Heaven Scent (56 page)

‘What’s that? A flat chest?’ Cat Hayes? What did she matter? And why did Mason saying he thought Cat was appealing feel as though he was being disloyal to her?

Mason waggled his finger at her. ‘Naughty, naughty. What Cat Hayes has is that elusive likeability factor, Angelique. I’ve seen enough here to work out that the Ducasse family love her – all of them. Some more than others, even if they haven’t figured that out yet,’ he said pointedly. ‘Cat fits, and you don’t. It’s as simple as that. And I feel for you. I’ve been there. You and me, we waste time thinking we’re classier than we are but in the end we have to face facts.’

Looking up, Angelique flinched, expecting to see derision in his eyes. But she was wrong. What she saw in his heavy, hooded eyes was empathy. She shrank back from him, shaking. Were they really as similar as he said they were? Angelique couldn’t stomach the thought. She wrapped her arms round her legs, knocked sideways by Mason’s insight and accuracy. What he said made sense and yet, somehow, Angelique couldn’t bring herself to let go. She had worked so hard for this, it had been her dream to shrug off her sordid past – some of which had never been made public – and be the kind of figure people would look up to and envy.

She was so close, too; she was sure Xavier had feelings for her. Angelique knew she had messed up last time but she was convinced she could win him over. She bristled. If Cat Hayes was the only thing standing in her way, she would just make damned sure she was removed from the equation, even if it meant crushing her underfoot. If not, it would be on to plan B, but Angelique would prefer to walk off with all the prizes, if she could.

Mason stood up and straightened his garish tie. ‘Remember what I said, Angelique. You and me, we’re the same. I know it, even if you haven’t worked it out yet. And when all this,’ he gestured casually at La Fleurie and its grounds, ‘is snatched away from you and your dream is shattered, come and find me. I’ll be waiting.’ He hesitated then appeared to make a decision. ‘And just in case it affects anything, I know everything there is to know about you.’ Mason met her eyes unflinchingly, as if to prove he was telling the truth. ‘And I mean
everything
. Your secrets are safe with me but . . .’ He shrugged. ‘I’ll be waiting for you. Like I said.’

Angelique watched open mouthed as he strolled away. What the hell did he mean about knowing everything about her? She went cold all over. How could he? How could he know everything? Her hands were shaking and to steady them she gripped her thighs where Mason’s hands had just been. No one knew all her secrets – no one living, at any rate. Her heart thumped while she tried to collect her thoughts. What to do, what to do?

Angelique faltered, straddling the line between right and wrong. In light of Mason’s revelations, she knew what she should do but could she turn her back on everything she had worked so hard for? Ever since she had split up with Xavier, coming back to La Fleurie, back to respectability, had never been far from her mind or from her plans, however it might have appeared to the outside world. And if that failed, she’d be able to set up on her own and have a whole line of products with her name plastered all over them – Angelique clothes, Angelique make-up, Angelique perfume . . .

Strangely, she trusted Mason. Whatever he knew about her, she believed he wouldn’t spill the beans. But what had he been trying to say to her? That even if the terrible truth came out, he would be there for her? Angelique frowned. ‘I’ll be waiting for you.’ That’s what he’d said. It was almost as if he was offering himself to her on a personal level, almost as if he had been saying that he wanted her, even if Xavier didn’t.

Making a decision about which side of the metaphorical fence she sat on, Angelique stood up. Angrily throwing on a see-through black kimono, she stormed into the château with one thing in mind. She was going to find Cat Hayes and she was going to make sure the girl knew her time was up. Angelique wanted Xavier, and everything he could give her, and she wasn’t giving up without a fight. If Mason thought Cat Hayes was one of the obstacles in her way, she was going to dispense with her once and for all.

Heading upstairs, she burst into Cat’s room, finding her with her butterscotch-coloured hair tied up in a ponytail with a big plaster on her forehead which made her look adorably vulnerable. Mason’s words rang in Angelique’s ears and she fought hard not to launch herself at Cat and scratch her eyes out.

‘Angelique!’ Cat put a hand to her chest and wobbled on her still sore ankle. ‘You frightened the life out of me.’ Angelique was probably the last person she had expected to pay her a visit. Cat watched warily as Angelique strolled around the room in a predatory manner, the diaphanous kimono and tiny bikini doing little to cover her toned body.

‘You’re packing,’ Angelique said with some satisfaction, noting that the bed was covered with clothes. A half-packed bag sat on a chair and another sat by the door, bulging and zipped up.

‘Yes, for Paris,’ Cat said, carefully sliding a dress into a suit bag. The silky, turquoise sheath Leoni had presented her with as a thank you for helping with the pitch carried an impressive designer label and, no doubt, an enormous price tag, but to Cat it was worth more than its monetary value. It meant Leoni had finally accepted her and Cat felt as though she’d climbed a mountain and made it down the other side. Leoni didn’t allow herself to care easily so her friendship meant a great deal.

‘Just for Paris?’ Angelique asked sweetly, moving closer like a deadly spider sidling across its web.

Cat shrugged. ‘Well, actually, my replacement passport has finally arrived, so I guess I’ll be leaving for good soon.’ It hurt to think about leaving La Fleurie and the Ducasse family, but what else could she do? As soon as the legal papers turned up, she would have no reason to stay here, especially now that she had a glossy new passport. Cat knew that whatever she felt for Seraphina and Guy and Leoni, let alone for Xavier, wouldn’t matter once she had formally severed ties with the family. She felt a wrench in her heart at the mere thought of it.

Angelique perched on the end of the bed, squashing a pair of Cat’s shoes carelessly. ‘I just mean that after Paris, there won’t be much point in your coming back here. Isn’t it time you went home? You are only Olivier’s widow, after all. Not so important, really. He is dead and buried which makes you rather redundant.’

Feeling sick, Cat picked up the bunch of dried lavender Xavier had bought for her in Grasse. It was very faded now, just a parched bundle of herbs to anyone else. Cat gulped as she gripped them in her hand. She had finally worked out that it was Xavier who had saved her that day in the valley; it had been his strong, capable arms that had scooped her up and rescued her and his hot mouth that had claimed hers as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

In a rush, Cat remembered the words he had murmured in her ear . . . something about her being rescued for once. She had no idea what he meant. Her feelings for him were strong, as strong as they had been when they had first kissed in Grasse and after what had happened in the stables. Cat closed her eyes at the memory. It had simply proved what she had known for a long time now; she was in love with Xavier. It was inconvenient and it was inappropriate but it was the truth. She wanted him to feel the same way more than anything – and before Angelique’s arrival, she had almost been convinced he did – but she had no idea what Xavier was thinking now. They had hardly spoken and the last time she had properly seen him, he had been wrapped around Angelique, kissing her. Feeling disillusioned, Cat slowly placed the bundle of lavender in her bag.

Irritated by Cat’s distractedness, Angelique went in for the kill. ‘You must be glad I managed to send Xavier out to save you that day,’ she said, picking up one of Cat’s crumpled T-shirts between her finger and thumb, then dropping it as though it was dog excrement. She lifted her large, blue eyes to Cat’s. ‘I told him about you dashing off after Max and he was so angry with you.’

‘Angry?’ Cat turned to face Angelique, feeling her stomach plummet a fraction. ‘What do you mean?’

‘He thought you were foolish,’ Angelique continued airily, wandering round the bedroom, poking her nose into Cat’s belongings. ‘He said it was the most stupid idea for you to ride off in that weather when you were such an inexperienced rider. I tried to convince him that perhaps you were brave, but he wouldn’t listen.’

Cat turned scarlet. Was Angelique telling the truth? Was that really what Xavier had thought? Sitting down on the bed with a bump, she wondered if she had misheard what he had said to her. Maybe he had been cross with her, maybe he had been saying that he had needed to rescue her, or something.

But the kiss? Cat put her hand to her lips. She had imagined it, she must have done. Dully, she realised Angelique was still talking but rather like the way she had heard things after the accident, it sounded as though she was underwater. Drowning, even.

‘So, really, you should know you have no right to be here – not like me,’ Angelique finished in a smug, confident voice. Mason’s stinging words rang in her ears, giving her the impetus to crush Cat underfoot. ‘I won’t be packing. I belong here, with Xavier – with the Ducasse family. In fact, I am fairly certain Xavier will be making a big announcement about us at the launch.’ She shot Cat a pitying stare, noting the devastation in her eyes.

‘An . . . an announcement?

Angelique checked her reflection in the mirror, rearranging her Brigitte Bardot waves. ‘Oh yes. And I cannot
wait
to smell this new fragrance. It was inspired by me, you know. He started to create it before I had left and now I’m back, he was able to finish it.’ She turned to Cat, her eyes gleaming. ‘Very romantic, don’t you think?’

Cat stared at her, her heart plummeting like an out of control lift. Of course she wasn’t arrogant enough to think Xavier’s new-found passion or the fragrance itself had anything to do with her but to hear Angelique talking about it so confidently made her feel totally inconsequential. As Angelique had said, she was only Olivier’s widow, she wasn’t very important, not really . . .

Cat jumped, realising Angelique was almost in her face.

‘You have outstayed your welcome. Time to leave before it becomes embarrassing, little English girl.’ With that, she swept out of the room.

Aghast, Cat stared after her. Angelique was right, she didn’t belong at La Fleurie. Aside from her short-lived marriage to Olivier, which would be signed away very soon, she had no reason to stay and not one claim to the Ducasse family. Feeling defeated, Cat threw everything she owned into her bag.

As hot tears pricked at her eyelids, Cat reached into the bag she had been packing for Paris. Pulling out the bunch of dried lavender, she inhaled its sweet, dusty aroma one last time before dropping the whole thing into the bin. She closed her eyes, feeling the loss of Xavier acutely. But she knew she needed to be strong. After Paris, she was going to have to go home and forget about Xavier and the Ducasse family. So it was about time she started cutting ties, Cat thought shakily, wishing the thought didn’t make her feel so destroyed.

In her nearby apartment, Leoni, too, was packing for Paris. Hearing the doorbell ring, she hurried to the door and signed for the special delivery from Stefan. Leoni opened the package with fumbling fingers and drew the photographs out nervously. Holding them up to the light, she gasped.

They were spectacular, better than she had expected. Checking each one in detail, her excitement mounting as she did so, Leoni knew she had created something incredible. Each photograph showed a slightly different angle or subtle change in position but they were all sensational. The new location, the natural light – everything about the photographs was right this time. They showcased the new fragrance beautifully and the images personified Xavier’s brief, bringing his vision to life with heart-stopping vividness.

Xavier was going to be delighted, Leoni thought tremulously, slipping the photographs back into the envelope. She was sure she had done the right thing. Xavier hadn’t said much but she knew he hadn’t been happy about the photographs of Angelique. She assumed he would have instructed them to be changed if he’d had the time but he was far too busy finalising the perfume and sorting out whatever else he felt needed his urgent attention.

Leoni paused for a moment, wondering what Xavier was up to in Paris. And what would happen when he spoke to Ashton? Ignoring the stab of pain in her heart, she told herself not to think about Ashton any more. The trouble was, every time she closed her eyes, a vision of Marianne in Ashton’s arms and Ashton’s hands all over her voluptuous body crept into view. Leoni couldn’t bear it.

Leoni looked up as the doorbell rang again. Frowning, she opened the door. Jerard stood there, his arms full of brightly coloured packages. He had a slight tan and he was wearing a new, well-cut suit which emphasised his shoulders and his lean physique.