Lucky Charm (29 page)

“I am glad you feel the same way.” Etienne looked at her intently. Suddenly, his face was overshadowed by a frown and he looked away, as though struggling with what he had to say next. “I know what it’s like to be betrayed by someone close to you,” he added.

Annabel remained quiet, unsure of what to say next
. P
art of her was anxious to find out more about Etienne, while the other part of her was worried that he might think her nosy.

“I found my fiancé
e
cheating on me with a work associate of mine five months ago,” Etienne added, his voice filled with constraint.

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Annabel ventured, suddenly feeling selfish
. H
ere she was, going on about Jeremy, as though she were the only one to have
had
her heart br
oken
. N
ow her babbling
had
aw
a
ke
ned
Etienne’s painful memory. They had been having such a magical afternoon, and she ruined it all by blabbering nonstop. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up – I didn’t mean to…”

Etienne motioned his hand
,
and Annabel fell quiet
.

“Don’t be
. Y
our honesty is refreshing and sobering, like a drink of spring water. All these months
,
I’ve been wallowing in self pity, masquerading it as righteous indignation, as if I were the only one to ever get cheated on. And now, hearing your story makes me feel like I’m not alone. Does that make sense or do I just sound crazy?” Etienne halted, looking away.

“Yes,” Annabel murmured. “I understand what you mean. I didn’t want to tell you about Jeremy
. I
t just sort of slipped out, but now that I did, I’m glad
,
because telling you about that part of my life made me realize that I’m finally over the hurt and ready to start anew
.
”
S
he halted, overwhelmed by her own realization.

“As am I,” Etienne murmured into her ear. Suddenly, his face was close to hers and his lips were pressing against her mouth.

Later, a
s Etienne parked his Porsche by the townhouse on
Quai Voltaire, Annabel felt
the
onset of sadness
. S
he and Etienne had shared a wonderful day, but now it had come to an end, and she had no idea if she would get to see him again.

“I had a great time tonight,” said Etienne as he walked her to the house.

“Me too.” A powerful, warmth washed over her
. S
he could not even begin to put into words just how much she had enjoyed their day together.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Etienne looked at her intently.

“I was going to do some sightseeing, but I don’t have anything planned in particular.”

“I have to work in the afternoon, but would you like to have dinner?”

“I’d love to,” she answered simply.

“Wonderful
. S
o I’ll pick you up at seven?”

“Sounds perfect. See you then.”

Etienne was about to lean in for a kiss when Annabel heard a noise coming from the basement window. She turned around and saw Madam Roux jangling the window frame
. I
t might have looked like the concierge was cleaning the windows, but Annabel was fairly certain that it was nothing but a pretext.

“We’ve got an audience,” she whispered to
Etienne. “It’s the housekeeper,
and I’m afraid her views are a bit obsolete,” Annabel added apologetically.

“Well, I wouldn’t want
to get you in trouble with your
chaperone.” Etienne took Annabel’s hand and pressed it to his lips. “Until tomorrow.”

As Annabel stood on the house stoop and watched Etienne’s car pull away, she was overcome with disbelief in her sudden change of fortune
. J
ust two days ago she had been roaming the streets of
Paris
alone, and now, she had Etienne to look forward to
. I
t was enough to make one believe in love charms.

“Good, you’re still here!” Lilly poked her head through Annabel’s door. “I was worried I might miss you.”

“I’m just finishing up getting ready
.
Etienne is not picking me u
p until six.” Annabel checked
her watch
. I
t was five-
thirty. “I thought you were staying at Simon’s tonight.”

“I was, but I wanted to see you before your big date.” Lilly grinned. “Did Etienne say whe
re he is taking you to dinner?”

“What does it matter? It’ll be great no matter where we go.” Annabel was applying the finishing touches to her
makeup
. S
he had already blow-
dried her hair, and now she only had to select the outfit for tonight.

“Well, if you don’t know where you’ll be going, how will you know what to wear? Some of these fancy French restaurants can be really formal
.
I’m talking evening gowns and all.”

“I thought I’d wear my lilac dress again.”

“You wore it when you went to the
d’Orsay with him
. Y
ou can’t wear the same outfit twice in a row – not during the first few dates, at least!”

“Well, I wasn’t aware of that rule
.
I’m afraid I’m fresh out of outfits.”

“Which is why I brought you this.” Lilly triumphantly held out a dress bag.

“What is it?”

“What do you think? It’s a dress!” Lilly unzipped the dress sleeve and held out a stunning creation of green silk.

“Lilly, it’s beautiful!” Annabel jumped off her chair to get a closer look. “I love the contrast between the tulip skirt and the simple bodice.” Suddenly, Annabel halted. “Is this one of yours?”

Lilly nodded proudly. “It’s a bit more subdued
than
what I usually do. Do you like it?”

“I love it! But I don’t remember you including it in the collection.”

“It was something I was working on last minute – an experiment really, so I packed it on a whim. I want you to wear it tonight
. I
t’s classy enough for any set up
,
and I guarantee that Etienne will go bonkers when he sees you in it!”

“But what if I get a stain on it or something? The contest is on Thursday
.
I wouldn’t want to risk it.”

“Wear the dress, Ann
. I
t’s my gift to you.”

“Thank you! You’re the best
.
I promise I’ll be extra careful with it.” Annabel slipped out of her bathrobe and put on the dress. She stood on her toes to see her ref
lection in the dresser mirror
. T
he dress fit her like a dream
. T
he green color brought out her eyes, and the tulip skirt elegantly showed off her legs.
“It’s beautiful!”

Lilly whistle
d
. “I am good.”

“I’m telling you
,
you’re going to win that contest hands down. Thank you for the dress.” Annabel hugged her friend. “There is just one thing missing.” Annabel walked over
to
the dresser and held up the lucky love charm Madam Aurora had given her. “Doesn’t it look perfect?” She fastened the chain on her neck
. T
he heart-shaped pendant gleamed with golden flecks, fitting perfectly with the neckline of the dress.

“I can’t believe you’re still wearing that thing.” Lilly frowned. “It’s pretty, but you don’t really believe that it’s some kind of charm, do you?”

“Well, it can’t hurt, right?” Annabel beamed. “And it did bring me luck in love after all.”

Just then her cell phone rang.

“It’s Etienne
. H
e’s waiting for me downstairs.”

“Have a great time
,
and call me in the morning with the details!” Lilly winked.

After Annabel made her way down, she spotted Etienne’s Porsche parked next to the curb.

“Hello.” Etienne’s eyes danced with sparks. “I didn’t want to risk coming upstairs with your chaperone and all.” 

“Hi.” She took a step closer toward him, aware of how glad
she was
to see him.

“It’s wonderful to see you again,” he murmured, taking her hand. Then his lips found her mouth and she felt her knees go weak.

“Well, I guess we’d better get going before we get
caught
.” Etienne smiled after he finally pulled away from her.

“It’s the housekeeper’s day off,” Annabel murmured, thinking that she would not object at all to scrapping the dinner plans in favor of Etienne having his way with her upstairs.

“We don’t want to be late for our reservation.” Etienne opened the car door for her, and Annabel blushed, fearing that he might have read her thoughts
. T
hank goodness that mind reading only existed in science fiction.

“Where are we going?” Annabel asked.

“You’ll see
. I
t’s a surprise.”

Thirty minutes later they were still on the road.

“Could you at least give me a hint?” Annabel asked when she saw Etienne take the highway exit out of
Paris
.

“Let’s just say it will be a combination of history and dining.” He smiled. “It should be another twenty minutes or so.”

Finally, after driving through massive iron gates, Etienne put the car to a stop.

“Wow, this place is amazing!” Annabel exclaimed as she got out of the car.

“Just wait till you see what it’s like inside.” Etienne closed the car door behind her. “I thought you might enjoy a brief chateau tour before dinner. I remember you said you wanted to see the royal chateau
. T
his is
,
of course
,
by no means the
Fontainebleau
, but I think that you will still find it interesting.”

“Do you think we could still get in?” Annabel looked at her watch
. I
t was quarter to seven, and she remembered that most
museums closed at five or five-
thirty at the latest.

“Let’s just say that I’ve arranged for a private tour.” The mischievous spark in Etienne’s eyes made it impossible to resist his offer, and without a moment’s hesitation, Annabel followed him inside.

It was so quiet inside the chateau that Annabel could hear the panels of the wooden floor squeaking under her feet – the kind of noise that made you think of ghosts. The place was dimly lit with electric lights that were put into the candelabras instead of candles, and Annabel clasped Etienne’s hand tightly for fear of stumbling.

“Are we all alone in here?” she whispered.

“Don’t worry
.
I assure you that it’s perfectly safe.” Etienne put his arm around her. “I know the way well
. W
e will not get lost.”

Within a matter of seconds
,
Annabel’s apprehension evaporated as she became absorbed by the magnificence of the place: regal paintings in gilded frames, ornate fireplaces
,
and antique furniture. It was like walking through time, but unlike most museums, this place felt alive, as though there were still people living there.

“Do you know that there is a legend about this place?”

“No
.
I have no idea. I don’t think I ever even saw the chateau mentioned in any of the guidebooks.”

“That is because it is still privately owned and is not open to public tours.” Etienne halted.

“Tell me about the legend,” Annabel urged him.

“Well, the legend goes as follows: the nobleman who originally built this castle was very rich
. H
e was in love with one of the queen’s ladies in waiting
. T
he girl was of a noble family, but she was an orphan and the queen had granted her protection, which really meant that the queen completely controlled her fate. The nobleman wanted to marry the girl, but the queen herself had an eye for the nobleman, and when he refused to be the queen’s lover, she married the girl off to an old count. The count was so old that he could barely walk, let alone consummate his marriage, but despite being incredibly decrepit, he continued clinging to life. It was then that the nobleman ordered a five-mile underground passage to be dug under the chateau so that he could see his love in secret, and that was how they met for ten years, until the old bugger died.”