Chapter 39
39
I arrive back at the chateau to – surprise, surprise – find Mandy, Bette, and Gina lounging on the sofas, glasses of wine in hand.
‘Here she is,’ Mandy says, and I can’t quite place her tone but have you ever had that feeling that everyone was in on a joke apart from you? ‘Henri’s been looking for you,’ she tells me. ‘He said he’d be in the study before bed, and that we should tell you to see him there.’
I raise an eyebrow, my curiosity piqued.
‘Did he say why?’ I ask.
Mandy shrugs, swirling her wine.
‘He didn’t. Just that he was looking for you,’ she tells me. ‘You know, we were only having a bit of fun with the wager, but you’ve clearly taken it too far.’
‘What do you mean?’ I dare to ask.
‘We know you spent the night with him,’ she replies. ‘We saw the two of you head out together.’
‘He was just showing me his private cabin in the woods,’ I say innocently – as though that’s a normal-sounding thing to say.
Gina remains silent, her eyes darting between me and Mandy.
‘Come on, Amber,’ Bette says, in a knowing tone. ‘We’re all adults here.’
Mandy leans back, a smirk playing on her lips.
‘We know you were both missing last night,’ she says. ‘Come on, Amber, just admit it.’
‘His car broke down,’ I explain. ‘Honestly, it’s not what it looks like.’
‘Oh, don’t be so dramatic,’ Mandy says as she waves her hand dismissively. ‘Bette is right, we’re all adults.’
‘And Henri is seriously delicious – who would blame you?’ Gina says.
‘It’s just that we don’t usually, you know, sleep with the help on these things,’ Mandy points out in a tone that makes me want to throw a glass of wine over her. ‘We usually just spend time together – that’s the whole point.’
Is she serious? She was the one saying we should all try to woo him and now she’s saying this, which is all kinds of offensive, on so many levels.
Now the other two are saying nothing, their silence more telling than words. I wonder if anything could make them disagree with her.
‘I’m sorry I haven’t spent more time with you,’ I reply, focusing on that part. ‘I’ve just been trying to finish my book, and trying to find inspiration here at the resort.’
I mean, I’ve been trying to finish it in that I’ve been pasting in chunks of absolute garbage, whenever I’ve found myself with a spare minute, but I can’t tell them that.
‘And you found it in Henri,’ Mandy points out. ‘Anyway, it doesn’t matter, with only a few days left there is no point trying to join in now. You might as well make the most of your holiday romance – for as long as it lasts, before the next guests check in.’
I sigh. I never really felt like I fit in with them before but now, after spending time with them, things feel even more impossible. Honestly, it’s exhausting, trying to break into their tight-knit circle and to get them to like me. I can’t be bothered to try any more.
‘Okay, well, goodnight then,’ I say, forcing a smile before turning and heading to the study.
This is the first time I’ve seen him, since we were rescued.
Thankfully the door is open. Henri is sitting in a leather armchair, reading through some documents. He looks up as I enter, a warm smile spreading across his face, which quickly puts me at ease. See, it’s so easy, to just be welcoming and nice.
‘Amber,’ he says, standing up. ‘I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.’
I laugh lightly, shaking my head.
‘No, I’m not avoiding you,’ I reassure him. ‘Are you avoiding me?’
Well, he was the one who mentioned the A word.
He chuckles, probably picking up on my nervous energy as he moves closer, closing the gap between us.
‘No, I’ve just been busy with some publicity work today,’ he reassures me. ‘But I would like to take you to dinner tomorrow evening, if you’re free.’
I’m taken aback – and smiling like a maniac.
‘I’d really like that,’ I tell him.
It sounds like it’s just dinner. Not book-inspiration dinner – dinner-dinner. The two of us, eating, spending time together. That’s exciting, right?
Henri hands me a slip of paper with his number on it.
‘So that I don’t need to search for you when I want to find you,’ he tells me. ‘Send me yours.’
I take the paper, our fingers brushing for a moment.
‘I’ll do that,’ I tell him.
He gives me a lingering look before nodding.
‘Okay, that’s good,’ he replies. ‘Then I will see you tomorrow. Bonne nuit , Amber.’
‘ Bonne nuit ,’ I reply, probably not nailing the accent, but giving it my best.
As I head up the stairs, I take my phone from my pocket and add Henri’s number to my contacts. Then, so that he has my number, I send him a message.
See you tomorrow. X
A reply comes through almost instantly.
Looking forward to it xxx
I know what they say, sisters before misters and all that, but I don’t think I have any sisters here and, anyway, Henri isn’t a mister, he’s a monsieur.