Даниэла Стил - All That Glitters

She agreed to the January wedding date, because she couldn’t think of a reason not to. She had qualms about marrying so quickly, but she got swept along on the tidal wave of his excitement. There was a lot to think about and plan, even for a tiny wedding. She called Sam the next morning and told him the news. He was shocked.

“In January? You’ll only have known him for four months then. Coco, that’s crazy. Why the rush? Are you pregnant?”

“Of course not. Nigel doesn’t want to wait,” she said with a sigh. “He wants to do it then. He’s like a kid when he talks about it. And why not? We’re going to get married anyway. January or June? What’s the difference? Can you come then?”

He sounded upset when she asked. “No, I can’t. My father’s having knee surgery then. It’s not serious, but he’s going to be immobilized for three or four months. I have to run the business, and my mother is all stressed out about him. I can’t leave them. I probably couldn’t come till May.”

“I think Nigel will go nuts if he has to wait that long. We’re not really having a wedding or a big reception. Just a small church ceremony and lunch with a few friends afterward. That’s all I want since my parents won’t be there. I can’t do a real wedding without them, and especially if you can’t come either.” He felt guilty, but he just couldn’t make it. “We’ll give a party later when you can come.”

“I’m sorry to let you down,” he said apologetically.

“You’re not letting me down, and this is very short notice.”

“Did you look into that matter I suggested, the financial check?”

She understood immediately. “No, I didn’t. We’ve been so busy, and I didn’t think there was any rush. It doesn’t really matter. He says he has nothing and I believe him. What’s to find out?”

“Well, you’d better do something about a prenup in the U.S.,” he said sternly.

“I will. My dad always said that too. I’ll email Ed today, he can get something drafted and send it over.”

“Have you told Nigel about that yet?”

“No, I haven’t, but I will.”

“And you should probably get married in the States to make sure U.S. laws apply.”

“I don’t think he’ll want to.”

“Talk to Ed. Or any New York lawyer. Just make sure you’re covered.”

She looked pensive when they hung up.

She brought the subject up that night at dinner, and Nigel didn’t look bothered by it.

“Because of what my parents left me, I need a prenuptial agreement, particularly one that’s valid in the U.S.” She was afraid he’d be insulted by it, but he wasn’t, which was a relief. It also told her that despite Sam’s fears, Nigel was an honest man, and not after money, if he didn’t balk at a prenup.

“Of course. I’ll sign anything you want. What they left you is your money. I would never think of infringing on it.” She was relieved as soon as he said it. She had sent the email to Ed after she talked to Sam, and he called her the next morning, and sounded very surprised.

“You’re getting married? When did that happen?”

“I am. It happened once I got here. He’s a very nice man.”

“Does he have money of his own?”

“Apparently not,” she answered coolly, “so you’ll have to do the prenup accordingly to protect what I have.”

“I’ll take care of it right away.” There was a moment’s pause then. “And, Coco, good luck.”

“Thank you.” She sounded distant and cold.

“When is the wedding?”

“In January.” He didn’t dare ask her if she was pregnant, but he thought it.

“I’ll get the contract to you right away. Thank you for letting me know. It’s different here but they have contracts in Europe too, denying community property and establishing separate property in a marriage.”

The agreement he had drawn up by their lawyers reached her five days later. It was a very stringent agreement that stated that all funds, investments, property of any kind and capital that was hers at the time of the marriage remained her separate property, and Nigel relinquished all claim to any of it. They both had to list all their assets as well. Ed had included the full list of hers. She wondered if Nigel would sign it. She handed it to him that night and was even more shocked when he signed all three copies of it right after he read it, and promised to add a list of his assets, which he said again amounted to nothing. He owned nothing. He just picked up a pen, signed the contracts, and handed them back to her.

“Don’t you want to have it looked at by a lawyer?” she asked him, startled by his reaction.

“No. I’m not marrying you for your money. I don’t even know what you have, and I don’t want to know.” He hadn’t even bothered to read her list of assets, but he noticed that it was long. “We’re going to have a beautiful life together. We love each other, that’s all I need to know.”

He had made everything easy for her, and the rest fell into place too. They agreed to the small church she liked in her neighborhood. She asked Leslie to be her witness since Sam couldn’t come, and she was touched. Nigel remained firm about not inviting his brother, and asked two old school friends as his witnesses instead. And after the ceremony, the five of them were going to lunch at Savini at the Criterion, in legendary historical opulence, among the columns and beneath the gold ceiling. The elegance of the nineteenth-century setting suited him and he had suggested it. And Coco loved it. They were going to Courchevel to stay with friends the next day. Sometime in the spring or summer, they would plan a real honeymoon. But for now, all they wanted was the simplest and smallest of ceremonies, and after that they would be man and wife. It was as though Nigel was desperate to hang on to her and terrified to lose her now that he had found her. And although it was speedy, Coco was sure she was doing the right thing. She had no qualms at all. And he had given her a formal letter stating he had no assets, and twenty thousand pounds in the bank, which was nothing compared to her.

Coco went looking for a dress in the designer section of Harrods, and found a perfect white wool Chanel suit. She found a hairdresser who was going to put tiny white orchids in a chignon. She bought white satin Manolo Blahnik high-heeled pumps with rhinestone buckles, and a small bag to match. She had everything she needed. The florist was going to make a bouquet of the same white orchids she would wear in her hair, and a boutonniere for Nigel. They kept everything simple and low-key, in deference to Coco’s feelings about her parents not being there, and Nigel agreed.

—

Despite the careful planning, and the simple ceremony, their wedding day was hard for Coco. She cried from the moment she woke up, thinking of her parents and how heartbroken she was that they couldn’t share the moment with her. Nigel tried to console her and couldn’t. She spoke to Sam four or five times before the ceremony at eleven, although it was the middle of the night for him. He thought she was moving much too quickly, and it was a mistake, but it was too late for that now. She was doing it, so all Sam could do was support her. His father had had the surgery two days earlier and wasn’t well, and there was no way he could have come. But he felt terrible not to be there. He kept telling her that everything was going to be okay, but he didn’t believe it himself. She was marrying a man she barely knew, whose financial stability was nonexistent. He was a pauper compared to her and had made no attempt to hide it, to his credit.

The disparity between them worried Sam, and the short time she had known him. And what would his future be? Parties forever and an insignificant career? Or no job at all? Sam would have liked to see her marry someone more solid. But Coco was dazzled, and felt rudderless without her parents. She was looking for a secure base, and Sam couldn’t see Nigel providing it. At least he felt sure she had gotten a good prenup, thanks to Ed. Sam was surprised that Nigel had signed it. So her money was protected, as was everything she owned. In a crazy moment, he wondered if the marriage might actually work. Stranger things had happened. Sometimes people jumped into marriages hastily, and they lasted forty or fifty years. He hoped it would for her. Maybe Nigel would turn out to be the right man after all, in spite of Sam’s concerns. He hoped so. And Coco was sure of it.