Parisian Affair (14 page)

'Are you sure you're okay?' Todd asked,
getting to his feet and putting a hand on Jason's shoulder.

'Yeah,' Jason replied. 'It was just a routine
physical.'

'Good,' Allegra said. 'I'm glad you came in,
because I needed to talk to you.'

'What is it?' Jason asked. 'Are we closing up
shop?'

'No, nothing like that,' Allegra said. 'Let's
sit down.'

'I can wait inside,' Todd offered.

'No,' Allegra said. 'Because I wanted to tell
you, too.'

'What is it?' Todd asked, taking a chair and
pulling it close.

'
Jalouse
, the French magazine, called
me about doing a spread on my jewelry, and they've offered to pay
my way over so they can do it there in Paris.'

'That's great,' Todd said.

'That's unusual, isn't it?' Jason said.
'Don't the foreign magazines usually have a photographer in New
York do the shoot to save money?'

Allegra nodded. 'Yes, but they want to do an
interview, shoot the jewelry and me, and some of my design
drawings. So I told them I'd love to do it, but I'd also like to
style it for the magazine. That's when they offered to fly me over.
So I said yes. It'll only be for a couple of days.'

'When is this?' Todd asked.

'Next week,' she replied.

'So just like that'—Jason clicked two fingers
together—'they offered to fly you over?' he said dubiously. 'That's
a new one. I've never heard of such a thing.'

'That's why I wanted to talk to you,' Allegra
said, breezily ignoring the doubt in his voice. 'Just to make sure
that you could hold down the fort here while I'm gone.'

'Well . . .,' Jason began. 'You say it's next
week?'

'Yes.' Allegra nodded and gave him a puzzled
look.

'Well, I guess so,' he said. 'How long did
you say it was for?'

'Just a couple of days,' Allegra said. 'Why?
Were you planning to take time off or something?'

'I . . . well, no,' Jason said, 'but I wasn't
sure I even had a job anymore. I mean, with the ways things have
been going.'

Allegra smiled. 'We've had a temporary
reprieve,' she said. 'In fact, I just started writing checks to pay
our bills.'

'Did you make a big sale today?' Todd
asked.

'No,' Allegra said. 'My mother's loaning me
some cash to tide us over.'

'Your mother!' Jason and Todd exclaimed in
unison.

Allegra nodded. 'Believe it or not.'

'I can't believe that . . . that witch would
give you the time of day,' Todd said.

'This is incredible,' Jason chimed in. 'Was
she drunk when she promised you the money?'

'No,' Allegra said, persisting in her lie.
'We had a nice long talk and—'

'Oh, come off it, Ally,' Todd said. 'You and
Clarissa have never had a 'nice' talk. What's going on?'

'Nothing,' Allegra said defensively. 'She has
a heart, you know.'

'Yeah, like Hitler had a heart,' Jason
said.

'I don't want to talk about it anymore,'
Allegra said irritably.

Jason and Todd exchanged glances, and Todd
shrugged.

'So, I can count on you, Jason?' she
asked.

He nodded. 'I was planning to take some time
off, but I'll wait.'

'Where you off to?' Todd asked.

'Uh, well, not anywhere really,' Jason said.
'It's just been a while since I had a little time off.'

'I guess,' Allegra said, although she knew
that wasn't true. It had been only two months since he'd visited a
friend in South Beach.

'If you don't mind, I'm going to go,' he
said, getting to his feet. 'I've got a bunch of stuff to do.'

'Sure, go ahead,' Allegra said. 'See you in
the morning.'

'Yep,' Jason replied.

'See you later,' Todd said as Jason headed to
the door.

'Later.'

After he'd gone, Allegra looked over at Todd.
'Do you think he was acting a little . . . weird or something?'

'Yes,' Todd said. 'Maybe he just doesn't feel
well. Going to the doctor and all.'

'He said it was routine,' Allegra said, a
thoughtful expression on her face. 'I just get the feeling that
he's holding something back.'

'Ah, forget it,' Todd said. He got up and
went around to the back of her chair and began massaging her
shoulders. 'Jason's a good guy. He's probably got things on his
mind like the rest of us.'

'I guess so,' Allegra said.

Todd leaned over and kissed the top of her
head. 'Will you have champagne with me tonight?' he asked.

She leaned her head back and looked up at
him. 'Yes,' she said. 'I'd love to.'

'I'll even make dinner,' he said.

'Ohhh,' she said. 'When did you start
cooking?'

'When the Chinese started delivering.'

Allegra laughed. 'I thought as much.'

The minute Todd left the next morning,
Allegra went to the telephone.

She dialed Sylvie's number at work.

Sylvie picked up immediately. 'Hello,' she
said.

'Sylvie, it's Allegra,' she said.

'
Bonjour, cherie
,' Sylvie said. 'I'm
so glad you called. I wanted to ask you a few questions before I
made your reservations. Hilton says he'll pay for your stay at the
Ritz, as you know.'

'Yes,' Allegra said. 'And?'

'Well, my friend Paul owns this building and
has an apartment that friends of his use. He says you can stay
there. It's in the Marais. Nothing fancy, but very nice. And'—she
took a dramatic pause—'I can give you another couple of thousand
dollars instead of giving it to the Ritz. I know you've been a
little short on money lately, so I thought I would ask.'

'You're kidding,' Allegra said.

'But if you want the experience of staying at
the Ritz, I can certainly understand that.'

Allegra laughed. 'No, no,' she said. 'I'd be
glad to take the extra cash. But does Mr., I mean, Hilton know
about this?'

'
Mais oui
,' Sylvie said. 'He doesn't
mind at all.'

'And your friend Paul. You're sure it's okay
with him?'

'
Cherie
,' Sylvie said, 'Paul and I do
this all the time. He uses my place here sometimes, and I do the
same in Paris.'

'Then I'll do it,' Allegra said.

'Good,' Sylvie said. 'It's settled. If you'll
be here tomorrow around, say . . . four o'clock, I'll have your
information package together. Okay?'

'Wonderful,' Allegra said. 'I'll be
there.'

'There's not a lot,' Sylvie said, 'but Hilton
wants to tell you about procedures and such at the auction
house.'

'Okay,' Allegra said. 'The one thing that's
been worrying me is security. I mean, it's a little nerve-racking
to think I might be carrying around an emerald ring worth millions
of dollars.'

'Ah, no worry,' Sylvie said. 'He's already
set up a bank where you can deposit it after the auction. But we'll
discuss that tomorrow.'

'I'll be there,' Allegra said.

'See you then,' Sylvie said, and hung up.

When she put down the receiver, Allegra sat
there, her head spinning slightly from the prospect of the
assignment she had accepted from Hilton Whitehead. Bidding on a
ring of such value against some of the richest men and women in the
world was daunting. Bringing the ring back to New York only added
to the enormity of the task.

She quickly showered and dressed, then went
into her work space. Jason hadn't arrived yet, and she took the
opportunity to flip through the catalogues that had been piling up.
She started with the one from Dufour, curious about Karima's
jewels. She glanced through the catalogue, but decided to work on
an unfinished design. Then, after ten-thirty rolled around and
Jason still hadn't shown up, she couldn't concentrate and began to
worry about his tardiness.

Even as she had these fretful thoughts, Jason
came through the atelier door with a bright smile on his face. 'I'm
sorry I'm late,' he said. 'I had a dental appointment early this
morning, and forgot to tell you about it.'

What has gotten into him? she wondered.
Yesterday the doctor, today the dentist. He's never been like
this.

'I hope it went okay,' she said. 'Anything
serious?'

'No,' Jason said. 'Just a cleaning.' He got
settled at his worktable, then looked over at her. 'Do you want to
show me exactly what you want me to do while you're gone?'

'Give me a few more minutes here,' she said,
indicating her drawing pad. 'Then I will. There are just a couple
of little pieces, but they have priority.'

'Okay,' Jason said. 'Should I go ahead and
start setting the rubies for the di Guaradiani brooch?'

Already absorbed in an intricate detail,
Allegra nodded without looking up. 'Yes,' she murmured. 'That's
fine.'

The next few days flew by in a whirlwind of
activity. Meeting with Whitehead, finishing up her paperwork,
handling clients, and spending time with Todd seemed to take every
available minute she had.

When the day actually arrived, Todd got out
of bed when her alarm went off at five thirty a.m. and made
breakfast for them while she got ready to leave. A car would be
there to pick her up at six for her seven o'clock departure on
Hilton Whitehead's jet.

'You didn't have to do this,' she said,
immensely happy that he had. She knew that Todd was not an
early-morning person, and had made a sacrifice to please her.

'No, I didn't have to,' he said, 'but I
wanted to.'

'I'll miss you,' she said.

'I'll miss you, too,' he said. 'Are you all
packed?'

'All ready.'

'I can go to the airport with you.'

'No,' Allegra said. 'That's silly. Riding all
the way to the airport and back. You should spend the time down at
your building instead.' She certainly didn't want him to know that
she would be leaving from Teterboro on a private jet.

'You're right,' he agreed. 'The contractor
has a million questions.'

The buzzer sounded just as she was finishing
her breakfast.

Ally grabbed her shoulder bag, and Todd
carried her suitcase down for her. When they reached the street, he
was stunned to see a gleaming Rolls- Royce awaiting her.

'Jeez,' he said. 'I didn't know you'd won the
lottery.'

'I didn't, silly,' she replied. 'The magazine
provided the car and driver.'

'But a Rolls?' he said. 'I'm in the wrong
business.'

The driver took her suitcase and placed it in
the trunk and held the door open for her.

Todd took her into his arms and kissed her.
'Call me if you get a chance,' he said. 'I'll miss you. And I love
you, Ally.'

'I love you, too,' she said. She got into the
car's luxurious interior, and the driver closed the door.

When the car pulled out, she blew a kiss to
Todd as he waved.

After the big car was out of sight, he went
back upstairs, wondering what jewelry and designs she'd taken for
the shoot. He hadn't seen her pack any.

The flight to Paris wasn't too long, six
hours or so, and when Allegra landed at seven p.m., Paris time, she
actually felt rested after the delicious food served aboard the
flight and a nap in the luxurious bedroom. At the airport a driver
with a black Rolls-Royce, identical to the one that had picked her
up in New York, met her to take her in quiet luxury to the studio
apartment on the rue des Archives in the heart of the Marais.

She had been to Paris once before, and
remembered it as the most beautiful city she'd ever visited. But
she had forgotten how truly magnificent it was. Even beneath the
gray wintery sky, many of the monuments and buildings she passed
were lit up to dazzling effect. As the car drew near her
destination in the third arrondissement, she became fascinated by
what she could see of the ancient quarter. She knew that it had
been a stronghold of the aristocracy before the Revolution, but its
mansions had been deserted afterward. In recent years, young urban
pioneers, along with the government and various institutions, began
moving in, and renovating the long-abandoned buildings. The
district now teemed with several museums, municipal offices,
beautiful apartment buildings, and trendy and interesting shops and
restaurants.

Just past a church, the driver pulled over in
front of a building on the rue des Archives and brought the car to
a stop.

'Here we are, Miss Sheridan,' he said in
English.

Allegra looked up at the building and saw
that it was a lovely seventeenth-century structure much like the
others that lined the street. She shouldered her pocketbook and
reached for the door, but the driver had quickly rounded the car
and was already opening it.

'Thank you,' she said as she slid out of the
car's headily perfumed leather-upholstered interior.

'Just one moment,' he said, 'and I'll have
your luggage for you.'

'Allegra,' a male voice called to her.

She turned and saw a tall, thin young man
with long, windblown hair coming toward her with his hand extended.
He was wearing a woolen overcoat with a heavy scarf tied and tucked
in as if it were an ascot.

'I'm Paul,' he said. 'Sylvie's friend.'

'Hi, Paul,' she replied. 'It's so nice of you
to meet me. Sylvie told me you would be here.' She shook hands with
him.

'No problem,' he said. 'I live . . . close
by. Ah, here's your luggage.'

The driver stood quietly with her one
suitcase, a small black one on rollers with a handle. 'Have a nice
stay, Miss Sheridan,' he said. 'I'll be here to pick you up on
Friday at nine.'

'Thank you,' Allegra said.

He tipped his hat in deference, and went back
around the car and got in.

'Here,' Paul said, 'let me have your
suitcase. I'll take it up and let you in.'

'Oh, you don't have to do that,' Allegra
replied. 'It doesn't weigh much. I didn't bring a lot, since I'm
only going to be here a couple of days.'