Chapter 361

The day before the civil marriage was to take place at the office of the mairie on the Place du Panthéon, Cassia was meeting her uncle for lunch near his office on the Champs Elysées. The Arc de Triomphe was a mere shape in the distance as she steeled herself and went into the restaurant.

He stood as she approached, and they kissed on both cheeks in a warm greeting. She hadn’t seen him since that night at the Ritz. They’d spoken on the phone when she delivered the news of the wedding, and now she couldn’t put off the inevitable any more. Finally, after she’d prevaricated for as long as possible, he got to the point. Taking her hand across the table, he said gently, "Cassia, darling, you know how important to me you are; you’re like another daughter."

‘I know…’ She tried to keep the emotion out of her voice, aching to be able to confide in someone, anyone.

"Are you telling me the truth about Calix?" He shook his head. "I just find it a little hard to believe that you bumped into him th