The Sins of the Mother

Chapter 28


The day they all arrived at the château in Provence was like a three-ring circus multiplied by ten. Cass and Danny arrived with the baby and the nanny first, and Olivia got them settled into two adjoining rooms, with a spectacular view of the gardens, close to Olivia and Peter’s suite. Phillip and Taylor flew in from New York with Sarah and John as they had the year before. Alex came with Sophie this year—they had taken a flight together—and Carole came from California. Liz and Andrew were the last to arrive, and they were planning to visit his family in England afterward. Peter’s children and their children were coming for the second week, which gave the Graysons a little time alone before they arrived.

Dinner the first night was exquisite chaos and music to Olivia’s ears, they were laughing and talking, the kids were playing cards. John and Phillip played liar’s dice before dinner, Cass and Danny showed the baby off to everyone, and to add to the general confusion, the wedding was the next day, because Danny said it was his lucky day. It was the anniversary of the first concert Cass had arranged for him. But Olivia had it all in control. She tried to convince everyone to go to bed early, to no avail. They stayed up half the night, playing cards and laughing and drinking, while Cassie nursed the baby, and Danny played a song he’d written for him called “Oh Harry.” And Peter laughed watching all of them.

“Well, they’re certainly not a quiet group. You’ve got a very lively bunch here.” It reminded her of vacations when they were young. Maribelle would join in the merriment, shouting and laughing and playing and even jumping on the beds with the children. But this was the best year of all. Cass was with them, Harry had been born, all her children had partners who made them happy and whom they loved and so did she.

She managed to convince them to go to their rooms at three o’clock in the morning, so they wouldn’t be totally exhausted the next day, and she and Peter finally went to their room too. The château was working out perfectly for them so far, and she and Peter had walked through the gardens peacefully before everyone arrived. As always, Olivia had arrived the night before, this time with Peter. She warned him that it was the last peaceful night they’d have, and he seemed game. His life had been quiet for too long. And they were planning to spend two weeks alone after everyone left. So for now, he was ready for the fun.



The next day dawned spectacularly beautiful, sunny and hot. The florist arrived with everything Olivia had ordered. She’d hired a local band to play soft music in the background, and then dancing music later. The chef had the menu she wanted, they had beautiful linens to put on the table, and there was a canopy set up over the table to shade them from the sun. The wedding was set for seven that night, and Olivia planned to spend the day checking all the details. She wanted it to be perfect for Cass.

By six o’clock everything was in place. The minister and local judge were due to arrive any minute, since they needed to make it both legal and religious.

Danny had asked Andrew to be his best man since they were fellow countrymen, and he said Andrew spoke fluent cockney and would understand him if he got nervous. Cass had asked her mother to be her witness, and Phillip was walking his sister down the aisle. She had bought a wedding dress in London by a famous designer, two sizes larger than she would have worn normally, but she looked exquisite in it.

Everything was all set, as Olivia went to put her dress on. It was a champagne-colored lace, trimmed in ivory satin, which looked beautiful on her and was the right color for the mother of the bride, but pretty enough to look romantic.

Cassie appeared at the top of the stairs with her older brother, and came regally down the château staircase and into the garden, with her mother walking solemnly behind her on Alex’s arm. Cassie held an enormous bouquet of lily of the valley, and Olivia a smaller one of pale beige orchids the same color as her dress. She knew Cass was wearing a blue garter, and she had lent her Maribelle’s ring from Ansel as her something borrowed, and Danny had bought her a huge diamond wedding band at Graff’s. And right before Cass went down the stairs, Olivia hugged her close and they exchanged a conspiratorial smile.

“You okay, Mom?” Cass whispered.

“I’m fine,” Olivia whispered back. Cass was the only one who knew what was about to happen. Olivia looked beautiful and hesitated only for an instant as she looked for Peter, and saw him waiting for her at the altar. And as she took her place beside him, the others understood. It was a total surprise.

Olivia’s something blue was the sapphire ring he had given her, and she had borrowed a hairpin with a pearl on it from Liz that she had tucked into her upswept hair. Peter was standing at the altar with Danny and Andrew, and the ceremony began as both couples stood in front of the group, exchanging their vows in turn. Peter had told his children what they were planning to do, and they felt too awkward to be there, in deference to their mother, but had sent congratulations and would join them in a week to celebrate.

Danny and Cass were declared husband and wife first, and Peter and Olivia immediately after. The grooms kissed their brides at precisely the same time as the assembled company sent up a mighty cheer and the judge and minister shook hands.

“We did it!” Olivia said breathlessly to Peter after he kissed her.

“Yes, we did,” Peter said, beaming at her, and then all the Graysons swarmed around them, hugged each other and congratulated the two brides and grooms as Cass and Olivia looked at each other, and both of them thought of Maribelle at the same moment, and Cassie touched her ring. They knew she was with them in spirit and they were all together now.

Olivia thanked Alex for walking her down the aisle and doing such a good job of it. She was wearing the locket he had given her under her dress. And they both tossed their bouquets to Taylor later on. It was everything a family should be, and that theirs had always been: joyous, exuberant, loving, and strong. They held together in the hard times, and celebrated in the good ones. They had forgiven one another their mistakes, and learned from one another. The family Olivia had created was her greatest achievement, and as each of them looked at her that night, they knew that they were like her and at the same time different, unique, separate, and woven together. They were part of a tapestry with Olivia at its center. She was irrevocably a part of them, just as they were a part of her, and together they were whole.