‘Hey! Darcie Bytheway!’
She turned and saw Matt jogging towards her. She waited as he caught up with her.
‘Hey,’ he said, coming to a stop in front of her. ‘I thought that was you. I was in the museum, getting set up.’
She forced a smile, not sure if this was a good or a bad encounter. She hadn’t yet made up her mind about him. ‘Hey,’ she replied simply.
He looked down at the suitcase and frowned. ‘You leaving?’
‘Not exactly,’ said Darcie wondering how she was going to explain her presence.
‘What are you doing here?’ He looked confused for a moment. ‘Oh man!’ He pressed his hand against his forehead. ‘Did you think I was getting you a ticket for today’s show? I’m so sorry. I obviously didn’t explain properly.’
‘No. It’s fine. Honest. I know you said tomorrow.’
He looked even more confused now. ‘So, why are you here and what’s with the case?’
Darcie tapped her nails on the handle of the suitcase and for no other reason than she couldn’t think of a reason not to, she said, ‘I had a meeting with Christophe Padgett. He’s—’
‘Padgett! Christophe Padgett?’
‘Yes, from the House of Chanel.’
‘I know where he’s from,’ said Matt, clearly impressed or surprised at this revelation. ‘He’s one of the main men. His speciality is vintage Chanel: sourcing, buying, and selling.’
‘I know,’ said Darcie. It was her turn to be amused.
‘Wait. You had a meeting with Padgett and you’re pulling a suitcase along with you.’ He flicked his forefinger between Darcie and the case. ‘Does that mean you have something in there that he wanted to see?’
‘Certainly does. Only … I still have it.’
‘Can we backtrack for a second? Have I missed some vital part of a conversation we had yesterday? Am I in some sort of time warp where I’ve missed you telling me that piece of information?’
‘I didn’t say anything yesterday.’ She suddenly felt guilty for keeping it a secret. ‘I wanted to see how the meeting went first. Didn’t want to jinx it.’
‘So, you have a Chanel dress or what you thought was a Chanel dress?’
‘Yes. Padgett says it’s not an original. That it’s a copy.’
‘He knows his stuff,’ mused Matt. ‘But that doesn’t mean he knows everything. He’s been wrong before.’
‘I also think there’s a connection to the Ritz hotel during the war,’ said Darcie. ‘But I don’t even know where to start looking for answers about that.’
‘Sounds intriguing,’ said Matt. He glanced at his watch. ‘Look, I gotta go. You’re not leaving Paris yet, are you?’
‘No.’
‘Cool. Can I call you later?’ He was walking backwards now, in the hotel’s direction. ‘I’ll have that ticket for you. And I might be able to help you with the dress.’
Darcie found herself replying that it was fine and she’d love to see him. Yes, he should contact her either through social media or the mobile number on her website.
With that, he broke into a jog again and disappeared back inside the building.
As Darcie made her way back to the Métro, she couldn’t deny the little flutter of excitement that had pitched up in her stomach. Surely, it wasn’t just because Matt was calling her later? And what did he mean, he might be able to help? She muttered under her breath at how easily she’d agreed to it all. She really was a pushover.
Chapter 11
Nathalie
