“Nicky was a little wimp,” Astrid teased.
“Was he?” Rachel asked in surprise.
“Well, he was so tiny. For the longest time everyone was afraid that he would never grow—I was so much taller than him. And then suddenly he shot up,” Astrid said.
“Hey, Astrid, stop discussing my secret shame,” Nick said with a mock frown.
“Nicky, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. After all, you’ve grown up to be quite the strapping specimen, as I’m sure Rachel would agree,” Great-aunt Rosemary said saucily. The women all laughed.
As the flowers continued to transform before her eyes, Rachel sat sipping lychee tea from a red porcelain cup, entranced by everything around her. She watched the sultan taking pictures of his two wives in front of the blossoms, their jewel-embroidered kebayas reflecting shards of light every time the camera flash went off. She observed the cluster of men sitting in a circle with Astrid’s father, who was engrossed in a heated political debate, and she looked at Nick, now crouched beside his grandmother. She was touched to see how caring Nick seemed to be with his grandmother, holding the old lady’s hands as he whispered into her ear.
“Is your friend having a nice time tonight?” Su Yi asked her grandson in Cantonese.
“Yes, Ah Ma. She’s having a lovely time. Thank you for inviting her.”
“She seems to be quite the talk of the town. Everyone is either trying delicately to ask me about her or trying delicately to tell me things about her.”
“Really? What have they been saying?”
“Some are wondering what her intentions are. Your cousin Cassandra even called me from England, all flustered up.”
Nick was surprised. “How does Cassandra even know about Rachel?”
“Aiyah, only the ghosts know where she gets her information! But she is very concerned for you. She thinks you are going to get trapped.”
“Trapped? I’m just on holiday with Rachel, Ah Ma. There is nothing to be concerned about,” Nick
said defensively, annoyed that Cassandra had been gossiping about him.
“That’s exactly what I told her. I told her that you are a good boy, and that you would never do anything without my blessing. Cassandra must be bored out of her mind in the English countryside. She’s letting her imagination run as wild as her silly horses.”
“Would you like me to bring Rachel over, Ah Ma, so that you can get to know her better?” Nick ventured.
“You know I won’t be able to stand all the craning necks if that happens. Why don’t you both just come to stay next week? It’s so silly to be staying at a hotel when your bedroom is waiting right here.”
Nick was thrilled to hear these words from his grandmother. He had her seal of approval now. “That would be wonderful, Ah Ma.”
In a corner of the darkened billiard room, Jacqueline was in the midst of a heated phone conversation with her daughter, Amanda, in New York. “Stop making excuses! I don’t give a damn what you told the press. Do what you have to do, but just make sure you’re back next week,” she fumed.
Jacqueline ended her call, looking out the window at the moonlit terrace. “I know you’re there, Oliver,” she said sharply, not turning around. Oliver emerged from the shadowy doorway and approached slowly.
“I can smell you from a mile away. You need to lay off the Blenheim Bouquet—you’re not the Prince of Wales.”
Oliver arched his eyebrows. “Aren’t we getting testy! Anyway, it’s quite clear to me that Nicholas is completely smitten. Don’t you think it’s a little too late for Amanda?”
“Not at all,” Jacqueline replied, carefully rearranging her hair. “As you yourself have often said, timing is everything.”
“I was talking about investing in art.”
“My daughter is an exquisite piece of art, is she not? She belongs only in the finest collection.”
“A collection you failed to become part of.”
“Fuck you, Oliver.”
“Chez toi ou chez moi?” Oliver naughtily arched an eyebrow as he sauntered out of the room.
In the Andalusian courtyard, Rachel allowed her eyes to close for a moment. The strums of the Chinese zither created a perfect melody with the trickling waters, and the flowers in turn seemed to be choreographing their bloom to the mellifluous sounds. Every time a breeze blew, the copper lanterns strung against the evening sky swayed like hundreds of glowing orbs adrift in a dark ocean. Rachel felt like she was floating along with them in some sybaritic dream, and she wondered if life with Nicholas would always be like this. Soon, the tan huas began to wilt just as swiftly and mysteriously as they had bloomed, filling the night air with an intoxicating scent as they shriveled into spent, lifeless petals.