Parisian Affair

by Gould, Judith

  'Well,' she said, 'I'd better run, Mom. I have a lot to do before I leave. I just wanted to let you know I'll be gone in case something comes up. Jason will be here if there's an emergency or something.'

  'Jason!' her mother cried. 'I don't know why you don't hire a straight one, if you've got to have a man working for you. But no, my brilliant daughter has to go out and find some New York fairy to work for her. It's no wonder you're not married.'

  'Sorry, Mom,' Allegra said, barely able to restrain her anger, 'but I have to run. I'll let you know when I get back.'

  'You do that,' Clarissa said. 'And don't get into any trouble in Paris.' She laughed again. 'Like you would.'

  ' 'Bye, Mom,' Allegra said sweetly.

  'Yeah, till later,' Clarissa said.

  Allegra hung up the telephone, put her head in her hands, and sighed. She wondered why she even tried.

  She looked over at the pile of bills and decided that writing checks, which she was loath to do, would be a relief after talking to Clarissa. She retrieved her company checkbook from the cabinet and placed it on the worktable. She began riffling through bills for the rent to pay first.

  She'd just picked up the pen when the telephone rang.

  'Atelier Sheridan,' she said.

  'Ally, it's me, Jason.'

  'Where are you?' she asked. 'I've been worried about you. Are you okay?'

  'Yes,' he replied. 'I—I have to talk to you about something.'

  'I'm all ears,' she said.

  'No,' Jason replied. 'I mean in person.'

  'What is it, Jason?' she asked. 'Are you sure you're okay?'

  'I'm okay, Ally,' he assured her. 'It's ... just... that it's ... personal.'

  Alarm bells went off in Allegra's head. 'Do you want to come to the atelier?'

  'I—I. . . yes,' he finally said. 'I'll come right now. Is that okay?'

  'Of course, Jason,' she replied. 'I'll be here.'

  'See you in a few.'

  Allegra replaced the receiver, more mystified than ever.

  She poured herself a glass of water and began writing checks, stamping the bills PAID, and filing them away. After thirty minutes or so, she heard the door to the atelier open, and hurriedly finished the check she was writing. 'Just a second, Jason,' she said, not turning around to greet him.

  There was no response, and then suddenly arms came from around her back, embracing her in a powerful hug. 'Hey, babe. Good news. I have a big surprise for you.'

  Allegra felt her tension melt away. 'A surprise? What?'

  'I bought a building on West Broadway,' Todd said. 'I bought it for us.'

  Allegra's mind began to spin. What the hell was he talking about?

  'It was very expensive,' he said, as if reading her mind, 'and so I've been negotiating with them for months. I decided to keep the penthouse duplex for us and thought that together we could do a real number on it. Terrace, the works.'

  Allegra listened now with mounting fascination. Todd had talked about them living together before, but he'd never brought up anything like this. It represented a huge step for him—and for her. Keeping the best floors in the building for them? What he was proposing was actually scaring her.

  'We could have a great time doing it,' Todd went on, 'carving it up however we want. We could even have a pool on the roof along with the terrace if you'd like.'

  'Are—are you sure about this?' she asked nervously. 'You've—you've never brought this up before.'

  'I'm sure, Ally,' he said. 'And I want to hire a general manager to take some of the workload off me, so I can spend more time at home with . . . with you. I wouldn't be working fifteen to eighteen hours a day.'

  She didn't know whether to believe him or not. This was such a change in his attitude—in what she'd come to think of as his very nature—that she was flummoxed. Todd the Gypsy was ready to settle down?

  'Do you think you really want to do that?' she asked.

  He nodded vigorously. 'It would be great, Ally,' he said. 'I'm making the storefront into a beautiful space. An ideal space for . . . for you, if you want it.'

  Her head snapped up, and she looked at him with surprise. 'For me?' she said. 'You mean ... do you mean—?'

  Todd smiled. 'I mean that you could have your own shop there, Ally. A regular retail shop. You could showcase your work. There's even room for work space in the back.'

  'I don't know what to say, Todd,' she said in a soft voice, trying to control the tears that came into her eyes. 'I—I'm a little overwhelmed.'

  He went down on a knee before her and took one of her hands in his own. 'I know I've given you reason to doubt me,' he said. 'But that part of my life is over, Ally. You must believe me. I know you're headstrong and independent. You've always wanted to do this—your jewelry—all by yourself. But don't you see how this could work out for both of us? You would have your business, and I would have mine. And we'd still be together.'

  She nodded and looked into his earnest, green eyes. 'I'm sorry for thinking the worst,' she said. 'I guess I'm just not ready to accept the change in you.'

  The door to the atelier opened, and they both turned to look toward it. Jason ambled in, his backpack hanging off one shoulder. When he saw the tableau they presented, he stopped.

  'I—I'm sorry,' he said. 'I didn't realize I was intruding. I'll come back later.'

  He turned to leave, but Ally called after him. 'No, Jason,' she said. 'Don't leave. We need to talk.' She got up and went over to him and gave him a hug. 'Are you all right? I was so worried when you didn't come in or call.'

  'I'm okay,' Jason said. 'I had a doctor's appointment and completely forgot to tell you.'

  '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.'

  CHAPTER 8

  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.