Chapter 150

"Ariston hasn’t told us anything about you," Iris said after a few moments of strained silence, when all Lucette did was toy with her food and stare at her plate. "Where are you from?"

She looked up and met Iris’s speculative gaze with what she hoped was a friendly smile. ‘I lived in Paris.’

‘I love Paris!’

Zoe jumped in quickly, and Lucette wondered if the sisters would actually be welcoming towards her after all.

‘It must have been very hard to leave.’

Lucette glanced at Ariston , whose face was as bland as ever. "A bit," she allowed, "but I have other things to think about now."

She rested one hand on her small bump, which unintentionally but effectively silenced all conversation. Both Iris and Zoe excused themselves a few minutes later, leaving Ariston and Lucette alone with about an acre of polished mahogany between them.

"I’m sorry things seem a bit awkward," Ariston said after a moment. ‘They’ll come to accept you in time.’

Maybe, "Lucette allowed. I don’t suppose it re