it is.â
Henri frowned at her.
âWell, thatâs almost as inappropriate as the story,â he said. âItâs nothing to laugh about. But just for the record, Margeaux wasnât pregnant when she left and we donât have a child. Anything else youâd like to know?â
Sydney had been scarce for the better part of the week surrounding Colbertâs funeral. In fact, he hadnât seen her since the dinner at Margeauxâs house.
He thought she was giving them room so that they could make all the arrangements for Colbert and get past the burial, but come to think of it, he wasnât even sure if sheâd been at the funeral. As an employee of the state, she would have been welcome at the service, of course. In fact, he was surprised she hadnât been right in the thick of things given that the Queen was there. Since theyâd been dating, sheâd been pushing for an introduction. Because of her over-eagerness and the fact that he wasnât certain how he felt about her, heâd held off.
Now he was glad heâd listened to his gut.
âIâm sorry,â she said. âI certainly donât mean to be inappropriate. Do you have a moment?Thereâs something important we need to talk about.â
He nodded. He had a feeling they were about to have one of those where-do-we-stand talks. Sydney was a fine woman. She deserved someone who loved her with his entire heart. Heâd never been able to make that jump from dating to exclusive commitment with Sydney. Though he didnât want to hurt her, he was still in love with Margeaux. It was time he told her.
She closed the door, took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. She crossed her legs primly at the ankle, rather than going for the maneuver where she crossed one leg over the other for maximum skirt-hiking affect.
Good. This was going to be a serious conversation rather than a battle of flirtatious quips.
âDespite the recent chaos,â she said, âthe museum staff and I managed to get the catalogue printed and the show open.â
âYes, you and your staff did a great job. I apologize for not having commended you sooner.â
She waved away his apology.
Patrons, the Crown Council and the general public deemed the show a success. In fact, itwas a welcome bright spot to offset the loss of Colbert Broussard. Henri had considered delaying the opening, but the Council had unanimously agreed Colbert would want the show to go on.
So it did: a memoriam to him.
âWell, there is one way that you can make it up to me if you feel that badly.â She arched her left brow, and Henri opened his mouth to turn the conversation away from the road he was sure she was going to digress.
But Sydney held up her hand. âNo, wait, please, Henri. This isnât easy for me to do. So, let me finish.â
She swallowed and he could see her throat work as she did.
âIâve been offered another jobâin Dallas, Texas, of all placesâand Iâd like to be released from my duties immediately.â
It was the last thing Henri expected her to say.
She must have seen it in his face because she said, âAt this point the show can run itself. My assistant is well versed in the day-to-day operations. And you have Margeaux. Please, Henri, let me go.â
Chapter Five
T he downtown square was abuzz with people. Margeaux, Pepper, A.J and Caroline had to sidestep shoppers juggling multiple bags, merchants sweeping their entryways, and artists painting at easels set up in the middle of the walkway.
As Caroline snapped a photo of a cat perched on the bakeryâs windowsill, she nearly tripped over a dog trolling for attention in front of the butcher shop.
St. Michel used to be a winter retreat for Britainâs elite and famous. Now, the big seasonwas summer. So, even though the square was well populated, at least they could enjoy it without the traffic jams and other
Sharon Kleve, Jennifer Conner, Danica Winters, Casey Dawes