“I’ve looked enough for one night, and now I’m tired. I should think you would be, too.” She leaned over to flick off the bedside lamp. “Good night.”
“Do you mind if I talk to you until we fall asleep?”
“As long as it’s not about fairy tales.” She turned her back on him and wished he’d plant himself in another area of the bed several feet away.
“The university is only five minutes from the house in Rennes. If you’re interested, you could take a couple of morning classes while you’re waiting for the baby to come. The term starts in August and will be over before you deliver at the end of December. I could drive you on my way to work, and pick you up at lunch.”
He’d anticipated everything. It would give her something worthwhile to do until she went back to the States to live.
“Where will you be working?”
“At the hydraulics company I told you about. Since being home I’ve made inquiries. They’re in need of an engineer with my qualifications.”
“How soon will you start?”
“Right after the wedding.”
She was glad he hadn’t mentioned a honeymoon.
“I’d be very interested.”
“Do you have any idea what kind of classes you’d like to
take?”
“French, and maybe a survey of early French literature.”
“Sounds like you’re planning to follow in Richard’s footsteps,” came the flat response.
“I have no desire to be a teacher. I was thinking I’d better know something about your language and culture since the men planning to be father and grandfather in my child’s life are Frenchmen.”
“That’s a fact.”
Andrea couldn’t tell what he thought of her choices.
“Someday I’ll decide on a career and go after it. Right now I can’t think beyond being a mother.”
“To be honest, I’m glad Papa wants to be in charge of the wedding festivities. With Helene’s help, they don’t need anyone else. That leaves us time to get the house ready and plan a nursery.”
“Is it vacant?”
“Yes, except for the caretakers Jean and his wife, Louise, who live there on the ground floor. Anything you want and they’ll take care of it.”
“What’s your mother’s home like?”
“It’s a cottage with a plaster exterior called a bastide. Two floors, four bedrooms. One full bath, and two half baths. There’s a terrace and a garden. Inside and out it’s perfect for a child.”
“I think it sounds charming.”
“When my grandparents were alive, I loved to stay there where I could run around and make messes.”
“You mean you were a normal little boy?”
“Afraid so. Papa didn’t take too kindly to my building model rockets on the grand hall dining table. The cement glue spilled on the surface and ruined it. They had to have it redone. If you got me started on the damage I did, it would take weeks.”
“Sounds like you made up for several siblings.”
He chuckled. “I wish I had a brother or sister. Maman suffered through three miscarriages. Each for a different reason.”
“She was lucky to get you. I’m living testimony of that.”
“Amen. Tell me about your cousins.”
“Julie’s twenty-nine. Sharon’s twenty-six.”
“Les Trois Mousquetaires.”
“I wish it had been like that. If I’d been adopted at birth, it might have been different.”
“What did they do? Remind you that you weren’t one of them in order to dampen your sails when you got something they didn’t?”
“How did you know?”
“Corinne pulled her ‘poor me’ stunt the first night I met her in the hope I’d feel guilty for having been born a Du Lac.”
Lance’s problems had been so much worse, Andrea didn’t have room to complain. “Now that the girls are married, things have been better.”
“I wish I could say the same where Corinne’s concerned.”
Andrea shivered. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if she just gave up and went home to her mother.”
A strange sound came from his throat. “I thought you were the one who said no more fairy tales.”
“I’m sorry. What do you suppose she’s doing right now?”
“Let’s not worry about it. Go to sleep. You’re safe with me.”
Safe.
If there was anyone in the world who could protect her, she knew it was Lance. The knowledge helped her to relax. At some point oblivion took over.
When she awoke, she couldn’t believe it was midmorning already. Lance had already gone. Knowing he’d been with her all night must have been the reason she’d slept longer than usual.
The absence of nausea prompted her to take her pills. She wanted this feeling of well-being to continue.
As she started across the room there was a rap on the door. “Andrea?” Lance’s deep voice permeated to her insides. “Are you awake?”
“Yes.”
“I brought you breakfast.”
He shouldn’t have. “I don’t need waiting on.”
“What if I like doing it?”
“Then I’m very grateful, but I need to shower first.”
“Go ahead. I’ll bring the tray in and wait for you.”
“Okay. I’ll hurry.”
Excitement welled up in her that he was going to show her his mother’s house today. It would be her baby’s home. Her home with Lance.
Three weeks from now and she wouldn’t have to see Corinne again except on the chance meeting at the château. In the meantime she and Lance would be occupied getting ready to be parents.
She grabbed a blouse to wear with her skirt before scurrying into the bathroom to shower and dress. He was going to get tired of seeing her in the same outfit. When they went to Rennes today, she would ask him to take her to a store where she could buy some loose fitting outfits.
After brushing her hair, she let it hang free from a side part. After applying lotion she was ready.
He’d put the tray on the bed. Cold cereal and grapefruit. “This looks good.”
“So do you,” he murmured, eyeing her thoroughly.
He did, too, but she refrained from telling him and started to eat.
This morning he’d donned a light blue suit with a darker blue shirt. No tie. With that burnished skin and blue eyes hot enough to cut steel, she wouldn’t be surprised if the women in town formed lines just to get a look at him.
“Thanks to your presence throughout the night, I slept well.”
“Your body next to mine had the same effect on me. It must be comforting for the baby to be all snug inside you.”
A section of grapefruit caught in her throat before going down. “The problem is, one of these days soon I’m afraid I won’t be able to say