‘Let’s get back to the car,’ he said. ‘And check in.’ He let one of his eyebrows lift, with no more than a whisper of movement. ‘It’s hot today. We might need a swim in a pool or perhaps a nap, even, before we go out for our last dinner.’
Tilly’s eyes were that lovely soft brown that wasn’t quite dark enough to hide the way her pupils got suddenly bigger. The smudge of pink on her cheeks couldn’t hide the fact that she knew there would be no sleeping involved with testing out the bed in the luxurious suite that was waiting for them.
She even had to clear her throat before she said anything.
‘We’ll go through the Place Masséna on the way, then. It’s the beating heart of Nice, so I would be completely failing as a guide if I didn’t take you there.’
They left the children playing in the water jets behind them and, within a few steps, Angus found himself looking at the red façades of imposing buildings framing an enormous square with checkerboard paving. There were tramlines and palm trees and a huge marble statue in the centre of a fountain with bronze creatures and animals beneath him.
‘That’s Apollo,’ Tilly told him, as they walked past the fountain. ‘He’s only come back to the Place Masséna in recent years. He was too controversial so he got dismantled and hidden away.’
‘Why?’
‘People were offended by his nudity. He was considered too…’ Tilly grinned. ‘Impressive.’
Angus eyed the statue’s anatomy. ‘I wouldn’t call that particularly impressive.’
Tilly bit her lip. ‘They gave him an operation to make him less impressive but it wasn’t enough to placate the virtuous ladies, so that was when he disappeared. I was a teenage girl when he came back and the story amused me and my friends very much.’
They were walking towards one of the huge red buildings that had a series of archways at ground level beneath all the windows.
‘That’s the Galeries Lafayette,’ Tilly said. ‘Un grand magasin.’
‘A department store?’ Angus guessed. ‘Like Jenners in Edinburgh?’
‘Yes. And Selfridges in London. But… more French.’
Walking into the shade beneath the archways was welcome, so they joined the procession of tourists enjoying the window displays.
And then Angus stopped dead in his tracks. Tilly had gone a few steps before she turned and her expression was one of concern as she came back to where he was standing.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.
‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘It’s… that dress. Look.’ He pointed at the dress being worn by a mannequin that had no features or hair on its head but was quintessentially feminine, with her weight on one hip, shoulders angled and a head tilt that was innately provocative.
It showed off the bright red dress that had a matching, sheer overlay, embroidered with a 3D effect to make it look like flowers had been attached over a solid fabric.
‘It’s very pretty.’ But Tilly sounded puzzled.
‘It would be the perfect dress for you,’ Angus said.
She shook her head. ‘I never wear bright colours like that,’ she said. ‘I like pale colours, like this’ – she looked down at the sky-blue dress she was wearing – ‘and my yellow one.’
Angus waited until Tilly looked up to catch his gaze. ‘You should wear red,’ he said softly. ‘This colour is perfect and I want to buy this dress for you.’
‘Non…’ Tilly looked horrified. ‘Absolument pas! I can’t accept?—’
He put his fingertip against her lips. ‘Please,’ he added, even more quietly. ‘This is my last day in France. I want to see you in this dress. I wantyouto see yourself in it. At least try it on?’
He could feel Tilly relenting as he held her gaze and finally she gave a single slow nod of acquiescence.
‘D’accord.’
They walked through the glass doors into the light and scents of the perfume and cosmetics department. Tilly had hit the nail on the head, Angus thought, watching a woman at a counter winding a lipstick open to see its colour, a small white dog on aleash waiting patiently beside her impossibly high-heeled shoes. This shop was definitely more French than Selfridges.
They went up to the first floor and a saleswoman in a sleek black dress quickly found the garment he’d spotted in the window. With a resigned, slightly embarrassed look on her face, Tilly went into a changing room while Angus sat on one of the overstuffed chairs in an area with floor to ceiling mirrors. When she emerged a short time later, he could actually feel his jaw dropping.
‘Wow.’ It was more a breath than a word.
