Alleyn, Fredrica (18 page)

'Yes, but remember that what goes on inside the chateau isn't exactly the stuff that romances are made of,' cautioned Cassandra, carefully tying the boat up to the pole on the opposite side and helping Nicola out.

They crossed the narrow winding road that Peter had driven along only forty-eight hours earlier, although it seemed like a lifetime ago to Nicola, and then walked along a lane that was little more than a track overshadowed by trees, before coming out at the edge to a huge ripening cornfield, flanked along three sides by dark green forests. The contrasting colours and the bright blue sky above with only a few cotton wool clouds drifting lazily by, resembled a photograph from a travel brochure and Nicola drew in a deep breath of air.

'It's so beautiful here, I often come across just to relax and unwind,' said Cassandra. 'We can follow this path round the edge of the field and then sit in the shade of one of the trees and talk.'

They walked halfway around the field and then Nicola pleaded exhaustion and sank down on the ground. 'Tell me about our visitors,' she suggested. 'Will I like them? Are they my age, or the baron's?'

'I've known Rupert and Franchise Piccard for nearly two years now,' said Cassandra quietly. 'He's probably a bit younger than Dieter and very handsome. He's got long black hair and vivid blue eyes with black lashes like a girl. He's also tall, over six foot and quite slim but athletic because he used to be a keen sportsman.'

'Sounds gorgeous,' commented Nicola.

'It's his wife who's gorgeous! She was a model so there's no point in even attempting to compete with her. I think she originally came from Brazil, although she doesn't talk about her past much, and she's got that kind of exotic smouldering beauty so many girls from Latin American countries seem to have.'

'Does the baron like her?' asked Nicola quickly.

Cassandra hesitated. 'He certainly finds her sexy, but I'm not sure that he likes her all that much. She's quite hard really.'

'You said there are three people coming. Who's the third?'

'I don't know him personally, I'm afraid. His name's Giovanni Benelli, he's only twenty-two, which makes him more your age than Dieter's, and from what I've been told his parents are very rich so he's probably thoroughly spoilt and very sought-after by all the rich jet-setting European girls.'

'I wonder what he looks like? Some Italian men can be fantastic,' mused Nicola.

'My, whatever happened to that shy girl who turned up two days ago!' laughed Cassandra. 'If he wasn't attractive I don't imagine for one moment that he'd be a friend of Rupert and Frangoise; they only like beautiful people!'

'You mean he's Framboise's lover?' exclaimed Nicola, suddenly reverting to her previous innocence.

'I'm quite sure he has been.'

'Have you ever had an affair with this Rupert then?' asked Nicola, twiddling with a blade of grass and unable to meet Cassandra's eyes.

'I've slept with him, had sex with him, yes, but I wouldn't call it an affair. The baron likes to share things with his friends.'

Suddenly Nicola's head came up and now she looked the other woman directly in the eyes. 'Are you trying to tell me that I'll be expected to . . . ?'

Cassandra put a hand over the girl's. 'Nicola, there are many, many things that you'll be expected to do over the next few weeks. Things you've probably never heard of or dreamt about in your whole life. That's really why I wanted us to come out here today, so that I could warn you, prepare you. You seem to have such an idealistic view of the baron and the kind of person he is.'

'You just want to frighten me!' shouted Nicola, jumping to her feet. 'You're trying to trick me, to make me be friendly to this Giovanni so that the baron will get annoyed, that's it isn't it? You're jealous of the attention I'm getting and so you're going to frighten me away.'

'I don't want to frighten you, or make trouble for you, I'm trying to help you/ said Cassandra reassur-ingly.

'I don't believe you. I want to go back now.'

Cassandra stood up, smoothing pieces of grass and corn from her skirt. 'As you like, but you should listen to me, Nicola. I'm only trying to help.'

'I don't need your help. You're afraid the baron will like me better than you, that's all it is. I'm younger, and I can sense what he really needs from a woman.'

'In that case there's nothing more to be said,' said Cassandra crisply. 'In future I'll let you find things out for yourself. I had to when I first went to live in his house, I thought it would be kinder to give you a little advice. It seems I was wrong.'

'I'm tougher than I look,' said Nicola fiercely. 'I've had to be. No one's looked after me for years. I don't need your help, but you're right about one thing. I want to stay here, to be with the baron, and if that means that you have to leave then I'm very sorry but I won't let it stop me. Is that clear?'

Cassandra looked at the girl's flushed cheeks, bright eyes and tightly clenched hands and knew that there was no point in trying to reason with her. 'It's very clear,' she assured her. 'From now on you're on your own, Nicola. Let's go back shall we, the sun seems to be going in.'

Strangely enough, it was Nicola who felt depressed as they rowed back across the deep lake. She liked Cassandra, even admired her, but sensed that there would never be room for them both to live permanently at the chateau. It was a pity though that Cassandra appeared so friendly; it would have been easier if she'd been someone Nicola could hate.

Chapter Eight

O
n the Saturday morning when the new arrivals were due, Nicola took extra care with her clothes when dressing. She chose a cotton panelled skirt with sea-blue, white and brown flowers on a beige background and topped it with a plain white cotton T-shirt teamed with a crocheted beige waistcoat. The overall effect was casual but more sophisticated than any of her summer dresses.

When Cassandra joined her at the breakfast table she was wearing a bright tulip print sundress with slender shoulder straps, tiny buttons at the bodice, a nipped-in waist and a skirt that ended at the top of her knees, leaving more of her perfectly shaped brown legs bare than Nicola had seen except when she was naked.

The multi-layered protection scheme!' laughed the baron when he saw Nicola's waistcoat over the T-shirt. 'I hope Rupert feels like a challenge!'

Nicola felt her face go pink. She hoped that the baron was joking, that Cassandra hadn't been telling the truth when she'd implied that these visitors would be using her body in the same way as the baron had used it. She decided that he was teasing her and laughed.

His eyes turned suddenly cool. 'You're amused?'

'Not exactly,' she stammered. 'I just ... I mean, I didn't think

He smiled again. 'Of course you didn't! Why should you?' He turned to Cassandra. 'As usual you are dressed perfectly for the morning. Is everything prepared for our guests?'

'Everything,' she said meaningfully.

'Good. They will be here by eleven. Make sure you are all ready to welcome them. I think I'll go and check over the horses until then; I'm sure Rupert and Giovanni will want to ride.'

When he'd gone Nicola glanced at Cassandra. 'He was joking, wasn't he?'

'About what?' she asked coolly.

'About Rupert and a challenge.'

'I'm sure you understand him much better than I do,' replied Cassandra, remembering her attempts to warn the girl during their walk. 'You must work it out for yourself.'

For the next three hours Nicola wandered around the grounds of the chateau, across the green fields, down to the lake, even venturing inside one of the small copses, as she tried to come to terms with what she was now beginning to think was the reality of the forthcoming visit.

Having the baron explore her body, teach it how to respond and how to take pleasure, was one thing; the prospect of others doing the same was terrifying. But if it was true then she knew that Cassandra had done the same, and if Cassandra could do it, then so could she. She was starting to realise that this was all some kind of test, and suspected that if she passed it then she might very well have a permanent home here in the Loire Valley. All she had to do was accept that the baron knew best, that he understood her better than she understood herself and everything would be all right, she thought resolutely.

On her way back to the small drawing room where the baron and Cassandra had started to explore her body that first evening, she almost collided with Monique who was carrying a huge vase of scarlet and white flowers for the hall.

'Please, do not make me spill any water!' she murmured as she swerved to avoid the English girl. 'I would be punished, and when Madame Franchise is here, that is terrible indeed.'

Nicola stared at her. 'You mean, the visitors discipline the baron's servants?'

Monique dipped her head and carried on, refusing to say more but she left Nicola standing with what felt like an icy hand gripping her round her waist as the first stirrings of fear began to invade her.

'They're here!' called Cassandra, hurrying down the main staircase and finding Nicola standing stock-still in the hallway staring vacantly into space. 'Come along, Nicola, the baron wants us at the door to greet them.'

The baron was already there, kissing Rupert on both cheeks before taking Frangoise into his arms for a more passionate embrace. When he held her away from him to admire her, Nicola had her first look at the Brazilian ex-model and she knew that Cassandra hadn't been exaggerating. She was incredibly beautiful.

Dressed in an ankle length Indian silk dress of varying shades of plum, pink and purple, her hair tinged with copper highlights which fell in curls to her shoulders while her dark eyes blazed with energy, Frangoise was indeed breathtaking. She was extremely slim and every move she made was elegant and sensual. Nicola thought she was more like a wild jungle cat than a human being.

At that moment Franchise's eyes met Nicola's, and for a moment they narrowed as she made one of her lightning and usually accurate assessments. Then, hiding her conclusions behind a broad smile, she swept across the marble floor and kissed the girl lightly on each cheek. 'So sweet!' she murmured, letting one hand stray through the blonde pageboy haircut. 'Such innocence, such purity, and virtually untouched, Dieter tells us. I can't wait to get to know you better, little one.'

Nicola took a step backwards. There was something frightening about the words and the touch, something she knew she'd never encountered before and would have preferred not to meet now. Watching, the baron smiled to himself.

After that it was Rupert's turn to grasp Nicola by the hands and study her gravely for a moment before bestowing the necessary kisses and murmuring an appreciative comment about her appealing gaucheness, a comment which Nicola found far from flattering.

Then, as the Piccards started chatting to Cassandra, the baron brought forward the young man who had been standing behind them. At five foot eleven, Giovanni was slightly shorter than the other two men but his tight black curls, designer stubble and surprisingly soft brown eyes made him just as attractive as Rupert in Nicola's eyes, if not even more so. He smiled at her, showing very white teeth that contrasted sharply with his tan, a tan gained mainly at the various jet-set resorts where he skied, played tennis and swam most of the year round.

'Nicola, may I introduce Giovanni Benelli, a friend of Rupert's and like yourself, a first time visitor to the chateau. Giovanni, Nicola is the daughter of a long-time friend of mine, an English historian with an impeccable military background.'

'I am impressed,' commented the young Italian, bowing low over Nicola's hand. 'You are just as English girls are meant to be, but alas so often are not.'

Nicola was about to ask him precisely what he meant by that when Cassandra came over to meet him, and it was immediately obvious that whatever kind of an impression she'd made on him, it was nothing compared to that made by the baron's mistress.

His eyes widened and for a moment he
seemed
unsure of himself before taking her right hand in his and raising it to his lips. 'I am honoured to meet you,
signorina,'
he said softly.

The baron looked over at Rupert and they grinned at each other. Clearly this was a conquest and one that should be amusing during their stay. 'I'm pleased you approve/ he said lightly, putting an arm around Cassandra's waist as a reminder to the young man that she was his and any dalliances would only be with his permission.

'I can't wait to sit by your pool,' said Franchise, glancing around for someone to take their cases up to their room. 'I've been thinking about it all the way here. Although Rupert tells me I'm wrong, I'm convinced the air conditioning in the car's faulty.'

'It works perfectly well,' he assured her. 'You simply won't do as you're meant to and keep the windows closed. That ruins the entire system.'

'It should help,' retorted Frangoise, and she put an arm through Cassandra's. 'Let's go outside. Tell me, is it true that the girl was a virgin until recently?'

'Until two days ago,' responded Cassandra softly. 'Dieter attended to the matter himself, with considerable enthusiasm too.'

'How delightful! She still looks virginal of course. What else has she done?'