‘I get the impression you two are very close.’
‘We love one another a lot, but that isn’t the same thing as being close. I don’t think Thirio will ever let anyone close,’ she added, then shook her head. ‘But that is not your burden. I shouldn’t have said anything.’
‘It’s okay,’ Lucinda said gently, a hint of guilt in the words, because the last thing she wanted to do was pump Thirio’s sister for information about him. ‘Anyone associated with your wedding has signed an ironclad confidentiality agreement, so whatever you say will stay between us.’
‘Oh, in that case, we should grab a couple of chairs, we could be here for hours,’ she joked. ‘I don’t mean to make it sound so bad. Thirio and I message often. I know he has my best interests at heart. But you’ve probably gathered from the way he lives that Thirio is a recluse. He closes himself off from the world, and that includes me. I come here when I can. Once or twice a year. But I know he is only tolerating my company, and I can’t quite bear that.’ Sadness made the words husky. ‘I don’t overstay my welcome.’
‘I’m very sorry to hear it,’ Lucinda replied, her own heart heavy with grief at the picture Evie was painting.
But wasn’t it the exact same picture Lucinda was at the centre of? True, Thirio had been very accommodating on this trip, but that was temporary. Lucinda felt the same as Evie, in many ways: chiefly, that she could not overstay her welcome. Having already been subjected to Thirio when he was cold and dismissive, she hated the thought of being on the receiving end of that treatment again. And invariably she would be, when he decided that the time had come to end their fling.
Which was why she had to keep it light and leave as soon as her work was completed. She would take a page from Evie’s book, and leave Thirio before she’d overstayed her welcome.
And just like that, all her old insecurities were back, curdling in her belly, so she found it hard to concentrate. But she forced herself to focus, enough to complete the tour, and to ask Evie the handful of questions she had to ensure she’d checked off her list.
‘The seating plan is mine to worry about,’ Evie said as they concluded their discussion. ‘Protocol has to be observed, so someone from Erik’s staff will oversee the guest list and work out the most diplomatic place to seat everybody.’ She tapped her pen against the edge of the table. ‘As for Thirio, there’s someone I’d like him to meet.’ She flashed Lucinda a conspiratorial grin. ‘A girlfriend of mine, from Nalvania. He hasn’t been seeing anyone for—well, a long time, but I think he might be ready. After all, he’s agreed to host the wedding here, which is a huge step forward for him.’
Lucinda smiled kindly, used to concealing her innermost thoughts, and particularly used to concealing any hint of pain she was feeling. But the truth was, Evie’s casual mention of a friend she wanted to set up with Thirio was like a knife in Lucinda’s heart. Why should it be? Thirio wasn’t her boyfriend. They’d made no promises to one another. And yet the idea of him being with another woman was anathema to Lucinda. She couldn’t even contemplate it.
‘Will you come to the wedding, Lucinda?’ Evie asked, clear eyes on Lucinda’s face, reminding her in that moment of Thirio and his very direct stare.
‘I will be coming,’ Lucinda responded with a professional smile. ‘I’ll be in the background, making sure everything runs smoothly.’
‘Surely you have staff for that? I meant for you to attend as my guest. It feels like the least I can do, after the perfection you’ve accomplished.’
‘It’s my job,’ Lucinda responded softly. ‘And believe me, I’m much more comfortable fading into the background.’
Evie frowned, but didn’t push the point. ‘Well, if you change your mind, please do come. I’d love to have you there.’
‘That’s very kind.’ Lucinda knew she’d never accept the invitation. Thirio might have made her feel as though she were on top of the world, but she was well aware that it was temporary.
When she returned to London, and the office, reality would swallow her whole again, and her stepmother and stepsisters would be reminding her of her flaws and faults as reliably as day followed night. This weekend was a fantasy. A small bubble separate from the rest of time and place, her own little nirvana on earth, but it would not last. All bubbles burst eventually.