Ch116: Violet in Wonderland

“Ready for the best tourist thing to do in New York?” Victor asked, leading Violet to a horse-drawn carriage in front of which stood a smiling man in old fashioned livery and a top hat. 

“Hello, Raul. How are you and Chester doing this fine evening?” Victor said to the man as he patted the horse on his neck.

“Very well, Mr. Romanoff. So good to see you. It’s been a long time,” Raul said beaming as he bowed and doffed his hat to Violet. “And I finally get to meet the lovely Mrs. Romanoff.”

“Uh…we’re not…” Violet started to say.

“Not yet married, but one day soon,” Victor interjected. “We’re engaged as of today.”

“Ah, congratulations!” Raul said. He then opened the little door to the carriage and offered his hand to Violet.

“No need, Raul,” Victor said lifting Violet as if she were a little kid and placing her gently within before climbing in himself.

Ch115: Birthday Surprise and Guilty Feelings

Violet gazed at the sweet little antique ruby ring on her left hand and a pang of guilt swept over her. 

“What would Richard say if he were here right now?” she miserably thought.

“Well, Honey, if he were here, you wouldn’t be wearing it at all. You’d still have on your own wedding band, he would be right beside you, probably holding your hand and you might never have met Victor, let alone be pretending to be engaged to him merely to fool his friends,” Heidi reminded her.

Violet did see the logic in that, but she’d never known logic to clear away guilt and it certainly wasn’t helping now. She unconsciously tugged on the necklace from which her wedding band dangled and marveled how well the ruby ring fit her. She and Victor’s mother were probably very similar in size. How odd!

“Violet, are you all right?” Victor asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine,” she said, attempting a smile.

“Liar,” he replied, setting down his wine glass. “If you’d rather not do this I won’t make you.”

Ch114: From Hooker Shoes to Engagement Rings

“I am not wearing hooker shoes!” Violet shouted, putting back on her own, old-fashioned and reasonable sling-backs with the mid-sized heel.

"But they're Louis Vuitton," The sales girl said.

“Violet…”Victor started.

“I don’t care. I’m not stupid enough to break my neck for fashion. I’ll stay safely out of style, thank you very much!” she snapped, raising out of the chair and going to the door where she stood with her arm tightly crossed over her heaving chest.

Victor gave the shocked shopkeeper an apologetic smile and followed Violet. He held the door open for her and she stormed out without a backward glance. 

“Please tell me we’re done with this torturous shopping spree,” Violet said, perilously close to tears.

 “Violet, what’s wrong?” he said, wrapping her in his strong arms.

Ch113: If the Dress Fits

Violet felt like an idiot standing in the spotlight wearing a way-too-fancy dress. “Well?” she said.

“Well, what?” Victor replied.

“How do you like the dress, of course?” she snapped.

Victor shook his head. “I can’t tell yet. Show me.”

“Show you what? What am I supposed to do?” she said, wringing her hands.

Victor grinned. “Come on, you must have seen a fashion show once in your life. You gotta take a little turn on the catwalk.” 

 

“You’re kidding, right?” Violet said. 

Ch112: Cretins and Mannequins

Cretins and mannequins

“That was lovely, Victor. Thank you,” Violet said, as they stepped out of their garden hideaway and back onto the noisy, hot and unforgiving streets of the city.

“You’re welcome,” Victor said, casting a furtive glance at her and wondering about her subdued behavior. “Anything wrong?”

“No, not at all,” she replied looking up and him with a small smile.

“Wouldn’t be lying to me just now, would you?”

“Why would I bother? You can see right through me,” she retorted, laughing.

“Not through. You just have very expressive eyes and I think perhaps I just know you,” he said, watching for her reaction.

“Funny, you didn’t know me that first time we met and you read my mind perfectly, as I recall,” she said.

“You wear your thoughts on your face like some women wear clothes, obviously for attention,” he said. He smiled as her face registered her confusion as she tried to figure out what that meant. “You do it unconsciously, of course.”

She opened her mouth, but didn’t get a chance to speak. Someone in the crowd called to them, a foul-mouthed cretin, by all accounts.

Ch111 Say My Name

Victor carefully weighed his words as he chewed a delicious piece of steak. All the while he watched Violet and her nervous fussing. She was already regretting her impulsive question. Well, he wasn’t going to make this easy for her.

“Let me see if I have this correctly,” he said, taking a sip from his wine glass. “You wish for me to tell you the story of Denise when just moments ago you told me it wasn’t any of your business. Is that right?”

“Well, I don’t expect you to kiss and tell, just…. Oh, forget it. We can speak of…uh… the weather or the state of the roads.”

He almost choked. “The state of the roads?” he said incredulously.

Violet grimaced. “Don’t mind me. I’ve been reading Sense and Sensibility again,” she said. 

As Victor laughed, she glanced around the garden and her eyes landed on an unfamiliar plant. “Do you think someone here knows the name of that flower? You can ask them for me in Portuguese, okay?”

“Oh, no you don’t,” Victor said. “You asked about Denise and now I’m telling you.”

“Victor, please, I…” Violet said shaking her head.

“Shush and eat. I’m talking now and you’re listening,” he said. “Denise and I were dating when she was in college and me in law school. Casually for me, not so much for her it seems. Then I met her best friend, who happened to be my ex-wife and she stole me away from Denise.”

Violet gaped. “The bitch!” she said, before she could stop herself. Then she blushed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

Ch110 Very Patient Indeed by Glory Lennon

“I’m hungry,” Violet said.

“I’m sorry, what?” Victor asked, totally thrown. He had just confessed that he had been in love with her for over a decade and this was her reaction?

"With Violet one has to be very patient, Dear," Heidi whispered in his ear. 


"Indeed," he muttered.

“Didn’t have much breakfast, so…um…I’m hungry,” she repeated. It was a complete lie, of course, but what else was she to do? She did not want to have this conversation. Why in the world would she want to know anything about one of his former lovers?

Victor merely stared at her for a minute watching her quite literally squirm. She obviously was not willing to have this discussion-- here and now, anyway--but perhaps in a quiet restaurant over a leisurely meal…

 “I made a reservation at a Brazilian Steak house. It’s just a couple of blocks away, but if you’d rather walk I’ll get us a cab. It is rather warm today.”

Ch109 Curiosity Kills Five Hundred Cats by Glory Lennon

“That’s not me,” Violet said, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

Kimberly giggled. “I assure you it is. You have marvelous bone structure and with just a little bit of makeup we brought it out,” she said, spinning Violet's chair away from the mirror.

“Victor won’t recognize me,” she mumbled.

Again Kimberly laughed. “You do make me laugh, Ms. Bennett. Mr. Romanoff will absolutely recognize you and, no doubt, fall deeper in love with you. That’s never a bad thing!”

But in this case it was—at least Violet thought so. She followed Kimberly out into the lobby perhaps not quite as shy as when she first entered, but still a bit apprehensive. She saw Victor first as he sat with a fine bone china tea cup in his hand. 

Ch108 Queen of the world by Glory Lennon

Queen of the world

Victor frowned as he watched Violet gripping the phone to her ear long after he heard the distinct click of an end to the call. She didn’t look much happier than he felt.

“You’re going to Florida for Thanksgiving?” he said.

“What?” she said, distracted.

“You won’t be home,” he said, getting up and putting his empty dish in the sink.

“Of course not. Unless you’ve changed your mind about going into the city. I can bake you a cake and…”

Ch107 My Boyfriend, the Weatherman by Glory Lennon

“Let me down, you beast, or the onions will burn,” Violet snapped.

Victor obeyed and set her down, but not before kissing her soundly.

“Victor Romanoff, you said no funny stuff,” she whispered, breathing heavy and trying halfheartedly to push him away.

“That was just a thank you. You give a better birthday show than Benihana’s. Their chefs aren’t nearly as sexy,” he said, smirking.

She blushed. “I wasn’t putting on a show for you. You should learn to knock!”

“What for? You never lock the door and you wouldn’t have heard me anyway with the music this loud.”

“I…I unlocked it to let Calendula out,” she lied.

Victor pointed to the fluffy ginger tail sticking out from under the table; proof she had done no such thing.