Heaven Scent (42 page)

Delphine, accompanying Angelique on her gracious tour around the room, spotted Xavier and paused to gauge his reaction. She couldn’t help noticing that his dark hair was all over the place and that his shirt was undone. Her eyes slid to Cat and, noting her loose hair and dishevelled appearance, Delphine felt a moment of disquiet. Surely not . . .

‘Angelique,’ Xavier croaked, unable to believe his eyes.

‘It’s her, isn’t it?’ Cat gulped, watching the blood drain from his face. ‘She’s the woman you were in love with.’ His stricken expression said it all and Cat felt faint. ‘I would never have approached her if I’d known,’ she told him desperately. ‘Please forgive me . . .’

‘You?’ Deathly white, Xavier spun round to face her. ‘You did this?’

Cat shook her head dumbly. ‘I didn’t know . . . she’s here for the ad campaign for your fragrance . . .’

Xavier’s eyes turned dark with pain. ‘Do you have any idea what you’ve done?’ He shook her hand from his arm and turned to face Angelique as she sidled up to him.

‘Xavier.’ Seeing a hovering photographer she recognised from a gossip magazine, Angelique planted a juicy kiss on Xavier’s mouth. ‘Have you missed me?’

‘Fuck off,’ Xavier told her in a cold undertone, recoiling at the pungent waft of jasmine. He gave Cat a look of utter devastation before stalking out of the room.

Crumpling, Cat met Delphine’s self-satisfied gaze. She really does hate me, Cat thought in shock.

Max put Xavier’s dinner jacket around Cat’s shivering shoulders. ‘Shit. Cat, are you all right?’

Cat shook her head blindly. ‘No, no, I’m not. Sorry, I have to go . . .’

Tearing away and not even able to look at Delphine again, she stumbled out of the room and ran up the stairs. Only when she was safely in her room did she fall on the bed and give in to her feelings. Burying her face in Xavier’s dinner jacket and inhaling the evocative scent of his aftershave, Cat sobbed harder than she ever had in her life.

The following morning, Leoni found herself sitting in her office, listlessly sorting through her paperwork. Unusually, she hadn’t put on one of her designer dresses; she was wearing a simple black tunic with a gold chain belt. Today, looking like a businesswoman who thrived on pressure and challenge seemed unimportant and inappropriate. Besides, who was she trying to impress?

Biting her nails, Leoni thought about last night. What a spectacle, what a drama! She didn’t fully understand everything that had happened because she had been so caught up in her own issues, but the look on Xavier’s face when Angelique had turned up . . . Leoni sighed.

Returning to her own turmoil, she thought about Jerard and the way she had presented herself to him. She accepted now that her work persona had been a shield to hide behind; a brittle, professional aura she had created to protect her emotional vulnerability. It was nothing more than an act, one she was tiring of. Couldn’t she just be herself? Couldn’t she just be allowed to be who she was and be accepted for it? It seemed that even Jerard, so perfect at first glance, seemed to want her to be something she wasn’t.

No, Leoni corrected herself. Jerard wanted her to be the person she’d appeared to be: professional, committed to work and ultimately emotionless. She had given him the impression from the start that all she cared about was work and he had assumed she was a kindred spirit, a woman who didn’t mind being left alone at a party just because a big deal had been finalised. A woman who didn’t protest when a romantic moment was interrupted because, after all, business was everything, wasn’t it? Leoni sighed. Ironically, it was Jerard, the only man she’d met who really liked the old Leoni, who had made her realise she wanted more out of life than work.

So, where did that leave them? Leoni wondered. Did she really want to be with a man who ditched her at the first sight of a deal? Because there would always be another deal, that much was obvious.

Leoni checked her phone. No messages.

And what about Ashton? He hadn’t said a word to her all night, even after Jerard had gone. Ashton had arrived at the party without a date but he had seemed to be actively avoiding her and it felt horrible. Leoni was confused. Had she done something to upset him? She missed her best friend. Ever since Jerard had come on the scene, her friendship with Ashton seemed to have deteriorated. Was that the problem, perhaps? Did Ashton feel neglected? Surely not. He wasn’t the type to be so self-absorbed. No, there must be some other reason.

Leoni looked up bleakly as the door opened.

‘Sorry,’ Cat mumbled, turning away. ‘I-I was looking for Xavier.’

Leoni called her back. ‘Wait. Come in. Please, come in.’ She ushered Cat in, not sure why she was doing such a thing. But something in Cat’s eyes told her that all was not well. ‘What happened last night?’

Cat sat down in the stiff leather armchair Leoni offered her. She didn’t want to be here; she didn’t trust Leoni and Leoni couldn’t stand her.

Leoni sat on the edge of her desk and stared at Cat. Usually so sparkling and warm, Cat’s aquamarine eyes were dejected and sombre looking. There were violet shadows beneath them from lack of sleep and her long hair was pulled back in a messy bun. Her clothes had clearly been an afterthought that morning; she was wearing old jeans with a crumpled purple T-shirt that needed a wash.

‘Talk to me,’ Leoni said, concerned. ‘You look like you need a friend. And I know I’m probably not your number one choice but I’m here and I’m listening.’

Cat looked up warily. What could she say? How could she explain? Leoni had warned her against getting involved with Xavier. ‘One Ducasse is enough,’ she had spat out nastily. Cat shifted uncomfortably. She had only just got her head around what her relationship with Olivier had been about – who he really was – and she had flung herself headlong into another ill-fated romance.

‘This is to do with Angelique,’ Leoni guessed accurately.

Cat rubbed a hand over her eyes, feeling exhausted. ‘You could say that.’

‘Xavier’s ex-girlfriend. He was never the same after she left.’

Cat raised her eyebrows. ‘Yes, he told me about it last night. I know . . . everything.’

‘You know everything?’ Leoni felt an irrational stab of jealousy. Xavier hadn’t told her a single thing about it. In fact, as far as she knew, only the twins were in full possession of the facts and nothing would prise the truth out of those two when they’d been sworn to secrecy.

Cat, unaware of Leoni’s thoughts, groaned. ‘Why did I let Delphine talk me into speaking to Angelique? I thought maybe she was finally coming round to trusting me – liking me even, for fuck’s sake!’ She stopped, realising she’d let it slip about Delphine. What was she thinking? Leoni had claws, sharp ones, and she wasn’t afraid to use them. Cat could have bitten her tongue off but it was too late now.

Leoni gawped.
‘Grandmother
asked you to bring Angelique here?’ She looked flabbergasted. ‘Why would she do that?’ Cat was silent and Leoni felt guilty. ‘Look, I know I’ve given you a hard time and you don’t trust me. I’ve been an absolute bitch and I think I’ve finally figured out why.’ She met Cat’s gaze head on. ‘Ashton said something to me once that makes sense. I-I think I’m jealous of you. I mean, I was.’

Cat’s jaw dropped. Why on earth would Leoni be jealous of her? Because she married someone she barely knew? Because she was a widow at the age of twenty-six?

‘I know it sounds stupid but I think I was jealous that you were the person Olivier spent his last hours with,’ Leoni confessed. ‘We were so close – at least, I thought we were and yet I didn’t even know he was married. And you didn’t even know I existed! It hurt me, and with no Olivier here to blame, I took it out on you. It’s horrible but I hope it makes some sort of sense.’

Cat nodded slowly. It did. ‘I did love him; at least, I think I did.’ She frowned, thinking about the way she felt about Xavier which made her feelings for Olivier fade into insignificance.

‘It really doesn’t matter any more,’ Leoni told her, meaning it. ‘I just wanted to get that off my chest.’ She sat down in another armchair. ‘Do you want to talk about what happened with Xavier? I won’t be offended if you don’t want to.’

Cat hesitated. She desperately needed to confide in someone but it was hard to spill her thoughts to Leoni. Realising that it had probably taken a lot for Leoni to own up to her jealousy over Olivier, Cat thought maybe she should give Leoni a chance but Leoni seemed to be in an offloading mood.

‘All right, I’ll tell you something about me, shall I? Something personal. Then maybe you’ll be able to trust me.’ She took a deep breath. ‘I’ve fallen for Jerard, the guy I’ve been dating. But he . . . he puts business before me. We haven’t slept together because his phone rings off the hook and, honestly, I think the only way we’ll ever get it together is if I plaster an enticing deal all over my naked body to persuade him to pay attention to me for long enough.’

Cat smiled. She knew it must have killed Leoni to admit to that.

‘And he buys me lilies and I can’t bring myself to tell him I can’t stand them and instead of telling me how he feels, he shows me . . . but he’s always interrupted so I never really get to find out.’ Spent, Leoni sat back in her chair. ‘Is that enough sharing?’

Cat gave a short laugh. ‘Yes.’ Knowing she could trust Leoni with Xavier’s secret past, she filled her in quickly, telling her the briefest facts of Xavier’s relationship with Angelique. She didn’t mention what had happened with Xavier in the stables; that was too personal . . . too intimate.

Leoni was perplexed. ‘So she just left, without discussing losing the baby with him? That’s a bit suspect, isn’t it? And not a very nice thing to do, especially after Aunt Elizabeth had just died.’ Leoni let out a slow breath. ‘No wonder Xavier lost interest in the business . . . no wonder he howled at anyone who went near him.’ Leoni felt mortified when she thought of the many jibes she had thrown at Xavier for not pulling his weight and creating more perfumes. How she had mocked him for walking away from the family business and not being as committed to it as she was. Leoni let out a strangled breath. She was learning an awful lot about herself lately. She wished she’d had a more open mind. Maybe she and her grandmother were more alike than she’d thought. Leoni frowned and suppressed that unpalatable thought for the time being.

She focused on Cat again. ‘So, the bit we don’t understand is what Grandmother is playing at, getting Angelique back here.’

‘Exactly.’

‘Well, she can’t know about the baby situation or about Angelique just leaving Xavier like that,’ Leoni pointed out reasonably. Seeing Cat’s eyebrows lift doubtfully, she shook her head firmly. ‘No, Grandmother is a tough old lady and we all know how she manipulates everybody but there’s no way she’d hurt Xavier in that way. He’s her favourite grandson, she adores him.’ Leoni thought for a second. ‘I can only imagine she thought Xavier was still in love with Angelique and that they’d had a silly row or something. I wonder if she thought she was playing Cupid?’

Cat bit her lip, realising Leoni was probably right.

‘It was an honest mistake on your part,’ Leoni pointed out. She could see how upset Cat was and she wondered why. Out of nowhere, the penny dropped. Cat had fallen for Xavier! Something had probably happened between them last night but Cat didn’t want to talk about it. Leoni was surprised at herself for not being more bothered by the realisation.

‘Aren’t we in a mess?’ she commented lightly, not letting on to Cat that she had guessed about Xavier. She gestured to her towering pile of paperwork. ‘I’ve been working so hard on the home fragrance campaign, I’ve neglected everything else.’ Leoni grimaced. ‘And I don’t even know if my proposal is any good.’

‘Let me have a look at it,’ Cat pleaded. ‘Please, I need something to take my mind off all of this, at least until Xavier’s calmed down and I can speak to him about everything.’ Quite honestly, Cat still wanted to flee from La Fleurie and never set eyes on it again but she knew she owed it to Xavier to try and explain herself. According to Bella, her passport was on its way, so in all probability Cat would be leaving very soon. She needed to make her peace with Xavier before that.

Leoni was about to turn Cat’s offer of assistance down automatically, the way she did whenever anyone offered help, but she caught herself. Why did she keep doing that? Hadn’t she learnt yet that it wasn’t a failure to admit she was struggling with something? Besides, with Cat’s branding and advertising know-how, it would be madness to reject an offer of assistance when she so sorely needed it.

‘Actually, yes. Do you mind?’ Leoni dragged the paperwork towards her. ‘I just can’t get my head around how to pitch this to Guy. I thought I had it all worked out but now I can’t even think of a reason to launch a home fragrance line. I’ve totally lost my way.’

Cat took the plans from Leoni. Mentally shelving her agonies over Xavier, she skim-read the proposal. Leoni watched anxiously from across the desk.

‘It’s good but it needs honing,’ Cat assessed. She felt her imagination take hold and she was pleased. Anything to keep her from giving in to the appalling ache in her heart. ‘Product placement is my speciality. I know exactly how you should pitch this to Guy. Hand me a pen and we’ll get started.’

Throwing her a grateful smile, Leoni did as she was told for once.

 

Later that day, Guy was sitting in his office, barely holding it together. He was raging but he didn’t know what to do with his rage or how to handle the situation. Seraphina’s behaviour last night had appalled him. He hadn’t thought she could possibly shock him more than she had the day she’d ridden round the college gardens naked but now she had done it again. And this time, it was far worse. This time, Seraphina’s actions had taken a sinister turn, one that frightened the hell out of Guy.

He shook as he thought about what had happened. Seraphina was far too young for boyfriends, especially one who was old enough to be her father. Guy’s mouth tightened. And he had been worried about perverts approaching Seraphina on the beach! It seemed he had far more to worry about closer to home. He cursed his mother for bringing that man into their home. What was she thinking, hiring a private detective? This obsession with Cat Hayes was completely out of hand.