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.”“So you never went to Venice?”“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, old boy.And worse, we didn’t even win the cup, so I lost out both ways.”“Bad luck, old chap,” said George, trying to hide a smirk.“Do you think she’ll ever speak to me again?” asked Andrew.“Well, you’ll be able to find out soon enough,” said George.Andrew raised an eyebrow.“How come, old chap?”“We’ve just sent you an invitation to our wedding.”CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURWEDNESDAY, JULY 29TH, 1914“HAVE YOU MET this paragon of virtue?” asked Odell as he folded his copy of the Manchester Guardian and placed it on the seat beside him.“No,” said Finch, “but I should have guessed something was up when Mallory left us early and disappeared off to Venice.”“I think it’s what female novelists describe as a whirlwind romance,” said Young.“They’ve only known each other a few months.”“That would have been quite long enough for me,” chipped in Guy Bullock, who had returned to England.“I can tell you chaps, she’s ravishing, and anyone who might have been envious of George in the past will turn into a green-eyed monster the moment they set eyes on her.”“I can’t wait to meet the girl George fell for,” said Somervell with a grin.“It’s time to call this meeting to order,” said Young when the guard shouted, “Next stop, Godalming!”“To start with,” continued Young, “I hope you all remembered to bring your ice axes…”“Wilt thou have this Woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?”George never took his eyes off Ruth while his father was addressing him.“I will,” he responded firmly.The Reverend Mallory turned his attention to the bride, and smiled.“Wilt thou have this Man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”“I will,” said Ruth, although few beyond the front pew would have heard her response.“Who giveth this Woman to be married to this Man?” asked the Reverend Mallory.Mr.Thackeray Turner stepped forward and said, “I do.”Geoffrey Young, who was George’s best man, handed the Reverend Mallory a simple gold ring.George slipped it onto the fourth finger of Ruth’s left hand and said, “With this Ring, I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.”Mr.Turner smiled to himself.The Reverend Mallory once more joined the couple’s right hands, and addressed the congregation joyfully.“I pronounce that they be Man and Wife together.In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.Amen.”As the first strains of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March sounded, George kissed his wife for the first time.Mr.and Mrs.Mallory walked slowly down the aisle together, and George was delighted to see how many of his friends had taken the trouble to make the journey to Godalming.He spotted Rupert Brooke and Lytton Strachey, both Maynard and Geoffrey Keynes, as well as Ka Cox, who was sitting next to Cottie Sanders, who gave him a sad smile.But the real surprise came when they walked out of the church and into the warm sunshine, because waiting to greet them was a guard of honor made up of Young, Bullock, Herford, Somervell, Odell, and of course George Finch, their shining ice axes held aloft to form an archway under which the bride and groom walked, confetti appearing like falling snow.After a reception at which George and Ruth managed to speak to every one of their guests, the newlyweds left in Mr.Turner’s brand-new bull-nose Morris, for a ten-day walking holiday in the Quantocks.“So what did you make of the chaperones who will accompany me when I leave you to pay homage to the other woman in my life?” George asked as he drove down an empty, winding road.“I can see why you’re so willing to follow Geoffrey Young,” Ruth replied, studying the map resting in her lap.“Especially after his thoughtful speech on behalf of the bridesmaids.Odell and Somervell looked as if, like Horatius, they’d stand by your side on the bridge, while I suspect Herford will match you step for step if he’s chosen for the final climb.”“And Finch?” said George, glancing at his bride.Ruth hesitated.The tone of her voice changed.“He’ll do anything, George, and I mean anything, to reach the top of that mountain ahead of you.”“What makes you feel so sure of that, my darling?” asked George, sounding surprised.“When I came out of the church on your arm, he looked at me as if I was still a single woman.”“As many of the bachelors in the congregation might have done,” suggested George.“Including Andrew O’Sullivan.”“No.Andrew looked at me as if he wished I was still a single woman.There’s a world of difference.”“You may be right about Finch,” admitted George, “but there’s no climber I’d rather have by my side when it comes to tackling the last thousand feet of any mountain.”“Including Everest?”“Especially Chomolungma.”The Mallorys pulled up outside their small hotel in Crewkerne just after seven o’clock that evening.The manager was standing at the entrance waiting to greet them, and once they had completed the guest register—signing as “Mr.and Mrs.Mallory” for only the second time—he accompanied them to the bridal suite.They unpacked their suitcases, thinking about, but not mentioning, the one subject that was on their minds.When they had completed this simple task, George took his wife by the hand and accompanied her down to the dining room.A waiter handed them a large menu, which they studied in silence before ordering.“George, I was wondering,” began Ruth, “if you had—”“Yes, my darling?”Ruth would have completed the sentence if the waiter hadn’t returned carrying two bowls of piping hot tomato soup, which he placed in front of them.She waited until he was out of earshot before she tried again.“Do you have any idea just how nervous I am, my darling?”“Not half as nervous as me,” admitted George, not lifting his spoon.Ruth bowed her head.“George, I think you ought to know—”“Yes, my darling?” said George, taking her hand.“I’ve never seen a naked man, let alone—”“Have I ever told you about my visit to the Moulin Rouge?” asked George, trying to ease the tension.“Many times,” said Ruth with a smile.“And the only woman you showed any interest in on that occasion was Madame Eiffel, and even she spurned you.”George laughed, and without another word rose from his place and took his wife by the hand.Ruth smiled as they left the dining room, just hoping that no one would ask why they hadn’t even tasted their soup.They walked quickly up the three flights of stairs without another word.When they arrived outside their bedroom, George fumbled with the key and finally managed to open the door.As soon as they were inside, he took his wife in his arms.Eventually he released her, took a step back and smiled [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]