Chapter 5
"Look at that!" Laila enthused, leaning over for a better view as their carriage passed through the city. Florian had no idea what she'd been looking at since he was seeing more of her than of their surroundings. Ray was ignoring them and the scenery as he thumbed through a small appointment book. He was frowning as if he'd been reminded of something he'd forgotten.
"Ray? I believe we're almost at the hotel." Florian spoke quietly, never sure of the reaction he'd get when Ray wore that kind of expression. He was grateful when Ray closed the book and returned it to his jacket pocket.
"I've reserved a suite for myself and my secretary with an adjoining room for my traveling companion, Laila. We should have a view of the park and there will be time before dinner if you'd like to go exploring. I've got some work to do this afternoon, so I'll let you take care of the unpacking." Ray flashed a grin at Florian as he said that, letting the blond know that Ray had already discovered the unpaired shoes.
Florian made a face and nodded. "Of course. Did you know the Countess Kourey had reservations for this same hotel?" He gave Ray his blandest smile, waiting several beats before adding, "She had a change of plans at the last minute. Apparently she'll be staying with Lady Conte at her estate just outside of the city. The Countess felt that the quiet would help restore her calm after the upset of the robbery." Florian leaned back, casually glancing out the window as he continued," She still insists on inviting you to dinner, to thank you for your kindness on the train."
Ray made a face and would have sworn if the carriage hadn't jolted to a stop just then. Instead he gave Florian a look that promised mayhem and descended from the vehicle, turning to offer Laila a hand. He swept her away into the hotel lobby leaving Florian to give directions for the luggage.
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"I should hang all your clothing inside out," Florian commented mildly as he unpacked Ray's bags.
"Mmhmm." Ray mumbled, completely distracted by his ledger and a stack of papers. He'd opted for the longest travel time to Brussels so he would have time to catch up on his work, but he'd spent too much time with Florian and not enough with his paperwork. He had a lot of catching up to do before his first client meeting the next morning at ten.
"Ray?" Florian put the empty suitcases away and walked out to the main room of the suite where Ray was working. He laid a hand gently on Ray's back and leaned in. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Not right now, unfortunately. Why don't you take a walk in the park with Laila and meet me back here at six-thirty?"
"Fine, but only if you'll promise to finish by the time we return. You shouldn't stay up all night working on these papers."
"Mother hen," Ray replied, taking a moment to kiss Florian's hand before returning to his ledger. Florian leaned down and gave Ray a kiss on the cheek, then slipped on his coat and quietly left the suite.
"Let's go to the shops instead," Laila suggested as they exited the hotel. The park was to the left but to the right was a long avenue lined with stores.
"All right. I'd like to find something for Noel," Florian said, frowning a little in concern. "I'm not sure he'll want a book."
"I think I saw a toy store. We can look there." She hurried away, leaving Florian to catch up, which was easier than he expected on the crowded street. Laila had stopped in front of a jeweler's shop and was gazing in the window with intense concentration. "What color would you call that?" She demanded when Florian joined her. She pointed at a large oval stone resting against dark blue silk. She leaned left, then right and finally lifted up on her toes to get a better view. "It changes, depending on how you look at it."
Florian leaned in for a better look and tried her method of viewing it from different angles. It did seem to change color – from one angle it was a muted blue, from another it was reddish and looking at it directly it appeared pale purple. But the most interesting features of the stone were the twin points of white that seemed to glow.
"Could that be?" Laila asked Florian breathlessly? "Look, the sign says it was part of an estate sale. That probably means it's old. The setting's not very nice." She grabbed Florian's hand and pulled him into the shop. "Come on, I want to see it."
"Lalia," he protested, but quietly. He was aware that they'd attracted attention and he knew better than to try and dissuade Laila when she'd decided to do something.
"Madame?" The shopkeeper frowned in disapproval at the energetic woman, but his expression smoothed when he caught sight of Florian. He took note of the young blond's expensive, fashionable clothing and put on his most charming smile. "May I help you, sir?"
"We want to see the jewel in the window," Laila said, excitement causing her to speak more quickly than was proper. Florian stepped in to try and salvage the situation.
"The Lady was admiring the rather unusual piece you have on display. The one on the dark blue silk."
"The sapphire," Laila cut in impatiently, unable to wait through all the formalities of polite conversation.
"It is indeed a sapphire," the salesman confirmed, giving her an indulgent smile before turning back to Florian. If you would like to take a seat, I'll bring it to you."
"Of course. Thank you." Florian took Laila's arm and guided her to the ornate chairs set in front of a small table. He placed a hand on her arm, hoping to get her to calm down. They had already drawn too much attention to themselves.
He watched as the stout forty-ish man retrieved the stone from the window and carefully polished it with a cloth before setting it on a silk-lined tray. The man was a bit too eager in his manner and Florian felt very uncomfortable. He certainly didn't have money for such things and Ray wasn't exactly inclined to purchasing them either.
"This is a very unusual sapphire," the salesman told them, placing the tray down on the table and taking a seat across from them. He watched carefully as Laila leaned in, and was glad that she didn't touch the jewel or demand to try it on.
"It reminds me of one my mother had," Laila said, looking up at the man with slightly moist eyes before half-turning to Florian. "I was so young when she died, and the shipwreck took everything, but I remember a necklace she had that changed colors like this."
"Laila," Florian reached out to comfort her, shocked by this new revelation about her mother. In all the time he'd been with Ray, Laila had never spoken about her family and Florian hadn't wanted to pry. He reached into his pocket and withdrew his handkerchief, offering it to her with a tender smile. She took it gratefully and wiped daintily at her eyes.
"Please, forgive me. I'm sure I was quite rude, rushing into your store in such an undignified manner." She gave the man a misty smile. "I just… I had to see…"
"Of course, of course," the salesman offered soothingly, convinced he'd made a sale. "I understand your reaction, certainly. It is such a lovely piece, a jewel that any woman would be proud to wear."
"If I might ask," Florian interjected. "How do you come by such an item? The sign said it was from an estate."
"Yes, yes. A tragic story. A fine aristocratic family, fallen on hard times. I'm sure you understand." The salesman had correctly assessed Florian as an aristocrat and not a wealthy businessman. "The father died tragically young and the mother was forced to sell the entire estate, including her precious jewelry, passed down from her great great grandmother. It was heartbreaking, but she was grateful for the assistance we were able to offer her."
"I'm sure," Florian replied solemnly. He'd heard too many of these stories, all serving as reminders of his own family and the events that had taken his mother, uncle and aunt, and had almost cost him his life. It had left him orphaned and homeless as well as deeply in debt to a notorious usurer. The only bit of good fortune in the affair was Ray's interest in Florian's amethyst-colored eyes. Without that, Florian most likely would have perished with the rest of his family, never knowing anything beyond the narrow confines of what his mother deemed appropriate for a young man of his lineage.
Florian looked away from the pretty bauble, away from Laila and the salesman, seeking out the window and a glimpse of a bird vanishing into the endless blue sky. Florian would trade every glittering rock in this place for a life that permitted him a little of that kind of freedom.
"Sir?" The salesman cleared his throat nervously, afraid that he'd done something that had caused the young man to lose interest in what would be a very profitable sale.
"I'm sorry, I was momentarily distracted. You were saying?" Florian wore the mask of polite interest with practiced ease but his eyes betrayed his inner unrest and the salesman was shrewd and observant to notice.
"Not at all, sir. Perhaps the lady would like to try the jewel on? I have a mirror…"
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary." Laila rested her hand lightly on the table beside the tray for a moment, almost as if she longed to touch the beautiful stone, but she withdrew her hand and looked towards Florian. She turned her attention back to the salesman and bowed her head slightly. "I'm afraid it reminds me of too many unpleasant things. I don't think I could stand to wear it. I'm sorry." She stood abruptly and turned away, her head still bowed, dabbing at her eyes with Florian's handkerchief.
"Laila?" Florian lept to his feet and went to her side, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. He gave the salesman an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry to have troubled you, sir. You've been most kind." With a nod of his head, he escorted Laila from the shop onto the street where he found a quiet alcove and stopped, turning to face her, his eyes full of concern.
"Should we go back to the hotel?" he asked softly. Laila could be prickly about his offers of help but she really did seem upset. He certainly didn't expect to hear her laugh."Laila?" He studied her, wondering if her laughter was a sign of emotional distress. His mother usually kept her emotions under tight control so Florian didn't have much experience dealing with someone who was as open as Laila.
"I need ice cream," Laila managed to stutter out as her laughter calmed. She linked her arm with his and towed him towards a small café in the next street. They took a table near the window of the almost-empty café and ordered – ice cream for Laila and shortbread for Florian. It wasn't until Laila had eaten several bites of her ice cream that she finally answered Florian's questions.
"It was an act," she told him as she dug out his handkerchief, now slightly damp and rumpled and handed it back to him. Florian blinked at the cloth for a moment then tucked it into his coat pocket. "I wanted to see the inside of the store and I wanted to find out what the salesman knew about the stone. Which was nothing, by the way. His story was about as truthful as mine."
"What? But…" Florian looked thoroughly baffled. "Why?"
"Because he probably can't admit that he got that jewel from a less than reputable source. Did you see the price on it? That's much too high even for a stone as unusual as that one. That usually means he's selling it for someone, probably the thief."
"Laila!" Florian glanced around nervously before leaning across the table to say, "Why don't we discuss this back at the hotel?"
Laila shrugged carelessly and scraped another spoonful of ice cream out of her almost empty dish. She eyed Florian's almost untouched shortbread meaningfully but he quickly took up one of the pieces and bit into it. Normally he'd share, but Laila was a fast eater and Florian adored shortbread.
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"You're back early," Ray didn't sound too pleased to have his companions back. Indeed, he looked rather annoyed. Florian instantly recognized the signs of paperwork fatigue – that dangerous point when Ray's irritation over small details bloomed into a full blown rant against something. Usually it resulted in Florian having to secretly re-write correspondence for fear of furious clients arriving on Ray's doorstep. Braving Ray's wrath, Florian walked over, removing his jacket as he walked, tossing it onto the sofa, He unbuttoned his vest just as he reached Ray's side. Using Ray's distraction, Florian pushed the papers to the side and perched on the edge of the desk.
"We missed you. It's too nice a day for you to be stuck inside working."
"Is that so?" Ray looked at Laila, then back at Florian. "You missed me so much you had… ice cream and," he looked back at Florian, then pulled the blond down into his lap and kissed him. "Shortbread. I thought so. Now tell me the real reason you're disturbing my work."
Florian tried to get up, but Ray held him tighter until Florian relaxed and settled against Ray's comforting warmth. The incident in the jewelry store had unsettled him and the familiar planes of Ray's body helped to soothe him. He relaxed and let Laila relate the story of the unusual sapphire.
"It has to be the one. The color, the size, it's exactly the way it's described in all of my research." Laila was practically bouncing on the seat she'd pulled up beside the desk.
"One of the legendary sister stones right out in the open in a jewelry store window?" Ray made skepticism an art.
"Tell him, Florian," Laila demanded, frustrated by Ray's lack of enthusiasm, and by his insistence on keeping the blond on his lap while she was in the room.
"I… I only know what you told me about the legend, but the stone was unusual. It was quite striking, but it… I didn't like it."
"What? Why?" Laila demanded, surprised by this new piece of information. She'd taken Florian's distracted manner in the café as embarrassment for her behavior in the jewelry store. It hadn't occurred to her there was something else bothering him.
"I don't know," Florian confessed, unable to articulate the jumble of emotions he'd felt. "Perhaps it was just the story the salesman told us – about the family falling on hard times and having to sell the jewel. Perhaps it was the legend and the way all those people suffered." He looked away, his vision on the distant sky through the window. "Perhaps I just don't care for rare gems." It was clear to Ray that Florian was thinking about his own family's rare gem – a 120 carat diamond that had led to his mother's death and his uncle's betrayal. The diamond was lost forever – buried in the rubble of his family's ancestral castle along with the bodies of his mother, his aunt and his uncle.
Ray pulled Florian a little closer and looked over at Laila. "I think I should see this stone for myself. But not today. We can't draw too much attention to it or ourselves. Tomorrow after my client meeting I'll take a stroll."
Content with Ray's decision, Laila left them to change for dinner. Florian left Ray's lap reluctantly and went to wash up. Ray followed him and stole the washcloth out of his hand. He ran the cool cloth over Florian's face and down his neck, using gentle motions to relax his lover. He hated these moods of Florian's, although he certainly understood them. Most of Ray's own losses were farther in the past, but they could overwhelm him just as easily as Florian's more recent losses haunted the blond.
"I brought you a shortbread." Florian forced his gloom away and gave Ray a sweet smile as he pulled the piece of shortbread from his pocket. He'd wrapped it in his handkerchief, doing his best to use the least damp part, but the treat was a bit crumbly.
"I'll save it for later," Ray said as he accepted the offering."I wouldn't want to spoil my dinner." He set it aside and reached for Florian.
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