Chapter 6

Andrew escorted the three ladies into the hotel and they were able to be seated in the lounge without delay. The interrogation started immediately.

“Well? How was it?”

Andrew smiled at Suzanne’s enthusiasm. But Heloise got there first.

“It was very pleasant, a major event but pleasant. Most of the events that I attend are less.”

She stopped.

“I was going to say formal but often I attend formal events. Serious? There were more important people there than I am used to seeing. Lots of embassy officials, lots of politicians, lots of businessmen. It was interesting. But of course Andrew knew the most important guests.”

On cue two pairs of eyes swiveled in his direction.

“The most important guests?”

Heloise was having too much fun to give up her role as narrator.

“A Princess and her husband and a Duchess.”

Ara and Suzanne had turned back to Heloise but immediately turned to him. They were going to get neck strain.

“Princess Alexandra and her husband Angus Ogilvy were there as well as the Duchess of Roxburghe.”

“The Duchess was there?”

He nodded at Suzanne’s question.

“Did you talk to her?”

“Yes. I had two conversations with her. It was like that day in Edinburgh when we had dinner. She was lovely and charming and we just chatted.”

“She called Andrew ‘an old friend’.”

Thank you, Heloise! Rather than the story come out in dribs and drabs he recounted talking to Christina Maude and then the two conversations with the Duchess and with Angus Ogilvy. Ara had sat quietly, although looking startled at points, as Andrew told his tale.

“You really are a friend of a Duchess.”

It wasn’t a question per se but it did invite a response.

“It feels impertinent to think so, but it appears that I am. This was the fifth time that I have met her and she seemed pleased to see me, came across and chatted away with Heloise. She even told the wedding speech story.”

Andrew’s ubiquitous shrug punctuated his thoughts.

“Oh my, how could we forget. Your parents were there.”

Heloise seemed upset that they had not mentioned this before now.

“Mum and Dad were there?”

Andrew nodded.

“Yes they were. In fact both Heloise and the Duchess pointed her out to me, asking why she was glaring at me so fiercely.”

A dozen different emotions flitted across Ara’s face. A giggle was not what he expected.

“Oh I wish I had been there to see it. That would have been too funny. The Duchess really pointed her out to you?”

“She even knew that she was Baroness Ashland. Your mother might have been trying but she was not being discreet in her disdain.”

They moved on from the glares of Baroness Ashland and Heloise, with occasional comments from Andrew, told them about the rest of the afternoon.

“Are the two of you coming to France, to Paris?”

“Yes we are. We will do a little shopping while Andrew enjoys his work.”

Ara held her look for the perfect amount of time and just as Heloise started to look uncomfortable she burst into a fit of giggles.

“Merde. That was unfair.”

Ara and Suzanne were chortling away. But Heloise had a follow up.

“That tease was unkind but are you going to be okay? Have you seen the commercials?”

The pair of them settled down.

“Yes we will be fine. We have seen all the commercials, so we understand what Andrew will be doing. But there are three things that are key. Firstly we both trust Andrew. We are not coming there because we don’t trust him, we are using it as a launching point for our own holiday afterwards. Andrew has talked about Mathilde and her husband and it was a real example of living this life. Andrew and Mathilde have this sultry, almost hedonistic way that they behave. But they both go home at the end of the day to her husband and to us, respectively. And that is the final thing. Every single person that Andrew has worked with is beautiful but he loves us and comes home to us. So yes, we are fine.”

Suzanne had summed it up pretty well. They were all caught by surprise at the tears leaking from Heloise’s eyes.

“Are you okay? Did I upset you? I am sorry Heloise.”

Heloise dabbed her eyes and waved away Suzanne’s concerns.

“Do not be sorry. I was surprised as you that I started crying. It was the way you described your life, your trust, it just made me sad. It is what we all want, the excitement, but the love and stability as well. Andrew is.”

She stopped and looked at him.

“Andrew is this perfect man. But you know that. Bah, enough of my silliness. I am shooting with Andrew on Saturday, he is working at the weekend because I am booked both this week and next week, it was the only time I was free. But on Sunday maybe we could meet and I could show you some of my favourite little stores?”

Polite British ‘are you sure?’ followed for a minute but it was arranged. Heloise would come to the Monsart late morning and the three of them would spend the afternoon together. With much kissing of cheeks they parted, knowing it was only for three or four days. The three of them strolled back to the house.

“We really are trying to have it all, aren’t we?”

Suzanne’s question hung in the air as they walked. Ara nodded.

“We just saw the impact of it there this evening. Heloise wants a man who is not threatened by her, who will understand that her job includes being naked with other men, often in intimate situations. But it is not that. It is the trust. I don’t think any of the three of us realise how important Mathilde’s husband is to all this. I am looking forward to spending five days in Paris with you Suze while Andrew works. And I literally don’t care who he is working with, how old she is, what she looks like, anything. Hell, we have told him to continue modelling. I trust him, we trust him. Everything else is. Oh I don’t know, just irrelevant? So that is what the tears were for. Finding someone who trusts her.”

“Heloise has this glamourous life, renown, fame, I presume she is quite wealthy, but she seems lonely. We have a quiet, geeky life, no fame, although sugar daddy over here has some money but I have this wonderful sense of completeness. Like I said, we have it all.”

Ara looked at Andrew.

“You are quiet, nothing to add?”

“The two of you are spot on. Heloise is lonely and untrusting of men. Most times when we work she stays with me for a night or two, just so that she could be held in bed. It was way more intimate than sexual.”

The two of them squeezed his hands.

“The ultimate safe guy.”

He shrugged. It was true.

“How was the Reception? Did you enjoy it?”

“Not at all. It is not my scene, not the sort of thing that I enjoy at all. In fact I was told off at one point for not hiding my unease. Told off is strong, it was commented upon.”

Andrew’s explanation got them back to the house and they were sitting at the dining room table drinking tea.

“So the wife of a junior minister, and that you continue to meet members of the Government is amazing but putting that aside. This political wife all but told you off for looking bored. Is that right?”

The way Ara was talking Andrew wondered if she was going to find Christina Maude and tell her off.

“Andrew, you have to stop this. You have to try harder.”

Oh good, it was going to be him that got the telling off. Her tone softened.

“We know that this is not something that you think is important. Freya mentioned that there was a Fellow’s dinner for the graduating class last Wednesday evening and that your absence was noticeable.”

Bloody Navya.

“I have been dragged to enough events by my mother over the years that I am okay at things like that. What have I heard you describe it as? Meaningful small talk. I know that it is not you, and that you don’t think it is important, but it is. Think about today. You had two conversations with a Duchess who Heloise said called you an old friend. You spoke to Ogilvy for a little while. I presume you avoided talking to his wife.”

Andrew nodded.

“Oh and you were talking to the wife of a member of the Government. Are you listening to that list? I am sorry my love, but you are going to have to accept that you will be at more of these types of events and that you are going to have to make more of an effort.”

Despite the temptation to resort to pouting he sighed and nodded.

“I thought that I would have to fight you more on this.”

Suzanne nodded at Ara’s words.

“We all know that I would prefer to avoid such entanglements but you are right. Unfortunately. Now there may not be any more embassy balls but everything you said is true. And deep down I knew that I was not trying. Oddly for me I was being lazy.”

“We know it is not really you Andrew. Hell, it is not me either. But we do have someone who can help us.”

They both looked at Ara and smiled.

“That is the thing though Suzanne. Maybe big events like that are not your thing but you are incredibly good with people. I saw it when we were out furniture shopping. You have an openness, that is not the right word. I was going to say flirtiness but that is not it either. You appear very approachable. And maybe most people do, but it is not me. I think I go through life with a sign on my back saying ‘fuck off and don’t talk to me’. When we are shopping it is definitely there. And the two of you are incredibly effective together. You are open and approachable and then the haggler of the Turkish Bazaar takes over. I remember the guy at that place in the Chilterns looking happy and sad at the same time.”

Andrew shook his head.

“I hear what you are saying Ara. I have listened to you, and Jim and Freya, for years. I need to make more of an effort.”

The rest of the night was spent packing in preparation for 10 days in France. The following morning before they set off Andrew made sure everything was ready for Sandhurst. They were returning on the Friday night but he didn’t want to be running around the following weekend worrying about getting something he had forgotten. Finally they were all set and headed off to France.

What do Andrew remember about the journey? The oddest things. He called Creighton from Dover docks letting him know that there were going to be some renovations to the house and Suzanne was going to be managing it while he was at Sandhurst. She was also going to be managing the renovations at the office building. But he was sure the memory was influenced by the outcome later in the summer. Suzanne mentioned it on the drive down to the ferry.

“While you are away can Ara and I do a couple of changes to the house?”

“Of course. What?”

“That is the thing, we want it to be a surprise.”

He smiled.

“Sure.”

Thus Andrew calling Creighton and letting him know that Suzanne was going to be spending some money on the house and office. As with most of his financial dealings it was done with no fuss. Andrew refrained from asking questions but did speculate on the rest of the journey how they would spend the money. He guessed the office spending would be on the studio but he was intrigued what they were going to do with the house. The journey was plagued by roadworks and they were hot, tired and grumpy when they finally got to Paris. They didn’t so much fall asleep as pass out.

But the new day had banished the memories of the journey. When Andrew returned from his run both Suzanne and Ara were awake. When he finished his shower and came back into the bedroom the two of them had thrown the bedding back and were lying there making out, naked and gorgeous. Andrew stood transfixed, he had to close his eyes, it was just too much. He could hardly get his trousers to fasten. When he was ready to go he came over to the bed. Ara stopped kissing Suzanne and looked at him with innocent eyes.

“You have both been scandalously naughty. There will be consequences.”

Both of their eyes went wide for a second before wide smiles broke out.

“I am so in love with the pair of you.”

With quick kisses to them both Andrew headed to the door but was grabbed before he could open it and engulfed in passionate kisses from them both. They didn’t say anything, they didn’t need to. He was the luckiest man in the world. He floated over to Hermès’ office and Manon met him at the staff entrance.

“I heard everything went really well at the Reception. The Chairman was on the phone yesterday after the opening.”

Manon really wasn’t much into small talk. Andrew nodded, not sure what to say.

“Did you enjoy it?”

His honest answer of course was to say no, or shrug his shoulders. But Andrew remembered Ara’s admonition and so he talked about it more enthusiastically than he really felt. This was another role that he was going to have to practice. It felt fake but it stopped Manon wondering why he was such a miserable misanthrope. Andrew was saved from further exaggerations by the arrival of Beatrice. He wasn’t expecting to be hugged and kissed.

“Are you my newest model? Should we not save it for the studio?”

He was whacked from all directions and called an ‘idiot boy’. He just smiled and hugged her back.

“I was teasing. But what is really making you mad is that you are thinking about it.”

Beatrice’s blush gave her away.

“You are terrible. Three minutes ago I liked you. Now.”

They all laughed and settled down.

“Thank you for agreeing to continue modelling. The contract is all sorted with Marilyn. Our thoughts are for four models each weekend. Almost certainly Heloise and Mathilde and then two others. Maybe some of the other models that you have worked with but other than Heloise they will all be older. The jazz bar scenes went really well, so both Nina and Capucine will be used again. We have contacted all the ladies who you tied the scarves for, the shoppers who made up the audience. We asked each of them if they would allow us to use the footage. Over the two days I think there were more than 70 of them in total. Surprisingly 10 immediately responded saying yes, including the woman where you kissed her neck. So we are trying to figure out how on earth to make that into a coherent advert. One of the things is that we advertise at the cinema much more now. We don’t create two minute commercials like we did with Chiara but we have 10 or 12 one minute commercials. It allows the scene to play out better, it is less rushed. So this week is more of the same.”