Read A French Affair for Free Online

economy going.’
    There was a moment’s silence before he said, ‘I see.’
    Gina sighed. He obviously didn’t. He clearly disapprovedof PR. He probably disapproved of a lot of recent inventions like social networking, the internet, Google, which was probably why he dealt in things that were at least a hundred years old. Then some imp made her decide to enlighten him. ‘I expect the antiques centre could do with some PR.’
    He gave her a horrified glance. ‘We do not. We manage perfectly well without it.’
    ‘Really? You said business wasn’t very good at the moment. Maybe you need a bit of help?’
    ‘Not that kind of help, thank you.’
    ‘Well, if you change your mind, you know where I live.’
    ‘Indeed.’
    They drove the rest of the way without speaking. It wasn’t exactly a companionable silence but it suited Gina. She watched the countryside flow past as they sped along.
    After about forty minutes, they entered a large market town and Matthew parked the Volvo in the municipal car park and pointed the way to the Ladies. ‘I’ll wait for you,’ he said.
    The Ladies was surprisingly clean and Gina was glad of a moment to freshen up before facing the unknown.
    ‘Just follow my lead,’ Matthew said as she rejoined him. He guided her through a passage where a bakery and a pub kept their dustbins.
    ‘Obviously you’ll only take me to the very nicest places,’ she said, picking her way past empty barrels, plastic bread crates and less savoury debris.
    He stopped, turned back and smiled.
    He did have rather a charming smile, she thought as they emerged into the back entrance of a large hall. Shehoped Sally never saw him smile or she’d never leave off her matchmaking.
    The hall he led her to was full of people setting up trestle tables and arranging their stock. They all seemed to know each other, exchanging banter and insults with the same ease as they asked after each other’s families and how business was going.
    ‘It’s open to the public from about ten till four but the trade all come early,’ he explained.
    Everyone seemed to know Matthew but while they were all friendly, Gina couldn’t help noticing that he didn’t seem one of the gang. They treated him more with respect than friendliness, and eyed her with what she felt was deep suspicion as if she had a label saying ‘I’m not really one of you’ round her neck. She tried to overcome it but found herself trotting behind Matthew like an anxious child.
    Then, attracted by some scent bottles, she stopped at a stall and let Matthew stride on to where a man had some pieces of furniture. Gina picked up a bottle engraved with deer and with an embossed lid. ‘This is pretty.’
    ‘It is,’ agreed the seller, a woman wrapped in layers of cashmere. ‘It’s Bohemian.’
    ‘Lovely. Probably beyond my price range though.’
    ‘I’m looking for about four hundred,’ said the woman.
    Gina put it down again. ‘These are delightful though, aren’t they?’
    ‘Very sellable but pricey.’ The woman paused. ‘You came in with Matthew Ballinger?’
    ‘That’s right,’ Gina agreed.
    ‘He’ll never fill his father’s shoes,’ the woman went on, ‘That’s the trouble with Matthew.’
    Gina suddenly felt defensive. ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘His father had a special gift. He could pick up a piece and tell instantly if it was a fake or not. It made things easy for him.’
    ‘What, in a sort of psychic way?’
    The woman shrugged. ‘More likely years of experience. Anyway, things are harder for Matthew.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘Dealer, are you?’
    Gina was about to say no, of course not, when she realised she
was
a dealer – albeit a very new one. That was why she was here. ‘I’m a learner, and it’s very early days. I’d better find Matthew.’
    In the time it took to find him and wait for him to shake hands on a deal, she realised what a very terrifying thing she and Sally had taken on. She wished her sister was there for