Emma rolled her eyes. “Come on, you are able to do higher than that.”

“Okay, okay. It feels… free. Like once you’re a child and also you spend limitless hours within the backyard chasing fireflies. And someway nostalgic. And possibly a bit girly.” He winked to indicate that he was joking.

“Aren’t free and nostalgic good issues to really feel?” Emma requested. Then she realized that she was in all probability pushing a bit too laborious. “However what actually issues is what you want. You’re the one who has to have the portray in your house.”

“Sure. However I feel you’ve got a degree about this one. There’s something good about it.” Patrick reached for the bid sheet hanging beside the portray and scribbled his identify and a quantity. Emma’s eyes widened on the value he was keen to pay for a portray he thought was girly, however she didn’t remark.

They moved on from the portray, which Emma seen was known as, in an admittedly girly style, Sunshine on Younger Faces. The following one they got here to was an summary impression of a person’s face, together with a pair of lopsided glasses. They checked out it for a couple of moments in silence.

“This may very well be an funding piece,” Emma steered after a fast evaluation. “Summary artwork is in vogue in the meanwhile, and this one seems to be of excellent high quality. I’d need to look into the painter, although.”

A voice tut-tutted behind Emma and she or he turned shortly, her coronary heart leaping into her throat on the sight of Aleksander Ariti. Once more.

“Patrick, you’re employed your staff too laborious.” Aleksander shook his head disapprovingly. “You need to let this younger girl benefit from the occasion.”

“I see why you’d be confused. You wouldn’t know laborious work if it slapped you within the face,” Patrick replied calmly. It wasn’t the perfect retort ever — Emma knew for a incontrovertible fact that Aleksander labored lengthy hours, too — however she was nonetheless glad Patrick had mentioned one thing.

“I might, really, which is why I do know that — Emma, was it? — wants a break.” Aleksander prolonged an arm. “Would you care to hitch me for a dance?”

Emma needed to level out that nobody was dancing, however a fast look across the room confirmed that sooner or later, in all probability whereas she and Patrick had been engaged of their artwork evaluation, an area had been cleared and a string quartet had begun to play. A number of {couples} have been already gliding gracefully throughout the ground.

Emma needed to show Aleksander down, however she didn’t really feel she had a alternative.

“I’ll see you quickly?” she mentioned to Patrick.

He nodded, however he didn’t look happy. “You don’t need to go along with him.”

“However she desires to.” Aleksander took Emma’s hand and lead her towards the dance area. “Don’t fear, I’ll return her in a single piece!”

Emma felt anger effervescent up inside her. How dare Aleksander talk about her as if she weren’t even right here? How dare he pull her away from Patrick like that?

“This isn’t a good suggestion,” she mentioned, her voice low and agency. “Patrick will get suspicious if we go off by ourselves.”

“He received’t. I dance with loads of girls — particularly girls he brings as dates. And talking of bringing you as a date, it appears you’ve actually made good progress. How for much longer do I’ve to attend for what’s mine?”

“The Aurora isn’t yours,” Emma volleyed again.

“It’s, will probably be… it doesn’t matter. You’re getting that portray for me.”

Aleksander held out a hand, and Emma unhappily took it and let him pull her right into a dance. At this shut of a distance, Emma couldn’t assist noticing how good-looking Aleksander was. But whereas Patrick’s handsomeness drew Emma in and made her coronary heart flutter, Aleksander’s handsomeness felt someway unsettling. It was like a veneer of attractiveness over a really unattractive persona.

“Isn’t there one other method?” she requested as they swayed.

“Emma, Emma.” Aleksander shook his head disappointedly. “We made a deal, didn’t we? And until you need me to return on my finish of the deal, you might want to steal that portray. I assumed you understood that.”

“I do.” Emma regarded away.

“Let me guess. You’ve gotten to know Patrick and it might break your fragile little coronary heart to steal from him, wouldn’t it?”

Emma didn’t reply, however she was positive her expression gave her away as a result of Aleksander chuckled.

“How candy. Properly, you don’t have a alternative within the matter. Perhaps that can soothe your soul as you do what it’s a must to.”

The tune ended and Emma instantly stopped transferring. She didn’t wish to dance with Aleksander for a second longer than she needed to.

Fortunately, another person appeared to have the identical thought.

“Can I minimize in?”

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