Royally Seduced - By Marie Donovan Page 0,44
a bit but was secretly pleased at his concern for her well-being.
He raised his glass in a toast. “To Lily. I am so lucky we met.”
“To Jack.” She raised hers, as well. “For showing me the real France—and a lot of a certain real Frenchman.”
He laughed and sipped his wine. “Eat, eat.”
The food was exquisite, as good as any restaurant meal she’d had. “You’re almost as good in the kitchen as my mother’s new husband, Stan.”
“Ah, you did mention he was skilled around the house—he can cook, as well?”
Lily couldn’t help giggling. “I should hope so. He’s the Wyndham family chef.”
“Lovely!” Jack started to laugh. “The housekeeper finds happiness with the family chef.”
“Their new house is spotless and they eat like kings. What more could you ask for?”
“Love.” He said it so matter-of-factly that she knew he meant it. “If they have love, then nothing else matters.”
“Nothing? Not money or age or different backgrounds?”
He was already shaking his head. “Nothing. Everything else can be dealt with, but love is the one thing that should never be compromised.”
“They do love each other,” Lily whispered. Sometimes it made her feel left out since it had been just Mom and her for so many years. But she was a woman now, and it was time to let her mother be a woman in her own right, as well. “Have you ever loved like that?” she blurted and then immediately blushed. If she were going to drink wine like a Frenchwoman, she needed to get better control of her tongue.
He stared steadily at her and she raised her glass to block the mortified expression on her face. He waited to answer her until she had set down her glass. She couldn’t spend the entire meal hiding behind it, despite her cheeks that felt as red as the wine. “I thought I did once, but I was wrong. And you?”
Turnabout was fair play and she answered him as bluntly. “No, never. Not even close.”
He nodded. “I know we are not in love, Lily, but I am glad we are lovers.”
“Lovers.” She tested the word on her lips, remembering the first time she had used it with the Frenchwoman on the train. Then, it had been awkward and embarrassing. But now that she and Jack truly were lovers, it was natural and freeing to say the word, at least with him. “Yes, I am glad, too.”
Not that she would go around introducing him like that, as in, Have you met my lover, Jack? Really, a woman had to draw the line somewhere in maintaining some mystery.
“However long you want me—you want us, Lily,” he promised solemnly.
That was what she wanted, too—but what if she wanted him forever? The thought stunned her, and she used her jaw dropping as an excuse to shovel in a mouthful of pasta. Lovers did not equal forever; it was a live-in-the-moment kind of thing.
He watched her eat for a minute, satisfied that she was replenishing her body, and then settled down to his meal. They chatted as they ate, finding common interests in music, art and movies. They of course had different perspectives, but that made it more interesting to debate the fine points. He was witty and well-read, intelligent and amusing.
Lily paused for a second and looked at Jack and looked at their amazing meal. Their relationship was like the pasta—hot and fresh, but after a certain point would get cold and lumpy, not ever quite living up to its original flavor. But for now, oh, was it delicious.
THE NEXT DAY, Jack left Lily chatting with her cousin via webcam and headed out to meet Jean-Claude to talk about estate business. This was the first summer in many years that Jack had been in Provence for the lavender harvest, and Jean-Claude was eager to involve him. Probably so Jack wouldn’t stay away so long again. Halfway up the hill to the field, his own phone rang.
He smiled at the display and answered it. “Bonjour, chérie.”
“Oh, Jack, I’m so glad to talk to you. I was worried to death when George told me you were sick.” It was Stevie, his little sister in all but DNA. Even though Princess Stefania was a beautiful grown-up lady, he couldn’t help remembering her as the inconsolable twelve-year-old who had come to live with them after the death of her parents. George had been a sophomore at the university living off-campus with Jack and Frank, but had quickly hired a housekeeper to care for Stefania