Parisian Affair (22 page)

Lorrain nodded. 'I'm afraid so. In any case,
it was difficult to keep the ring under constant supervision, as
you can imagine,' he said. 'More than any other single piece of
jewelry, it was being photographed by many different photographers
for magazines and papers and our own catalogue. It even went on a
small tour with some of her other jewels to help drum up interest,
you know. So we created this one to take its place. We saved a
fortune on the insurance, and no one was the wiser.'

'I see,' Allegra said.

'The guards upstairs made the mistake of
sending the wrong ring down to the vault for you to pick up.' He
shrugged expansively. 'So you see? It was a simple mistake by one
of the guards. I'm awfully sorry, mademoiselle.'

Allegra didn't know what to think of his
explanation. She hadn't had time to think it through, but something
about it didn't sit well with her. His story made sense, but
something told her that she would have questions for him later
on.

'It's straightened out now,' she said, 'so we
might as well forget about it.' She smiled. 'But I do want to look
at this one, if you'll pardon me a minute.'

Lorrain looked surprised, then slightly
miffed. 'Of course,' he said.

Allegra opened the box, took out the ring,
then put the loupe to her eye. She brought the emerald up to the
loupe and knew immediately that she held Princess Karima's ring in
her hand. The inclusion was unmistakable. Removing the loupe, she
slipped it into its suede sheath and placed it back in her shoulder
bag, then tucked the ring into the slot in its box. She put the box
in her shoulder bag as well. 'Thank you, Monsieur Lorrain,' she
said. 'I'm satisfied now.'

'Once again, mademoiselle, I'm awfully sorry
for our mistake,' he said, 'and would love to see you return to our
auction house. I hope you'll not hold it against us here at
Dufour.'

'Oh, no,' she said, 'of course not.'
Wait
till I tell Hilton Whitehead about this
, she thought
. He's
going to have everything he's ever bought here reevaluated
.

Lorrain had gathered up her paperwork from
the pickup counter, put it in an envelope, and handed it to her. He
pocketed the duplicate emerald ring; then he offered his hand, and
Allegra took it. 'It's been a pleasure,' he said, 'and I repeat, I
hope we see you again.'

'Good-bye, monsieur,' Allegra said, smiling
widely.

Lorrain nodded, turned, and went back through
the doorway into pickup again.

Allegra turned to Ram. 'And thank you very
much for your help,' she said. 'I don't know what I would've done
without it, and hope that someday I can repay you.'

'You can repay me right now,' Ram said.

'Gladly,' Allegra said, 'but how?'

He looked at her, his most disarming smile in
place. 'By letting me take you to tea. It is close to teatime.'

'Oh, but. . .,' Allegra began.

'I won't take no for an answer,' Ram said.
'Not under any circumstances.'

'But I really am in a hurry,' she protested,
starting to walk down the hallway. 'I have to get to the bank.'

'Ah,' Ram said, nodding. 'To keep the emerald
safe.' He glanced at his watch and noted that the banks wouldn't be
open much longer.

'Yes,' Allegra said worriedly.

Ram stopped her with a hand on her arm. He
looked at her with what was clearly a feigned expression of
disappointment. 'But you wanted to repay me,' he said.

Under other circumstances his expression
would have been comical, but Allegra was too anxious to laugh. 'I'm
sorry, but I really must get to the bank,' she reiterated as she
started toward the door again.

'Then allow me to take you to the bank
myself,' Ram persisted. 'I have a car waiting outside and can get
you there very quickly.'

'Well . . . I—I don't know—' Allegra
began.

They reached the door to the street, and Ram
held it wide for her. They descended the steps to the street
together. The moment they reached the sidewalk, a midnight blue
Bentley pulled over to the curb. A chauffeur in livery got out and
hurried around the big car to open the rear door.

Allegra looked up at Ram. 'You're certain it
would be no trouble?'

'No trouble at all,' he said, 'and you
wouldn't have to worry about the ring's safety.'

Allegra couldn't get the ring to the bank
fast enough. 'Okay,' she said. 'If you're sure.'

Ram smiled and indicated the car's open
door.

Allegra got in and, despite her anxiety,
noted its warmth and comfort. The Connolly leathers on the seats
were in the same dark blue as the car's exterior lacquer, and their
scent was like an expensive perfume.

'Which bank is it?' Ram asked, leaning into
the car.

'It's
Citibank
,' she replied. 'I've
got the address here.' She began rummaging in her handbag.

'Don't bother,' Ram said. 'I know where it
is.' Allegra heard him issuing orders to the chauffeur sotto voce
in rapid-fire French, but she understood nothing other than the
word Citibank.

Ram slid onto the backseat next to her, and
the chauffeur closed the door, then returned to the driver's seat.
The big car began moving down the street.

'It will only take a few minutes,' Ram said
in a reassuring voice.

'This is awfully nice of you,' Allegra
said.

'It's my pleasure,' he said. 'Perhaps
afterward you will join me for a drink. What do you say?'

'I have a friend coming in this evening,'
Allegra replied. 'Otherwise I would love to. We're supposed to go
out to dinner and—'

'I see. The cards are stacked against me,' he
said in an amused voice. 'A young man, no doubt?'

Allegra smiled and nodded. 'Yes.'

'Coming in from New York?'

Allegra nodded and smiled again. 'Yes.'

The car came to a stop, and she looked
forward through the windshield worriedly. A red light. Looking down
at her watch, she realized that the bank would soon be closing.

Ram patted her arm. 'We'll get there in
time,' he said. The car began moving again. 'See? On our way
already. It's very close, so you needn't worry.'

Allegra appreciated his efforts to reassure
her, but she couldn't help but fret.
A sixty-five-million-dollar
ring is in my shoulder bag, and I'm not supposed to worry?
Sure
.

The car suddenly picked up speed and began
weaving in and out of traffic as it entered one of the Grands
Boulevards. Allegra clenched her hands together, twisting them
nervously, but almost as quickly as the chauffeur had accelerated,
he slowed down and pulled the car over to the curb. Before she knew
what was happening, he had opened the door, and Ram had gotten
out.

'Here we are,' he said, leaning in toward
her.

'I'm coming,' she replied, scooting across
the seat. Allegra got out of the car and looked around. 'But—' she
almost wailed.

'What is it?' Ram asked with concern. 'What's
wrong?'

'This isn't the right bank,' Allegra groaned
incredulously.

'But this is Citibank,' Ram said
smoothly.

'Yes, but this isn't
the
Citibank,'
she retorted. 'Not the one where I've made arrangements. The one
near the Madeleine.' She looked at her wristwatch. 'Oh, my God.
What am I going to do?'

'Quick,' Ram said. 'Get back in. We'll get
you there.'

Allegra did as she was told. Ram slid in
beside her, giving the chauffeur orders at the same time. After
making an illegal U-turn, he sped down the boulevard in the
opposite direction. Allegra wrung her hands anxiously and
repeatedly looked down at her wristwatch as if doing so would make
time stand still.

'I'm terribly sorry,' Ram said, 'but it's
only a short drive from here. Gerard will try to get you there on
time. I should've let you give me the address after all.'

Allegra nodded but didn't reply. What if we
don't make it? she wondered, clutching her shoulder bag tightly.
What am I going to do then? She felt her body stiffen every time
the car slowed down, and at red lights she had to control the
impulse to jump out and run, even though she didn't know the way to
the bank and knew that she couldn't beat the car there.

'I feel so awful about this,' Ram said. 'It's
such a ridiculous mistake.'

'It's not your fault,' Allegra said,
attempting a smile. 'You've done nothing but try to help me.'

'I've only done what any decent person would
do,' Ram replied.

Gerard suddenly swerved toward the curb and
braked, throwing them both forward. Ram grabbed her arm. 'Are you
okay?' he asked.

'I'm fine,' she said.

'Citibank,' Gerard said, before getting out
of the car to open their door.

'Oh, my God,' Allegra exclaimed. 'I didn't
realize—'

'Just in time, I think,' Ram said.

Allegra didn't hear him. Ignoring the
traffic, she opened the door on her side of the car and was out and
on her feet, running toward the bank. When she got to the door, she
shoved against it, but the heavy glass door wouldn't budge. The
bank was already closed.

'Oh, no,' she groaned, slumping against the
door. 'Oh, my God. What am I going to do?'

She sensed Ram behind her, then felt him take
her by the arm. 'Come with me, Allegra,' he said. 'It will be
okay.'

In the backseat of the car, Allegra sat
stunned with fear. Clutching at her shoulder bag, she felt her
pulse race and a sickening knot in her stomach. She was at a loss
as to what her next move should be. She knew that she had to
protect the ring, but she didn't have any idea of how she was going
to do that. When Ram spoke, she almost jumped, so wrapped up in her
thoughts was she.

'Wh-what?' she said.

He twisted on the seat to face her. 'You
don't have to be afraid, Allegra,' he said. 'I can keep you
safe.'

She looked at him and swallowed. She didn't
know what to believe or what to say.

'Gerard is not only my chauffeur but my
bodyguard. He's very well trained, too. Don't forget, I'm a
jeweler, and as you know I handle a lot of expensive merchandise,
so I have to have a bodyguard.'

'I understand,' she replied.

'So as difficult as it is, try to put
yourself at ease,' he went on. 'You are safe with me.'

'Thank you,' she said. She took a deep breath
and exhaled. 'I—I don't know what to do now,' she confessed.

'Listen,' Ram said. 'I'm a member of a club
in the Marais. It is one of the safest places in Paris.'

'A club?' she said.

'Only the most privileged are allowed in this
club,' Ram continued. 'We could go there. You would be safe, and we
could decide what to do.'

Allegra wanted to believe him, but she didn't
know whether she could trust him or not. Yet, she thought, he'd
done nothing but help her.

'I—I don't know,' she finally said. 'Are you
sure the ring will be safe there?'

Ram nodded. 'It's as safe as any bank,
believe me. It's a quiet, elegant club for people who belong to the
Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature.'

'It's like a hunt club?' she asked.

'Yes,' Ram replied.

'It doesn't sound like the safest place to
me,' Allegra replied doubtfully, clutching the box with the ring in
her hand.

'It is,' Ram insisted. 'It's for people like
me who ride. Actually, I don't get to participate in many of the
hunts. I'm too busy with my work. But I can assure you it's one of
the most private and safest places in Paris.'

Allegra couldn't think of what else to do.
'I—I guess we could go there,' she said.

Ram told Gerard what to do, and he pulled
away from the curb and began driving through the streets of Paris
at a reasonable speed. At an intersection, Ram grabbed her arm to
hold her as Gerard was forced to slam on the brakes. 'Sorry,' the
driver said from the front seat. 'Someone pulled out in front of
me.'

'You're okay?' Ram asked Allegra.

'Yes,' she said softly. Despite her fear for
the safety of the emerald, she once again felt that frisson of
excitement when he placed his hand on her, and she also felt
protected, as if no harm could come to her while she was with
him.

'Look,' he said, pointing out the window past
her. 'Here we are.'

Allegra turned her gaze to the window and
looked out. A grand mansion with enormous gates leading into its
cobbled courtyard greeted her eyes. 'Oh, it's magnificent,' she
said.

'It's the Hotel de Guenegaud,' he said.
'Built by Mansart in 1654 for one of the king's counselors.'

The chauffeur drew up to the gates, and an
attendant looked out from the gatehouse. When he saw the car, he
came out and opened one of the giant gates to allow them to pull
into the courtyard. They were surrounded on three sides by the
limestone mansion with its elegant floor-to- ceiling windows after
the driver stopped the car.

'See how safe it is?' Ram said.

Allegra nodded. 'It certainly looks that
way.'

They got out of the car and stood together in
the courtyard for a moment, looking around them at the magnificent
house. 'It's the only house left in Paris by Mansart,' Ram said. 'I
should say the only one left in its entirety. So much was destroyed
after the Revolution.'

'It's gorgeous,' Allegra said.

'Come, let's go in,' he said. 'We can have a
drink and if you like, I can show you around the museum. I think
you'll find it interesting.'

He turned and nodded to Gerard, then led her
through a door to the right of the courtyard and into a large
sitting room with many multipaned windows looking out onto the
courtyard. No more than ten or twelve people, all expensively but
conservatively dressed and well groomed, sat about the room in twos
or threes. The walls were paneled with intricately carved boiserie,
a grand Savonnerie rug was placed on the
parquet de
Versailles
floors, and antique chairs, tables, and chests
representing different periods furnished the room in luxury.
Paintings, primarily of animals, hung on the walls.