CHAPTER FIVE 

RELATIVES were beginning to converge on Palermo, some to stay in the Residenza, others to occupy the biggest suites in the best hotels. Changmin was astonished by the legions of aunts, uncles, cousins that made up the far reaching branches of the Jung Martelli family. 

She met people until she was giddy. The ones she enjoyed the most were Enrico and Giuseppe. They were first cousins to each other, and distant cousins to Haneul, and long ago they had both been in love with her. When she married Jung Martelli, they had consoled each others broken hearts. Forty years later they were still bachelors, still competing for the honour of escorting her. She was allowing them both to squire her to the wedding. 
Otherwise there would have been a riot. 

Two days before the wedding the great house was gleaming in readiness for the wedding ball. In their bedroom upstairs, Jisoo and Changmin prepared for an evening of dancing. 

After her day on the boat Changmin had tanned to a pale biscuit colour that was very becoming. It was a pity, she thought, as she stepped out of the shower, that she couldnt be the same perfect colour all over. But that would have meant sunbathing ... 

Suddenly she could feel Yunhos hands gliding over her shoulders and down her spine, lulling her into a warm, hypnotic daze that made everything else unimportant. And later hed stripped her in the cabin. She pressed her hands against her cheeks, which were suddenly burning,  wishing desperately that these strange fancies would cease tormenting her. 

" Hurry up! " Jisoo called. 

" Coming, " she said with relief. 

Siwon  kissed her hand when he saw her in pale lavender embroidered silk. " Every man there will envy me, " he declared. Despite his gallant words his air was abstracted. " But they were all under a strain, " she thought. 

There was a burst of applause as they opened the ball together, making the first circuit of the floor alone before the others joined them. Changmin had the feeling that everything was happening in slow motion, so that as she whirled in Siwon s arms she had time to see the faces watching them. There was Haneul, flanked by her two cavaliers, smiling contentedly as she saw her dream come true. There were Jisoo and Bernardo, already looking like a settled couple. Everything was wonderful. 

Then she noticed Yunho standing close to the most extravagantly lovely woman she had ever seen. She was a ripe brunette in the full summer of her beauty. was ripe and luscious, her dark eyes were as huge and vacant as a cows. Everything about her proclaimed lasciviousness, including the speaking look she was directing up at Yunho. 

" Careful, " Siwon  said, tightening his grip on her. " You nearly stumbled."

" Sorry, " she said breathlessly. 

" You were miles away. What were you thinking of? "

" Why ? our wedding, of course, " she said with a bright laugh. " I think of it all the time. "

" So do I , the day after tomorrowand then we'll tie the knot for ever. "

" Yes for ever. "

" Thank goodness the others are starting to dance. I dont feel so conspicuous. "

" Who's that woman with Yunho? "

" Thats Lee Ahra, she's a widow. Yunho prefers them married, divorced or widowed. Experienced, anyway. The one over there is Minetta, and just behind her is the Contessa Julia Bennotti. All three of them are well, Yunho is --- "

" A brave man, " Changmin suggested lightly. 

" Very brave to have them all here at once. I wonder what possessed him. "

Changmin wondered too when she finally came face to face with Yunho. He looked more tense and edgy than she'd seen him before, like a man with a fiend sitting on his shoulder. He greeted Changmin with a nod and a smile that seemed to take a lot of effort, and introduced her to Ahra. As the two women inclined their heads in greeting Changmin became aware of something that made her smile. 

" Allow me to congratulate you on your perfume, signora, " she murmured. " Its delightful. "

" Dear Yunho bought it for me recently, " Elena cooed. 

" Its called Deep In The Night. I keep telling him he shouldnt buy me so many expensive gifts, but he says I'm special to him. "

" And for a special friend a man buys a special gift, "
Changmin murmured. " I'm sure he took a lot of trouble to choose exactly the right perfume for you. "

" I think its time I had the privilege of dancing with the bride, " Yunho said curtly, taking her hand. Changmin let him lead her onto the floor, where another waltz was just beginning. 

" Thats enough of your tricks, " he growled. 

" I was only being polite. It really is a lovely perfume. "

" And since you had the nerve to flaunt your harem, surely you shouldnt be shy about them? "

" There are some things best not talked about, " he growled, a warning light in his eyes. 

" Not a guilty conscience, surely? "

" No, just a sense of propriety, " he snapped. 

A bitter demon drove her to say, " Propriety? You? I wish Id been a fly on the wall when you gave Ahra that perfume, with a gallant speech about how she haunted your thoughts while you were in London that is, the thoughts you could spare from Julia and Minetta, and, of course, when you werent propositioning your brothers girlfriend-- "

His hand in the small of her back tightened. " Stop it, "
he whispered. " Dont dare to talk like that. "

" I--". It was suddenly hard to breathe. " I was only making small talk. " She pulled herself together. " I havent yet thanked you for a delightful day out. You were right about spending our honeymoon on your boat. " She was spinning words, any words, barely knowing what she said. 

" One thing I wasnt right about, " he grated. " You and Siwon  must find somewhere else to live. "

" But you said-- "

" I've changed my mind. You cant live here.  "

" No need to ask why. " She'd been wrong about the fiend. 

It wasnt on his shoulder, but in his heart. It looked out from his eyes and told her that he was on hot coals. Just as she was. 
She became aware that he was breathing harshly. She tried to tell herself that it was merely the exertion of dancing, but the truth was there between them. If they had been alone he would have kissed her. And then he would have kissed her again, long, hard and passionately. And she would have kissed him back in the way theyd both foreseen on that long ago day when hed come to her counter and the air had been jagged between them from the first moment. 

It was all wrong. She loved Siwon  dearly, so how could she be on fire at the thought of laying her lips against Yunhos and feeling his arms about her? How could it be his body she ached to feel pressed against hers, his hands on her skin with the purposeful yet sensitive touch shed felt once before? It had haunted her every moment since. She could admit that now. 

It would have been easier if she'd stayed hostile to him, but their moment of sympathy on the beach had destroyed that. She'd discovered that she could like him, even be sad for him. That was even more dangerous than her body's way ward reaction. 

" I shouldnt dance with you, " she blurted out in sudden dread. 

" I know, " he said quietly. 

" I meant I have so many duty dances to do. I shouldnt waste one with miu frati. "

But the words were a mistake. They recalled the picnic when hed spoken to her with a quiet intensity she suddenly didnt want to remember. 

" Yo'u're right, " he said. " You must return to your duty, and I must return to my harem. They suit me. They cause me no problems. "

" I'm sure nobody could cause you a problem that you couldnt solve, Yunho. "

" Once I thought so too. The dance is ending. "

" Good night until I lead you to the altar to marry my brother. "

She turned away to meet one of the many Martelli relations who mustnt be overlooked. After him there was another, and so her whole evening was taken up, and she didnt have to look at Yunho, or wonder who he was dancing with. 

The world was shrouded in mist. Through it she was vaguely aware of strong arms carrying her down steps, laying her on a bed, hands moving over her bikini, stripping it from her body. She felt the slight breeze on her flesh, a towel dabbing her dry, her s, her thighs .
And then, piercing the mist, the mans face, his eyes defenceless, appalled at his own thoughts. 

Suddenly it all vanished, and Changmin found she was sitting up in bed, shuddering, her body alive with un-wanted sensation. " No, " she gasped. " No! "

" What is it? "Jisoo asked, scrambling out of her own bed and hurrying to her. " Changmin, whats the matter? "

" Nothing just a dream. "

Just a dream in which the memory shed fiercely suppressed had forced its way into view. She hadnt dared remember how she'd lain in Yunhos arms, or how he'd looked at her. But part of her would never forget. 

" I'm going for a walk, " she said.

 
" Shall I come with you? "

" No, thank you. I'II need to be alone. "

Throwing a light robe over her nightdress, she slipped out onto the terrace. The house was quiet and dark, and here in the cool night air she might soothe the fever that consumed her. It was two in the morning. Her wedding day. And she had been wrenched awake by a dream of another man. 

In her heart she'd always known Yunho was dangerous. But it would pass once she was married. In Siwon's arms, in his bed, she would forget everything else. 
She must!  

She looked over the terrace rail to the one below and what she saw filled her with relief. " Siwon , " she called in a whisper. " I'm coming down. "

She returned through her room and slipped out, along the corridor, down the stairs. He was waiting for her in the hall, his arms open to receive her as she flung herself against him. 

" What is it, darling? Whats wrong? "

" Nothing. I just wanted to say how much I love you love you love you "

" Theres no need to sound so upset about it. "

" I'm not upset. Everythings perfect. But I had to tell you that I love you. "

" And I love you, so everythings all right. "

He kissed her. Changmin gave herself up to that kiss, trying to find in it everything she wanted. But no kiss could give that. They were both too full of tension. Things would be different when they were on the boat, drifting beneath the moonlight. 

She jumped at a sudden sound from the darkness. 

" What was that? "

" Only Yunho. Thats his study. Hes actually in there, working. "

" Could he have heard us? "

" Probably. What does it matter? Forget him. Why, darling, you're trembling. " Siwon's arms went around her. 

" Let me take you upstairs. Just a few more hours, and well belong to each other for ever. "

 

The wedding dress was made of silk-satin, designed in a subtly medieval style, with the skirt falling in heavy folds from her waist, and the slight fullness coming from the huge amount of material that had been used. At the back it stretched out into a long train embellished around the hem with French lace. The sleeves were plain to the elbows, then flared into more lace. The veil stretched almost down to the floor, held in place by the pearl tiara. The effect of it with the dress was elegant and breathtaking. 

The sensation of becoming a new person, that had come upon her gradually since shed been here, was stronger now. Her day on the boat had bleached her light brown hair to gold; her lightly tanned skin made the whites of her eyes glow with brilliant effect. For the first time in her life she was not merely pretty but beautiful, even glamorous. 

The heat of Sicily had done this to her, as it had also warmed her body, awakening her to physical sensations that had lain dormant in the mists of England. It was the heat of the furnace, and some northerners wilted in it. But Changmin had flowered. 
As bridesmaid, Jisoo wore a simple cream silk that brought out the glow of her skin and her dark eyes, full of pleasurable anticipation. Changmin smiled at her. 

" I believe some Sicilian wedding customs are the same as those in England, " she teased. " Like the one about the bridesmaid and the best man. " Bernardo was the best man. 

There was a knock on the door, and Yunho called. 

Everyone has gone to the cathedral. Bernardo and Siwon  left several minutes ago. Im waiting for you downstairs. 

Jisoo presented Changmin with her bouquet of white roses. " You look fantastic. Siwon  will keel over when he sees you. "

Changmin smiled. In the bright sunlight her troubling fancies had faded. She loved Siwon  and he loved her. That was all that mattered. 

They made a slow procession along the corridor, then a slight turn so that Changmin was looking down the broad staircase. Every servant in the house seemed to be gathered there to see her entrance, all beaming up at her with approval. And there was Yunho, gazing up as the bride began her stately descent. His face bore a rigid look, as though he was holding his breath. Then he stepped forward, extending his hand. She placed her own hand in it, and he steadied her down the last few steps, while the servants applauded. 

The limousine was waiting. Changmin climbed carefully into the back and sat while Jisoo settled her dress and veil perfectly about her, then got in beside her. Yunho joined them, and they were ready to go. 

At first she looked out of the window at the scenery as they glided slowly down towards Palermo, trying to take in that this was really happening to her. Yunho was silent, and she thought he too must be preoccupied, but when she turned to him she found his gaze fixed on her. In his eyes was the same stunned look she'd seen earlier. 

They had reached the outskirts of Palermo and the car was making its way through the streets until at last the great cathedral was in sight. Both cars were drawing to a halt, the doors were opening. 

She stood in the bright sunlight while Jisoo straightened her dress, then fell into place behind her. There was a little crowd nearby. They stopped to look at the wedding party. Some of them applauded, and Changmin heard the whisper, " Grazziusu. Beautiful. "

Yunho looked at her. 

" Are you ready? "

" Quite ready. "

" No doubts? "

" Why do you ask that? " she cried. 

" I dont know, " he said abruptly. " Lets go. "

She took the arm he offered, and they walked across the piazza and into the cathedral together. 

After the brilliance outside the dim light was like darkness, but then her eyes focused on the magnificent interior full of guests, all turning to watch her arrive. Beyond them she could see the choir, and the archbishop waiting by the altar to marry her to Siwon . 

High overhead the organ pealed out. She took a deep breath, her hand tightened unconsciously on Yunho's arm, and she prepared for the first step. 

" Wait, " Yunho said softly. 

Then she saw Bernardo hurrying down the aisle towards them. He looked worried. " Not yet, " he said in a low, urgent voice. " Siwon  isnt here. "

" What do you mean? " Yunho demanded. " You arrived together, didnt you? "

" Yes, " but then he slipped away. He said he needed to have a word with someone, and he'd be back in a moment but when I went to look for him, nobody knew where he was, and----"

" And what? " Yunho asked harshly, for Bernardo seemed unwilling to continue. 

" I spoke to a woman outside. She'd seen a young man get into a taxi. From the description but it might have been anyone, of course ---"

" Of course it might, " Yunho broke in. A storm in a teacup. " Siwon  will return in a minute. "

But behind the apparent conviction Changmin heard the uneasy note in his voice, and she saw that Bernardo couldnt meet her eye. 
Even so, it wasnt real. She felt as though she were floating in a place where there was no sensation, and from where she could look down on a woman in a bridal gown, staring disaster in the face. It was somebody else. 

" What has happened? Where is Siwon ? "

Nobody had seen Haneul approach down the aisle. 
Now she was there, a tiny, commanding figure, clinging to Enricos arm, looking from one to the other. " Where is Siwon ? " she repeated.
For a ghastly moment nobody knew how to answer her. 

Then there was a small commotion outside, and a boy of about sixteen hurried in and came to a nervous halt at the sight of the group. He gulped, a sheet of paper into the bridal bouquet, and ran for his life. 

She was floating again, watching the bride carefully remove the paper and hand the beautiful flowers to the bridesmaid. There wasnt even an envelope, just something in pencil on a sheet. It was scrawled, as though it had been written in a hurry, or great agitation, or both. 

 

" Dearest,  darling Changmin, Please forgive me.  I wouldnt have done it like this if there had been any other way,  but Yunho was so set on this marriage that I havent known whether I was coming or going.  
I do love you, I think.  And maybe if things had happened naturally between us we would have married anyway,  in time.  We had a lovely romance,  didnt we?  
If only it could have stayed that way.  But Yunho descended on us in London.  It suited him for us to marry, and you know the rest.  
And then he was injured and you saved him.  You looked so marvellous to me that night that marriage didnt seem so bad any more.  And suddenly everything was arranged and I was practically an old married man before Id had time to enjoy being young.  
I came back from Stockholm early to talk to you, explain why we ought to postpone everything for a while,  but Yunho made me see reason (his words).  
So I suppose when I set out this morning I really meant to go through with it.  But when I was sitting in the cathedral I suddenly knew I couldnt.  
Try to forgive me.  I still think youre wonderful.  "

Siwon .  

 

The silence seemed to be singing in Changmin's ears, but it was a strange kind of silence that sounded almost like laughing. The whole world was laughing. Slowly she lowered the sheet of paper, staring into space. 

Siwon  wasnt coming. He'd never loved her very much, never truly wanted to marry her at all. Yunho had wanted their marriage, because it suited him. For his own convenience he'd moved them around like puppets, pulling strings here, bending the truth a little there. No wonder hed welcomed her so enthusiastically. 

Behind her she heard Yunhos furious Sicilian curse, 
" Malediri! " and understood that he'd read the letter over her shoulder. As if drawn by a magnet she turned to look at him and saw his eyes full of shock. It had drained the colour from beneath his tan, so that he looked almost the same as in the ambulance, the night he'd nearly died. 

He met her gaze. For once he wasnt in command. He looked as she felt, like someone whod received a savage blow in the stomach. Later Changmin was to remember that, but now it made little impact. She still had the sense of floating above everything. 

Curious relatives had started to drift up the aisle to get a better look. More and more of them came as the news whispered through the congregation that something had gone horribly, excitingly wrong. 

 
" What does he say? " Jisoo whispered. 

Receiving no answer, she took the page from Changmins nerveless fingers. Bernardo too contrived to read it, then raised his head to meet Yunhos eyes, his own angry and astonished. " I'll find him, bring him back---"

" No! " Changmin said violently. Her head cleared and she looked round at them. " Do you think I'd marry him now? "

" Changmin, he doesnt really mean it, " Bernardo pleaded. 

 " I mean it. Do you think Im so desperate for a wedding ring that I'll marry a man at gunpoint? How dare you! "

He nodded. " Forgive me! It was a foolish thing to say. "

Her strength was coming back. Inwardly she was screaming, and some time very soon there would be bitter tears. But right now she seemed to be made of pure pride, and it would sustain her until she was alone. If only she could run away now, and hide from the crowd whod witnessed her humiliation. But she wouldnt run. She wouldnt hide. She would face them with her head up. 

" Right, " she said calmly. " Thats that, then. We'd better go home. " She looked Yunho in the eye. " You brought me. You can take me back. "

There was a look of pure admiration in his eyes, if she hadnt been too angry to see it. But her anger faded as she looked at Haneul, who had been standing there in silence. The old woman looked wretchedly ill and frail. 

" I'm sorry, Mamma. This is terrible for you too. "

Haneul managed a tired smile. " Try to forgive my son, if you can. He means well, but he always did what was easiest. I spoiled and indulged him, and this is the result. "

" None of this is your fault, " Changmin said emphatically. 

She looked directly at Yunho, but didnt underline the look with words. 

" You're very kind, my dear, " Haneul said faintly. 
" Very kind--" she swayed and her eyes closed. 

" Mamma! " Yunho said sharply, and put his arms out just in time. 

" Lay her down, " Jisoo said, turning in a moment from a bridesmaid into a doctor. She knelt beside Haneul, felt her heart, frowning. 

" Is it a heart attack? " Yunho asked tensely, kneeling on the other side. 

" I'm not sure. It may not be too serious, but she needs to get to the hospital. "

Yunho raised his mother in his arms. " Mamma, " he said urgently. " Mamma! Miu Diu!  " Still carrying her, he strode to the door. " The hospital is close. We'll go straight there. "

" Leave the guests to us, " Enrico said. " We'll take them home, see they're fed, and get rid of them. "

" Thank you, " Bernardo said fervently, following his brother. 

" What do we do? " Jisoo asked Changmin. 

" We follow, " Changmin said firmly. " I love her too. "

Outside they commandeered one of the wedding cars and directed the driver. They reached the hospital to find Bernardo and Yunho in the corridor, pacing about. 

" Is there any news? " Changmin asked, not looking at Yunho. She wanted to pretend that he didnt exist. Her mind was so full of misery and turmoil that it was only by concentrating on Haneul that she could keep from screaming. 

" Not yet, but I'm sure she'll be all right, " Bernardo said. 

" She's had giddy spells before, and always recovered. "

" But each one brings her closer to the end, " Yunho said wretchedly. " Her heart could give out at any time; we've always known that. "

" I think you're being too gloomy, " Jisoo said firmly. 

" It didnt look like a heart attack to me. Just a faint. And I am a doctor, dont forget. "

Bernardo threw her a grateful look, and Changmin didnt miss the way he squeezed Jisoo's hand, or the reassuring smiles they exchanged. How right they seemed together: as perfect for each other as she had once thought she and Siwon .

A shuddering gasp broke from her, and for a moment her eyes filled with tears. Through the blur she could see the magnificence of her dress swirling around her. At this moment she should be kneeling before the altar at Siwon s side, while the priest intoned the words that made them each others for ever. Instead it had all been a mockery. And the man whod schemed and manipulated to bring this disaster down on all their heads was Yunho. 

Changmin had never hated any human being before in her life, but at this moment the taste of hatred was bitter in . She looked up to find Yunho watching her, and knew that hed read her thoughts. She wanted to hurl bitter accusations at his head, but the sight of his ravaged face stopped her. Angrily she brushed the tears away from her eyes. His mother was ill. She wouldnt curse him, but neither would she let him see her weeping, or showing any sign of weakness. 

" Darling, " Jisoo whispered, reaching out to her. 
" I'm all right, " Changmin said firmly, pulling herself together. " Bernardo, I should like to ask you a favour. "

" Of course, " he said at once. 

" Would you telephone home, please, and speak to Haneuls maid? Ask her to bring me some day clothes to change into. "

" And me, " Jisoo said quickly. 

He nodded and moved away to a quiet corner, taking out his mobile. Changmin went to the window and stood looking out. If she didnt have to look at Yunho she might just about endure this. 

Bernardo returned to say the maid was on her way, just as a doctor appeared. 

" She's stable, " he said. " You can see her just for a moment."

The two men departed. Jisoo and Changmin sat in silence until the clothes arrived. Within a few minutes they were plainly dressed, and nobody could have told that there was ever going to be a wedding. 

Yunho emerged into the corridor. Beneath his tan his face had a kind of greyish pallor and his voice sounded strained. " My mother would like to see you, " he told Changmin. 

" How is she? "
Suffering terribly. She blames herself for this disaster. 

" Thats nonsense. I know who's to blame and it isnt her. "

" Then tell her that. Tell her anything you like, but for Gods sake stop her torturing herself. You're the only one who can help her now. "

Changmin slipped past him into Haneuls room. 

Bernardo rose from the bed and backed away as she approached. Yunho came just inside the room and stood there, watching as Changmin approached the bed. 
Only a short time ago the old woman had looked magnificent and indomitable in black satin, lace and diamonds. 
Now she looked frail and tiny, lying against the white sheets, her face drained of colour. She turned her head towards Changmin. Her eyes were tired and anxious. 

" Forgive me, " she whispered. " Forgive me... "

" Theres nothing to forgive, " Changmin said quickly.
" This isnt your fault. "

" My son has dishonoured you---"

" No, "  Changmin said firmly. "  I can only be dishonoured by my own actions. Not somebody elses. There is no 84 
dishonour. This will pass, and life will go on. " She took Haneuls hand. " For you too. "

Haneul searched her face. " I think you have a great heart she murmured. My son is a fool. "

Changmin leaned closer, smiling into the old womans eyes, trying to reassure her. " Most men are fools, " she said. " We know that, dont we? But we dont have to be affected by their foolishness. "

Haneuls face relaxed, and she seemed drawn into the kindly female conspiracy Changmin was offering her. " Bless you, " she whispered. " Dont go. "

" Not just yet, " Changmin agreed. " Not until I know you're on the mend. "

" I'll be home soon. Promise me that I'll find you there. "

Haneuls voice grew urgent. " Promise me. "

Changmin stared at her in dismay. All she wanted was to flee Sicily. 

" Please " she started to say, " I cant----"

" Promise her! " Yunho said violently. 

Haneul was growing dangerously agitated. Changmin spoke quickly. " I promise, " she said. " I'll be there when you come home. But I'll go now so that you can be alone with your family. "

" You will be there, " Haneul repeated. " You have given your word. "

" And I'm a woman of my word. Dont worry. " She slipped out. 

" What is it? " Jisoo asked quickly, seeing her pale face. 

" I cant believe what Ive done. " Briefly she told Jisoo what had happened. 

" You didnt have any choice. "

" No, I didnt. But how do I live in the same house with Yunho without telling him how much I hate him? "