“No, it appears to be shell companies.” Her father drained the last of his gin and tonic. He usually had one and then switched to wine with dinner. Not tonight, though. Tonight he was on his third cocktail. “We’ll need to close the deal sooner than expected.”
“That will require the liquidation of additional assets. I can discuss it with my attorneys when I’m in New York on the eighth.”
The eighth? They had plans for the eighth. At least she thought they did. Allie was about to ask him when she saw a deep crease form on her father’s brow.
“I’m not sure a trip is wise right now, Julian.” Richard tugged on the knot of his tie. “This is a critical time.”
“Unavoidable,” Julian said with a slight shake of his head. “Laurent family business.” He lifted his glass, swirling the wine before taking a sip. “Everything is fine, Richard, no reason to panic.”
There was a lull in the conversation and Allie took the opportunity to question her fiancé. “You’re going to New York?”
“It’s only for one night, ma chérie.” Julian covered Allie’s hand with his.
“I thought we were going to the symphony on the ninth. Tchaikovsky’s fourth, remember?”
“It slipped my mind. Forgive me?” He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
Victoria touched Julian’s forearm. “Of course she forgives you, Julian.” She beamed at him before turning her attention to Allie. “Better get used to it now, Alessandra. Once Julian takes over the business he’ll be traveling and working late hours all the time. Don’t you remember how it was when you were young? I think your father spent more nights at that office than in his own bed.”
“It’s not like your father gave me much choice, Victoria. That man was as single-minded as he was ruthless when it came to his company.”
“And look where it got him, Richard. Where it got you, for that matter.” Allie noted an edge to her mother’s voice, but it softened as she spoke to Julian. “I just wish Alessandra’s grandfather were alive to see the two of you marry. He’d be so proud knowing his company was being passed down to royalty.”
Allie corrected her even though she knew it would fall on deaf ears. “He’s not royalty, Mother.” Far from it, in fact. While Julian’s title was still passed down through his family, it was an honor in name only. The French no longer recognized any class of nobility.
“Close enough. He’s practically a prince.” Victoria laughed. “Although I dare say, your ring puts Kate Middleton’s to shame. Let me see it again, Alessandra.”
Allie extended her left hand, allowing her mother the opportunity to admire her engagement ring. Normally she was happy to show off Julian’s family heirloom, but when Jenny returned to serve the desserts, Allie suddenly felt self-conscious. She tried to pull her hand away but her mother’s grip tightened.
“This was your mother’s ring, Julian?” Victoria asked as Jenny set a chilled dish of lemon sorbet in front of her.
“Oui.” Julian smiled, clearly enjoying the attention. “The diamond has been passed down for many generations, given to the first Marquis Laurent by Louis XIV.”
Victoria’s eyes widened. “Louis XIV? Now there’s a man who knew how to live.”
Allie gaped at her mother. Clearly she’d forgotten the fate of the French monarchy.
“I toured Versailles the last time I was in France.” Victoria sighed and placed her hand over her chest. “The sheer opulence of it! Did you know I used the Hall of Mirrors as my inspiration when decorating our dining room?”
“Ah, yes,” Julian purred. “But everything about Mayflower Place is exquisite in its own right. Just like the women of the house.”
If there was one thing Allie’s mother enjoyed discussing even more than Julian’s lineage, it was the ongoing renovations at their Lake Forest home. With over thirty rooms to choose from, Victoria was never at a loss for a project. And she was always happy to describe them. At length.
Allie took advantage of her mother’s temporary distraction, withdrawing her hand and placing it discreetly in her lap. She smiled up at Jenny as her former classmate set a chocolate sacher torte on the table in front of her. “Thank you.”
Jenny smiled back and then quickly moved around the table, setting plates in front of Richard and Julian before dashing back to the kitchen.
“When the Schweppes owned the estate they played host to Wallis Simpson and the Duke of Windsor,” Victoria boasted. “Were they ever guests of the Laurents?”
Allie knew where this was headed. Whenever the conversation turned to Julian’s homeland, Victoria eventually got around to mentioning her desire to return to France. She’d invited herself to Julian’s family estate more times than Allie could count and she had no desire to watch her add one more to the list.
“I have some news,” Allie said. Her announcement had seemed like the perfect diversion, but as she glanced around the table at three sets of inquiring eyes, she wasn’t so sure. She took a deep breath. “I received a call from the Harris Group on Monday.”
“Is that so?” Victoria asked. Her voice gave no indication of her reaction.
“Seems one of their partners was at the gala the other night.” Allie sat up a little taller. “He was so impressed he offered me a job overseeing their nonprofit events.”
Her father paused with a forkful of apple pie in midair. “You have a job, Alessandra, at Better Start.”
“Of course. And I told Mr. Harris there was no way I could—”
“And once you’re married you’ll join your mother and the other ladies on the board, not hire yourself out to other charities.”
Join the ladies on the board? Where was this coming from? Her father had always been so supportive of her interest in the business side of Ingram Media, encouraged it even. It had actually been his idea for her to spend those two years getting to know the inner workings of each subsidiary. Granted she had no desire to join him in the boardroom, but after the wedding she’d planned to take on a larger role within the overall foundation, not become a figurehead.
“And speaking of the wedding,” Victoria began. Allie felt herself deflate as her mother marched on with her own agenda. “We have some wonderful news.” She paused, beaming at her husband, “Richard, do you want to tell them?”
Her father placed his silverware on his plate, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and leaned back in his chair. “I was able to pull a few strings—”
Victoria jumped in, unable to contain her excitement. “He was able to book the Drake!”
“The Drake Hotel?” Allie could hardly believe it. “When I called they said they were booked for the next eighteen months. They weren’t even adding names to the waiting list.”
Richard cut his eyes at his wife. “There was a cancelation. Rather last minute.” His tone made Allie uneasy.
“How last minute?” she asked.
“The wedding will be December sixth,” he announced.
“What?” Allie couldn’t hide her shock. Her eyes darted from her father to Julian. Somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that her fiancé didn’t seem all that surprised by the new wedding date. “That’s just over two months away,” she sputtered before blurting out the first thing that came to mind. “People will think I’m pregnant.”
Victoria’s eyes flicked down to the chocolate decadence waiting on Allie’s plate. “All the more reason to skip dessert, I’d say.”
Allie blanched but tried her best to ignore her mother’s comment. She had bigger issues. Still reeling from the news of her impending wedding date, she turned to Julian. “Are you okay with this?”
He reached for her hand once again, this time brushing his fingers across her wrist. “I’d marry you tonight, Alessandra.” She hadn’t even realized she had a death grip on the fork until she glanced down at Julian’s fingers stroking over hers. When her eyes met his he gave her a comforting smile, but she could have sworn she saw one finger nudge her dessert plate farther away.