Perhaps Ashton was busy too, Leoni thought, wondering why she seemed to be surrounded by men who thought more about business than relationships. Well, friendships, in Ashton’s case, but still. Wondering if he might bring a date to the party, Leoni couldn’t resist sending him a quick text about it. When he didn’t immediately come back, she sighed and headed outside for some air.
Discovering a group of men stringing up fairy lights and fixing unlit torches into the lawns nearby, she wondered why it was taking so many of them to sort out what seemed to be a relatively simple job. Then Leoni realised Cat was taking a swim in the pool. No wonder the men were so distracted, she thought tartly. Cat was all butterscotch hair and golden-hued skin and as she swam to the edge of the pool and smiled, Leoni realised with annoyance that the dark, sooty lashes framing the outrageously pretty aquamarine eyes were clearly natural.
Shivering, Cat gestured to the water. ‘Fancy a dip? The air is chilly, but the pool is so well-heated, it’s not that bad once you get in.’
‘I have far too much work to do,’ Leoni snapped in English, shoving her hands into the pockets of her sleek, black dress and omitting to mention that she had been doing nothing more useful than drinking tea for the last hour or so. Randomly wondering why she found it endearing that Ashton spoke French like a bumbling fool, Leoni reverted to her mother tongue grudgingly, knowing Cat preferred it. ‘Some of us have jobs, you know.’
Cat flushed. ‘Indeed.’ She leant on the edge of the pool, her expression glum. ‘I thought I had a new job sorted back home but it’s all on the back burner again. Christ, I hate not working. It’s not natural, is it?’
Leoni contemplated her. She’d forgotten Cat had a life back in England and she supposed that being stuck out here in France wasn’t exactly conducive to getting another job sorted out.
‘Why did you get fired from your old job?’ she asked out of interest.
‘Er . . . for taking an extended honeymoon,’ Cat replied abruptly, not wanting to set off Leoni’s temper by talking about Olivier. Seeing Leoni staring back at her expectantly, she continued grudgingly. ‘I hadn’t had a holiday for years but for some reason, my boss took exception to me getting married and staying in France for a few more weeks.’ She lifted herself out of the water, revealing a toned body in a sky-blue bikini she had borrowed from Seraphina. It was slightly too small but it highlighted her curves perfectly.
Leoni suddenly envied Cat – not for being a widow at such a young age, naturally – but really, when was the last time she, Leoni, had gone for a swim or done something relaxing? Her work schedule was so tight, it simply didn’t allow for down time in the form of a calming swim or even a rejuvenating massage. Although, if Leoni was honest with herself, it was a self-imposed pressure but she didn’t know how else to live. Her life had always been about work; after a series of terrible dates in her youth and the realisation that nothing would ever happen between herself and Ashton, Leoni had devoted herself wholeheartedly to the family business. Until now, Leoni reminded herself. Now, she had Jerard.
What must it be like to look like Cat, she wondered. Even wrapped in an emerald-green towel with messed-up, wet hair, Cat looked sensational and Leoni couldn’t help envying her, despite her losses.
‘Did you hear about the legal papers going missing?’ she asked.
Cat nodded, looking exasperated. ‘Can you believe it? My passport mysteriously turns up and then those papers disappear into thin air.’
Leoni perched on the edge of a sun lounger, giving a nearby workman a pointed glance when she noticed he was fiddling with an already secured string of lights. He moved away, throwing a final look of longing in Cat’s direction.
‘What do you mean, “mysteriously”?’ Leoni asked, referring to Cat’s passport.
About to offer her thoughts about it, Cat closed her mouth. She hadn’t a clue which members of the family she could trust around here. And even though she knew Leoni was frequently irked by Delphine’s interfering ways, Leoni’s loyalties would reside with her family when it came down to it.
‘Oh, nothing,’ she answered finally, her eyes downcast. ‘I’m getting carried away with conspiracy theories at the moment. Ignore me.’ Cat buried her head in the towel, rubbing her hair briskly. ‘It doesn’t matter, anyway; I still need to wait for my new passport.’
Leoni held her face up to the emerging sun, allowing herself to relax for a moment. She realised she must look incongruous reclining on a sun lounger in a tight dress and high heels but right now she suddenly couldn’t care less. Why did she push herself so hard? she wondered. Why did she put herself under so much pressure there was no time for fun?
Leoni suddenly felt unsure of herself and she found herself questioning why she didn’t have more free time to enjoy herself. Her girlfriends were in Rome on a hen break, no doubt eating deliciously fattening gelati and chatting up handsome Italian men. She had declined to join them, citing heavy work commitments. Yet in reality she could have done with a break and she would still have had plenty of time to get back for the Rose-Nymphea party at the weekend. Leoni sighed. She really did seem to have her life-work balance all wrong.
‘How’s your pitch going for the home fragrance line?’ Cat asked, emerging from under the towel. ‘I meant what I said about helping if you’d like me to.’ She sat down on the lounger nearest Leoni. ‘Actually, I’m dying to do something – anything, really. It’s beautiful here and I hate to admit that I’m bored, but I’m used to working, you know?’
Leoni nodded, hesitating. Why wasn’t she taking Cat up on her offer of help? She had far too much on her plate to manage it all single-handedly and Cat, out of everyone in the vicinity, was the best placed person to assist her with the pitch. She had probably delivered this kind of thing hundreds of times before and judging by the way she had handled herself in the family meeting, Cat would know just the right thing to say to win Guy over.
About to take her up on the offer, Leoni noticed Seraphina approaching them wearing a robe over a bright pink bikini with a straw hat, her platinum-blond hair tied in a side ponytail. She looked as though she belonged on the pages of the glossy fashion magazines she was so attached to. Feeling frumpy and invisible in her smart dress and heels, an aggravated Leoni got to her feet. Why were Cat and Seraphina swanning around in bikinis, anyway? It was only just spring! Leoni had never felt more undesirable or drab in her life and her mood turned frosty.
‘Thanks, but I don’t need your help,’ she said to Cat tersely, changing her mind in a heartbeat. ‘I just can’t concentrate because of this stupid party. Not with all the crashing and banging going on around me.’ She shot the lighting men a hostile glance but they were too busy checking out the doubly rewarding sight of Cat and Seraphina to notice. Leoni came to an important decision. After the party, she and Jerard were going to sleep together. It was about time they cemented their relationship and, for once, she was going to urge Jerard to put pleasure before business. As a bare minimum, Leoni decided, she wanted some sort of confirmation of his commitment to her. All of a sudden, it seemed important to know Jerard had real feelings for her. Not just romantic ones but sexual ones, too.
Seraphina sighed at Leoni’s curtness and turned to Cat. ‘Do you have something to wear for the party?’
Cat sat up. ‘God, no, I haven’t. My friend Bella said she was going to send me some of my party dresses from storage but nothing’s turned up yet.’ Her eyes clouded over. ‘I totally forgot about it, to be honest.’
Leoni narrowed her eyes. ‘So you’re staying for the party, are you?’
Cat looked pained. ‘I have no choice. Well, I could sit in my room during the party, I suppose,’ she added, sure Leoni would think that the best idea. ‘And without anything suitable to wear, I might do just that.’
‘I can lend you something,’ Seraphina offered. ‘I have tons of gorgeous clothes.’
‘Not that you wear them much these days,’ Leoni interjected sarcastically, feeling left out of the girly chatter. Missing Jerard and narked that Ashton hadn’t come back to her about his date for the party, she lashed out. ‘Did you really think that riding bareback around your college was the best way to get your father’s attention?’
Seraphina went pink. ‘I wasn’t trying to get his attention,’ she fired back, hurt. ‘I was trying to make a stand about Max being expelled, that’s all.’
‘What, by getting yourself expelled at the same time? Very clever, Seraphina, very commendable.’
Cat frowned. ‘That’s a bit unfair,’ she said heatedly, then held her hands up apologetically. ‘Sorry; obviously this is none of my business but I think we all know that Seraphina’s naked horse-riding was a protest. Besides, Guy does need to pay the twins some attention . . .’
Leoni’s lip curled. ‘Oh, I see, now you know more about my family than I do. Don’t start getting ideas above your station. You’re Olivier’s widow and nothing more, do you understand?’ Spinning round, she hurried off, her high heels savagely stabbing holes in the perfectly clipped lawn.
‘I’m not likely to forget that fact, am I?’ Cat muttered dejectedly as Leoni disappeared from sight.
‘Oh, ignore her!’ Seraphina flapped a hand. ‘She’s just ridiculously uptight. Nothing a good bout of sex wouldn’t cure.’
‘Seraphina!’
‘Well, it’s true.’ Seraphina smiled. ‘Leoni’s got this new boyfriend, Jerard, but they haven’t done the deed yet.’
Cat was shocked at Seraphina’s directness. ‘How do you know that?’
‘Because she’s like a cat on a hot tin roof and there’s no way she’d be like that if she was getting some.’ Seraphina flipped over on to her front, her expression rueful. ‘Trust me, I know. And no, I don’t mean me.’
Cat glanced at her worriedly. She was becoming increasingly concerned about Seraphina’s older boyfriend but she had no idea what to do about it. She had thought she might be able to approach Leoni and get her take on it but judging by Leoni’s aggressive reaction just now, she was the last person Cat should think of confiding in.
‘I wonder if Ashton’s coming to the party?’ Seraphina said casually.
Cat turned to look at her. ‘Why does it matter?’
Seraphina shrugged, her brown eyes full of mischief. ‘I’m just thinking, he’s single, you’re single, he’s English and so are you . . .’
‘Oh my God, you’re match-matching,’ Cat said in disbelief. ‘Is that appropriate? I’m your cousin’s widow, for heaven’s sake!’
‘Yes, but that’s all in the past.’ Seraphina slid her sunglasses on. ‘Isn’t it about time you met someone else? Of course, I’ve always thought Ashton was madly in love with Leoni but now that she’s hooked up with Jerard, it might be time for a change …’
Cat put her head on the lounger guiltily, wondering what Seraphina would think if she knew about the kiss she and Xavier had shared. Would she be as friendly then? Cat had no idea and she supposed that it was irrelevant, in any case. The kiss was a regrettable moment of madness, never to be repeated, so it wasn’t worth mentioning and it was best forgotten.
So, forget it, Cat told herself brutally. Forget the kiss and forget about Xavier. He wasn’t worth her time and he was, most assuredly, not someone she should get close to in the future. Listening with only half an ear to Seraphina’s bright chatter, Cat wished she didn’t find it so hard to put Xavier and the passionate, rain-soaked kiss out of her mind.
Deeply engrossed in his formula, Xavier glanced up to see his father standing in the doorway. Looking utterly incredulous, he clearly hadn’t been expecting to find his son ensconced in his lab again.
Xavier felt mildly exasperated. His grandmother had visited him in the lab the day before, pretending to ask casual questions but really, she had been intent on finding out what he was up to. Informing her that he was creating a new fragrance using a formula he had almost perfected some years ago, she had gone into raptures of delight. When she learnt that the fragrance could possibly be launched in the summer if he could finalise the missing ingredient he was searching for, Xavier had been concerned his grandmother might keel over and have a heart attack in front of him, she was so ecstatic. Giving her carte blanche to look into a suitable ad campaign if she so desired, Xavier had finally managed to get rid of her so he could concentrate. And now his father was here, clearly wanting to know more.
Xavier sighed. Being back in his lab was big news as far as the family were concerned but he couldn’t help wishing everyone would leave him alone to get on with it.
‘What . . . what are you doing in here?’ Guy stammered, staring at Xavier.
‘I’m . . . creating a new fragrance,’ Xavier admitted.
Guy looked as pleased as punch. ‘A new fragrance? How wonderful.’ For a while, he wandered around the lab while Xavier worked, finding pleasure in the sight of Xavier’s chemistry and perfume books piled high and open at various pages. There were Post-it notes dotted along the surface of the counter and rows of labelled phials in storage boxes sat with their lids open expectantly. Xavier’s laptop was on with several internet pages on the go and his notepad was filled with distinctive scribbles.
Guy couldn’t believe it. This was a scene he hadn’t witnessed for more than two years now and he didn’t dare hope his elder son was finally back doing what he did best. He glanced at him. Xavier was sitting on a stool, his lab coat hanging open to reveal his shirt and jeans, his dark hair falling across his face in concentration. He looked up and Guy could see that his chocolate-brown eyes were alight with passion.
Xavier held up an empty perfume bottle. ‘Do you think this needs updating? The bottle, I mean.’
Guy shrugged. ‘It’s classic, I suppose. Why, what did you have in mind?’
‘Something younger, perhaps? Nothing too funky that will alienate our older customers . . . in fact, I’m thinking of something with a vintage vibe. A very curvy bottle made of beautiful glass that will make customers want to pick it up as soon as they see it.’ He pulled a sketch out of his pocket – the one Cat had knocked up in Grasse. ‘Something like this.’