood in front of the hotel, and Elaine and Aaron had no choice but to be carried away with the crowd.

  The flashing of bulbs began, and then there was no stopping them: the bride and groom; a group shot with the bridesmaids and the best man; all the kids together; the newly-weds with the kids; parents of the bride and groom; all the family together, in what was essentially a family portrait. Millie and William were central, all the children in front of them. Ella, Imogen and Sara stood to one side, Aaron and Elaine to the other. Everyone in the portrait had the surname Kingsley – one of the only characteristics that could be applied to all ten of them.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Now, for the first time, please allow me to present to you Mr and Mrs Kingsley!”

  Cheers erupted as the lead singer of the band announced the newly married couple, who took to the stage as the first few bars of ‘Have I Told You Lately’ began to play. Cameras flashed once more, and glasses tinkled: the crowd were expecting a kiss. Millie and William laughed, then obliged, and another cheer came from the gathered audience. They weren’t the best dancers in the world, but neither were they overly shoddy; they swayed in time with the music, adding in an occasional twirl here and there, whilst onlookers smiled.

  It was time, about halfway into the song, for the rest of the family to join in with the dance. Aaron and Elaine took to the stage, followed by Millie’s parents John and Adele. Then followed the rest, Ella accompanied by a guy that Imogen didn’t know, but who she had to admit was quite good looking. She wondered if he’d been the guy she’d had the date with, that day Imogen had babysat. The duty of looking after the younger kids had now been passed to Sara, and for once, Imogen trusted her to take care of Abby. They were by no means friends, but since the half-term, they understood each other a little more. Dana was paired with Daisy, and Sara with Abby, and the kids began to dance to the music in a way that made many onlookers giggle. Following them were Zach and Imogen, who swayed to the music contentedl
y. Zach wasn’t a bad dancer, and Imogen had a little dance knowledge, so the two managed to look quite elegant on the dance floor when they tried. Most of the time, however, they were happy just to sway – Imogen’s arms around Zach’s neck, his around her waist.

  “Today’s not been too bad so far, has it?” Imogen said, although only Zach could hear her.

  “Not too bad at all. I got to spend the day with you, in this gorgeous dress.” Zach grinned. “And you were right – watching your supposedly perfect family wanting to tear chunks out of each other is quite funny. I can’t wait for the mother-groom dance!” Zach chuckled, and Imogen joined in, feeling that the day could have gone a lot worse than it had. The rest of the bridal party joined them on the dance floor now – the maid of honour with the best man, the two ushers (who were friends of William’s) and their girlfriends.

  As the song came to an end, the spectators applauded, and it moved effortlessly into the next song, which had everyone on the dance floor.

  ***

  The meal, the speeches, the dancing, the cake – it all blurred for Millie, as the best day of her life, and the start of her life as Mrs Kingsley, continued. There was only one unpleasant memory of her reception, and that was the look on William’s face when the band announced it was time for the father-bride, mother-groom dances. Millie had always planned to dance with her father on her wedding day, but she hadn’t expected, after everything William had said, that his parents would turn up. However, now that they had…well, William didn’t really have much choice but to dance with his mother.

  Millie had been able to overhear the conversation, although no-one else had – something that she was glad about.

  “What are you doing here mother?” William asked, in a sharp tone of voice that matched the sharp, almost aggressive way in which they were dancing.

  “It’s your wedding day, why wouldn’t I be here?”

  “You know, your lying is almost accomplished enough to make me believe that you actually think like that. My last wedding didn’t worry you too much though, did it.”

  “Clearly that doesn’t matter – you’re not married to her anymore, are you, so there’s no problem.” William’s face was pure fury at this comment.

  “Not married to her anymore – you make it sound like I had a choice! I don’t remember you there at her funeral either, mummy dearest. I don’t remember you being there for your granddaughter when she lost her mother.” He was practically hissing the words, and it was hard for Millie to hear: firstly because, despite her tough exterior, she didn’t want to see him hurting; secondly because she was already worried that his true love would always be his first wife. She didn’t need to hear anything to confirm that. She knew he loved her – but what if he’d never truly got over Amorette Stone? She danced further away, until his hissing could not be heard any longer, but it still continued – just unheard by anyone but those involved in the conversation.

  “You know my views on that woman. Now, Millie here – what a perfect wife. I couldn’t have chosen better for you myself. Have you had a chance to speak much with her father? He really is a wonderful man – ever so talented, a real genius.” She carried on talking as though William’s anger was non-existent. It was only love for his wife, and not wanting to ruin their wedding day, that stopped him walking out there and then.

  “And Dana – well, she’s a pretty little thing too. Just like I was at that age…I can’t believe you never told me you had a daughter William,” she chided him, as though he’d forgotten to send a card for Easter, or something just as trivial.

  “Another daughter. She’s my second daughter, remember?”

  “Oh, yes. Well.” William could not believe his mother – his own mother – was saying these things. He’d forgotten just how cold hearted she really was.

  Nearby, but out of earshot, Aaron was dancing with Ella, who had several questions for him, but was choosing not to ask them until the wedding was over; Adele was dancing with the best man.

  “I think you’d better dance with someone else now, before you say anything else.” William strode over to where Aaron and Ella danced. “Mind if I cut in? I’d like a dance with my sister on my wedding day.” Aaron obliged, and William danced away from his parents.

  “She’s poison, that woman is. Seriously, I’d forgotten just how bad, but some of the comments she makes…” he said, in hushed tones, trying to calm some of his anger before he danced with Millie again. He didn’t want to hurt her by letting her see him so angry on his wedding day. Angry, and now thinking about his first wife.

  “I know, I know. I hope she goes soon. I can’t imagine she’ll stay long after the wedding.”

  “I can’t believe she’s not getting on your nerves more. After what the way she’s always treated us, after she chucked me out when I met Amy-”

  Ella cut him off with a warning glance. “Let’s not discuss the bad things today,” she said. “And she’s getting on my nerves just as much as she is yours; I just know how to hide it. For the sake of Millie, please, please try and do the same. Now, go and cut in with the kids. I don’t think Sara’s too happy at mother’s appearance either.”

  It was all change again for the dance partners: Ella danced with Daisy, Imogen with Abby, Sara with William and Millie with Dana. The whole family were central on the dance floor, with Elaine and Aaron looking on like outsiders. Cameras snapped, and the onlookers gossiped.

  “You know, I’d heard the new one was from a bad family, but it looks like she’s settling in well.”

  “I know. And look at that hair…if you didn’t know better, you might think that she was related to Ella. Those curls! And that young one’s got a look of Daisy about her. They make a good looking bunch of kids, that’s for sure.”

  “Sara though, poor girl – losing her mother at that age. She’s really starting to look like her though – a beauty too, I have to say. Her hair really is beautiful – curls like her aunt, the colour of her father’s – it’s a great mix.”

  And so the gossip continued, around every aspect of this family, which was gaining so much attention. Thankfully, everything Millie heard was positive: the guests were a lot more careful when it came to discussing her new in-laws, and so there were no more unpleasant occurrences to add to her memories of this day.

  ***

  It was quiet on the way home in the car: the kids were exhausted, after a long day of being on their best behaviour, and everyone else was pretty tired too. The reception had ended with William and Millie leaving to go on their honeymoon (a week in Majorca: Ella had agreed to take care of Dana, and keep an eye on Sara), waving goodbye to all their family and guests. They didn’t leave before following the tradition of throwing the bouquet: Ella still had the pretty flowers that she’d caught next to her on the seat.

  “Who was the guy then?” Imogen asked softly, as Dana and Abby had fallen asleep, leant like dominoes against each other and the window, and Daisy was following suit. She’d seen Ella kissing him – in a manner that suggested she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it – whilst the rest had been watching the cutting of the wedding cake, and was feeling nosy.

  Ella blushed. “Oh, the guy I was dancing with? Just a friend of mine… Braden, he’s called, we were best friends in school.” She was certainly being secretive, and Sara picked up on it too.

  “Is that the guy you were on the date with, that night Daisy and I went to the cinema?” she asked, with a grin.

  “Oh, if you must know, yes it was.”

  “Aunt Ella’s got a boyfriend,” Sara chanted, quietly, with a smile.

  “No I haven’t!” Ella retorted, but couldn’t help but grin.

  “Hmm, if I locked lips like that with anyone, I’m pretty sure everyone would guess we were more than just friends.” Ella blushed, and chose not to reply – luckily for her, they were home. Ella carried Daisy, Sara took Dana and Imogen lifted Abby. Zach, who had remained silent for the journey home, stepped out behind them. Imogen wait
ed whilst the others went inside, her sleeping sister still in her arms.

  “I’d better get home – you look exhausted.” He smiled, and gently stroked her cheek. She did feel tired, her eyes wanted to close – it had been a long day. As she replied, her breath came out in smoke clouds. It was a cold January evening.

  “It’s been a long day.” A smile played on her lips as his fingers brushed her cheek, and she shifted her weight slightly so she could accommodate the sleeping child a little more comfortably. “What are you up to tomorrow?”

  “I’m guessing I’ll be wherever my girlfriend is.”

  “Well done, right answer!” Imogen laughed. Shivering slightly from the cool night air, she kissed him quickly goodbye. “Thanks for coming today – you made it a lot more bearable than it would have been.”

  “Any time. Now, I’ll see you tomorrow…” He let go of her hand with a gentle squeeze, and began to walk out of the Kingsleys’ garden, towards his own house. Imogen stood and watched him, waiting for him to disappear from sight, when he turned around.