The Notorious Lady Grantham_A Grantham Girls companion novella by Amanda Weaver

Author:Amanda Weaver [Weaver, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Paris, 1880

After sleeping away the morning, and spending the afternoon in bed together, hunger finally drove Archie and Gen from the haven of his studio. Downstairs, he ushered her into the little café she’d seen the night before when he’d brought her home with him.

The same waiter was there, leaning against the wall outside, smoking. When he saw Archie approaching with Gen, his eyes lit up and a roguish smile spread across his face.

“Well, well, now I see what’s kept you away, Archie.”

Archie smiled awkwardly and shook his hand. “Victor, this is my friend, Gen. Gen, Victor.”

Victor took her hand and made an inelegant bow over it. “Gen, a pleasure.” He was much shorter than Archie, a small, wiry man with jet-black hair and alert, dark eyes.

“Without Victor,” Archie told her. “I might have starved to death in Paris.”

Victor gave him a sarcastic smile. “With this cheap bastard running the café, we might all starve to death. Come, have a seat. I’ll bring you some dinner.”

It was simple food, a stew of pork and vegetables, and some bread to soak it up, but Victor slipped them a pitcher of red wine without charge as he peppered them with teasing questions and innuendo. Archie gave as good as he got, and Gen laughed until her sides hurt. When they’d finished their meal, Victor urged them to stay to keep him company through the rest of his shift. Archie’s eyes found Gen’s, and the hunger she saw there had nothing to do with food. They made their excuses to Victor and hurried back upstairs, tumbling naked into Archie’s bed once again.

The next morning, Gen reluctantly tore herself away from Archie, promising him she’d be back before dark. She’d been gone from home for two nights in a row, and, although her mother might be off with her own lover, if she’d been home to notice, she would worry. Besides, there was so much to do. She had to tell Maman about Archie and leaving for Rome. She had to go by the bookshop and give her notice to Monsieur Fouchard. And she still had to speak to Leo. She couldn’t leave Paris without at least attempting to change his mind.

If she knew her mother—and she did—she was sure the cupboards in the flat would be bare. Mundane tasks like shopping for food had always seemed completely beyond her mother’s capabilities. She stopped into the boulangerie on the corner of their street to buy a baguette and a few things to eat.

“Good morning, Madame Perneau.” The bell over the door tinkled as she let herself in. The warmth and delicious aroma of the morning’s baking still hung in the air, and Gen’s stomach rumbled. She had hardly noticed her hunger when she was with Archie, but now it came rushing back in—along with all sorts of lurid memories of Archie himself and their two nights and a day together. Her body flushed, and her knees weakened to such an alarming degree that she had to grip the counter momentarily to steady herself.

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