Page 25 of An Unlikely Debutante

‘Yes.’

‘Lots of unresolved emotions there.’

Alex raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure he was in the mood for any of Lina’s much too accurate observations.

‘On her part, I mean.’ Lina smiled, though there was a hint of something else behind it, too. ‘You obviously have dealt with her abandonment admirably, no lasting heartbreak for you.’

‘Did you have to tell her every sordid detail?’ Alex asked, turning to Georgina.

‘Don’t look at me. I haven’t uttered more than three words about Victoria.’ Georgina almost spat the name out in disgust.

Lina opened her mouth, but Alex held up a hand. He’d had enough discussion of Victoria for the moment.

‘I think I’m going to go for a walk.’

* * *

Lina quickly changed out of the beautiful cream dress, reluctantly swapping it for her worn multicoloured skirt and blouse.

‘I’ll find Alex and meet you back here in half an hour,’ she said to Georgina, who had decided to take the opportunity to get herself measured for a couple of new dresses whilst she was in Pottersdown.

Exiting the shop, she looked to the left and right, spotting Alex a few hundred yards away, strolling slowly towards her. Quickly she went to meet him, aware that they only had a limited time for her to get him to open up a little about the encounter with his ex-fiancée.

‘Come with me,’ Lina said, grabbing hold of Alex’s hand and pulling him down the high street. Before they had taken two steps Alex had adjusted their position, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm and slowing her pace, so they looked like a respectable couple. As she rolled her eyes, he gave her an admonishing glance. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to rebuke her for not behaving like the debutante she was striving to be in public.

‘We should be getting back soon,’ Alex said.

‘This won’t take long. Anyway, you need cheering up after that little surprise trip down memory lane.’

Lina saw him smile and wondered if he would admit he found her tendency not to skirt around difficult subjects refreshing or if he would reprimand her for not observing the rules of polite conversation.

‘Sit. I’ll just be a couple of minutes.’ Before he could protest she hurried off, glancing back to check he hadn’t moved. Alex had the annoying habit of disobeying. He expected her to comply when he gave her an order, but wasn’t very good at taking them himself. ‘I told you to sit.’ Lina sighed.

Alex shrugged. ‘I wanted to know where you were going.’

‘It was meant to be a surprise,’ Lina grumbled.

‘It still is.’

With a roll of her eyes she watched as he strolled on ahead of her, not even bothering to turn to see if she would catch up.

‘My brother brought me here the very first time we came to Pottersdown,’ Lina said as they stopped in front of a small shopfront. ‘It was just after my father died and Raul was doing his very best to buoy my spirits.’

Lina pushed the door open and entered the shop. A tall man greeted them, smiling under a bushy moustache.

‘Lina! I almost didn’t recognise you. What would you like today?’ the jolly shopkeeper asked.

‘A regular customer, I see,’ Alex murmured.

‘I come here every day when we stay in Pottersdown,’ Lina admitted. ‘Two pieces of pâté de guimauve, please.’ She turned back to Alex. ‘It really is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted.’

‘I concede to your expertise.’

Lina watched as the shopkeeper took two small, fluffy pieces of confectionery and wrapped them in napkins before handing them over. Alex reached for his coin purse, but Lina stepped forward first, paying the man before bidding him goodbye.

‘Do you know, I don’t think a woman has ever bought me anything before,’ Alex mused as they strolled back towards the bench Lina had intended to leave Alex sitting on.

Lina laughed. ‘Now, I don’t want to get started about what is wrong with society,’ she said. ‘But it is rather frustrating that many women are not trusted with money of their own and as such cannot buy gifts for men they hold in high regard.’