“Oh, you daft thing,” she replied, chuckling as she spoke.
My mother wasn’tworldlyalthough she had travelled it. However, her first-class experiences did not allow for fraudsters to take advantage of her, or so I had thought.
A little digging on Duncan was in order, for sure.
Chapter Five
I straightened my bow tie before I left the taxi outside the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. It was a vibrant area of London that attracted diners and street artists. Tourists made a beeline for the squares to admire the architecture and the mix of nationalities and colourful people. I made my way into the foyer and collected the ticket that had been left for me. From there, I headed to the bar where I knew Gabriella would be waiting.
As I walked in the door, I paused. She was facing away from me and was chatting to a man. Her back was rigid, and I wondered if she was uncomfortable. As if she’d sensed me, she slowly turned. There was no smile initially, until she caught my gaze. I strode over and she reached for my hand.
“Darling, you made it. I heard the traffic was simply awful,” she said. She then turned to the man. “Thank you for keeping me company but my husband will take over from now.” She gave him a smile, although it was forced. He nodded his head in my direction and moved on.
“What an odious man. Honestly, Alex, I’m so glad you arrived when you did, I was about to let the ‘southern’ be released.” She shuddered and leaned up to kiss both my cheeks.
“I’m glad to be of assistance, and if he was rude to you, I’ll also be glad to punch him.”
“My knight in shining armour. Whatever would I do without out you?” she said, waving her hand in front of her face in mock fluster. “Champagne?”
Before I could reply, she took the bottle from the cooler and refreshed her own glass before filling mine.
“So, wife, was he really annoying you?” I asked, looking to see the man had moved onto his next conquest. She laughed and, once again, the sound travelled straight through my stomach to my crotch.
“Rather like a mosquito, needs swatting,” she replied.
I asked about her lunch and she told me about a couple of her American girlfriends and how sad she was today when she learned one was heading back home.
“It must be hard being away from your family?” I asked. “Do you have any siblings?”
She paused and I saw her jaw tense. “I miss my momma, for sure.” She didn’t answer my second question.
The bell rang and it was time to leave the bar for our box.
Perhaps cream or white was her colour, she wore a silk dress that clung to all her curves and as much as I checked, I couldn’t see a panty line at all. The thought of her naked under her dress aroused me, uncomfortably so.
Gabriella sat with her ankles crossed and her hands on her lap as she looked around, she reminded me of a debutant, so very proper. She was delicate on the outside, but I knew, tough as steel inside. I didn’t believe theladylikebehaviour was for effect, it was part of her upbringing.
“So, tell me, how did you first meet Mackenzie?” I asked.
“I was in love with his best friend when we were younger, and maybe a little bit him. We are the best of friends now and have been since we were children.” She laughed when I raised my eyebrows. “We grew up together, we lived a short distance away until he moved away after…”
I turned to face her. She didn’t explain further but kept her focus on the stage ahead. However, I didn’t fail to notice her furrowed brow and her rapid blinking to, perhaps, clear her eyes of tears.
I changed the subject. “And how do you find working in London?”
The question brightened her; she faced me and smirked. “I get to meet one or two handsome Lords and an awful number of frogs.” She batted her eyelids and I knew she was teasing. “Seriously. It’s bad enough in the States with men’s egos the size of stadiums and, somehow, I thought it would be different here. Present company excepted, there aren’t as many gentlemen in business as I was led to believe. Still, I know how to play the dumb blonde and still get my own way.”
“Are you doing that now?” I asked and my voice lowered slightly. “Are you playing now?”
Her breath hitched and I watched her pupils dilate. She opened her mouth to speak but before she could, the lights lowered, and the opera began.
Gabriella and I sat through the first act. I watched her mouth the words and clutch at her heart at one death scene. She clearly knew the story and loved it. She smiled and frowned, shuffled, and slumped. I believe she could have acted every scene.
We sipped our champagne during the interval, and she asked me lots of questions about my childhood. I feared that I was too blunt when I told her how my father had killed himself. She grabbed my arm and squeezed. As much as I enjoyed any contact from her, I didn’t want pity. Any earlierplayinghad gone, and I enjoyed us getting to know each other a little more.
“Would you like a coffee somewhere?” I asked as we left the opera house.
Gabriella shivered slightly as we paused on the pavement. I removed my jacket and placed it over her shoulders.