Scandal and the Runaway Bride (Heirs to an Empire 1)

The beginning of a headache began behind his eyes now. Great. Stephen was mad, and Will didn’t like that they were at odds. Meanwhile, he was stuck in France babysitting Gabi. Truthfully, that wasn’t much of a hardship. She was rather lovely. Stephen would remember that when he got past his hurt pride.

He tucked the phone into his back pocket and stared out the window of his bedroom. There was very little of himself here; the rooms were professionally decorated and he’d always stayed in this room when they were in residence. His flat in Paris was much more his style. And yet he had to admit the light-colored walls and airy draperies contributed to the overall atmosphere of Château Germain: restful and calm.

The windows overlooked the terrace gardens, and always gave him a measure of peace. At twenty-eight, he was young to be in charge of an actual division of Aurora, and at times he wondered if it was what he really wanted. But there’d never been any question that he’d be part of the business, just like all the Germain-Pemberton children. His mother had put him at the helm of the fashion side of the business six months ago, which still struck him as humorous. But as she pointed out, he didn’t need to know fashion to know business.

And what he knew was that Aurora, Inc., would never compromise on quality. The Baresi family had been their supplier for cashmere for nearly two decades. It was in Aurora’s best interest to maintain that relationship.

How convenient that a member of the Baresi family was under the same roof.

A movement caught his eye, and he discovered Gabi walking through the terraced garden that led to the larger park beyond. His throat constricted as he tried to swallow. She wore the same dress she’d had on this morning, something simple with blue flowers on a white background, in a cut that emphasized her trim figure. But what really got his attention was her hair. This morning she’d been just out of the shower and it had been wound up in some sort of knot. But now it flowed down past her shoulders, a curtain of rich mink, thick and wavy. The kind of hair a man itched to sink his fingers into. He imagined doing so and hearing her sigh with pleasure...

But Gabi was not for him. He wouldn’t do that to Stephen. Besides, they were all trying to avoid a scandal here.

She stopped by a rosebush and he caught himself smiling as she leaned forward to smell a blossom. Could he be more of a fool?

He wiped the smile from his face and decided to join her in the garden. There was no reason why she couldn’t have what she wanted. A deeper alliance with Baresi was a solid business move for Aurora. Stephen had attached conditions to his offer. William would, too, but it wouldn’t require anyone to sacrifice their principles or integrity. He’d do this for the company, and for Baresi, and let Stephen worry about procreating and providing an heir and a baby for their mother to bounce on her knee.

* * *

The garden reminded Gabi of home.

Provençal climate meant many of the plants, shrubs and flowers were of the Mediterranean variety, and very unlike the English garden back at Chatsworth Hall. Boxwoods, olive trees and cypress flanked flower and herb gardens that cascaded down each terrace. The smell was incredible. She was sure she sensed the tart aroma of lemons and perhaps the softer scent of nectarine...was there an orchard somewhere on the grounds? In the garden proper there was rosemary and thyme and of course lavender, the savory scents soothing her frayed nerves as she made her way to the gurgling fountain in the very center.

The fountain was a little oasis, with a few Aleppo pines providing a bit of shade and wicker furniture placed around it for a wanderer to take a moment to rest. She did, easing herself

into a chair with a creak. It was exceedingly comfortable, and Gabi let out a long, slow breath. Her anxiety had been on high alert for hours. She needed to decompress, so she focused on breathing, checking in with each of her senses.

The feel of the chair, beneath her bottom, the armrests beneath her fingers, warm and dry and textured. The perfumed, soft air. The way the light breeze fluttered nearby leaves ever so gently, a susurrus of sound that shivered along her nerve endings, inviting her to relax. The sun on her face, and William, walking down the terrace with long-legged grace.

William!

So much for relaxing. She’d already agonized over her reaction to him this morning. Up until two months ago, she hadn’t even met Stephen’s brother. At the time she remembered thinking how handsome looks ran in the family, but she’d been so distracted by her father’s test results and Stephen’s proposition that he’d been relegated to the background.

He wasn’t in the background now, and she still hadn’t figured out how to handle him. Or if she even should try.

She reminded herself to relax her muscles, so that when he arrived by her side, she looked for all the world as if she were enjoying a sunny afternoon in a spectacular garden.

“I see you discovered the gardens. They’re lovely, aren’t they?”

“Some of it reminds me of home,” she replied, smiling up at him. “But the lavender...it weaves its way through everything, doesn’t it?”

“You can’t see them, but there are fields nearby. And we always have some in the gardens.”

“It’s supposed to be good for anxiety.” She laughed lightly. “My own little aromatherapy afternoon.”

He looked over his shoulder and then back at her again. “If you need help relaxing, I did ask for some wine to be brought out. I’d like to talk to you about something.”

Unease centered in her gut. So far, William had been honest, telling her exactly what was on his mind. She respected that. She could deal with that. She couldn’t deal with half-truths and angles and trying to pretty something up that was downright ugly. She’d been through enough of that already. She’d been willing to agree to Stephen’s offer because Luca had strung her along for two years before shattering her dreams. She wanted marriage and a family. Stephen had offered both. Luca, on the other hand, already had a wife. A wife she’d known nothing about until she’d had her own pregnancy scare. Then the truth had come out. Luca had broken her heart and made her feel stupid in equal measure.

But she also reminded herself that Will had his own agenda, which was about what was good for Aurora, Inc. She forgot that at her peril.

“All right.” She sat up straighter, encouraged when William grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it over closer to her. At least he wasn’t going to stand over her in a very obvious position of power. Power which, of course, he had. She’d lost her only bargaining chip to save her family.

A maid approached, carrying a tray with wineglasses and a chilled bottle. With a small smile she set the tray on the little table. William nodded and smiled at her. “Thank you, Angeline. I can pour for us.”

Gabi had no doubt the wine would be excellent, and she was of two minds about the motivation behind it. William might be trying to broach his topic in a convivial manner. Or he might be lulling her into thinking that, using it to his advantage. Either way, she was on her guard.

He handed her the glass, touched the rim with his own and said a quiet, “Cheers.”