More to the point, how long could Laura stay under that roof knowing her presence had to be crucifying Chantelle? He raked his hands through his hair, trying to fit all the pieces together, but that was the problem. Just when he thought one would go into place, he discovered it was the wrong piece or the wrong place.
Earlier when Laura had told him she was buying the violets for Chantelle, he could have sworn she’d done it out of kindness, nothing more. At one point the jabs and arrows had seemed to change to gentle teasing. Their conversation had slid in and out of context until he didn’t know where he was with her.
Prepared for the fight Guy would put up, he left the house for his brother’s. Raoul found the family eating dinner on the patio. The basket of violets served as the centerpiece. There was no sign of Laura.
“Hey, Uncle Raoul.”
“Hey, yourself, Paul.”
Chantelle looked up. “There you are. If you want to join us, I’ll tell cook.”
“I’m not hungry, merci.”
His brother, acting as if nothing was wrong, motioned for him to sit down. “How did it go with Jean-Luc? Was he right about the complex? You think it’s worth purchasing?”
What a cool customer his brother was. Raoul could only marvel. “I want a few days to think about it.”
Guy nodded. “Thanks for taking Laura with you today. When I told her how much you dislike playing tour guide, she said she was doubly grateful for the way you put yourself out.”
If that was a direct quote, and it sounded like it was, Raoul had reason to believe Laura had told Guy the truth, that his younger brother had trespassed on his private territory earlier today. That changed the timing of Raoul’s agenda. He would wait and see what his brother did with the information when they were alone.
In case it brought Guy to his senses before things went any further, then it would have been worth it … even if Raoul would always be haunted by the memory of her mouth moving beneath his.
Chantelle swallowed the last of her tea. “Laura assured me she would treasure the memory of your trip to Tourettes. She’s truly une enfant de la nature to bring me these violets.”
At the reminder of their conversation about Manon, the hand in Raoul’s pocket formed a fist. Incredibly it seemed Laura had won Chantelle’s acceptance. Or had she? Was it all pretense?
He gazed around their little tableau à trois. While Paul ate his dinner oblivious to the tension, Guy sat there with no intention of giving anything away in front of Chantelle. She’d probably known about his extramarital affair for a long time. It was understandable why Laura hadn’t yet made up the fourth to this spectacle à Laroche.
Getting to his feet he announced, “I’m going for a dip in the pool.” Maybe Guy would follow him and demand an explanation. If not now, later.
At some point Laura had to make an appearance. Raoul had nothing to do but wait for everything to play out. He walked through the villa to the patio where he stripped down to his swim trunks and dived in. A good workout was what he needed to release his pent-up negative energy.
Ten minutes later he was finishing his laps when Paul made an appearance from around the side of the house.
Raoul smiled at him from the other end. “Salut, mon gars.”
“Hi.” His nephew, still dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, sat down on the edge and dangled his strong legs in the water.
“Did you have a good time at Claude’s today?”
“It was okay. How long ago did she leave?”
Not sure he’d heard Paul correctly, Raoul swam across to him. “Did who leave? Your maman was sitting at the dinner table ten minutes ago.”
“I meant Laura.”
“I wasn’t aware she’d gone anywhere.” He hoped she was in her bedroom nursing a migraine over her guilt.
“She was going to start teaching me CPR, but I guess she forgot. The maid said Laura asked Pierre to drive her someplace in the limo so papa wouldn’t have to leave maman.”
That bit of news sent a shockwave through Raoul’s body. What destination did Laura have in mind tonight? Had she planned to be with another man she’d met before? Nothing about her added up. There was only one way to find out the truth. He picked up his clothes and started for his house.
“Do you want to stay and swim with me?”
“I’m afraid I can’t right now. I have plans, but we’ll do some laps tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“À toute à l’heure.”
“Ciao.”
Once he reached the house Raoul pulled out his cell phone and dialed the limo driver. Pierre picked up on the third ring. “Oui, Monsieur Raoul?”
“Where are you now?”
“Villefranche.”
“Et Mme Aldridge?”
“She’s walking the grounds of the Villa Leopolda.”
“How much longer do you expect she’ll be?”
“Since she just got started, I would imagine a half hour anyway. Is there an emergency?”
“Non. This can wait. Merci, Pierre.” He clicked off.
CHAPTER FOUR
LAURA was making her way back from the Villa Leopolda estate when she discovered the limo was gone. In its place an unfamiliar black Mercedes sedan stood parked, but a dangerously familiar Frenchman in cream trousers and a soft yellow crew neck lounged against the front fender watching her progress.
After their wild skirmish that had raised more questions than it had answered during the day, there was no escaping Raoul. As a matter of fact, she did wonder if he might come looking for her because he was a man who couldn’t tolerate unfinished business. She had thought she’d figured out why he didn’t like her, and under the circumstances she had made up her mind to be nicer to him.
Guy’s family was very close-knit. While they were going through this terrible period with Chantelle, Raoul obviously resented any outsider coming in. Laura could understand that. With tensions running high it was always harder to behave normally around a stranger. Raoul wasn’t used to anyone else being there. Perhaps he was even a little jealous that he didn’t have Chantelle’s full attention when he did drop in.
Because Laura had half expected to see him before the night was over, her footsteps didn’t falter as she made her way toward him. It was only 9:20 p.m., that magic time of night between darkness and light.
He waited with his powerful arms folded. Though a modern man in contemporary clothes, he had the look of a dark, forbidding prince who might have had the estate behind her built for his own private pleasure.
A strange half smile lifted one corner of his compelling mouth. “If you’re in the market for a piece of property, the villa can be purchased if you make an offer over 500 million American dollars.”
She stopped three feet from him. “That’s what the pilot told me when he flew me over it when I arrived here. I’m afraid I don’t earn that kind of money.”
“A woman like you doesn’t have to.”
Another glove slapped against her cheek. And here she’d been feeling more charitable toward him.
“You mean all I have to do is ask you to buy it for me and voilà—it’s mine?”
He straightened to his imposing height, reminding her how incredibly appealing