Was that to be it? Was this the extent of her well-honed talents? She forced her feet to walk towards the entrance foyer of the perfumery. The air filled with a thousand scents as she advanced slowly up the steps, resisting, for the second time, a tremendous desire to turn around and somehow, anyhow, get this unknown man into her life. She heard a heavy car door slam and the sound of the engine purring away into the distance. It took only minutes but it seemed as though a vast cloud had covered the sky and Rosie felt as though she would walk up these steps for the rest of her life. Moving like an automaton, she purchased an entrance ticket and continued into the museum hall. She felt the dizziness return as the air choked her with its sweetness. Why hadn’t she made some effort to speak to him? How could she let him walk out of her world once more? She moved slowly between the displays of herbs and flowers, engulfed in a new loneliness so complete that it took her some while to realise that he was standing in front of her.
“May I escort you on a guided tour, mademoiselle?” He smiled down at her, stretching his arms wide in welcome. Rosie hadn’t realised how tall he was. Suppressing a ridiculous urge to rush into his arms and hug him, she managed to reply.
“Do you work here?” Her voice, at least, had not been too squeaky. He burst out laughing.
“Non, mademoiselle, although they are trying to buy me. Allow me to introduce myself — Jean-Michel de Fleurenne, à votre service!” He held out his hand, and as she took it into hers she felt a high-voltage shock of contact. His hand was long-fingered and smooth and he pressed her fingers firmly and for a moment longer than necessary. They walked slowly side by side down the long alley between the barrels of flower petals and copper vats.
“How are they trying to buy you?” she asked, secretly wishing she could buy him for herself.
“Oh, that’s a long, boring story. First you must see the distillery and the museum before they close.”
“First”, he had definitely said “first”…and what would be second? Rosie wondered, her vivid imagination running wildly ahead. Jean-Michel gave her an excellent tour of the perfumery. He was serious and then amusing, telling her so much about perfume- making that she realised he must be involved in the industry. She found it fascinating and listened attentively. It wasn’t too difficult. She could have listened to an entire dissertation just watching his curving lips open and close.
Eventually they arrived back at the entrance foyer just as the lights were being turned out. Rosie hesitated awkwardly, inwardly panicking that their time together was coming to an end. Jean-Michel stood at the top of the entrance steps for a moment and then clapped his hands together.
“C’est une belle soirée! If you have time we could walk down to the beach.”
“That would be lovely. I’m completely at a loose end.” Rosie replied, making no pretence that she even needed to think about it. So it was not to be a bonne soirée but a belle one. Her heart fluttered ridiculously.
“There’s a footpath but it’s quite steep and uneven.” Jean-Michel looked down at her shoes. The faithful loafers. “Great…you’re wearing sensible shoes! If you trust me then follow your tour guide this way, please!”
Rosie saw the small path to the side of the car park. Did she trust him? Somehow she knew she did…completely. Supposing he was a murderer? Was she really going mad, diving off into the unknown undergrowth with a tall, dark stranger? She followed slowly and then saw that, although it was a small path, it was obviously well used. Several couples and family groups were making their way downhill. It was not, anyway, a romantic walk. Jean-Michel seemed to know nearly everyone they passed, stopping to shake hands and exchange kisses and pleasantries as they scrambled on down the hillside. Coming to a small resting place, he turned to her for a moment, holding out his hand as she jumped the last stone. “You must excuse me! I couldn’t introduce you to all the people we passed because I didn’t know your name.”
“Rosie Fielding. I’m sorry — I should have introduced myself before. In my work it’s a cardinal sin not to push your name around.”
“But you are on holiday, Rosie…and what is your work?”
There was a small silence. She was still recovering from his velvety French pronunciation of her name. Rosie! She had never liked her name until then. She pulled herself together and began to reply. “Publicity. PR in the fashion world…” Her voice tailed away to nothing. Suddenly it seemed a futile way to spend one’s life. She looked at the vast panorama of sea and sky stretching to infinity.
“I enjoy it and I’m quite good at it,” she added, almost defensively, justifying her work more to herself than to Jean-Michel.
“I’m sure you’re very good at it. A PR princess. I don’t know much about your world but I can’t imagine anyone being able to resist you in any way.” Before she had time to absorb the compliment he carried on down the path. She followed slowly until they reached the beach.
“This is like a film set!” she said, her voice filled with wonder as she took in the small cove curving away into the gold of the setting sun.
“Now, don’t get any ideas of bringing a film crew here. Work is work but you are on holiday, right?” He looked down at her. There were those dark, spiky lashes that she had seen in her daydreams earlier that very day. Close enough to touch, to kiss, to lick. Rosie held her hands tightly behind her back in case she should be unable to resist reaching out and brushing his cheek with her hand. How his skin gleamed to bronze in the last rays of the day’s sun.
“Would you like a drink…a sundowner?” Jean-Michel asked. Had he said it once or twice? Rosie pulled herself back from the brink of somewhere she yearned to be.
“Yes, a drink would be great. Is there anywhere down here?”
“Oh, yes, there’s a bar called ‘Zara Zazou’ — it should be just opening up for the evening. Thank goodness you’re not wearing silly shoes. It’s just over there on the beach.”
Again it was obvious that Jean-Michel was well-known. First the barman kissed him on both cheeks and then a truly stunning girl rushed out from the kitchen and threw herself at him. “Jean-Michel, mon amour, pourquoi tu ne viens plus me trouver?”
Rosie knew that Frenchmen kissed each other but she could do without this voluptuous bombshell calling Jean-Michel ‘mon amour’. Her school French was more than adequate to get the gist of that. Jean-Michel turned to Rosie.
“This is Zara!” he said, gently extricating himself from her embrace. “Suffis, Zara, suffis, laisse moi tranquille. Put me down!”
Zara gave Jean-Michel a light cuff around the back of his head and called across to Rosie. “Don’t mind me, ma chère, I kiss all the beautiful boys — it makes my job more interesting! I live for my work! But this one — he is an old favourite of mine!” Her accent was superbly exaggerated. She slapped Jean-Michel lightly on both cheeks. “And that is for not visiting us for so long. I no love you no more — is finished, you unnerstand?”
She spun around and came over to the table where Rosie was sitting. She was even more beautiful in close-up. Beautiful and powerful. Dark olive skin and blonde hair, lustrous violet eyes under dark eyebrows and the reddest of red lips that pouted and exaggerated her words as she spoke. “Are you with ’im, ma chère? Be careful, he is a very good boy. He does nothing but the work, work, work. He is not the good fun. I was at school with ’im — always the same — workin’ and workin’. Such a good boy — pah!” She pulled a scornful face and threw her hands in the air in disgust as she swung her way over to the ancientjukebox. Leaning against it, with one hand on her impressive hip, she gave it a resounding kick with one pink-booted