Her aunt’s pinching lessened, meaning she was pleased. As was Derek—Mr. Larchmont—because his smile widened.
“It is from Genesis actually,” he said, though Valerie’s mind had already begun to glaze over his words. “I managed to snag it at a charity auction. Let me introduce you to Gabriel. I regret that you have not met until now, but, well…there is time to get to know one another afterwards. Naturally.”
Gabriel?
To a passing waiter carrying a tray of the blue-colored champagne, with bubbles that glimmered and fizzled gold, he ordered, “Find my son. Bring him to me.”
“Right away, sir.”
The older couple, whose names Valerie couldn’t recall, floated away after Madame Allegria had subtly edged them out of the circle, leaving them with the Larchmonts. Mrs. Larchmont still hadn’t spoken a single word and her gaze kept straying to the dancing couples on the floor. If not for the white-knuckled grip around her delicate champagne flute, Valerie would’ve thought she was the picture of calmness and ease. Any more pressure around the stem, however, and the glass would snap in half.
“Your aunt was quite right, Valerie,” Derek murmured, giving her a wink when she refocused her gaze on him. “You are a great Everton beauty. I think Gabriel will be most pleased.”
Her blood started to rush harder in her ears. She didn’t know what made her more uneasy: the fact that her aunt had called her beautiful to a stranger, or why this Gabriel would be pleased because of it.
Though she feared she knew the answer to that and suddenly, the room seemed to sway as black dots erupted in her field of vision.
Valerie must’ve unconsciously taken a step back because Madame Allegria’s hand tightened and kept her from stumbling.
A large body in a dark blue suit with white, glittering lapels emerged at Mr. Larchmont’s side.
“I believe I was summoned,” the man said, a wide grin as big as his father’s spreading across his face. He had blue eyes—his mother’s eyes, Mrs. Larchmont’s eyes—beautiful and shimmering in the candlelight, and a lock of dark hair fell across his forehead, curled slightly.
He was tall and handsome, no doubt a very popular bachelor among the Everton female population, though Valerie had never seen him before—though of course, she had no reason to. She rarely left the brothel. Her room was in the basement, after all. And given the tracker implanted in Valerie’s shoulder, Madame Allegria would know if she left. She’d be displeased.
Gabriel’s gaze was on her, those bright eyes trailing across her flesh, down the dip of her breasts, over her slim hips, and then back up. Nausea built in her belly, saliva pooling in her mouth.
“Gabriel, this is Valerie,” Derek said. “And of course, you know Madame Allegria.”
Gabriel’s gaze lingered on her aunt in a way that made Valerie’s neck prickle. She recognized that look, one of possession and longing.
“Yes, of course,” Gabriel murmured, flashing a megawatt smile, leaning forward to give her aunt three kisses.
Then his blue eyes returned and he stepped into her. His lips brushed Valerie’s flesh and she felt the heat of his palm rest at her waist.
“So pleased to meet you. Finally,” Gabriel murmured across her cheeks, a low tone, only meant for her ears. “You look very much like your aunt.”
Valerie’s face felt hot. Her whole body felt overheated. She had the strangest sense that she was a doll, a shell of a person, and she was watching herself move from outside her body. Like a puppet with strings, being tweaked and jerked.
“Pleased to meet you as well, Mr. Larchmont,” she managed to stumble out and she would never know how her words sounded so effortless. But working for Madame Allegria, plastering on a small smile and making pleasant small talk with women who fucked the male she loved all while she was screaming inside…surely, she’d had enough practice faking it.
Valerie was a liar and a coward and she was the first to admit it. She was the first to admit she hated the person she’d become.
“Call me Gabriel, please,” he said, stepping back, though his hand lingered at her waist. “You don’t have to be so formal considering the circumstances.”
Madame Allegria was smiling broadly when Valerie met her gaze, though she swore she could see a hint of annoyance lingering under its surface.
Then that annoyance turned to mockery when her gaze flickered to Mrs. Larchmont.
“What do you think, Celine?” Madame Allegria murmured, in that husky purr of a voice, a small smile on her lips. “Should we plan for a summer wedding?”
Valerie’s knees trembled briefly. If not for her aunt’s grip on her arm, she would’ve fallen.
Celine Larchmont took a sip of her teal champagne, regarding Madame Allegria over the rim. When she swallowed the liquid, she was smiling.
“I think a summer wedding sounds lovely.”
Chapter Four
