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Mari
e turned to him, smiling. And suddenly all Alex had wanted in having her wear the diamond was turning out better than expected. In choosing just to wear the chain Marie had made a powerful statement. She could take or leave one of the best-known stones in the world, but she still wanted to wear something of his.
‘Tonight’s going to be a little weird for both of us. We’ll stick together, eh?’
She nodded. Alex stepped forward, catching her hand in his and pressing it to his lips. Not actually a kiss, it was the kind of thing his father had taught him that a gentleman would do. A royal kiss for the hand of a beautiful woman. But the sudden warmth in her eyes made the hollow gesture into something that lived and breathed.
‘You look gorgeous.’
Finally Alex got to deliver the compliment he should have given when he’d first laid eyes on her. And, better still, she accepted it.
‘Thank you. Shall we go?’
* * *
Marie was very nervous. But Alex seemed determined to get her through this one way or another. The diamond had been too much of a gesture, and the panic she’d felt when she saw it had only driven home the sinking feeling that she could never fit into his world. The kind of woman who should be on Alex’s arm would have accepted the loan and given him the pleasure of seeing her wear it.
But they’d worked it out. The chain was delicate and very pretty, with silver-and-gold tendrils that made it seem as if it were almost floating around her neck. And when Alex relaxed into the back seat of the taxi and started to talk about the everyday matters that took their attention in the clinic she felt a little calmer.
The taxi took them right to the door, stopping outside the wide portico that stretched out to touch the gravel drive. The mansion was in one of the many secluded streets in central London, just moments away from the noise and bustle but surprisingly quiet. This was the territory of the rich, living cheek by jowl with everyone else, but separated by privilege and heavy closed doors.
This door was open, though. Perfume from the flowering shrubs that bordered the portico lay heavy in the air. And when she took Alex’s arm, walking into the spacious lobby, the scent of wealth was all around her: beautifully waxed wooden panelling, and the smell of the fuel for the flares burning at the doorway, in the heat of the early evening.
He solved the question of when exactly she should take her coat off by stopping and helping her out of it himself, handing it to a porter. Then he made an almost imperceptible gesture and a waiter materialised with two glasses of champagne.
‘Ah. There’s Sonya...’
He shepherded Marie across the crowded ballroom, smiling and nodding as he went, without allowing himself to be diverted from his intended trajectory.
When Sonya saw them she waved wildly.
As always, Sonya looked as if she’d just stepped out of the fashion pages of a magazine. She wore a bright red look-at-me dress that Marie would have loved to have had the confidence to wear, with just one heavy diamond bracelet. She flung her arms around Alex’s neck, air-kissing his cheeks, and then it was Marie’s turn.
‘You look wonderful!’ Sonya loudly confided this information to Marie. ‘I see you’ve managed to shoehorn Alex into looking respectable too.’
He didn’t look at all respectable to Marie. She’d heard the adage that women had the same reaction to a man in a really good suit as men did to a woman in fine lingerie, and she hadn’t given it much credit before now. But that exact reaction had been fizzling away inside her for a while now. Alex looked meltingly gorgeous, and the feelings that he engendered in her were anything but respectable.
‘I’m always respectable,’ Alex protested, and Sonya laughed.
‘Yes, I know you are, darling, but sometimes running around saving people’s lives leaves you dishevelled. You know that as well as I do.’
She turned to Marie, rolling her eyes, and Marie grinned, feeling some of the tension slip away.
Sonya took her arm. ‘I suppose we’d better get to work, then. I have some very interesting people I’d like you both to meet...’
* * *
Sonya had oiled the wheels and she was making things easy. But Marie couldn’t have got through it without Alex. His glances that were just for her. The way he steered the conversation, always asking first about the other person’s interests without indulging his own. And when anyone asked why he was there, he spoke about the clinic, effortlessly including Marie in the conversation.
Chandeliers glinted above their heads as Marie talked about the issues that ordinary people faced, and how the clinic was being set up to address them. Under the stern eye of the lords and ladies looking down from the oil paintings on the wall, she spoke of inclusivity and the modern art that adorned the wall of the reception area, feeling the words flow naturally from her lips. And when someone who knew Alex’s family asked about his plans, now that he had inherited his father’s title, he said that he was taking his family traditions into new and exciting areas and left it at that.
‘Did you see Sir Richard’s face?’ Sonya whispered in her ear as they returned together from the ladies’ restroom. ‘He was so impressed with everything you said, and I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t want to know more. He’s very influential, you know... Oh, no! You just have to leave them alone for one minute!’
Sonya came to a sudden halt, staring across the room. When Marie followed the line of her gaze she saw Alex approaching a dark-haired man in an impeccable dinner suit.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘I didn’t know Mark was going to be here. Where’s Andrew?’ Sonya stood on her toes, looking around for her husband.
