The Liberation of Alice Love(67)
Author: Abby McDonald

Julian laughed. “I’ll have to say hi, congratulate her on all of this. Or, should that be Stefan?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, this is all his doing, isn’t it?” He nodded at the spotless white walls, neat rows of paintings and flow of admiring fans.

Alice frowned. “Not at all, Flora’s worked really hard getting things set up. She’s been planning the curating all month.”

“My mistake.” Julian held up his hands. “I guess I didn’t take her for the planning type.”

“And there’s a whole set of new work,” Alice continued, feeling strangely defensive.

“The kittens?” Julian began to smirk. “I saw those.”

Alice was just about to inform him that those kittens had taken weeks of precision and skilled study when she felt the presence of someone just behind her and a hand light against her back. She knew from the faint drift of familiar aftershave who it was.

Alice felt a thrill.

“Hey, you.” Nathan leaned closer to graze her cheek with a kiss.

Alice murmured a response. She’d wondered if he would come, and whether she’d be seized with awkwardness after her outrageous behavior in Italy. But looking at him, Alice just felt happy. “Are you all caught up on sleep yet?” she asked, trying to seem casual.

Nathan grinned. “Almost. I was out for fifteen hours straight on Monday, after that meeting.” He sighed at the memory. “Good times.”

“Lucky you.” Alice smiled back. He was wearing the same pale suit from Flora’s garden party, casual and cool. “Some of us didn’t have the luxury—I’ve had to work right through.”

“Poor baby.” He patted her head, an echo of her gesture in Positano. Then his eyes skimmed over her outfit, and a knowing grin began to tug the edge of his mouth. “There may be trouble ahead…”

Alice gave him a warning look. “Hush, you. It’s almost…nine o’clock.” She made a show of checking his watch. “And I haven’t been arrested yet.”

“A fine achievement,” Nathan responded drily. “Did you remember to bring your get-out-of-jail-free card?”

“Sure I did,” Alice teased, growing bolder. “You’re standing right here.”

There was the sound of a cough. Alice looked over to find Julian watching them. “Oh, sorry,” she recovered. “Nathan, this is Julian. Jules, this is Nathan. The investigator who’s been helping me out, remember?”

Julian nodded slowly. “You mentioned him. Once, I think.”

“Great to meet you.” Nathan held out his hand, and after a beat, Julian reached to shake it. “I hope you’ve been keeping an eye on trouble here.”

Julian raised an eyebrow.

“Apparently, it’s my middle name.” Alice laughed. And in a way, she supposed it was. After all, it had been Angelique that had let Alice be free of herself, back in Rome. Which reminded her: “You better not tell everyone about my misadventures.” She nudged Nathan gently. “Investigator-client confidentiality.”

“Is that what we are now?” Nathan rested a hand against the small of her back. “Shame.”

Alice caught her breath. The flirtation that had been so careless and bold back in Italy suddenly took on new meaning, here under the bright Notting Hill lights.

Julian chuckled, breaking the moment. “I think the sooner we forget about that trip, the better. Temporary insanity, right Aly?” He turned to Nathan with a knowing grin. “In all the years we’ve been friends, she’s never been the spontaneous type, and that’s, what, going on a decade now?” Julian looked at her for confirmation.

Alice nodded, her thrill fading slightly.

“She’s the one who keeps the rest of us in line,” Julian continued, giving Alice an affectionate pat on the shoulder. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“Is that so?” Nathan gave her a slow look. “You know, I’d never have guessed.”

“I’m a woman of many layers,” Alice quipped back. Julian still had his hand resting on her shoulder—a touch possessive, she thought—so she edged a step away. “Layers and infinite mystery. Which is my cue to excuse myself for a minute.” Smiling quickly at both of them, she turned and disappeared into the crowd, her hips swaying with just a touch more sass than usual.

Alice made her way to the tiny bathroom and rinsed her wrists under the cold tap, reminding herself to stay calm. The dress, the banter, Nathan—if she’d had any fear at all that her brave streak might disappear now that she was back in England, this week had proved them wrong. Angelique lived on, after all.

Touching up her lip stain, Alice reached for the small vial of perfume she’d decanted into a travel atomizer, holding it beneath her nose the way they would smelling salts, a hundred years ago. Jasmine and spices, golden lights, heels tapping on polished floors. The memories were immediate and vivid, and Alice gave a happy sigh.

Of course she could do this.

***

The gallery was soon packed with Flora’s moneyed acquaintances, and the many art world professionals wise enough to know a sound investment when they saw it. As Alice circulated, she overheard more than one prospective buyer muttering about the conventional, insipid paintings—and then in the same breath, declaring their intention to buy. Part of Alice smarted that they were still sneering at Flora’s beloved art, but with tiny red stickers adorning almost every piece before the evening was halfway through, the joke was clearly on them.

“It’ll definitely appreciate.” Helena was just ahead, murmuring to a dapper, bulky man in tight red trousers and an oversized navy jacket. He had a slightly uneven nose, from which he was looking down at one of the kitten prints. “Of course, Freddie, it’s not your usual style, but in these difficult times…”

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed, in a blunt Cockney accent. “This Hallmark crap is the only thing that’ll shift for sure these days.” He leaned closer to Helena. “I don’t know how you do it, love.”

Her eyes flickered skyward in agreement. “Think of them as an asset, not art,” she continued, evidently eager to make the sale. “You can keep them in storage, or something.”

“What the f**k.” He shrugged, careless. “I’ll take it. All of them, if I can.”

“Actually, those aren’t for sale,” Alice spoke up, their sneering tones too much for her. She stalked closer, giving Helena and the man an icy smile. “We’re holding those back, for now, until she completes the series.”