She might have been content to stay there a while, but Gael had wandered in looking for respite from the party and thrown a massive panic at seeing her and Leon making out beside the bed. She had a pretty good idea what he thought was going on, or about to be. She pulled a face at him (highly mature) and laughed at the look on his face as Leon grabbed her by the hand and dragged her out the door.

It was probably common knowledge that Paris was beautiful, but at night, at Christmas, it was spectacular. A light snow was falling, and the streets were blanketed with a fluffy carpet, and everything was softly illuminated by little old-fashioned gas streetlights, and strings of festive lights through the otherwise naked trees.

They wandered for who knows how long, visiting the Tower and the gardens, nosing up to the glass pyramid at the Louvre, resting briefly by the Seine and staring in awe at Notre Dame. Or she did anyway, he just escorted her about patiently.