‘What did you expect?’ Georgia asked, as he linked their fingers and pulled her gently towards him. It was a gesture so light that she could have simply leaned back a little to resist moving at all, but she was only too happy to take a step closer to him.
His eyes met hers, unwavering as he spoke, making it impossible for her to look away.
‘I expected someone searching for as much money as they could get,’ he murmured. ‘A woman that I would have to be niceto, simply because I needed to acquire the sapphire, if it truly was what I was looking for. I didn’t expect that woman to be anything like you.’
‘So all of this,’ she said, gesturing with her free hand to the water behind them, ‘drinks, dinner, the walk, it was all part of your plan to win me over? So that I would sell you the stone? So that I would be easier to negotiate with?’ Georgia was only teasing, but a little part of her had wondered if he was playing a game, if he wanted her to fall for him so that she would be a softer touch. She couldn’t think of anything more humiliating than finding out she’d been duped by a man she was having feelings for.
‘Not at all,’ Luca said, tugging her a little closer still, his fingers warm against hers, his smile just touching the corners of his mouth. ‘I believe that you are a businesswoman who will part with the sapphire for what it is worth. I don’t think you came here for any reason other than to establish the facts and find out what those clues mean to your family. And I think,’ he said, his voice even deeper, husky now, ‘I think that you will be a very astute businesswoman to deal with.’
‘Is that so?’
Her breath was ragged now as he lifted his other hand and gently ran his knuckles down her cheek, before leaning forward and whispering a kiss to her skin.
If Georgia had been more brazen, she would have turned her face slightly so that his lips touched her mouth instead, but she didn’t. Instead she stood, immobile, as he took a step back and slowly let go of her hand, his fingers holding on to the tips of hers until they finally fell away.
‘Thank you for a night I will never forget,’ Luca said, touching his hand to his heart. ‘Tomorrow?’
She nodded. ‘Tomorrow,’ Georgia repeated. ‘I shall be ready at eleven.’
‘Should I get my assistant to change your flights for you?’ he asked. ‘You truly do need more time here. I have so much still to show you.’
Georgia laughed. ‘I’m perfectly capable of changing my flights. But yes, I agree, four nights were never going to be enough.’If it means spending more time with you, I’ll stay another week if I need to.
Luca’s smile was impossible not to return, and as she turned to walk back to the hotel, Georgia fought with every step not to look over her shoulder. But she couldn’t help but glance back when she entered the lobby of the hotel, a hand on the door as her eyes met his for one last time.
He was still standing there, his hands in his pockets, looking impossibly handsome in his suit, his white shirt unbuttoned lower than it had been at the start of the night and looking just ever so slightly dishevelled. He held up his hand in a wave, and she waved back to him, with a smile on her face that she knew would still be there when she fell asleep that night. Luca would be impossible not to keep thinking about, and she only wished she’d been courageous enough to ask him up for a drink from the minibar, to draw their night out just a little longer.
Once she was up in her room, the door safely locked behind her, Georgia kicked off her heels and reached for the little wooden box. She’d left it beside the bed earlier, and she suddenly had an overwhelming desire to hold it. She flopped onto the mattress, the box in her outstretched hand as she closed her eyes and relived the past few hours. Without that box, she would never have travelled to Geneva. She would never have crossed paths with Luca. Her grandmother had done nothing to help her when she’d been alive, but the little box bearing her name had sent Georgia on an unforgettable journey that felt as if it was only just beginning.
She’d felt so alone for such a long time, wishing she had her family with her, wishing she had her mother to turn to or her father to laugh with. Perhaps now she’d finally find the connection to her family she’d been yearning for.
13
LAKE GENEVA, JULY 1951
Delphine had been to Florian’s house for dinner three times now, and every time filled her with a shiver of excitement. There was something about him that completely captivated her, that made her yearn to see him again. But up until now, he’d been the perfect gentleman, despite the intimacy of their dinners, and she was starting to wonder if it would be her who had to make the first move to develop their relationship. She only wished she weren’t so hesitant, but the last time she’d shown a man what she wanted, the rebuff had been quick and painful. The last thing she wanted was to see that same look of horror pass over Florian’s face.
‘How are you finding the house?’ he asked, as they sat at a table by his glistening blue pool. There was a candle burning between them, a bottle of opened champagne and two plates of the finest fillet steak, served with tiny potatoes, green beans, and a sauce that smelt delicious.
‘It’s amazing,’ she said, taking a sip of her champagne. She’d already had a glass, and her head was starting to spin a little from the bubbles. ‘Giovanni will most likely be furious, but I don’t care. The children have a huge home and grounds toexplore, and I feel like I’m in control of my life again, even if it is only for the summer.’
Florian smiled at her. ‘I’m proud of you. It was a very bold move, if I do say so myself.’
She smiled back at him. It was the first time in her married life that she’d done anything so bold—her sister had written saying she was welcome to use the lake house in her absence, and Delphine had jumped at the chance, taking only Martina with her. The rest of the staff had been left behind, which she knew would anger Giovanni, but she was beginning to care less and less what her husband thought, and more and more about what she wanted.
‘Your cook certainly knows how to make a memorable dinner,’ Delphine said. ‘I feel like I’ve come to a Michelin-starred restaurant every time I’ve visited.’
Florian laughed. ‘He’ll be very happy to hear that. I think he’s starting to wonder who I’m trying to impress. I usually come here for the summer and spend the entire time either alone or hosting business associates.’
‘He knows you’re hosting someone more personal?’
‘He does. And I’ve made him dine at my favourite restaurant many times to learn the menu, so that I can replicate it for you.’
Delphine didn’t know what to say. That a man could be so thoughtful constantly took her by surprise. She was also grateful that she’d met him when she had, as he’d explained that he usually spent the summer in this house, as well as long weekends throughout the year, but the rest of the time he was based in Zürich for work.
‘These nights, they’ve become very special to me,’ she said, shyly looking up at him as she moved a small piece of steak around her plate.
‘They’ve come to be very special to me, too,’ he said. ‘I find myself thinking of little else throughout the day. If I’m not careful, you’re going to become detrimental to my business.’
