‘I do worship you,’ she said, ‘but I don’t think I should tell you too often in case you become bossy.’
He laughed. ‘You are the bossy one, I think. Luckily, I like that. Now, about an engagement ring—’
‘I would like an antique. There’s something extra romantic about jewellery that comes with a story of its own, one we’ll never know. That’s partly why I love antiques markets.’
‘Then we will go to an antiques market and find you the ring of your dreams.’
‘I’ve got the man of my dreams; I don’t need a ring as well. I mean, it doesn’t have to be expensive.’
He kissed her for a long time. ‘Stéphie would never speak to me again if you didn’t have a very large diamond on your finger when we come home. That said, if you want it from a market, we must wait until tomorrow. What shall we do this morning?’
‘When shall I meet your godmother?’
‘She will need notice.’ He took a breath. ‘Because of the way we met I haven’t had a chance to woo you properly, or even take you out to dinner. Now is my opportunity to put all that right. And this morning, we can be tourists. Do you want to go up the Eiffel Tower?’
She shook her head. ‘I want to do what I planned to when I met Donna and my life changed.’
‘Which is?’
‘I want to climb up the steps of Montmartre and see the Sacré-Cœur.’
‘But, darling, your ankle!’
‘I’d forgotten about my ankle.’ Alexandra considered. ‘Well, it was at the bottom of the steps where my life changed. There was Donna, with her shopping bag broken, surrounded by onions and potatoes.’
He hugged her to him. ‘Your kind heart made you help her and so we met.’
Alexandra gave a little sigh of happiness. ‘On the other hand, I really want to see the view from the top. Fancy helping me get up there?’
‘I will carry you up as a proof of my love!’
Alexandra giggled. ‘Just give me your arm; you can prove you love me in other ways.’
When they’d climbed to the top and got their breath back for a few moments, they turned and looked at Paris all laid out before them.
‘I’ve dreamt of looking at this view for ages. I didn’t realise you could see the Eiffel Tower from here.’ What Alexandra didn’t say was how she’d dreamt of seeing Paris with a man she loved. Tears caught in her throat; all her dreams had come true.
‘Darling, I hate to say this, but I don’t think we’ve got time to actually look round the basilica today if we’re having lunch with Donna and Bob.’
‘Do you mind doing that?’ asked Alexandra. ‘They’ve been so kind …’
‘I feel I owe them my happiness,’ said Antoine simply. ‘There is nothing I would not do for them.’
Alexandra wondered if there was a limit to how much you could love someone and decided there wasn’t. She kept on loving Antoine more and more.
After a very jolly and champagne-filled lunch Antoine got Alexandra on her own for a few moments. ‘There is nothing I would like to do more than to take you to a lovely hotel and make love to you. But I am very old-fashioned, very traditional and I think we should wait until we are married.’ He paused to let her absorb this. ‘More to the point, I am staying with my godmother who will be noting exactly how long I am out of the house with you and if she even suspects we’ve done more than kiss our lives will not be worth living.’
Alexandra laughed.
‘I do hope you’re not going to insist on a long engagement,’ he added.
‘Not at all!’
‘I am relieved. Now I will let you go home with Donna and Bob. Sadly I can’t join you for dinner but can I collect you early in the morning so I can buy you an engagement ring?’
‘What time is early?’
‘Seven o’clock?’
