‘Perfect, thank you.’
The waiter gives me a little smile of approval before pouring an inch of wine into each glass. Then he turns on his heel and sashays away as if he’s walking on air. I could sit and watch him all night; walking like that is an art form.
‘Ahem,’ Elliot clears his throat, drawing my gaze back in his direction.
‘That’s an expensive bottle of wine. You must let me pay for this meal, Elliot. It was your contact who managed to get our foot in the door and without that connection this would probably have been a project that never went anywhere,’ I admit.
‘Next time – the start of our second project, eh? It’s all about timing, Lexie. Your idea came at precisely the right moment. The popularity of the lavish drama Versailles by Canal Plus just showed there is a fascination with all things related to the palace that never wanes. The Palace of Versailles and its history is iconic, but people are also curious about what goes on there today. Honestly, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. So, here’s to us and to a very fruitful journey ahead.’
We touch our raised glasses and he smiles at me over the top of them.
‘And Mia will forgive me for whisking you away for the entire spring?’ I ask tentatively.
He nods, taking a moment to turn his head and cough. ‘She knew I had to spend some serious time in Paris anyway, so it’s not a problem. She said she was glad to see the back of me and my germs.’ We both laugh.
‘How easy will it be to coordinate everyone’s calendars and work around the availability of the interviewees?’
Elliot pulls out a small file from his leather satchel, placing it on the table.
‘Let’s order first, as the waiter is hovering, and we can discuss the draft schedule in between courses. Le Paradis is famous for its classic côte de boeuf, which they serve on a thick wooden slab. It’s hearty, but goodness me it’s good – trust me.’
Elliot is so well travelled in his line of work and at times I feel rather parochial in his company. Being a TV presenter, all I usually see is the inside of a studio and while to some it may appear to be a glamorous lifestyle, it really isn’t. Sure, I get to attend the odd award ceremony but even those are few and far between. By comparison, he’s used to restaurants as smart as this and seeing sights around the world I can only dream about. Maybe if our joint project is a success, then who knows what the future might bring? As Grandma Viv said, the only limit on how far a person can take their dream is the limit they set themselves.
After another long and busy day, I now have the task of pulling together the draft schedule, based on my conversation with Elliot last night. We need to have the first official version thrashed out ready to email across in advance of our meeting at the palace tomorrow. The sound of tinkling chimes sends me scurrying for my phone where I see it’s Shellie calling, and a welcome face comes into view.
‘Hi, Maisie. How are you, my darling girl?’
‘Good, thank you, Auntie Lexie. Missing you. I wanted to see where you are staying. Mummy said I could.’
‘Let me walk you around the cottage. Hang on, I’ll take you over to the window to show you the little courtyard at the front.’
I stride across and turn my phone to slowly pan from left to right.
‘Oh, Auntie Lexie, it’s so pretty! I wish I was there with you.’ Her voice drops in pitch, rather glumly.
When I turn the screen back around, she’s looking decidedly grumpy.
‘I’ll send you photos, I promise, so you won’t miss a thing. Here, let me show you the living room behind me. I’ve turned the table into my desk though, so it’s a bit messy – lots of paperwork. How was school today?’
‘Good. We had strawberry shortcake for pudding,’ she enthuses, her eyes shining again, and I start laughing.
‘Well, lucky you!’
Shellie appears in the background, leaning in to see what’s on the screen.
‘Tea is ready, Maisie. I need to have a quick word with Auntie Lexie, so say goodbye.’
Maisie pulls a face but blows me a kiss before handing over the phone.
‘Remember to send me some pictures,’ she trills musically as she walks away.
‘Hey, sis. Sorry I haven’t had time to call to let you know I arrived safely. What with settling in and then trying to finalise this schedule—’
‘Hmm… more like out of sight, out of mind. But I know you, your head will be full of the task ahead, so I didn’t expect anything different. Neither did Mum.’
Oh, dear. Mega fail.
‘I’ll text her in a bit, I promise. She knows what I’m like. Nothing has happened… yet. When I have any news, I’ll call her for a chat but we’re still sorting the admin stuff. I’m due to meet our interpreter in about an hour’s time and after a day hardly moving from my temporary desk, I need the distraction.’
She grimaces at me.
‘Sounds lonely to me. I couldn’t do that – head off to a place I’ve never visited before and set up a temporary home. Funny how, being the middle child, I’m sandwiched between two annoyingly successful over-achievers.’
I groan. ‘Well, that remains to be seen for me. And anyway, you have one gorgeous little girl and another baby on the way. If I think my situation is scary, it pales in comparison to yours. All those sleepless nights all over again, and a husband who, let’s face it, might be gorgeous and hard-working but needs a lot of organising. Behind every successful man and all that.’
‘Remember when we were kids and I’d want to play tea parties all the time? You never wanted to sit down at our little pink plastic table and drink imaginary cups of tea. No, not you. You’d want to make something, and I’d have to sit there while you gave me a running commentary and then insisted I copy you. It always ended in a big squabble because you were so bossy, and I’d lose interest.’
She raises her eyebrows at me.
‘I know. Is it any wonder my first job was presenting a kids’ arts and crafts programme?’
‘Nope. So, who is this guy you’re meeting?’
‘His name is Ronan O’Byrne.’
‘Oh. I assumed he would be French. That’s a shame.’ She pulls a face. ‘I’d conjured up a picture of some handsome, softly spoken man with deeply sensitive eyes whose smooth accent would sweep you off your feet.’
She giggles as I roll my eyes.
‘He’s an experienced interpreter and comes highly recommended. He’s well known at the palace and has been involved in several documentaries over the years, apparently.’
‘He lives in France permanently, then?’
‘I assume so. To be honest I don’t really know very much about him. Why do you care?’
I can see from the glint in her eye what she’s getting at.
‘Well, Elliot is taken, so I was just wondering—’
‘Don’t. Just don’t. And with that I’d better go. Take care of everyone and don’t go overdoing it. That morning sickness can’t be fun.’
She screws up her face. ‘I’m counting down the days, believe me. And, Lexie, don’t forget to have some fun, will you?’
‘Now who’s being bossy?’ I smile to myself as the call disconnects.