out of her sight, but he insisted, and took a glass of champagne out to Natalie.
“There’s a thing I have to do,” he said. “Mrs. Curtin just cornered me. Did you want to come in or — ?”
She hesitated and said, “I think I’ll sit out here for a few minutes. I had a wonderful time, Matthias.”
And that was right, too, not to force their connection to last the whole night. An interlude, that was what this was. So he should just say good night and leave. But he couldn’t quite do that, so he leaned down and kissed her once more, for luck.
• • •
Brianna watched Mrs. Curtin do her thing in the East Gallery, and clapped heartily when Mr. G was introduced along with his Yuan dynasty plate. She wondered if anyone else knew he’d replaced it with the Maltese Falcon. Almost certainly not.
When the little ceremony was over and Brianna slipped back into the main gallery, she saw Natalie coming in from the courtyard, looking beautiful and glowing and … and like she had been kissing someone.
Brianna grinned. Who on earth … ? There were, like, three eligible men in this crowd, and they were all seventy. Maybe Natalie had been kissing a seventy-year-old. Or maybe one of the valets, which would explain why he’d been distracted enough to create a ding in a $200,000 car.
“Having fun?” she said.
Natalie’s eyes were shining. “It’s everything I thought it would be.”
“I’m so glad,” she said. “I’ve got maybe another hour here and then we can sneak out. You gonna be okay?”
“I’m going to be fine.”
• • •
“Thinking about replacing the Yuan dynasty plate with something else?” Donald asked.
Matthias realized he was staring at what was almost certainly Donald’s grandma’s chamber pot masquerading as a Greek urn. He shook his head. “No, I’ve already replaced the plate.”
“Yeah? I’ll have to stop by and admire.”
That made Matthias laugh. “I’m not sure you’ll admire. How about you? Is Marigold coveting the Romanov tiara?”
“Oh Christ, don’t tell me there’s jewelry. You know all I’ll hear is, ‘But it’s for a good cause’ when really she just likes things that sparkle.”
Matthias thought of Natalie in the courtyard under the fairy lights, her skin bare; no rings, no bracelets, no necklaces, just some discreet pearls in her ears. For a moment he was seized with the wild desire to adorn her, to give her something glittering, to draw people’s eyes. But their eyes were drawn to her anyway; she did not need jewelry to attract attention.
Donald seemed to read his mind because he said, “Who’s the girl?”
Matthias shrugged. “Natalie Johnson. Mrs. Curtin introduced us. Don’t know that much about her except she’s a senior in college.”
“Not doing a lot of talking?” Donald said with a knowing nudge, even though Matthias wasn’t the kind of man who went around making out with women he barely knew. Although that was exactly what he’d done, kissing Natalie in the starlight.
“We danced,” he said.
“Ah, that’s what the kids call it these days?” Donald said and Matthias laughed.
“You really are a pig.”
“Oink, oink,” Donald said. “Oh, there’s Brianna, do you think she can get the waiters to cut Marigold off? Because if she has any more champagne, she’s going to say the hell with restraint and I’ll be the proud possessor of a Romanov tiara.”
• • •
“Good time?” Brianna asked. She turned the heater up full blast because the night had gotten quite crisp, but the little Ford barely spat out a puff of warm air. Someday, when her ship came in …
Natalie had been staring out the passenger side window, her head leaning against the headrest. Now she turned to look at Brianna. “The best,” she said. “You are the best sister ever.”
“Well, we’ve known that all along,” Brianna said. “Although I think you may have had a little too much champagne.”
“Maybe. I feel a little
“There’s a thing I have to do,” he said. “Mrs. Curtin just cornered me. Did you want to come in or — ?”
She hesitated and said, “I think I’ll sit out here for a few minutes. I had a wonderful time, Matthias.”
And that was right, too, not to force their connection to last the whole night. An interlude, that was what this was. So he should just say good night and leave. But he couldn’t quite do that, so he leaned down and kissed her once more, for luck.
• • •
Brianna watched Mrs. Curtin do her thing in the East Gallery, and clapped heartily when Mr. G was introduced along with his Yuan dynasty plate. She wondered if anyone else knew he’d replaced it with the Maltese Falcon. Almost certainly not.
When the little ceremony was over and Brianna slipped back into the main gallery, she saw Natalie coming in from the courtyard, looking beautiful and glowing and … and like she had been kissing someone.
Brianna grinned. Who on earth … ? There were, like, three eligible men in this crowd, and they were all seventy. Maybe Natalie had been kissing a seventy-year-old. Or maybe one of the valets, which would explain why he’d been distracted enough to create a ding in a $200,000 car.
“Having fun?” she said.
Natalie’s eyes were shining. “It’s everything I thought it would be.”
“I’m so glad,” she said. “I’ve got maybe another hour here and then we can sneak out. You gonna be okay?”
“I’m going to be fine.”
• • •
“Thinking about replacing the Yuan dynasty plate with something else?” Donald asked.
Matthias realized he was staring at what was almost certainly Donald’s grandma’s chamber pot masquerading as a Greek urn. He shook his head. “No, I’ve already replaced the plate.”
“Yeah? I’ll have to stop by and admire.”
That made Matthias laugh. “I’m not sure you’ll admire. How about you? Is Marigold coveting the Romanov tiara?”
“Oh Christ, don’t tell me there’s jewelry. You know all I’ll hear is, ‘But it’s for a good cause’ when really she just likes things that sparkle.”
Matthias thought of Natalie in the courtyard under the fairy lights, her skin bare; no rings, no bracelets, no necklaces, just some discreet pearls in her ears. For a moment he was seized with the wild desire to adorn her, to give her something glittering, to draw people’s eyes. But their eyes were drawn to her anyway; she did not need jewelry to attract attention.
Donald seemed to read his mind because he said, “Who’s the girl?”
Matthias shrugged. “Natalie Johnson. Mrs. Curtin introduced us. Don’t know that much about her except she’s a senior in college.”
“Not doing a lot of talking?” Donald said with a knowing nudge, even though Matthias wasn’t the kind of man who went around making out with women he barely knew. Although that was exactly what he’d done, kissing Natalie in the starlight.
“We danced,” he said.
“Ah, that’s what the kids call it these days?” Donald said and Matthias laughed.
“You really are a pig.”
“Oink, oink,” Donald said. “Oh, there’s Brianna, do you think she can get the waiters to cut Marigold off? Because if she has any more champagne, she’s going to say the hell with restraint and I’ll be the proud possessor of a Romanov tiara.”
• • •
“Good time?” Brianna asked. She turned the heater up full blast because the night had gotten quite crisp, but the little Ford barely spat out a puff of warm air. Someday, when her ship came in …
Natalie had been staring out the passenger side window, her head leaning against the headrest. Now she turned to look at Brianna. “The best,” she said. “You are the best sister ever.”
“Well, we’ve known that all along,” Brianna said. “Although I think you may have had a little too much champagne.”
“Maybe. I feel a little
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