He stared at her for a long moment, as if there was something he wanted to say, only he couldn’t find the right words.
‘Everyone is going to love you,’ Antoine said at last, holding out his arm for her. ‘Just be yourself and they will never forget the night they met Evelina Lavigne. I promise.’
She placed her hand on his forearm and together they walked from the apartment, saying goodnight to the door man before disappearing out into the street and going on foot. The restaurant was so near, and she always enjoyed walking with her fingers looped around Antoine’s arm, her heels clacking on the pavement as she tucked herself to his side.
‘Antoine, do they know?’ she asked, as they neared the restaurant.
‘About us?’ he asked. ‘Romantically?’
She nodded.
‘I fear it will be obvious as soon as they see the way I look at you,’ Antoine said, taking her hand. ‘But no, they don’t know about us. They’ve been desperate to meet my infamous new designer, and I promised them that I’d be able to convince you to join us.’
Evelina laughed. Of course he had. ‘Well, you’d better stop holding my hand, in case anyone sees us.’
But instead of dropping her hand, Antoine only tightened his grip.
‘Perhaps I’m ready for them to meet you as my?—’
She felt her breath catch in her throat as she waited for him to finish his sentence, but he never did.
‘I’m quite happy to be introduced as your business associate,’ she said, not wanting him to feel he had to say any more. ‘Although I can’t help it if they can tell how I feel about you.’
Antoine cleared his throat, his smile making his eyes crease ever so slightly at the sides. ‘Evelina, that’s not how I want to introduce you,’ he said, his voice dropping an octave.
‘And how exactly would you introduce me, if you could?’ she whispered.
‘As the woman that I’m totally, madly in love with.’
Evelina didn’t know what to say. She most definitely hadn’t been expecting that, and it also made her realise what she’d become to him. He was already married, so she would most likely never become his wife, no matter what he said, but he’d bought her an apartment and was taking her out in public, which meant that she was officially his mistress. Marriage hadn’t suited her, and she’d vowed never to marry again, but this? This arrangement was perfect for her. She had a man in her life who admired her work and couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her, and she didn’t have to play the role of doting wife, instead getting to live her life largely on her own terms.
‘Antoine?’ she said, reaching up to touch his face. She gazed at him, into blue eyes that always seemed to follow her. ‘I love you, too.’ As the words left her mouth, she realised that it was the first time she’d truly meant them.
He kissed her, passionately, tugging her against him so that her breasts pressed into his chest.
‘Let’s not ever change what we have, Evelina,’ he whispered when he pulled away, his eyes searching hers. ‘This is everything I’ve ever wanted.’
‘I don’t want anything to change, either,’ she said, and it was mostly the truth. ‘This life, my new apartment, you…’ She smiled up at him. ‘It’s everything I could wish for, and more.’
They stayed together, wrapped in each other’s arms, until eventually Antoine cleared his throat and reminded her that they were going to be even later to dinner now if they didn’t go in, and Evelina took out the little mirror she always kept in her bag to check her make-up. She feared he’d smudged her lipstick, and she’d been right, and that was not the image she wanted to project.
When at last they stepped forward, she had her arm looped through Antoine’s, her head to his shoulder as they walked, her fur coat draped over her shoulders. Diamonds sparkled at her earlobes and around her neck, and she knew that it would be obvious to anyone who watched them, who saw the way they looked at each other, that they were lovers.
Within minutes, they were walking up the flight of stairs to the restaurant, and it was then that she dropped his hand. Evelina could feel eyes on her as she sashayed in beside her man, and she revelled in it. Not because they were looking at her, but because they were looking at her dress, she was certain of it. Which meant that by the end of the evening, everyone would be whispering and wondering who the designer of the dress was.
They approached a table full of men, all drinking what she presumed was whisky or cognac, but their conversation stopped immediately when they saw Antoine.
‘Well, you could have warned us,’ said one of the men, standing and holding out both hands to her, before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to first one cheek and then the other. ‘Talented and beautiful—what a combination.’
Evelina smiled and squeezed his hands, before turning to another of the men who’d stood to greet her, his eyes going from her to Antoine, as if he couldn’t quite believe it.
‘When you said we’d want to meet her…’
Antoine touched the small of her back, guiding her forward to her seat, and she couldn’t help but smile. Suddenly, it was as if she had everything she’d ever wanted, and she had a feeling that tonight was going to be one of the most glorious evenings of her life.
16
PRESENT DAY
