grabbed her suitcase and opted for the stairs rather than the lift. Once she reached the next floor, she walked midway down the hall and knocked on her father’s door several times, but he didn’t answer. No doubt he was with Saskia, but this couldn’t wait. She pulled out her cell phone and called him.
“Dana?” He’d picked up on the second ring.
“Hi, Dad. What’s going on? I tried to check in my room, but the desk said Saskia had picked up the key.”
He answered her question with another one. “Where are you?”
“Standing in front of your hotel room door.”
“I’ll be right out.” The line went dead.
Within seconds he joined her in the hall and shut the door behind him. His famous scowl was more pronounced than earlier in the day. “Saskia and I have been having problems, but I can’t afford to end things with her until after the picture’s finished. She doesn’t know my intentions of course.”
Dana was glad her father was coming to his senses for his own sake.
“She begged me to let her stay in the adjoining room while we work out our differences.”
Poor Saskia. “That sounds reasonable.”
His eyes darted to her suitcase. “Saskia’s room is free at the hotel in Angers. I called and told the concierge to have it waiting for you.”
“Thank you,” she muttered, “but I’ll make my own arrangements.”
There was a long silence before he said, “If you go back to the château, you do so at your own peril.”
Their gazes clashed. “And Monsieur Martin’s, too?”
His eyes flashed with temper. “How did that man get his tentacles into you so fast?” he countered.
Dana stood her ground. “Why won’t you answer the question, Dad?”
It took him forever to respond.
“I still forbid you, but as you reminded me earlier with all the carelessness of your culture, you’re not seventeen anymore.”
He went back in the bedroom. As she turned away, she heard the door close. Despite his hurtful remark, she was confident he wouldn’t penalize Alex. Not because he’d had a sudden attack of human decency, but because he knew he’d never find a spot this perfect for his film.
Her throat felt tight all the way back to the château where she discovered the gate had been closed. A symbolic dagger for the trespasser to beware?
She closed her eyes, afraid she was being as superstitious as her father. After a minute, she reached for her purse and pulled out the remote. Once she’d driven on through, she shut it again, then continued on to the courtyard.
After getting out of the car, she tried to open the front door, but it was locked and Alex’s truck was nowhere in sight. He might still be around the back, working. Acting on that possibility, she drove to the other end of the château. It wound around to the orchard.
He wasn’t there.
A hollow sensation crept through her. She checked her watch. It was already eight o’clock. Disturbed that he might have made plans with a woman and had gone into Angers for dinner, she drove to the front of the château once more.
Of course she could phone him, but he wouldn’t appreciate a call if he was with someone else. Besides, he’d thought she’d gone back to the Hermitage for good. The only thing to do was drive to the next village in the opposite direction from Chanzeaux where she wouldn’t run into her father by accident. After grabbing a bite to eat, she would come back and wait for Alex.
“Bonsoir, Monsieur Martan.”
“Bonsoir, Madame Fournier. Has Mademoiselle Lofgren checked in yet?” He hadn’t seen Dana’s car outside.
She shook her head. “Non, monsieur. She doesn’t have a reservation here.”
“Then her father isn’t staying here, either?”
“But of course he is! The person in the adjoining room is Mademoiselle Brusse. She’s an actress doing a film with le fameux Monsieur Lofgren.”
His hands clenched in reaction. If Dana hadn’t come here, then she’d probably driven into Angers to get herself a hotel room. The last trip to the landfill had cost him time before he’d showered and changed clothes, thus the reason he’d missed her.
“Merci, madame.” Before she could detain him with more gossip, he went back outside to phone Dana from the truck. It rang seven times. He was about ready to hang up in frustration when he heard her voice.
“Alex?” She sounded out of breath.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded without preamble.
“My left front tire is flat. I’ve been trying to work the jack, but I’ve been having problems. Pretty soon I’ll figure it out.”
The band constricting his lungs tightened. “Where are you exactly?”
“Somewhere on the road between Rablay and Beaulieu.”
“I’m on my way.” He started the engine and drove away from the hotel. “Stay in your car and lock the doors.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“What caused you to go in that direction?”
“When you weren’t at the château, I decided to get dinner in the next village, but I never made it.”
The blood hammered in his ears. “You came by the château?”
“Yes. Dad and Saskia have been quarreling. It’s nothing new, but while they work things out she’s going to stay in the adjoining room.”
“Why did you come back?”
“In order to ask if I could rerent my bedroom so to speak, that is if you don’t mind.”
He muttered something unintelligible under his breath.
“What did you say, Alex? I’m not sure we have a good connection.”
This had nothing to do with the connection. His hand tightened on the steering wheel. “And your father approves?”
There was a brief silence. “No. Does that mean there’s no room at the inn?”
Ciel! “You know better than to ask that question.” The fact was just beginning to sink in that she’d come to him whether her father liked it or not.
“You sound upset. In case I’ve ruined your plans for the evening, please forget about me. If I can’t fix the tire, I’ll walk to the château and wait until you come home later.”
“No, you won’t—” A woman who looked
