Heaven Scent (55 page)

Delphine inclined her snowy-white head but said nothing.

‘What, no cutting comments?’ Guy regarded her, feeling unnerved. As much as he detested his mother’s coldness, there was a familiarity about it, a predictability that let him know he was in the critical but nonetheless close-knit bosom of his family. Without it, he felt rather like a raft abandoned by its mother ship: adrift, with no direction and no security. Guy had craved her affection pretty much all his life but he had always found reassurance in her sang-froid and practicality.

Delphine cleared her throat and sat up. ‘You know how I feel about counselling, Guy.’ Her querulous tone gave Guy a stab of encouragement. ‘But if you feel it will help you, who am I to object?’

Guy shook his head in bemusement. ‘Who are you to object? Mother, you haven’t once, in all of my life, felt the need
not
to comment or object about anything. What’s changed?’

Delphine glanced out of the window again. ‘So many things have happened . . . so many terrible things,’ she murmured, seeming distracted. ‘Olivier’s death was the catalyst but things have spiralled from there.’ She laced her finely veined hands together. ‘And I am to blame for much of it.’

Guy frowned. He wasn’t used to hearing his mother take the blame for any of her actions and even though it was the right thing for her to do, again he felt unnerved by the change in her.

‘I was the one who invited Yves here,’ Delphine said, visibly shaking at the memory of what the man had nearly done to Seraphina. ‘And what about Angelique?’ Her eyes were bitter. ‘I was so wrong. I thought Xavier would be pleased, that he wanted her back here. I thought he and Cat were getting too close and I wanted to put a stop to it. Why would I do such a thing, Guy? Why would I assume that I know better than my own grandson about his love life?’

Quick to reassure her, Guy did his best to sound reasonable. ‘Well, we all make mistakes. Look at me. Which is why I’m trying to do something about it.’

Delphine lifted her delicate white eyebrows. ‘And what shall I do about my sins, Guy? What can I do to atone for the mess I’ve made? Xavier is barely speaking to me. I know he returned from Morocco but he hasn’t been to see me, not even for five minutes.’

‘He’s busy working on the fragrance,’ Guy protested. ‘I only saw him briefly myself. He said he had some business to deal with in Paris . . .’

Delphine waved a hand. ‘Don’t bother, Guy. I only hope he’ll forgive me for inviting Angelique here. And who is that brute of a manager of hers? Mason something-or-other. He looks like a mafia boss.’ She shuddered.

Guy laughed. ‘I know. He says he detests Angelique but I have a feeling he’s protesting too much.’ His expression became more sober. ‘I have a confession to make, actually.’

Delphine raised her eyebrows.

‘The legal papers that would have severed all ties with Cat?’ Guy’s mouth twisted uneasily. ‘The ones that disappeared? I . . . I shredded them.’

Expecting his mother to fire a tirade of abuse at him, he was astonished when she blinked at him before bursting into peals of laughter. She laughed so hard, she started crying and all Guy could do was sit and stare at her. He hadn’t seen her laugh like this for years and even though he didn’t know the reason for her mirth, he found himself joining in.

‘Oh, Guy, you have no idea how funny that is.’ Delphine wiped her eyes. ‘You are literally the last person I would have suspected of doing that. But it all makes sense.’ Her expression softened. ‘She reminds you of Elizabeth?’

Guy swallowed. ‘Yes, but not in the way you might think. She’s beautiful, yes, but I have no feelings for her in that way. It’s . . . it’s more complicated than that.’ He tried to put it into words. ‘There’s something about her, something special, and I know you don’t agree but I really feel that she’s changed our family for the better, that she’s
saved
us, if that doesn’t sound silly. The twins adore her and even Leoni is now her biggest fan.’

‘And Xavier?’

Guy looked concerned. ‘I’m pretty sure he’s in love with her but I don’t know if he’s figured that out yet. What with Angelique wafting around all over the place and no doubt enticing him into bed . . .’

‘Don’t.’ Delphine looked crestfallen. ‘What an error of judgement. I liked her so much the first time round; I thought she was a wonderful example of womanhood because she seemed so ambitious but so family oriented at the same time.’ She made an impatient sound. ‘Angelique reminded me of myself at her age – how egotistical! Now I realise she was simply putting on a front, playing up to my sense of family loyalty. I forgot what a talented actress she was.’

‘As I said, we all make mistakes.’ Guy looked sympathetic. ‘I just hope it’s not too late for Xavier and that he realises how amazing Cat is.’

Delphine nodded.

Guy became wistful. ‘As for me, Cat was the only one who recognised I was grieving for Elizabeth, the only one, Mother. No one else noticed . . . because we’re all too caught up in our own problems to be the intensely loyal, committed family we should be. The family we mistakenly thought we were.’

Delphine nodded sagely. ‘I agree with you.’ She saw Guy’s eyes snap up in surprise. ‘Oh yes, Guy, I admit I haven’t been the best judge of character of late but even I have been . . . charmed by Cat and what she’s done for the family.’ A mischievous smile played at her lips. ‘Pascal drew up a third set of papers, you know.’

‘He did? Well, if they’ve gone missing, it wasn’t me.’

Delphine smiled. ‘Well, not missing exactly.’ Delphine reached into the drawer of her desk and pulled out the stiff set of documents. ‘I told Cat the papers hadn’t arrived yet . . . I lied.’

She went pink. Hiding the legal papers hadn’t been her only crime; Delphine hadn’t told anyone she had taken Cat’s passport for a while to bide some time. The fact that the replacement was taking so long to materialise was simply a stroke of luck, but Delphine was keeping quiet for now. ‘Needs must, Guy. At least she’s still here. We just need to make sure Xavier doesn’t do anything silly and choose Angelique instead.’ She frowned at Guy. ‘He won’t do that, will he?’

Guy considered. ‘I don’t know. Angelique is beautiful but she’s so self-absorbed. I can’t imagine why Xavier was attracted to her in the first place. Perhaps he really did love her once, though – which is unfortunate because it can create a very strong bond, can’t it? Even years later.’ Disconcertingly, Marianne Peroux flashed into his mind. Did he and Marianne have a bond? Perhaps they did. Not that it mattered; their paths were unlikely to cross now.

Delphine looked uncomfortable again. ‘I wish I knew what went on between Xavier and Angelique, what secret they are hiding. I don’t suppose I would have meddled if I’d known more.’

Guy swallowed, knowing he had probably pushed Xavier away when he had tried to talk about what had happened. ‘I really need to go and get my head sorted out,’ he sighed.

‘Yes, well.’ Delphine’s tone became brisk and bossy once more. ‘I have plenty of things to be getting on with before the Paris launch.’ She flapped her hands at Guy. ‘Go and do your little grief counselling thing.’

Feeling at least that some semblance of normality had been restored, Guy did as he was told and finally plucked up the courage to call a counsellor.

A few weeks later Angelique fumed as she reclined on a sun lounger. Xavier had returned from Morocco, locked himself in his lab to add the final stages to his precious fragrance and now he was off again to Paris. The launch wasn’t for another few days, so what was the hurry? Angelique considered her next move as she rubbed factor fifty into her body with vigorous strokes. She never allowed herself to tan but sunbathing allowed her to flaunt her flawless body so she indulged every so often. And the June sunshine was too glorious to resist. Wearing a tiny red bikini with her blonde hair pinned up in a seemingly careless bun that Celine had spent an hour teasing into place, Angelique knew she appeared serene on the outside. On the inside, however, her mind was whirring. She had to pull off what she had set out to achieve. She had bided her time for long enough, as well as turning down many good opportunities; falling at this final hurdle just wasn’t an option.

Running a hand idly down her jasmine-scented thigh, Angelique bit her full bottom lip so hard it hurt. What was Xavier playing at? Why hadn’t he spoken to her when he returned from Morocco. Surely he wasn’t interested in that English girl? Cat, or whatever her absurd name was, was his cousin’s widow, hardly the most suitable girlfriend. Turning as she sensed someone behind her, she tutted when she saw that it was Mason. Wearing a striped brown suit despite the sweltering weather, with one of the loudest ties she’d ever seen, he looked incongruous in the grounds of La Fleurie; hot, uncomfortable and ridiculously American. Recoiling as she noticed the beads of sweat sliding off his big nose, Angelique glowered at him. His shoulders blocked out the sun.

‘I could get one of those restraining orders out against you,’ she snapped in English, thrusting her sunglasses up on to her nose, mostly to dim the brightness of his horrible tie. God, it was ugly! Just like Mason, she thought to herself uncharitably. He was a brute of a man and his orange and brown tie summed him up perfectly.

Mason let out a harsh laugh, his big hands making fists at his sides. ‘I’m your manager, Angelique. I don’t think anyone would take you seriously if you attempted something so foolish.’

‘Why are you here?’ Angelique hissed, sitting up suddenly, her breasts almost bursting free from her scarlet bikini top. ‘This isn’t just a career move; this is my personal life, and you have no business in it.’

‘I should have,’ Mason hit back with equal force. One of his huge hands grabbed her slender thigh and his dark eyes glittered. ‘You and me, we’re very alike, do you know that?’

Angelique scoffed. As if she and Mason were alike! What a hilarious notion.

‘Oh yes,’ Mason insisted, ‘we are very much alike. You just don’t want to admit it to yourself.’ He tightened his grip on her thigh. ‘Do you know what your problem is,
chérie
? Your problem is that you’re too busy trying to be something you’re not. You’ve got ideas above your station, you think you should be some international brand. For some reason, Angelique, you seem to be under the impression that you are a superstar others might wish to emulate.’

Angelique was so angry, she couldn’t speak. How dare he speak to her like this, how
dare
he!

Undeterred by Angelique’s obvious fury, Mason wasn’t finished. ‘You’re not that person and you never will be. You’re a talented actress who’s been blessed with a decent face and body but you don’t have the likeability factor.’

‘The likeability factor?’ Raging, Angelique struggled to break free of his grasp but his iron fingers had her thigh in a vice-like grip. ‘Who do you think you are? Simon Cowell, or whatever his name is?’ she spluttered. She glanced down at the big fingers gripping her thigh and hazily found herself wondering what it would feel like to have them touch her in a more intimate way. Disgusted with herself, she tried to prise Mason’s fingers off but she wasn’t strong enough.

Out of the blue, Mason grinned. ‘No, I don’t think I’m Simon Cowell. I’m fully aware of who I am and what I’m capable of. It’s you who is delusional, Angelique.’ He let go of her thigh, his eyes staring thoughtfully at the red finger marks he’d left on her flesh. ‘You’re making a big mistake,’ he added quietly, his softer tone somehow more disturbing than his callous one.

Angelique found she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his. ‘What do you mean?’ She hated herself for asking but something in Mason’s eyes told her he knew something. It was as if he was staring into her soul and she didn’t like it one bit.

‘Panting after Xavier Ducasse,’ Mason spat distastefully. ‘Especially when you have so much to hide.’

Angelique flushed. What did he mean? ‘Xavier feels the same way about me as I do about him.’ She felt a moment of disquiet deep in her stomach. Mason couldn’t know . . . he couldn’t possibly. Angelique felt a little faint but she blamed the heat.

Mason’s expression darkened. ‘You’re fooling yourself if you think he feels the same way. You don’t belong here, Angelique.’ He gestured to the stunning grounds of La Fleurie, encompassing the lavender fields, the pool and the stables. ‘You want to, desperately, but you just don’t fit in. Beautiful you might be but, honey, classy and respectable you ain’t.’

His words pierced her like a knife. Her jaw tightened. ‘I could be.’

Wiping his sweaty brow with a gaudy handkerchief that clashed with his tie, Mason looked regretful. ‘No, baby, you couldn’t. You’ve spent years building yourself up and trying so hard to be taken seriously. You’ve taken roles in films you didn’t want to do because you knew it would raise your profile. Your intention has always been to step away from those sorts of films at some point and be respectable. How am I doing so far?’

She stared at him with hatred in her eyes.

‘Spot on, I reckon, judging by your expression,’ Mason continued. ‘So you’ve put up with the naked scenes and the dirty old men who interview you because your long-term plans have always been to come back here and finish what you started.’

Angelique couldn’t speak.

Mason pointed to the beautifully shaped swimming pool and its lush surroundings. ‘You think this, and the Ducasse name, will bring you the respectability you crave so badly. You think Xavier, with his “old money” and his highly regarded perfume conglomerate will put you up there with the big players. I’m right, aren’t I?’

‘Xavier loves me,’ she muttered, wanting to strike Mason, needing to obliterate him and his cruel honesty from her life. ‘The fact that he has all these other positive qualities is just . . . fortunate.’

‘I think not. And by the way, you seem to have forgotten about Cat Hayes,’ Mason added in a conversational tone, smoothing his expensive, pinstriped suit trousers with the flat of his hand. Having spent some considerable time at La Fleurie while Angelique shot and re-shot her photographs for the ad campaign, he had done some serious digging and he was sure he now know the score. Mason also knew how to push Angelique’s buttons. ‘In fact, you’re so arrogant, you haven’t even considered her, or how appealing she is on so many levels. But she has something you’ll never have.’