Heaven Scent (29 page)

The old lady left the restroom, leaving Leoni pensive. She supposed a man and woman dancing together so closely would look like a couple to anyone who didn’t know them. But she felt unsettled.

Leoni took out her mobile phone and dialled Jerard. She just wanted to hear his voice.

‘Jerard? It’s Leoni. I . . . just thought I’d call from Paris and see how you are.’ She stared at herself in the mirror and waited for his response. ‘You’re on a break from a meeting? Lucky I caught you for five minutes then.’ Forgetting all about Ashton waiting for her outside, Leoni willed Jerard to – verbally, at least – sweep her off her feet again.

 

The day after the kiss at the restaurant, Cat found herself packing her bags with a heavy heart. The past twenty-four hours had been fraught with tension. She and Xavier had barely exchanged more than a few words afterwards. As ever, the only safe topic of conversation thereafter had been perfume but even that had become strained. Cat sat down abruptly on the bed.

The heady kiss at the restaurant, with the rain pelting down around them, had been incredible. Knee-trembling, mindblowing and utterly unforgettable. Her body let her down constantly by filling with desire at the memory at the most inappropriate moments.

She stood up and threw the last of her clothes into her bag. But the look on his face afterwards . . . Xavier’s eyes had been full of guilt, regret and intense disappointment in himself. It had been like a slap in the face. Cat guessed Xavier felt guilty about Olivier, and she knew she should be feeling that way too but she didn’t. His lies had seen to that. She didn’t feel remotely bad about kissing his cousin.

Cat paused. Olivier had married her, so she supposed she had meant something to him. What had his long-term plans been? Had he even thought that far ahead – or had Olivier intended to pass himself off as a penniless waiter indefinitely?

Cat sighed. She guessed she’d never know for sure now and unfortunately, the fact that Olivier had taken the step of marrying her didn’t provide much comfort any more.

She put on a cream jumper over her jeans and hurried downstairs. She was due to meet Xavier outside and she didn’t want to keep him waiting. She found him leaning against his Aston Martin looking like a bloody film star and Cat wished he was less charismatic. Thoroughly fed up with the tension between them, she decided to bite the bullet.

‘Listen, about that kiss . . .’

‘What about it?’ Xavier threw her bag into the back of the car, his expression unreadable.

Cat sighed. ‘Don’t you think you’re being a bit childish about it?’

He let out a short laugh. ‘Childish? No, why on earth would you think that? It was a mistake, that’s all.’

Offended, Cat leant on the car. ‘Yes, Xavier, we both know it was a mistake. You don’t have to rub it in.’

He shrugged, as if he found the conversation tiresome. ‘We should just forget it.’

Frustrated, Cat smacked her hands down on the Aston Martin. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ she yelled. ‘You can’t even talk about a stupid kiss! Are you emotionally retarded or something?’

Xavier recoiled as if Cat had slapped him.
Emotionally retarded?
How dare she! If anything, he was far too passionate about the things that mattered to him. He didn’t want to tell her about his past because he knew he’d be in danger of breaking down, and then what might she think of him? Would she think him pathetic for falling in love so deeply before falling apart when it all went wrong?

‘You don’t know me at all,’ he said coldly. ‘So don’t make assumptions about me.’

Cat hardly heard him, she was so angry. ‘If you weren’t so screwed up, you’d understand that sometimes people do crazy things. People fall in love when they haven’t known each other for very long, they even occasionally kiss in the heat of the moment. These things happen!’

Xavier opened his mouth to respond but Cat was on a roll.

‘And you’re a fine one to talk about making assumptions, Xavier! When did you make your mind up about me? When you heard Olivier had married me? Or was it when you saw me for the first time, while you were frolicking naked with one of your many girlfriends?’

Xavier flushed. ‘I admit I had preconceptions about you but why wouldn’t I? Do you know how many people target our family because they know we’re wealthy?’

‘That doesn’t justify tarring everyone with the same brush. Oh, and by the way, thanks so much for letting me cry into my napkin and tell you intimate details about my family and my life, whilst you sit there on your high horse and decide that I’m too naive and silly to warrant any kind of openness back.’

‘That’s a ridiculous thing to say,’ Xavier told her in clipped tones. ‘That’s not what it is at all.’

‘Then what is it?’ Cat demanded, her hands on her hips. ‘Are you scared? Worried about what I might think of you? Or do you just hate feeling vulnerable?’

All of the above, Xavier thought to himself tersely as he threw himself into the driving seat of his car. ‘We need to leave now,’ he said, putting his Ray-Bans on and staring straight ahead.

‘Too bloody right, we need to leave,’ Cat muttered under her breath and got into the car like a petulant child. She gritted her teeth and looked resolutely out of the window.

Hard at work at La Fleurie, Leoni had barely thought of anything else but her home fragrance campaign, apart from the odd intrusion when Jerard flashed into her head. The campaign was taking shape nicely and it kept her focused whilst Jerard was busy with a large new contract he’d taken on; he was working on it pretty much night and day.

Leoni had experienced the odd pang of anxiety over Jerard’s preoccupation with his new contract. She knew all about putting business first, especially when it was important, but she couldn’t help panicking that he was using it as an excuse to avoid her. Still, he’d sent her so many texts, as well as a bouquet of lilies, she had no real reason to doubt that he was simply caught up in business and too busy to visit.

She eyed the large bunch of flowers which she’d displayed in a Lalique vase. Unfortunately lilies always reminded her of funerals. It wasn’t Jerard’s fault; he didn’t know her well enough to have any idea about her favourite flowers, or to know how many times she had seen lilies on fresh gravestones. Ashton, having known her for so many years, would of course know to send her lush, velvety pink roses should he ever feel the inclination to do so. It was going to take time for Jerard to get to know her, that was all.

And vice versa, Leoni thought, realising she didn’t even know what Jerard did in his spare time, let alone what his favourite things were. She sincerely hoped he liked Paris because if they secured the shop, the first thing she wanted to do was take him there. Leoni had loved every minute of her recent trip there but it had been missing one thing – romance. Idly, she wondered if Ashton had taken anyone else to the lovely bar yet. He didn’t seem to be short of admirers; his answerphone had been full of messages from both English and French girls.

And there had been a fair few messages from Marianne Peroux too, Leoni thought with pursed lips. She was fairly sure the woman applied the same rules to men as she clearly did to business: she wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted. Leoni only hoped Marianne was after the building and not Ashton – for his sake.

Something suddenly occurred to Leoni. Not once had Jerard made a move on her – not a serious one. She had planned to keep him at arm’s length – for a while, at least – but she hadn’t really needed to. Leoni felt a moment of panic. Perhaps he didn’t see her that way, perhaps he thought she was interesting but not sexually attractive. Although he had called her sexy at their first dinner date, hadn’t he? In a roundabout way, at least.

Leoni tried to reassure herself. Why would Jerard be dating her if he didn’t find her physically attractive? Surely there wouldn’t be much point in that. Deciding to do something she hadn’t ever done before where a man was concerned, she did an internet search on Jerard. Taken aback, she discovered that the small store Jerard ran nearby was actually the tip of the iceberg – or rather, the cornerstone of his empire, as it were. He had stores selling all sorts of different items all over Europe and he had a huge business arm in Japan, of all places.

Leoni looked up his website. Jerard wasn’t just quite successful, he was a self-made millionaire, she thought with a gulp. He might have come from relatively humble beginnings and he might dress casually in the office but he was very rich. Leoni frowned, not sure how she felt about Jerard not telling her the extent of his business. But perhaps he was just modest. After all, how was he supposed to drop being a millionaire into the conversation? And she didn’t make a habit of talking about her own substantial wealth, so why should Jerard?

Hearing a sound outside, she looked up. It was quiet at the château; the twins were at college and Xavier was still in Grasse with Cat Hayes, by all accounts. A head poked round the door and Leoni immediately recognised Jerard’s tufty brown hair.

‘What a lovely surprise! Come in, come in.’ Quickly closing the internet page down, Leoni smoothed her hair and hoped her red lipstick was still in place.

Jerard grinned. ‘Ah, hard at work, I see. A woman after my own heart.’ He leant in and kissed her, his hands moving round her waist. Leoni kissed him back, pleased that he was being so tactile.

Pulling away reluctantly, Jerard tucked her hair behind her ears, the gesture oddly distracted when it should have been intimate.

Leoni discreetly let her hair fall back around her chin. She hated showing her ears; she always thought they stuck out.

‘Sorry I’ve been so busy,’ Jerard was saying. ‘This deal is taking up all of my time at the moment. I can’t believe it, just as I meet you, my company takes on the biggest contract it’s ever seen.’

‘But great for your company,’ Leoni told him, delighted that he felt the need to explain himself. It was almost as if he had known she was anxious about his feelings for her.

Jerard kissed her again. ‘You’re very understanding, Leoni. I can’t believe we’re so compatible.’ He glanced at her teetering pile of paperwork and pulled a face. ‘Don’t you just hate paperwork? My assistant files everything for me, thank God, otherwise I think I’d drown under it all.’

Leoni frowned at the thought of Jerard’s very pretty assistant Suzanne.

‘Hey, I was just about to invite you to a party,’ Leoni said, changing the subject. She handed him an invitation, hot off the press. ‘My grandmother is organising it to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Rose-Nymphea. It was an idea Olivier’s widow had, believe it or not, but I have to admit it’s a good one. It’s creating such a positive buzz about Ducasse-Fleurie, and all the attention will be fantastic for my campaign.’ She hoped her grandmother had remembered to send Ashton an invite and made a mental note to check with her. Maybe he would bring a girlfriend . . . maybe he would even bring Marianne, Leoni thought with some distaste.

Jerard read the invitation, looking impressed. Taking out his phone, he checked something and Leoni realised he was scrutinising his calendar.

‘Oh no, can’t you make it?’

‘It’s fine. I have a big dinner the night before but it seems I’m free on this date, so I’ll book myself in right now.’ Leaning over, he gave her another kiss, noticing the lilies in the vase behind her. ‘You got my flowers, I see. Do you like them?’

Leoni hesitated, about to say she hated lilies but she nodded instead. ‘Yes, I do. Thank you so much.’

‘Great.’ Jerard’s phone went off and, glancing at it, he let her know he needed to take it. ‘Sorry,’ he added. ‘I was on my way to a meeting, but I really wanted to see you.’

Leoni smiled as he left. Things were on track between them; she was sure of it.

 

When Cat arrived back at La Fleurie, she just wanted to disappear to her room to get her head together. She was dying to call Bella to tell her what had happened but, more to the point, she needed to get away from Xavier and the crackling tension that sat between them. The silent drive back had been almost unbearable. But they were greeted in the hall by Guy who looked suave in grey trousers and a pale pink shirt. His silver-grey hair was neat and his brown eyes lit up at the sight of them.

‘You’re back! Did you have a good trip?’

Xavier nodded, not looking at Cat as he put their bags down. ‘Yes, thank you.’ He sighed to himself as Delphine appeared, resplendent in an apricot woollen suit and court shoes. The last thing he needed was his grandmother stirring things up.

‘How lovely to see you . . . both,’ Delphine said. ‘I do hope your trip was successful. While I remember, Xavier, a girl came looking for you while you were in Grasse. Monique, I think her name was. Pretty, but rather cheap looking.’

Xavier looked pained. He didn’t dare look at Cat.

‘Therese also called many times – didn’t you have your phone with you?’ Delphine seemed determined to make him look like the gigolo Cat obviously thought he was.

Xavier stiffly thanked her. ‘I’ll deal with my calls later, Grandmother. For now, I’d like to get unpacked and grab a bite to eat.’

‘I assume my passport hasn’t arrived? I need to get on to my friend about it,’ Cat muttered, about to head towards the stairs.

Delphine reached out and grabbed her arm. ‘Actually, I wanted to have a chat with you about something, if you could wait a moment.’

Cat noticed Xavier hesitate, as if he felt he should stay. Then he clearly thought better of it and disappeared upstairs. Guy also made his exit, leaving Cat alone with Delphine.

Cat bit her lip. A cosy chat with Delphine was the last thing she wanted right now.

‘So, how do you think your trip went?’ Delphine asked.

Cat shot her a suspicious glance.

‘It was . . . fine,’ she provided with a frown. ‘Very . . . informative.’