Magic Read Free Page B

situations that were absolutely impossible. He was a married man, and he intended to stay that way, and had told her so from the beginning. But she was on her own in a hospital in Paris, in labor three months prematurely, and he didn’t feel he had a choice but to go to her at once. He was a decent human being after all, in a terrible situation for both him and his wife. And he knew that abandoning her at the White Dinner wouldn’t sit well with her.
    “Can’t you wait until this is over?” Anya had been sobbing hysterically on the phone, but he didn’t want to explain that to Benedetta. She knew enough.
    “I don’t think I should. I’m really sorry. I’ll just slip away quietly. You can say I saw friends at another table. No one will realize I’m gone.” Of course they would, but worst of all, she would know that he was gone, and where, who he was with, and why. The joy of the evening was over for her at that moment. She was still trying to absorb the fact that he was going to have two children with someone else, while they had none.
    He stood up then, not wanting to argue with her but determined to go. However unfortunate their alliance and Anya’s pregnancy, he didn’t want to leave her in the hospital in labor, panicked and alone. Benedetta was sure it was just a ploy to get him there and it would turn out to be a false alarm.
    “If she’s all right, please come back,” she said, looking tense, and he nodded. It was embarrassing to have to cover for him, once they noticed that he was gone, which they were bound to do while she sat at their table without him, and left by herself when it was over.
    “I’ll try,” he said, still speaking to her in Italian. He gave her an uncomfortable look, and then without saying anything to their host or the other guests, he disappeared into the crowd, as people milled from table to table, visiting with friends between courses. He was gone in an instant, while Benedetta tried to appear as though nothing had happened and she wasn’t upset. Chantal and Dharam were still talking, and a little while later Chantal excused herself to say hello to someone she knew at another table. Benedetta was trying to calm her nerves from Gregorio’s hasty departure, when Dharam turned to her with a gentle look.
    “Did your husband leave?” he asked cautiously, not wanting to pry.
    “Yes…he had an emergency…a friend had an accident, and he went to help him at the hospital,” she said, fighting back tears while trying to sound nonchalant. “He didn’t want to disrupt the party by saying goodbye.” Dharam had seen the tense looks exchanged between them and could tell that she was upset, and he did his best to cheer her now.
    “How wonderful. It must be destiny,” he responded. “I’ve been trying to get you to myself all night. Now I can woo you relentlessly without his interfering!” He smiled broadly, and she laughed. “In a romantic setting like this, we should be madly in love by the time he gets back.”
    “I don’t think he is coming back,” she said sadly.
    “Perfect. The gods are on my side tonight. Let’s make a plan immediately. When will you come to India to see me?” He was teasing her to raise her spirits, but he was more taken with her than he would have dared to admit otherwise, and she chuckled at his performance, as he handed her a white rose from Chantal’s vase on their table. She took the rose from him and smiled, just as the band started playing in front of the church. “Would you like to dance?” he asked. She didn’t really want to, knowing where Gregorio had gone and what was happening, but she didn’t want to be rude to Dharam, while he was being so kind to her. She got up and followed him to the dance floor, as he held her hand in the crowd. He was a good dancer, and dancing with him took her mind off her troubles for a while. She was smiling when they came back to the table and found Chantal deep in conversation with Jean-Philippe, who