Once back in her bedroom, she pulled the towel tighter around her body and double checked that the connecting door was locked. She certainly didn’t think that Alex was the kind of man who would violate her trust in that way, but the niggling discomfort at being vulnerable was real.
She looked around for her bags—but they were gone. Instead, everything she had brought with her had been neatly folded and placed in the drawers of the massive bureau, or was hanging in the closet. Her many-many-many pairs of shoes were set out on a shoe rack below.
It creeped her out to think that while she was in the shower, one of the family servants had slipped in like a ghost and unpacked her stuff.
She admitted to herself that it felt good to be waited on for the first time in her life.
She put on a demure summer dress, the kind she figured would be most appropriate when you were going to meet your fake future mother-in-law, and then pulled out her phone and called Sienna, just to let her know she was safe. She’d faithfully called her every evening since her arrival in France, and yet, her best friend’s fears hadn’t been allayed. “What if this is all a scam to steal you away? What if someone throws a sack over your head, or chloroforms you, and you wake up a prisoner in a caravan headed to Morocco?”
Jacyn had laughed and reminded her best friend that this wasn’t an Indiana Jones movie. Then she launched into an excited description of all that she had seen and experienced, and what was supposed to be just a quick call went on for nearly an hour. It was interrupted by a discreet knock on the door. Jacyn promised Sienna she’d call her back the next day, then hung up.
“Yes?”
A uniformed maid appeared holding a tray. “Breakfast, mademoiselle?” she asked in heavily accented English.
“Thank you.” Jacyn hesitated before adding, “Will Alex be joining me?”
The other woman shook her head. “I believe he was on his way to his mother’s quarters to visit her.” She set the tray down on a small table and disappeared as discreetly as she had come.
Jacyn couldn’t help but feel a bit miffed. Alex had gone over there without her? Wasn’t he supposed to introduce the Dowager Countess to the woman he was going to marry? Dowager, she learned from Alex, is the term used for a widow with a title attained from her husband. She tamped down her irritation.
“Let the man speak to his mother in private,” she chastised herself.
From what she’d gathered, it had been a while since he’d seen her. Besides, none of this was real. It was all an elaborate charade, so why should she care to meet the woman? Why should she care whether the matriarch would like her or not? Anyway, she had plenty to occupy her time, beginning with breakfast.
On the tray was an assortment of pastries, a steaming pot of divine-smelling coffee, and tiny pots of butter, clotted cream, and fruit preserves. But Jacyn could only manage to nibble on a pastry filled with an almond concoction, and sip a cup of coffee. She was too excited to eat any more.
It was time to explore the grounds.
***
It took a few false turns, and she was too embarrassed to ask directions of the liveried staff who slipped in and out and around her like ghosts. But she finally found the way back out to the garden and was immediately awestruck. For a moment, she stood at the top of the steps, surveying the sprawling grounds in awe. She’d seen gardens like these in magazines and in movies set in time periods a hundred years ago, or more.
Neatly trimmed hedges lined the garden, weaving in and out of it, like a maze. Towering trees were in full summer bloom and green leafy topiary animals played in groups: cats about to pounce, puppies rolling over, ducklings waddling! Water fountains and birdbaths were an accompaniment to the tinkling of brass wind chimes in the trees.
I could get to like this,was her first thought. Her second thought was,Better not; it’s only for a short time.
“Impressive, isn’t it?”
The voice behind her made her spin around so fast she almost lost her balance. It was Countess Sofia, sashaying down the flagstone path towards her. She was smiling, or at least, her lips were pulled back. “I thought I would welcome you personally, since you and I are to be sisters.”
Jacyn got the impression that welcoming her was the last thing this woman would be happy to do. She took in her flawless makeup, with her ivory skin and jet hair, stylishly coiffured even at this hour in the morning. The slip dress was the same carmine as her lipstick, as were the soles of her stiletto shoes.
Even though her internal warning bells were going nuts, Jacyn decided to try to be friendly. Afterall, it was her job to be pleasant, to blend. To pass for what she was pretending to be. A potential member of the family. “Hello again,” Jacyn said as the woman came within a few feet of her.
“So, it appears that our Alex has finally fallen in love,” Sofia said, hand on hip. She said it as though they were discussing flying pigs.
Hell no,Jacyn thought. Whatever this woman was trying to start, she wasn’t getting sucked in. She saw how theCountessand Alex had looked at each other, even for the briefest second. Her womanly instincts told her there was something there, and whatever that was, it wasn’t part of her job description.
So, she smiled sweetly, like everything was right in her world. “It certainly seems so.”
“And I guess you’re also smitten by our Alexandre. It’s an easy thing to do, when a man is as wealthy as he is.”
Was this wench calling her a gold-digger? Jacyn lifted her chin. “Funny enough, I had no idea about his wealth and status when we met.”
“Eh bien? Alors, dis-moi:where did you meet our Alex? I’m so curious.” Challenge glittered in Sofia’s eyes.
Jacyn didn’t miss a beat. “We bumped into one another late one night when I was out clubbing with a friend.” At least that was the truth, and so it sounded more plausible than a lie.