of what I know from my aunt Susan, Mother’s elder sister, who has never married. She said that my grandmother had an affair with your grandfather even though his wife was still alive.”
“That would have been impossible!” Nic bit out.
“I’m just repeating what I was told. All this happened while my grandfather was battling cancer. Grandfather Richard died too young. Soon after his death, Maurice’s wife died, so he married my grandmother and they moved to France. Neither Susan nor my mother could ever forgive Irene for having an affair while their father was so ill.”
Nic’s face had darkened with lines, making her nervous to go on.
“They said your grandfather was an evil man whose ability to seduce her while his wife was still alive created the scandal. They told her to get out of their lives and never come back.
“When I grew old enough to understand what adultery meant, I could see why Mother and Aunt Susan had been so devastated. When I was told the truth, the bitter side of Mother’s nature came out. Our home was not a happy one.
“But over the years I’ve learned that no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. To remain so angry at my grandmother was wrong, no matter what she or your grandfather did. I told her I wanted to go see Irene. She forbade it.
“That’s when I suggested she get professional help, but she accused me of turning on her. It was awful. Every time I tried to reason with Mother, she’d shut me out and accuse me of not loving her.
“I made things worse when I tried to talk to my aunt Susan. She told me that if I ever attempted to get in touch with my grandmother, my mother wouldn’t be able to handle it and it could push her over the edge.”
The forbidding expression on Nic’s arresting face filled her with alarm. He moved closer. “That story is so wrong and twisted, it’ll tear my grandfather apart when he hears it.” To her shock he clasped her upper arms, drawing her to his hard muscled body. His intensity was a revelation. “Maurice is euphoric you’re here. Promise me you won’t tell him what you just told me.” A vein stood out in his neck. “Not yet, anyway.”
“I—I won’t say anything,” she stammered. Her silence on the subject appeared of the most supreme importance to him.
His energy drove through to her soul. He was close enough she felt the warmth of his breath on her lips. When she looked up, his dark gray eyes were pinpoints of pain. “Why did you really fly here?” he ground out. “Was the lure of the will so great, you had to find out what amount of money she left for you? Tell me the truth.” He gently shook her. “I can take it, but my grandfather can’t!”
She was devastated by his reaction. “I guess I’m not surprised by your accusation. Because of the hate on both sides, it appears you really don’t know one very important detail.”
“What’s that?” he demanded.
“My grandfather Richard left millions to our family—to me, personally. I’ve never wanted for money a day in my life and never will. The only thing I could never have was the joy of growing up around my grandmother. And though I’m loath to meet the man who took her away from us, I was determined to see what kind of man he is.”
Her eyes flashed with pain. “What kind of power does your grandfather wield to be able to entice her to give up her whole life in California and come live with him in France? She didn’t need money. My grandfather gave her everything!” Laura could tell her voice had risen. “Does that answer your question?”
A groaning sound came out of him.
“Mon Dieu,” he whispered, sounding utterly desolate. His hands slowly slid down her arms. But when he released her, she wasn’t ready. Her legs felt so insubstantial she grabbed for the wing-back chair so she wouldn’t fall.
While Laura was trying to recover from being held that close to him, she heard voices coming from the foyer. A woman and a man, both speaking French.
Shaken by the sound, she turned around and saw Nic’s housekeeper usher in Irene’s silver-haired husband from the photograph. He was dressed in a royal-blue sweater and cream-colored trousers.
In person he seemed young in demeanor for an eighty-one-year-old man whose face showed signs of recent grief. He was remarkably handsome and had passed on those genes to his grandson. Twenty-one years ago Laura’s grandmother had no doubt been swept right off her feet.
He crossed the room, staring at Laura with incredulity before he turned to Nic. “You must have seen it the minute you met her.” His French accent was more pronounced than Nic’s.
“Oui, Gran’père. Laura is most definitely Irene’s granddaughter.”
Maurice’s brown eyes swam with tears as they centered on Laura. “What she would have given to walk in this room and see you standing here! You’re ravissante, just like she was.”
From the first instant, all Laura could feel was love and warmth emanating from him. Though he and Irene had caused indescribable pain to her family, he couldn’t possibly be the man her mother and aunt had demonized. She cleared her throat, still shaken by those moments when Nic had reached for her in pain. “We meet at last.”
She had the sense he wanted to embrace her. Instead he held back and wept, pulling some tissues from his pocket. “It’s a miracle. When she passed away, I thought my allotment had run out, but it isn’t so. You’ve come. Please. Let’s sit.”
Once again she found a seat on one of the sofas. He sat next to Nic on the other. “How long have you been here?”
“I picked her up at the airport an hour ago,” Nic explained. “She made a reservation at a hotel, but I canceled it.”
She noticed Nic didn’t mention the name. He wanted to shield his grandfather from the fact that she’d chosen not to stay at the world-famous Valfort in Old Town. Laura hadn’t seen him do that. It must have been while she was looking at the photos in the hallway.
Maurice smiled. “Naturellement. You’ll come to the château tonight. I’m all alone, rattling around in the place.”
He wasn’t the kind of man who rattled. Irene’s husband seemed in excellent health. He was an exciting man, full of life and appeared athletic. She hadn’t known what to expect. Certainly not this.
“That’s very gracious of you, but I’d rather not impose when you weren’t expecting me.” No matter how taken she was by him at first glance, Laura wasn’t comfortable about accepting his hospitality. She wasn’t comfortable with Nic, either, for several reasons, but she’d had no choice.
Nic must have sensed her distress, because he said, “Laura’s staying with me tonight, Gran’père. The housekeeper has already made up one of the guest bedrooms for her. Tomorrow will be soon enough for the two of you to get better acquainted. Right now I believe she’s exhausted after her flight. It’s a long one across a continent and an ocean.”
Laura’s eyes met Nic’s for a second. She felt he was trying to break up this meeting, in the kindest way possible, of course. Was he still afraid she might say something about the will? She was pained over his suspicions, but she understood them. There’d been so much ugliness between the families—this was the result. Could they ever trust each other?
She
