Georgia gave it to her and watched as she opened it, taking out the photo and passing it to her mother.
‘Well, it’s my grandmother, Delphine, without a doubt,’ she said. ‘And this is most definitely not my grandfather.’
Georgia grimaced. ‘I have no intention of besmirching your grandmother’s name. This is a secret that can exist purely between us.’
Anna reached for her hand across the table. ‘From what you’ve told me, she was a woman in love, and, let’s face it, if this were to happen now, she would have divorced her husband and been free to do as she pleased. There will be no judgement from us.’
Georgia met Anna’s gaze from across the table. ‘I hadn’t thought about it like that. I mean, I didn’t judge her, I felt her heartbreak more than anything, but you’re absolutely right.’
‘Do you think your grandmother ever knew?’ Mara asked. ‘Or do you think it was all a secret, hidden until the day you discovered the box?’
‘Honestly, I can only presume she didn’t know. Unfortunately, she was estranged from my father, but given the type of upbringing he described, I’d say that if she did know, it was a very closely guarded secret.’
‘Do you have family, Georgia?’ Anna asked, as Luca arrived back to the table, flanked by a waiter who held a tray with four glasses and a bottle of wine.
Georgia looked up at him, loving the way he sat down close to her, his thigh pressed to hers. ‘Not in the traditional sense,’ she replied. ‘I’m an only child, and my mother and father passedaway many years ago, but I’m very fortunate to have more than one surrogate family.’
Georgia felt a lightness talking to Anna that she wouldn’t have felt even a few months earlier. Being with Luca, seeing the way he was with those around him, how he’d embraced the family who’d raised her and the way his family had in turn embraced her, had made her feel as if she truly belonged in the world.
‘Did Georgia tell you we’re going to be married soon?’ Luca asked, as he began to pour the rosé into each glass.
‘Here in Geneva?’ Anna asked.
‘Right here in Geneva,’ Luca replied. ‘We’re splitting our time between here and London, but my mother would never have forgiven us if we didn’t have our wedding here.’
‘And I was only too happy to let her organise everything,’ Georgia said with a grin. ‘Planning a party holds very little appeal to me, and she seems to have been made for it. I told her that all I want to do is choose my dress and arrive at the venue on the day.’
They all laughed, at ease as they held up their glasses.
‘To the family we didn’t know we had,’ Georgia said.
‘Family,’ they all said, before taking a sip.
Once they’d all set their glasses down, it was Mara who spoke first.
‘Georgia, when my mother told me about you, the first thing I did was search your name online, and I came across the business you sold.’
She sighed. ‘Ah, yes, my firstborn child. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t missing it.’
‘Mara is also very interested in the cosmetics industry,’ Anna said. ‘She’s been working on a small range of organic products for some time.’
‘Is that so? Well, maybe it runs in our blood.’
‘I was wondering,’ Mara said, ‘if you do any consulting work. I’m only a start-up, so I don’t have a large budget, but?—’
‘I’d love to,’ Georgia said. ‘What stage are you at?’
‘Well, I’ve been through beta testing, and I’m close to finalising my packaging, but actually launching the product, it’s all new to me. I’m passionate about what I’ve created, but I feel I need some direction. There are just so many organic products on the market, so I need to develop an innovative way to show that my brand is better than the others.’
Georgia glanced at Luca before answering, not able to disguise her grin. ‘Your business is based here in Geneva?’
‘Yes,’ Mara said, smiling back at her and giving her a quizzical look in reply. ‘What’s funny about that? I feel like I’m missing something.’
Luca slung his arm around Georgia’s shoulders. ‘I’ve been looking for a reason to convince my fiancée to stay in Geneva for a little longer than she’s been willing. Who would have thought I’d find it today?’
Georgia laughed. ‘Well, I wouldn’t say yes to just anyone, but I do miss being part of something new. How about we arrange a time to talk about it more, just the two of us?’
Mara’s eyebrows shot up. ‘So, you’ll consider it?’
