Chapter 20
Hope stood with Gus, staring at all the wooden crates loaded into the back of the truck.
The driver was delivering crates of apples, which he was soon to pack and load all around their bottles, and Hope knew a sense of pride that she couldn’t ever remember having felt before.
It felt better than when she’d completed her first painting, or even when she’d received her first paycheque in Paris, or leaving home and boarding the train on her own.
This was something. This was the culmination of the two of them working side by side to create a product that was in demand, a spirit that would make them a small fortune and give her the independence she’d always craved.
‘How do you feel?’ Gus asked, his eyes brighter than she’d ever seen them before.
‘I feel giddy with success,’ she said, grinning up at him. Strangely, despite her independence, she felt younger and more carefree than she ever had before. She felt alive.
Gus kissed her cheek and once the driver had disappeared down the dark lane, he reached for her and spun her in his arms. His mouth was quick to find hers, and Hope was breathless before she knew it, still wondering how she’d ever become so lucky to meet Gus, marvelling at just how different her life would be if she hadn’t agreed to have a drink with him that night, so many months before.
Or if she hadn’t been brave enough to go with him.
‘I have news,’ he said, when he finally let her go.
‘What kind of news?’
‘We’re going to my parents’ house tomorrow night,’ he said. ‘My mother was thrilled that she’ll be meeting you at last. She said she thought my absence from her dinner table was related to me courting a special lady, so the timing couldn’t have been better.’
Hope should have felt excited that she was finally being invited into that part of his life, but instead she felt dread in her stomach.
In the beginning, she’d hated being hidden away, but she’d quickly come to realise how much she loved the little cocoon they’d created for themselves, tucked away from the rest of the world.
‘You’re certain you still want me to meet them?’ she asked. He lifted her hands and kissed her knuckles. ‘Honestly, I don’t know how I feel, but if you think it’s the right time…’
‘Well, I could always just keep you as my mistress and marry someone more suitable,’ he teased.
Hope swatted at Gus, but he expertly ducked out of her way, grinning at her as he went. He was insufferable sometimes, but he made her feel happier and lighter than she’d felt in a long time, content in a way she’d never believed possible.
Only the next night, still feeling as if she might start yawning from their previous late night, Hope sat across from Gus’s parents.
She’d have been lying if she said she didn’t want to bolt straight for the door, but the sweet smiles that his sister was giving her were helping to bolster her confidence.
Thank goodness for Marie, for making the evening bearable.
‘I understand that your family has been in the gin-distilling business for some time,’ Hope said, trying her best to make polite conversation with his father.
‘Did you tell her that before or after she attached herself to you?’
Hope bristled at his mother’s muttered words, but she pretended she hadn’t heard them, smiling sweetly at his father as he lowered his glass to answer her.
She didn’t know why she’d been marked so easily as some sort of gold-digger, but she refused to stoop so low as to even acknowledge the accusation.
‘My grandfather started the business, and I’ve been fortunate to be at the helm for some time now,’ he replied.
‘And to have my son learning the ropes, although it’s yet to be seen whether he has the fortitude to run such a business.
It’s not for the faint-hearted, and we have quite the reputation to uphold. ’
Hope almost choked on her wine, but she quickly coughed and tried to disguise her horror.
Yet to be seen? She exchanged a quick glance with Gus, but his face remained impassive, and he gave her a small smile.
His sister was grinning though, which made Hope wonder just how much she knew, despite the fact that Gus had said he wouldn’t tell her until she was of age.
If she did know, she was clearly very good at keeping secrets.
‘And what of your family, Hope? What is it that your father does? Do you have siblings?’
Hope took a breath, relieved when Gus’s little finger brushed hers where she had it placed on the velvet sofa. She had to keep reminding herself that it didn’t matter what his parents said or thought; it was only Gus’s opinion that mattered to her.
‘My father is a mushroom grower, and I have three brothers,’ she said, choosing her words carefully. ‘My eldest brother attended university, and my younger…’ Hope’s voice trailed away, and she didn’t even finish what she was saying.
She sensed the way Gus’s mother looked down her nose at her. It was clear her father’s job was not good enough for her to be considered worthy of her son.
‘They don’t mind you living away from home? I’d have thought a daughter would want to stay close to her parents until she was married? Especially the only daughter.’
Hope found it hard not to grit her teeth. ‘They would have preferred me to stay, however I wanted to see more of France, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time living and working in Paris.’
‘So you’ve worked to support yourself?’ his mother asked, her eyebrows arched. ‘Your parents weren’t able to financially—’
‘Mother!’ Gus interrupted. ‘That’s quite enough of interrogating Hope. She came to join us for a casual family dinner, and you seem to have taken it upon yourself to interview her. Please let her enjoy her meal and some pleasant conversation.’
His mother gave him a sweet smile, and Hope only wished it didn’t appear so fake. ‘It’s only that I presume you’ve been spending so much time together, if that is indeed the reason you haven’t been home often. I want to know everything there is to know about your new friend.’
Gus’s father cleared his throat and Hope was grateful for the diversion.
She took a long sip of her wine and turned her attention to him, although something about the drink didn’t sit well with her stomach.
She swallowed a few times, hoping no one noticed, but the feeling only intensified when she took another sip of wine.
Hope took a breath and willed the nausea away, thinking that perhaps she had a stomach upset. Only last night she’d felt queasy when they’d toasted their latest batch of absinthe, and she’d had to abstain from having any more.
‘I’m sorry to bore you all with business,’ his father said, distracting her from her churning stomach. ‘But Gus, have you heard that there’s more of that ghastly absinthe making its way into the city? Just when I thought it had been stamped out, it’s threatening to overshadow gin once more.’
Hope froze, wishing that she could stop nursing her drink and actually take a proper sip again without feeling sick, but she didn’t want to risk it. She clenched her fingers, hoping no one noticed the shaking of her hand.
‘It’s the drink of choice among many,’ Gus said, quietly and calmly. ‘Perhaps making it illegal has only caused patrons of certain establishments to be more inclined to want it? I certainly doubt that it will ever take over in popularity from gin, especially of the quality we produce.’
‘Well, if you ask me, I think it’s abhorrent, that illegal bootleggers could take a hold of the market we’ve worked so hard to secure. They need to hunt them down and throw them in prison, send a message to anyone who wants to follow their lead.’
‘Wouldn’t they need access to a distillery?’ his mother asked. ‘Which might point a finger to our competitors.’
Gus turned to Hope, his eyes telling her that everything was going to be all right, even as her heart began to race. It was as if his parents knew of their deceit and were teasing them, which of course she knew was absurd.
‘Mother, I’m half-starved, it’s been such a long day. Shall we go through to dinner?’
His mother seemed pleased with the suggestion and Hope stood when Gus did, taking the arm he offered.
‘It’ll be over soon,’ he whispered into her ear. ‘I’m sorry, I should never have brought you here. I don’t know what I was thinking.’
Hope squeezed his forearm, dropping her head to his shoulder for the briefest of seconds. But it wasn’t fast enough to avoid his mother’s sharp stare, as if she’d just caught her trying to stab her son rather than show affection.
‘Gus, what are your thoughts on the conflict in Europe?’ his father asked. ‘I’ve heard that France will have to strengthen its army quickly if we’re to stand a chance against Germany.’
‘Germany is a friend to France,’ his mother declared. ‘All this talk of war is just scaremongering, don’t you think?’
‘Regardless of whether it is or not, we’d be foolish not to take it seriously, and it was Gus’s opinion I asked for,’ his father said belligerently. ‘Who knows what could happen with that madman growing in popularity?’
Hope had purposely tried not to listen to any rumours of a possible war in Europe, but for once, she was relieved the conversation had turned to anything other than her.
Later that night, Hope sat in bed, the covers drawn up to her waist as she tried not to think about what a disaster the evening had been.
She’d temporarily forgotten about her stomach, and thankfully this time it only did a small lurch when she took a sip of the drink Gus passed her.
She put it down to the dinner she’d eaten, rather than drinking on an empty stomach.
Or perhaps the interrogation from his mother had been enough to make her feel unwell.
‘They hate me,’ she declared, trying not to pout as she reached for her cigarette case and took one out. ‘Even a fool could have seen that.’
Gus sat down next to her on the bed, their legs stretched out in front of them, backs against the headboard, and she offered him the cigarette. He’d been quiet ever since they arrived home, even as he’d held her hand tightly all the way back to their apartment.
‘They don’t hate you, they just don’t know you,’ he said, blowing the smoke away from her and passing it back. ‘Besides, we knew this wasn’t going to be easy. They’ll accept you when they realise how serious I am.’
They sat in silence, smoking and sipping, until Gus spoke again. She didn’t want to ask him what might happen if they never accepted her, and what it might mean for them.
‘Anyway, they’ll have no choice but to accept you once we’re married,’ he said.
Married? She put her drink down and turned to Gus. ‘You can’t just say things like that! Marriage is something else entirely.’
‘You haven’t thought about us getting married? You haven’t pictured a future together that involves us reading our vows?’ He shook his head. ‘Hope, I wouldn’t have invited you to live with me if I didn’t want to marry you.’
‘Of course I’ve thought about it!’ Marriage might not have been something she’d wanted or thought of before, but this was different.
Gus was different. If she married Gus it would be because she wanted to, not because someone else was telling her to.
‘But you’ve never said anything, so I didn’t want to presume.
We’ve never really talked about what this is, or what we’re doing together. ’
He took the forgotten cigarette from between her fingers, and she had the sudden realisation that he was enjoying teasing her.
‘I think your sister is the only one who’d approve of us marrying, anyway,’ Mia said. ‘Your mother will probably have a list of suitable young women ready for you tomorrow, to get you away from me.’
‘Let her try, Hope,’ Gus said with a grin. ‘But I’m certain they’d run at the faintest hint of a scandal, and me living with a beautiful woman and running an illegal business would probably put off even the most desperate of her candidates.’
Hope laughed, but he wasn’t wrong.
‘Besides, there’s no one else I want. There is no one but you, Hope. I promise.’
She sighed, even though his words meant so much to her. ‘I only hope your father doesn’t find out what we’ve been doing. The way he spoke tonight…’
Gus didn’t look worried at all as he extinguished the cigarette and finished his drink, his hungry gaze telling her exactly what he’d like to be doing with her, and it didn’t involve talking about his parents.
‘If he was going to find out, he would have by now. Which means we have the best-kept secret this side of the Swiss border.’
‘You’re certain about that?’
‘I am.’ He leaned in closer. ‘He’s never going to find out, Hope. I’ve been too careful with everything, from the building to the drivers.’
Hope let him kiss her, temporarily distracted by his touch. She only hoped he was right, because after meeting his father, she could see what a formidable enemy he’d be to them both, and something told her that he was a man who it would be almost impossible to keep anything from.