Dauphine.
Turning on the cold water, she used her hand to drink. She dried off her mouth with one of Estelle’s fancy hand towels before fishing her phone out of her bag.
WHERE ARE YOU? she texted Xander.
ARBOR.
She left the bathroom, relieved to see that both Allegra and Laura were gone. The upper hallways were quiet, the noise from below growing louder as she came to the staircase.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she worked her way through the crowd, leaving behind the rhythmic drumming and heading for the less insistent sounds of the jazz band in the backyard.
She was at the edge of the terrace when Sophie spotted her through the crowd. Her eyes lit up, and she ran toward Claire with a gap-toothed smile.
“Look, Claire!” She pointed to the empty spot on the top row of her teeth. “I lost a tooth!”
Claire laughed. “You definitely did! Did the tooth fairy leave you money?”
“Five dollars!” she exclaimed.
“What?” Claire feigned shock. “No way! You’re totally treating next time we get ice cream.”
Sophie beamed. She held out the skirt of her lavender dress, giving Claire a better look at the elaborate pleating. “Do you like my dress?”
“Love it,” Claire said. She looked down at her own gown. “Do you like mine?”
Sophie nodded, grinning. She gestured for Claire to come closer and leaned in to whisper in her ear.
“You look beautiful. Xander will think so, too. He’s waiting for you in the arbor.”
Claire leaned back, unable to hold back her smile. “Thanks, kiddo. See you later.”
Stepping off the terrace, she headed for the back of the property. It was just as beautiful outside as it was inside, the trees strung with white lights, multicolored lanterns hanging from their branches. Candles flickered on the tables that dotted the landscape, and torches were lit along the pathways that wound through the Toussaints’ property.
Claire started down one of the paths and spotted Allegra huddled with Laura and the Valcours at one of the tables. Allegra smiled. Claire waved a hand in greeting, wondering if she’d stepped into some kind of alternate dimension where she and Allegra might actually be friends.
She continued toward the back of the property. The torches were more sparsely placed as she got farther away from the terrace, the night reaching out to her with inky fingers from the darkness beyond the path. She thought of the man who’d followed her to Layafette and picked up her pace, hurrying for the arbor and the safety of Xander’s arms.
Two final torches marked the end of the path just in front of the arbor. Claire stepped into the shelter of a wooden structure that had been a meeting spot for the two of them since they first began their secret affair.
Candles were lit atop the iron table, white lights casting a golden glow from the wisteria vines above. She peered into the shadows.
“Xander?” She didn’t know why she was whispering. There was no reason why she shouldn’t be seen having a simple conversation with him. But the night seemed to hold its own secrets, and their meeting suddenly seemed like one of them. “You there?”
He stepped out of the darkness, and she sucked in her breath. She sometimes forgot how beautiful he was, but now, as he came toward her in his tuxedo, the candlelight flickering across his smooth skin, there was no denying it.
He pulled her into his arms, holding her for a minute before he leaned back to get a better look at her. His eyes roamed her hair and face, traveling the length of the green dress that skimmed her body in all the right places.
“You look stunning,” he said.
She smiled. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.”
He narrowed his eyes, appraising her. She wondered if it was her imagination that there was a teasing glint in the upturn of his full mouth.
“I think you just need . . .” He turned around, heading for the table and pulling something from one of the chairs. “One more
Turning on the cold water, she used her hand to drink. She dried off her mouth with one of Estelle’s fancy hand towels before fishing her phone out of her bag.
WHERE ARE YOU? she texted Xander.
ARBOR.
She left the bathroom, relieved to see that both Allegra and Laura were gone. The upper hallways were quiet, the noise from below growing louder as she came to the staircase.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she worked her way through the crowd, leaving behind the rhythmic drumming and heading for the less insistent sounds of the jazz band in the backyard.
She was at the edge of the terrace when Sophie spotted her through the crowd. Her eyes lit up, and she ran toward Claire with a gap-toothed smile.
“Look, Claire!” She pointed to the empty spot on the top row of her teeth. “I lost a tooth!”
Claire laughed. “You definitely did! Did the tooth fairy leave you money?”
“Five dollars!” she exclaimed.
“What?” Claire feigned shock. “No way! You’re totally treating next time we get ice cream.”
Sophie beamed. She held out the skirt of her lavender dress, giving Claire a better look at the elaborate pleating. “Do you like my dress?”
“Love it,” Claire said. She looked down at her own gown. “Do you like mine?”
Sophie nodded, grinning. She gestured for Claire to come closer and leaned in to whisper in her ear.
“You look beautiful. Xander will think so, too. He’s waiting for you in the arbor.”
Claire leaned back, unable to hold back her smile. “Thanks, kiddo. See you later.”
Stepping off the terrace, she headed for the back of the property. It was just as beautiful outside as it was inside, the trees strung with white lights, multicolored lanterns hanging from their branches. Candles flickered on the tables that dotted the landscape, and torches were lit along the pathways that wound through the Toussaints’ property.
Claire started down one of the paths and spotted Allegra huddled with Laura and the Valcours at one of the tables. Allegra smiled. Claire waved a hand in greeting, wondering if she’d stepped into some kind of alternate dimension where she and Allegra might actually be friends.
She continued toward the back of the property. The torches were more sparsely placed as she got farther away from the terrace, the night reaching out to her with inky fingers from the darkness beyond the path. She thought of the man who’d followed her to Layafette and picked up her pace, hurrying for the arbor and the safety of Xander’s arms.
Two final torches marked the end of the path just in front of the arbor. Claire stepped into the shelter of a wooden structure that had been a meeting spot for the two of them since they first began their secret affair.
Candles were lit atop the iron table, white lights casting a golden glow from the wisteria vines above. She peered into the shadows.
“Xander?” She didn’t know why she was whispering. There was no reason why she shouldn’t be seen having a simple conversation with him. But the night seemed to hold its own secrets, and their meeting suddenly seemed like one of them. “You there?”
He stepped out of the darkness, and she sucked in her breath. She sometimes forgot how beautiful he was, but now, as he came toward her in his tuxedo, the candlelight flickering across his smooth skin, there was no denying it.
He pulled her into his arms, holding her for a minute before he leaned back to get a better look at her. His eyes roamed her hair and face, traveling the length of the green dress that skimmed her body in all the right places.
“You look stunning,” he said.
She smiled. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.”
He narrowed his eyes, appraising her. She wondered if it was her imagination that there was a teasing glint in the upturn of his full mouth.
“I think you just need . . .” He turned around, heading for the table and pulling something from one of the chairs. “One more
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