Convenience

Part 4

As a consequence of those events Beatrice never really left home. 

When she returned from the 'honeymoon' she moved straight back in with her grandfather. With the funeral over, she saw very little of her husband. For with clear determination David set about establishing his position within the company. People talked about the fact the newly married couple lived in different houses and they tried to balance that with the fact that she had walked alongside him and stood beside him at his grandfather's funeral.

After the funeral, life became more complicated when it appeared that the Cardoso company board members were looking to oust David as CEO, because of his youth and perceived inexperience. So, instead of putting time and energy into his marriage, he put long hours and determination into his workplace. David suggested Beatrice stay with her grandfather to avoid being lonely. After all she was going to be home alone for most of the time given he intended to spend practically 20 hours a day at the office, shoring up his position as CEO. That discussion about moving back with her grandfather was probably the longest conversation they had before and during their marriage.

Over the next year David used the funds available through his connection to her family to rebuild the Cardoso firm. He came round to her grandfather's house every once in a while, but it was usually to get advice from her grandfather about a particular decision. He trusted her grandfather. After all, his grandfather had trusted her grandfather. The two men would sit down to dinner on the odd occasion his visits coincided with meal times, but even then, the conversation was about business. The fact Beatrice was at the table seemed to be of no consequence. They exchanged platitudes. David was always civil and polite. But he might as well have been talking to a pebble. There were times when Beatrice wondered whether he remembered he had a wife. That she was his wife.

She could see that her grandfather was worried about the relationship. But Beatrice had appeased him, telling him that while David's business was in strife, most of his energies had to be diverted to address that. Things would change once the turmoil at his company was over. Then they would have the energy and time to invest in each other and build on their relationship. They had time. She could wait. David was, she'd convinced her grandfather, a man with integrity. He was a man who would want to ensure his employees were safe, that they had jobs. And that meant, that just at this moment in time she was not David's priority. Even as she had made excuses for her husband she knew she was fooling only herself.

David was never going to be her husband, not in reality. They would share his name, but that was all they would share, she knew that. But her grandfather did not need to worry about that. She could spare him that concern.

Three months later, her grandfather died peacefully in his sleep.

Once again she found herself walking alongside David in the funeral procession. Once again she found herself standing beside him as they greeted fellow mourners. Once again they spoke about nothing of consequence. Once again at the end of the wake they had gone their separate ways. It was the first time, since she was five, that she felt truly alone.

Over the following days David phoned to ensure he told her that she was coping. Very matter of fact. Neither spoke emotionally. Both maintained their positions of distance. They did not discuss any changes to her living arrangements. David assumed she would continue to live in her grandfather's house in Auckland. He had no plans to leave his home. He had no plans to move her into his home. He had established a good routine at home, not that he was home that often, given the business was starting to turn around. The last thing he needed was to be saddled with a wife who did not appeal on any level. As far as he was concerned, she lacked the sophistication, appearance and intelligence to be his wife.

But the Cardoso business empire would have failed had he not married her. So, all things considered the pro outweighed the cons and he could tolerate being married to a woman for whom he felt no attraction.

It was several months later, when it became apparent that David was going to do nothing to change their living arrangements, and seemed content with the way things were that That was the time when Beatrice decided to take control of her life. She knew that David really had no intention of living as husband and wife. So Beatrice decided it was time to carve a life for her.

For her, the turning point came late in the six months she was married to David, when she had her twenty-second birthday. She received neither a telephone greeting, nor card nor any acknowledgement from David. It struck her then that she really was nothing more than a credit slip that provided a marriage of convenience. Even then it was only a convenience in financial terms. A name on a bit of paper: Giving him access to vital and timely funds. Her name supplied finances. Nothing more. Nothing less.