Robert resembled
Walter, but was more fussily dressed, with a gold pin in his tie,
seals on his watch chain, and heavily slicked hair. Jörg was
younger, a blond man with delicate features and a cheerful smile. The
two had been prisoners of war together in Russia, Now they lived in
an apartment over the restaurant.
They reminisced about
the wedding of Walter and Maud, held in great secrecy on the eve of
the war. There had not been guests, but Robert and Ethel had been
best man and bridesmaid. Ethel said: “We had champagne at the
hotel, then I tactfully said that Robert and I would leave, and
Walter - “ She suppressed a fit of giggles - “Walter said: “Oh,
I assumed we would all have dinner together.”
Maud chuckled. “You
can imagine how pleased I was about that!”
Lloyd looked into his
coffee, feeling embarrassed. He was eighteen and a virgin, and
honeymoon jokes made him uncomfortable.
More sombrely, Ethel
asked Maud : “Do you ever hear from Fritz these days?”
Lloyd knew that the
secret wedding had caused a terrible rift between Maud and her
brother, Earl Fitzherbert. Fitz had disowned her because she had not
gone to him, as head of the family, and asked his permission to
marry.
Pg
26 From the book “Winter of the world” by Ken Follet
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