Read Online The Secret of the Villa Mimosa by Elizabeth Adler - Free Book Online Page A

Hepburn. Her velvety copper brown eyes were two shades lighter than her hair, and her skin was no longer the color of moonstones but of fresh cream. She was still too thin, of course. The bones were too close to the surface, showing every bump in her spine, the sinews of her long neck, her wrist and ankle bones prominent. But compared with only a month ago, she looked wonderful.
    She was wearing jeans and a shirt Phyl had bought for her, and Phyl knew she would be a joy to dress. And she was right. Everything looked good on Bea’s tall, slender frame.
    They covered the designer departments in the stores and the younger boutiques, and despite Bea’s protests, Phyl insisted on equipping her for every possible occasion, from casual to cocktail.
    “But where am I going to wear all these lovelyclothes?” Bea demanded as they struggled back to the car burdened with yet more shopping bags.
    “That’s what I’m going to tell you over dinner,” Phyl said briskly. “And if ever two women deserved a good dinner, we do. We have battled the stores bravely, particularly you, and emerged with the trophies of victory. Now let’s celebrate.”
    She had booked a table at Stars, and Bea slipped the supple new bronze suede jacket over her T-shirt and jeans. She put on the dangling amber earrings Phyl had insisted on buying and a touch of the Prescriptives Havana lipstick the saleswoman had recommended.
    “Well, look at you,” Phyl marveled as they took their seats in the restaurant. “You’re turning every head in the place.”
    “I thought they were staring at you.” Bea glanced cautiously around. “This is wonderful,” she said, pleased. “But I wish you hadn’t spent all that money on me, Phyl. I promise I’ll pay you back, though. One day. When I get a job.”
    “Speaking of a job, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
    Bea stared at Phyl with astonishment, as she ordered a bottle of wine and studied the menu.
    “Here’s to you, darling Bea,” Phyl said, raising her glass. “To your recovery, to your health, and to our friendship.”
    “It’s I who must thank you. For everything. For giving me a roof over my head, for the lovely clothes.” She looked gratefully at Phyl and added softly, “For my sanity.”
    “It’s time for phase two of the recovery,” Phyl said. “You may find this idea a little frightening, but it will achieve two things. Both of which are important to you.”
    Bea stared anxiously at her. She didn’t want anything to change; she just wanted life to go on as it was now.
    Phyl said, “I have a friend, Millie Renwick. She’s as rich as a Rockefeller and mad as a hatter, and she’s the most upbeat person I know. She lives in New York, and she’s looking for a social secretary—someone to keep up with her appointments, make calls for her, and act as a traveling companion.” She laughed, remembering. “A general gofer is more like it, if I know Millie. She’s an old dragon, but it’s all on the surface. Anyhow, she’s planning a trip to Paris. And since you speak French and Millie cannot utter a word to save her life, who better for the job than you?”
    Bea’s stomach clenched in sudden fear at the thought. She didn’t want to go to New York; she was afraid to go to Paris.
    “I know Millie well,” Phyl said. “I’ve helped her through a couple of personal traumas and have tried to overcome her guilt at having so much money and indulging herself. Though you can take it from me, she gives away as much as she spends. There’s no more generous and charitable woman on earth than Millie Renwick. But I’m warning you. She’s an original. They don’t make them like Millie anymore.
    “I want you to go alone to New York to meet her. Make the quantum leap all by yourself. If you’re ever going to get back into the world again, then this is the time to go for it.” She looked eagerly at Bea. “So? What do you say?”
    Despite her fears, Bea knew Phyl was right. She