Lies and Weddings(19)
“I can’t believe you got plastered last night! I didn’t think you drank that much,” Bea remarked.
“It crept up on me—I don’t have your hollow leg.”
“Well, I had too much myself, but I couldn’t resist. Every wine was paired perfectly with Heston’s menu, didn’t you think? Mummy was fretting about the wines meeting the standards of our royal guests, especially the de Courcys.”
“Hopefully my hangover will be worth it if it impressed the de Courcys. But why wasn’t Rufus seated next to Solène?”
“Not on the first night, darling. We’ve got to make him work for it! We made sure Rufus was seated at the table directly facing her. Did you notice we placed Solène right under those enormous lanterns, so the glowing light would glint perfectly off her hair?”
“She looked like an angel. Even I couldn’t stop staring at her all night!”
“Hopefully Rufus couldn’t stop staring either. Today he’ll finally get to spend a bit of time with her, but we’re going to complicate things for him by adding Freddy to the mix.”
“I still don’t understand exactly how this Freddy fellow’s the secret weapon.”
“Freddy Farman-Farmihian has been head-over-heels in love with Solène ever since he spent a semester abroad in Paris. Absolutely obsessed. Back then he was too shy to even whisper in her direction. He was a bit on the pudgy side, but as you can see he’s completely transformed himself. That’s a very expensive new face he’s got there.”
“Really? I did think there was something a bit off about the way he looked. I just assumed it was the Joey Essex eyebrows.”
“No, everything’s new—the nose, the cheekbones, and the jawline. It’s apparently what every guy does in LA, along with bottom bleaching and Mounjaro injections. It’s all a bit too perfect for me, but I will admit he has gained a great deal of confidence along with all that muscle mass.”
“So why is he here if he’s after Solène?”
“Tell me, what makes a woman absolutely irresistible to a man?”
“I can’t begin to fathom…”
“Competition.”
“So you think giving Rufus some competition will egg him on?”
“Eden, you know my brother. He’s a lovely lad but he’s not a very complicated soul.”
Eden was about to protest, but Bea continued expounding: “Rufus is like a well-bred hound. He’s a regal, silky borzoi. Put a fox in front of him, and he might sniff it out of curiosity and play with it for a moment. Now, put him with another hound, say, an eager beagle like Freddy, and they will chase the fox to their deaths.”
“But what if your plan backfires and the eager beagle wins the chase?”
“Solène doesn’t like beagles. She wants a borzoi. Trust me, I shared a flat with her in Paris for a year. I know what kinds of dogs she’s into.”
They pulled up at the driveway entrance of the Mauna Lani hotel, expecting to find Solène waiting.
“That girl is always late,” Bea groaned. “Can you please go get her?”
Eden jumped out of the car and wandered into the sleek lobby, a huge open-air atrium dominated by a dark reflecting pool and a vintage wood outrigger canoe. She saw Solène strolling down a breezeway, the very picture of St. Tropez chic in a long white sarong skirt and a navy and white striped bandeau top that exposed her splendidly toned and bronzed midriff. She wore a huge straw hat and held a matching oversized straw tote bag that even from thirty feet away looked hideously expensive.
Eden waved at her. “Solène! Hi, I’m Eden. Bea’s waiting in the car.”
Solène (Marymount Neuilly/Ecole Jeannine Manuel/Sorbonne/AUP) gave her a startled look. “What?”
“I’m here to collect you. For Lady Beatrice Gresham?” Eden said, realizing that they had not met the previous night.
“Ah, Béatrissssssse,” Solène said in a deep, gravelly voice, overemphasizing Bea’s name in the French manner as she nonchalantly shoved her expensive tote into Eden’s hands. Eden smiled at her, a bit confused, but accepted the heavy straw bag stuffed with several pairs of shoes, three big bottles of San Pellegrino, and what seemed like half a closet’s worth of outfits.
“How’s the hotel?” Eden asked as they headed toward the entrance.
Solène frowned, giving her a curious look. “It’s okay. I need more towels.”
They reached the car and Solène jumped eagerly into the front passenger seat as Eden handed her the tote.
“Put it in the back,” Solène said.
“Solène!” Bea greeted her friend with a quick peck on the cheek. “Wait, you have to get out for a minute so Eden can get in.”
“Ah, she’s coming with us?” Solène frowned again.
“Of course. We’re going to need her help,” Bea said.
Solène got out of her seat, allowing Eden to jump into the backseat of the convertible. As they drove out of the resort and down a road that circled a golf course, Solène turned to Bea with a mischievous grin. “So…who was that guy you were chatting up all night?”
“Which guy?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. The comment dit-on…fit bloke.”