several times that week. When she told Sam about the weekend, he sounded suspicious. “Why is he rushing you? Is there something behind it?”
“Don’t be so paranoid. My boss went to school with his cousin and has known him for years. She says he’s a lonely guy. His parents sent him to boarding school when he was seven, which people do here. I think he’s starving for love. In any case, I’m being sensible.”
“Good. Get to know him. Wait,” he said in his big brother voice.
“I am.”
They stayed in town the following weekend, and did several of the things she had wanted to do since she arrived. They went to the Victoria and Albert Museum, saw the queen’s jewels at the Tower of London, which was touristy but fun, and they wandered in Hyde Park. On Sunday, they had tea at Claridge’s.
Afterward, he took her to his apartment, so she could see it. She was somewhat shocked when she did. It was in a good location, in a fashionable neighborhood, but the apartment itself was small and dark, with paint peeling off the walls. There was nothing personal about it. It looked more like a hotel room than a home, and she was sad for him when she saw it. It showed her how empty his life was. He had an active social life and many friends, but there were no photographs of his family, mementos, or family heirlooms. It supported Leslie’s theory that he was a lonely man. Then they went back to her cozy little house that looked more lived in after a few weeks than his did after five years. It struck Coco too that there was nothing on the walls at his place. There was no décor, and he had bought everything at Ikea. It looked more like a student apartment than the home of a thirty-three-year-old man. He said he never entertained there, only at his club, and she could see why.
Once back at her house, he built a fire, and they sat peacefully together, kissing and talking. He said they had been invited to another house party the following weekend, by guests who had been at the castle with them. This one would be more human scale and less grand, but sounded like fun too. It would be more of a mixed crowd with some younger single people there, closer to his age. It sounded like fun to her and she agreed. She was thoroughly enjoying her budding relationship with him, and her introduction into his world.
* * *
—
The second house party was different, but just as much fun. There was a prosperous-looking older man there in his sixties, who had a girlfriend Coco’s age. He was British and she was Russian and was an interesting girl. She had been the mistress of a well-known Russian businessman, and had a four-year-old daughter by him. The rest of the guests were a good mix of people. Coco loved the life she was sharing with Nigel, and the people he was exposing her to. She was enjoying her job, and liked working for Leslie. She was getting an inside look at the magazine business, although she wasn’t doing anything important herself, but she liked the atmosphere and the people. Most of all, she was enjoying Nigel. When they came home from the second weekend, they sat kissing for a long time, and it was harder and harder to remain sensible. He looked at her seriously for a minute.
“Would you go away with me next weekend, Coco?”
“I think we just did.” She smiled at him.
“Not to a house party. Just with me, the two of us. I’d love to take you to Paris. It’s my favorite city in the world.”
“That sounds like a plot to seduce me,” she said, laughing.
“It is,” he admitted freely. “I don’t want to just fall into bed with you some night, although I would be thrilled if you did. Or get lucky at a house party, because we’d had too much to drink. I want to take you away and make love to you, to get us off on the right foot. Would you do that?” he asked, his eyes pleading with her.
She kissed him and nodded and then whispered, “Yes, I would.” There was something so touching about his request, this time she couldn’t resist him. And they’d known each other for a month and spent a lot of time together.