15

GOOSE

Anser indicus

Seated on the terrace, where brunch had been served, Emily found herself unable to eat, to take her eyes away from Tyler and Phoebe, who were helping themselves to Antoine’s hospitality. She kept wishing she had a magical swing that would take her somewhere, anywhere but here.

The two of them had come blustering in, full of apologies and contrition for oversleeping, for not being there when Emily had gone to the gallery. Tyler had even gone so far as to blame her for not owning a mobile phone, then had the decency to shut up when he spied the portrait of Catriona. Phoebe had gushed about how amazing, gorgeous, spectacular the house was, how lucky Antoine was to live in such a beautiful setting. She hadn’t stopped talking since stepping foot inside, her enthusiasm only going up a notch when she saw the pool and the view.

“I can’t quite believe it,” Phoebe said, lifting another forkful of smoked salmon to her lips. “I mean, it’s just so incredible when you think about it. A magical treasure trail set up by the Catriona Robinson. A secret quest to discover her unfinished manuscript. It’s like some sort of film.”

“You told her?” Emily glared at Tyler, unsurprised to find him looking anywhere but across the table at her.

“Tyler told me everything,” Phoebe went on, popping another sliver of fish into her mouth. She licked the lemon juice from her fingers as she smiled up at her beloved.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Tyler shifted in his chair, took a sip of coffee.

“What would you say?” Antoine stirred his own drink, lifted the cup to his mouth. Emily imagined rays of fire emerging from his pupils, pointed at Tyler, like a recalcitrant superhero. The idea of him strutting around in underwear and a cape was enough to make her smile, make her forget how angry she was, if only for a moment.

Antoine was also smiling, aiming those pearly whites at Tyler. To the untrained eye he would appear as nothing more than the perfect host: welcoming, warm, and funny, with an uncanny ability to make everyone around him feel at ease. But Emily had confided in him, only a little, so he knew that the handsome young man who sat at the table, eating his food and enjoying the view, wasn’t necessarily someone to be trusted.

“I had to explain what I was doing in the South of France.”

“What are you doing here?” Emily asked him, wishing he had turned around and gone back home instead of following her, instead of taking his responsibilities seriously simply because it suited his own selfish needs.

“Is this the next clue?” Phoebe picked up the book Antoine had given Emily, without asking, and began to flick through the pages. “I absolutely loved this one when I was younger,” she said, looking up to smile at Emily, seemingly oblivious to her irritation. “The idea of being able to soar through the sky on a magical swing. To visit the moon, come back with stars in your pockets. It’s just amazing.”