“I expect so, but she never did speak to me about him after she left. Knew how much I disapproved.”

He was hiding something. She could tell by the curve of his shoulder, the fact he took another sip of his drink before answering.

“Where is he now?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, my dear. Noah and I were never what you would call friends. Oh,” he said, registering the way Emily’s body slumped at his words. “You’re disappointed. Why would you be?”

There was no need to finish the question, because he had seen the way Emily scrutinized every detail of his face when she was standing outside the gates, watching him in silence. He had seen the tilt of her head as she listened to him speak, felt the sharp intake of breath, the tightness with which she hugged him back. All of this and more made him realize what it was she had hoped to find.

“She left because of me.” He gave a short sniff, wiped at the corner of one eye, then tossed his head in annoyance. “I was stupid enough to ask her to stay.”

“Why was that stupid?”

“She was like a caged animal here. Always prowling, always on the hunt for more.”

“More?”

“Of everything,” he said, spreading his arms wide and nearly knocking over one of the flamingos. “Of life, of love, of loss. She needed inspiration, and there’s only so much you can glean from a town filled with nothing but vacuous rich people.”

“And you.”

A small smile as he gave her arm a playful squeeze. “And me. I was young, in love, and selfish. I thought I could only stay if she was here too, protecting me.”

Emily knew better than to ask for details of something from so long ago, from a man who clearly meant the world to her grandmother, even if they had drifted apart.

“You’re Sebastian.” It wasn’t a question. Nor was it an accusation, more her way of showing him that she understood, because she had read her grandmother’s first book, as well as her diary. She was telling him he didn’t need to reveal anything about himself, or the man he had fallen in love with.

“Clever as well as beautiful. Why am I anything but surprised?”

Emily looked up, watched as a pair of sparrows flew down from one of the palm trees, squabbling like siblings as they landed on the grass. She approached them slowly, bent down to avoid startling them, and they hopped apart. One flew away, while the other regarded her a moment, watched as she took a slice of apple from her glass and held it out.

The little bird jumped forward, took a bite, then jumped back again.

“It’s okay,” Emily whispered, breaking the apple into pieces and scattering them on the ground.

“They trust you,” Antoine said, watching her, watching the bird.

“I like birds.”

“Why?”

No one had ever asked her why.