bare for him? Telling him that her first lover had been a disappointment to her. Gabrielle groaned and rolled over onto her side, burying her head in a pillow and pulling the blue chenille bedspread around her for comfort. What kind of woman told a man that?
A woman who’d never quite forgotten the ecstasy and the agony of a single stolen kiss, said a voice that would not be silenced.
A woman who’d known all along that no one at Caverness would bid her welcome and mean it.
A fool.
Luc didn’t usually wait impatiently for his sister to return home from her work, but this day he did, seeking Simone out in the kitchen, never mind the box of fresh fruit and vegetables in her arms or the fact that she hadn’t yet managed to put the box down.
‘Bonjour, brother of mine,’ she said cheerfully. ‘I come bearing good food and even better news. The sales figures are finally in and we,’ she said, setting the bags on the counter with a flourish, ‘had a very good quarter.’
‘Congratulations,’ he said, but something in his voice must have alerted Simone to his turmoil for she turned sharply, set the box down on the bench, and took her time looking him over.
‘Something’s wrong,’ she said warily. ‘What is it?’
‘Josien had a visitor this afternoon.’
‘Who?’
‘Gabrielle.’
Luc watched his sister’s face light up with wry resignation. Simone and Gabrielle had been close as children. Closer than sisters, never mind the huge gap in social standing between them. ‘Gaby is here?’ asked Simone. ‘Here as in here at the chateau? Where?’
‘Here as in staying in the village, and before you start in on my manners, yes, I offered her a room, which she declined. Dammit, Simone! Why didn’t you warn me that you’d sent for her? And why the hell didn’t you tell Josien?’
Simone’s expression grew guarded. ‘I left a message on Gaby’s answering machine saying her mother was ill. That’s all I did. What was there to tell?’
‘You knew she’d come,’ muttered Luc darkly.
‘I thought she’d call first.’
‘Well, she didn’t.’
‘So what happened?’ asked Simone warily.
Luc gave it to his sister straight. ‘Josien wouldn’t talk to her. Wouldn’t even look at her.’
A barrage of swear words followed his announcement, none of them becoming to a lady. ‘So then what happened?’ demanded Simone. ‘Did you make Gabrielle feel welcome?’
‘Sort of.’
‘Sort of? For heaven’s sake, Luc, you’re a grown man! Would it have killed you to behave like one?’
‘I did behave like one,’ he said grimly.
Simone halted, midway between the fridge and the counter. ‘Oh, hell,’ she said. ‘You still want her.’
Luc didn’t deny it. What he didn’t reveal to his sister was just how intense his desire for Gabrielle had been. He’d barely been able to control it. And he needed to. ‘Gabrielle needs a friend right now, Simone, and it can’t be me,’ he said gruffly. ‘I don’t want to do wrong by her again.’
Simone’s gaze softened. ‘Dear heart,’ she said. ‘The way I remember it, you’ve never done Gaby wrong. Others have—most certainly they have. But not you.’
‘You’re a little biased,’ he said.
Simone smiled. ‘Only a little.’
‘She’s staying at the old mill house,’ he offered next and exhaled his relief as his sister upended a wicker basket full of oranges onto the counter and hastily started refilling it with a variety of foodstuffs from the refrigerator. ‘You’re going after her?’
‘Of course I’m going after her,’ said Simone. ‘Isn’t that what you want? Somebody has to make her feel welcome.’
* * *
Gabrielle woke to the sound of vigorous pounding on her door. She sat up with a groan, slung her legs over the side of the bed, and pushed the heavy fall of dark curls from her face before checking her wristwatch for the time. Eight p.m. French time and the early hours of the morning by Australian reckoning. She’d slept for almost three hours. Now she’d never get back to sleep for the night. ‘Who is it?’
‘Simone,’ said yet another voice from her past, albeit a voice currently heavy with impatience. Gabrielle went to the door and unlocked it gingerly before swinging it open. She didn’t know if she could cope with any more blasts from the past today. Between them, Luc and Josien had proved quite sufficient. She stared for a moment at the elegant raven-haired beauty in the navy-blue suit, trying to reconcile the image of cool sophistication standing before her with the hoyden that had been Simone. And then she saw the magnum of champagne in the woman’s left hand and the basket full of delicacies at her feet and knew that the hoyden was alive and well beneath those daunting designer clothes.
‘Look at you, sleepyhead,’ said Simone, and Gabrielle found herself enclosed in a warm and perfumed embrace. ‘I couldn’t believe it when Luc told me you’d come home. Why didn’t you call me? I’d have picked you up from the airport. I’d have made all the arrangements. Oh, look at you!’ Tears gathered in Simone’s expressive brown eyes. ‘I always knew you’d grow to be even more beautiful than your mother. It was always there. In your eyes; and in your heart.’ Simone pulled back. ‘Luc told me what happened with Josien, Gaby. I could strangle her. Josien did call for you, I swear she did. I thought she wanted to make amends. I’d have never left that message for you otherwise. Never.’
‘I know,’ said Gabrielle. ‘I knew my welcome would probably be somewhat…cool. But I came anyway. You must think I’m crazy.’
‘No,’ said Simone gently. ‘Not crazy. Hopeful. I made us a picnic,’ she said, stepping back to the door to retrieve her basket. ‘And I don’t care where we eat it.’ She hefted the magnum up to eye level to reveal the label. ‘The day you left I stole two bottles of our oldest and finest and hid them in the caves. I swore on my sainted mother’s grave that the day you returned we would drink one of them. Of course, I never expected you to stay away so long. What kept you?’
Gabrielle felt her lips curve, she couldn’t help it. Finally, a welcome without restraint. ‘I was busy growing up and carving out a life for myself in Australia,’ she said dryly. ‘And I want to know what you’re saving the second bottle for.’
‘You’ll see,’ said Simone. ‘About this picnic… Shall we eat it here on the bed or shall we dine somewhere where we can see the clouds? We could head for our old picnic spot.’
‘So we could.’ Gabrielle eyed Simone’s attire sceptically. ‘You look every bit the successful businesswoman you always vowed you’d be, but are you sure you’ll be able to walk up the track in those shoes without breaking your neck?’
Simone looked down at her stiletto-clad feet and frowned.
