She grinned up at Bernard, and he gave her a wink in return.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked.
‘Somewhere new,’ he said. ‘There’s a jazz band playing, and we thought we’d try to catch the last half.’
Alexandra nodded, happy to go wherever he wanted.
‘You seem distracted,’ Bernard said, his thumb grazing her hand.
Alexandra knew better than to pretend she was fine, for he would immediately see through it. ‘I’ve been thinking about something my aunt and uncle mentioned last night, that’s all.’
Bernard’s eyebrows peaked. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘The Greek monarchy has officially been abolished,’ she told him. ‘I watched the address the King delivered to the nation, and it was very sad to see him defeated. There were actually people in the street saying awful things about him, but he was very gracious and said that if the people wanted a republic, then they were entitled to one.’
Bernard shifted slightly in front of her. ‘I’m sorry to hear all that. You’ve never talked about your connection to the royal family, but I do recall hearing that they live in London now.’
She nodded.
‘And tell me what’s troubling your aunt and uncle? They are concerned about your personal implications in some way?’
She sighed. ‘They’re concerned that my father may return for me. That he may want us to go back to Greece to rebuild our lives there.’
Bernard laughed. ‘Darling, you are a grown woman of eighteen. Your father cannot return for you as if you’re a child.’
‘I know, of course I know that, but my father—’
‘Is a difficult man. As my father is,’ Bernard said. ‘But we can forge a life without the approval or support of our fathers, Alex. I promise you we can.’
She tightened her grip on his hand. ‘I don’t know why I worry so. I suppose something about what they said, about him maybe needing money or wanting to elevate his own position with the new government…’
Bernard lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. ‘No more worrying. I want your head filled with music, not worries. Just put it out of your mind. We can deal with your father if and when he returns.’ He watched her a moment longer. ‘We can’t choose our family, Alexandra, but we can choose what we do with our lives. Never forget that.’
As they went to leave, Alexandra tried to do what Bernard had suggested, but it was impossible to put her father completely from her mind. She also knew that she couldn’t expect her aunt and uncle to keep her forever, so if she was going to sever all ties with him, she needed to find a way to support herself financially.
Besides, it was easier for Bernard to say that they could choose their own lives; he was a man.
The jazz music was every bit as good as Bernard had promised, and she did eventually find herself forgetting all her worries as they danced and laughed and drank too much wine.
‘How did you learn to dance like this?’ she gasped, as Bernard caught her around the waist and pulled her against his body.
She tipped back, laughing as the music seemed to get louder and faster, almost as if it were dancing across her skin. Her face was damp with perspiration, her throat parched from song after song on the dance floor.
‘I used to work at a bar that played jazz,’ he said, his breath hot against her cheek as he leaned in close to speak to her. ‘I had a lot of time to watch in between waiting tables.’
‘I didn’t know that,’ she said, as the song came to an end.
‘I had to support myself the moment I walked out of my home. I worked at a bar as well as tutoring young musicians—anything to pay my way through college. I wasn’t going home with my tail between my legs.’
Alexandra had never had to fend for herself, but hearing the reality of what Bernard had been through was sobering, to say the least.
‘Your face! Darling, it wasn’t as if I was forced to live on the streets! Come on, let’s get another drink.’
She let him take her hand and they pushed past the couples around them to make their way to the bar. But as Alexandra sat and looked around, waiting for Bernard to get their drinks, she saw a man that bore a striking resemblance to her father. She blinked, squinting as she looked through the smoky haze where she’d seen the man.
‘You look like you’ve seen a ghost,’ Bernard said, passing her a glass of champagne.
When she looked again, the man was gone, and she shook her head, convinced she was seeing things. Surely if her father was in London, she’d know? Or at least her aunt and uncle would, wouldn’t they? They’d said they’d been keeping tabs on him, after all.
