Page 66

He didn’t know how this situation would play out, but he would stand by Elle and be the best father he could. But he hoped – perhaps selfishly – that he could work things out with Stephanie. He was really falling for her, and had dared to think of a future with her, but she’d looked so disappointed and regretful when he’d seen her moments ago, he couldn’t imagine how they could make it work now. He’d try to convey his feelings in that one quick glance, but he knew exactly what the scene must look like to Stephanie, with Elle hanging off him, showing him off like a trophy.

‘Elle, can we talk?’ he suggested, as they moved from the chaos of the Sunset Room, where the show was about to take place, to the mayhem of backstage. ‘We must be able to find a quiet spot somewhere around here.’

‘Not now, Lucas,’ Elle admonished him, as she looked around to see who else was there, her wide blue eyes lighting up as she spotted famous models and influential journalists.

‘Just five minutes. I really think we need to discuss …’ He broke off as he saw his mother and Nicolas coming towards them through the crowd. His gut lurched. Whilst Camille had agreed to let Elle attend, it was wisest to keep the two of them apart. And he knew that at some point he needed to speak to his mother about what had happened at the restaurant – the fact that it had been closed down and Paulo seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

She was an investor, so he needed to tell her, but he wanted to wait until after the show. Plus, he was hoping that by then he’d have located Paulo and everything would be resolved. He didn’t want to bother her with that right now. It wasn’t unusual for Camille to be anxious before a show, but right now she seemed more stressed than he’d ever seen her.

‘Everything OK?’ he asked, trying to keep his tone light, as he air-kissed her on both cheeks and shook hands with Nicolas.

‘Not exactly,’ Camille said tightly. She and Nicolas exchanged glances as Lucas wondered what was going on. His mother stepped closer, keeping her voice as low as she could with all the noise in the background. ‘It’s been a challenging morning. We can catch up tomorrow, but everything’s going wrong right now. Katerina has called in sick, the one who was supposed to be wearing the skintight bodice, so we’re having to change the entire running order.’

‘I can do it,’ Elle suggested.

Camille turned to her as though noticing her for the first time. She exhaled sharply and shook her head. ‘No, Elle. I’ve had quite enough drama for today without you getting involved.’

‘No drama, I promise,’ Elle said, as Lucas stared at her in surprise. It was as though she was a different person, polite and demure, standing tall and elegant. ‘Camille, you know that I’ve always wanted to model for Camille Andre. Why would I do anything to jeopardize that?’

To Lucas’s surprise, his mother seemed to be genuinely considering it.

‘You know that I can do this, Camille. I’m a professional model – it’s my job – and that bodice will fit me perfectly. I understand that you may not like me, but surely you can put that aside for the sake of the show. What choice do you have?’

‘She’s right,’ Nicolas said to Camille. ‘Why not give her a chance?’

Camille hesitated for a moment, before agreeing to the inevitable. ‘All right,’ she said quietly. ‘But any more histrionics …’

‘None, I promise!’ Elle was gleeful. ‘Thank you, Camille,’ she managed to say without a hint of sulkiness.

Lucas looked on in disbelief, wondering what he’d just witnessed. He was astonished that Elle had put herself forward, and even more astonished that his mother had agreed. As Elle was about to rush off towards the make-up chair, he placed a hand lightly on her arm.

‘But what about …?’ he trailed off.

‘What about what, Lucas?’ she said, a dangerous edge to her voice.

‘Your … condition, that tight bodice,’ he murmured, aware of his mother and Nicolas watching the conversation.

‘It’s fine,’ Elle replied dismissively, shaking off his hand. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

‘What do you mean?’ Camille asked, turning to her son. ‘Her condition?’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Elle was almost pleading. ‘Forget about it, Lucas.’

‘Forget about it?’ Lucas was stunned. ‘What do you …? Maman, Elle’s pregnant.’

Camille’s mouth fell open in shock. She looked from Lucas to Elle in disbelief.

‘Yes, I am.’ Elle’s demeanour changed, as she smiled manically and wrapped her arms around Lucas. ‘We’re both ecstatic. So, given that you’re going to be my baby’s grandmother, I think you should point me in the direction of the runway, because we’re just wasting time here.’

It took Camille a moment to recover, then she shook her head. ‘No. Absolutely not. That bodice is like an extra skin, I don’t know what’s going on here, but this is one surprise too many today. We’ll talk about this later. Nicolas, let’s go back to our original plan. Anouk can double up on the first look, Livia on the second then—’

As they began to walk off together, a look of panic crossed Elle’s face. ‘Wait!’ she called out. ‘I didn’t mean it … Please let me do it, I’m not pregnant, I promise.’

Lucas and Camille looked at her in horror and confusion. ‘What?’

‘I’m not pregnant, OK? I lied. Now please just let me walk in the show, you can’t do it without me!’

Camille laughed in disbelief, as Lucas’s face was a mask of disbelief, betrayal and confusion flashing across his features.